Sunday, August 5, 2018
Aug 5
More history. We stopped at the Tarbat Museum and Church in Portmahomack. This is a small museum dedicated to the ancient history of the Picts. These were people who were here when the Romans came. They painted their faces while at war, thus the "pictus" from Latin, meaning pictured or painted. They were quite warlike, and greatly resisted the onslaught of the Romans. They eventually merged with people of Caledonia to become the Kingdom of Alba(700's). After the Vikings conquered, it became Northumbria(850). Later, the Gaels came from the west in Ireland, and they became known as Scots(900s and later into the 1100s). The term Scot comes from the Latin term for Gaelic, Scoti.
Excavations around the museum produced stones with ornamental pictures of animals and people. The Picts had no known written language, so this is all we have.
We drove into the town of Dornoch, the largest town in the Sutherland area. We had lunch in the old Courthouse, next to the old Jail(now converted to shops).
On our way to our next stop at Dunrobin Castle, we took a detour to the shore to see a few sea lions lounging on the beach.
We proceeded to Dunrobin, the Castle of the Sutherland Clan. This area got its name from the Norse who had conquered from further north, and this was the "southern land". The Sutherlands were mostly Protestant and loyalist in the various uprisings, and never really supported the Jacobites. Thus their lands and castles were not destroyed or plundered. The castle now is mostly of Victorian vintage, with many beautiful rooms, lots of wood and Oriental rugs. Before we toured the castle, we watched a falcon demonstration, which showed the capabilities of these birds.
Pix in an adjoining post. It seems that I am limited using Apple's Notes to uploading large files.
Excavations around the museum produced stones with ornamental pictures of animals and people. The Picts had no known written language, so this is all we have.
We drove into the town of Dornoch, the largest town in the Sutherland area. We had lunch in the old Courthouse, next to the old Jail(now converted to shops).
On our way to our next stop at Dunrobin Castle, we took a detour to the shore to see a few sea lions lounging on the beach.
We proceeded to Dunrobin, the Castle of the Sutherland Clan. This area got its name from the Norse who had conquered from further north, and this was the "southern land". The Sutherlands were mostly Protestant and loyalist in the various uprisings, and never really supported the Jacobites. Thus their lands and castles were not destroyed or plundered. The castle now is mostly of Victorian vintage, with many beautiful rooms, lots of wood and Oriental rugs. Before we toured the castle, we watched a falcon demonstration, which showed the capabilities of these birds.
Pix in an adjoining post. It seems that I am limited using Apple's Notes to uploading large files.
Aug 4
One can see a depiction of Nesie, the famous creature from Loch Ness. One can also see the water on the sidewalk from the ubiquitous rainfall! We drove the length of Loch Ness, the longest and second deepest loch. Most of these lochs are glacial remnants, so the are very deep. Along the way, we stopped at Urquhart Castle, first built in 945, and greatly expanded over the years. In the 1100s, a king gave this land to the Grant clan, as a way of thwarting the MacDonald's power. It was destroyed in 1690 by the Grants themselves as they were abandoning it. The loyalist Grants were being overrun by the Jacobites and they didn't want it to fall into the "wrong" hands.
We went to the Culloden battlefield and museum. As I have alluded, this was the last hurrah of the Catholic Jacobites trying to restore a descendant of the last Stuart ruler, James II and VII, who had been deposed in 1688 by William of Orange. Jacobite refers to the Latin name for James, Jacobus. The Scottish Highlanders, who were Catholic, never liked the Protestants who had become the Kings. Prince Charles, who reportedly was very good looking, or "Bonnie", had been exiled in France and returned in 1745 with a small army to try to regain the throne. He was joined by the Catholic clans. They met in battle on April 16, 1746 with the regular Redcoats after marching all night. They were outmanned and outgunned, and it was a slaughter. Thousands of the clansmen were killed in a short but fierce battle, lasting only a few hours. Think of the battle scenes from Game of Thrones. The French reinforcements never arrived, and Charles retreated back to France. This was the last battle on English soil. The Scots remember and venerate this battle, and there was accurate depictions of the battle on a minute to minute basis. There was also a museum here to further explain all the particulars of the battle.
We proceeded to an ancient Circle of stones. These have been popularized recently via the Outlander series of books (which half the group is reading or has read - Ann in in book 1; I'm in book 4). The basic story is that a woman, Claire Randall, is transports via the magic stones to 1745, and gets involved in the uprising with Jamie Fraser, one of the Scotsmen. As far as I could tell, none of our group left us. These stones date back 2-4000 years, and, like Stonehenge, align with the sun on Solstice.
We headed further north, through Inverness (the "mouth" of the River Ness) and across the Firth or Bay of Moray. We came to Brora, a little town on the Northeast coast and settled into our quaint hotel. Billiard table, dark wood, very Victorian. After dinner, we went into town (all of 3 streets) to a little pub for some brews with the locals.
Friday, August 3, 2018
Aug 3
The clans who supported Charlie were outlawed, and were never strong again.
The Clans were strongest before this time, and the MacDonald Clan may have been the strongest. We visited Armadele Castle (and Museum) going over the history of this person and the intertwining of the clans.
The Clan began in the 1300s by Somerled, who had a son Donald who in turn had a son Donald. The "Mac" means "Son of", similar to Russian -ovitch or Irish O' or English -son or even Farsi -zadeh. Thus, MacDonald. But also, MacDougal, McCloud, MacArthur, etc. The old original castle is now in disrepair.
We then took the ferry to Skye Island, the largest of the Inner Heberdes islands. We stopped for lunch at Sligachan Hotel. The food has been "OK", but nothing spectacular. I really didn't expect too much from Scotland, so I am not disappointed.
We drove through the moors and between volcanic and glacial mountains. The weather has not been cooperative for pretty sunshine photos, but I'll post a few of the pretty misty ones n another post.
We stopped in the largest town in Skye, Portee. Two or three streets with tourists, and shops selling tartans, sweaters, and jewelry.
On the way back, we stopped at a memorial for the British Commando Units. There were sheep nearby, and Ann was distracted!
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Aug 2
A nice walk to dinner in the drizzle. The restaurant, called Dakota, was warm and welcoming. Ten of us and Conor, our guide, had our own room. We ordered from the Prix Fixe menu, and it was delicious. I had the bruschetta and a ravioli ragu and Ann had a Plaice fish and a cheese dish. We washed it down with the local beer, St. Mungo. After dinner, talk turned to politics. Everyone was somewhat cautious, but we spoke of Brexit, and whether it was good or bad. It was mentioned that the UK was split, and there were those who felt they should not give up any sovereignty to the EU, but I and others pointed out that one needs to surrender some sovereignty for the greater good. I noted that in the 19th century Germany and Italy were made up of multiple little duchies, which were able to subsume their sovereignty "for the greater good". It may not have been easy, but it worked. Maybe language is the difference.
Thursday
We went for a cruise on Loch Lomand. A loch is essentially a lake. It is 24 miles long, and only a few miles wide at best. Only Loch Ness is bigger, These lakes are formed as the remnants of glacier flows from thousands of years ago. The last glaciers left about 14,000 years ago. The weather is still cool and misty and cloudy, and most of the tops of the ridges were covered in clouds. Two hours on the lake was enough.
On to a little town on the loch, Luss. A cute touristy town for lunch and a little walk. The church graveyard had stones that I could read going back to the 1700s. There were a lot of stones that were unreadable, and covers with moss.
On the bus up to the Highlands. The clouds were still low, covering to tops of the peaks. Very picturesque. We stopped a few times for pictures.
More of a bus ride to Fort William. This was established by the British after the Jacobite Uprising in the 1740s. Much more of that later when we get to Inverness and Culloden. If anyone has been through the Outlander series, this is where it all happened. Ann has just started, and I'm in Book 4...
Across the Loch
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Aug 1
Getting into the swing of things back on an Odyssey Tour. Morning breakfast - English. A little weird, since there is no "foreign" flavor so to be tried! Oh well, Eggs are fine. AIS (Ass In Seats) at 9:00 and we're off. Nobody was late, at least not today.
Here is the bird that never flew Here is the tree that never grew Here is the bell that never rang Here is the fish that never swam
The seal of Glasgow incorporates a bird, a tree, a bell and a fish in commemoration of the miracles performed by Mungo. His crypt is in the lower section of the cathedral. Weirdly, there is also a collection of Lego scenes surrounding it. Sorta strange. The cathedral itself was built in the 1100's, and has been in continuous use. Obviously it started as Catholic, but then morphed in the Reformation.
Across from the Cathedral is the Royal Infirmary. This is where Joseph Lister, a surgeon of the 1800s, was trying to discover why so many patients who had surgery died from suppuration of their wounds. At that time, an open or compound fracture was essentially a death sentence from the purulent sepsis that overtook the patient. When Lister was a young surgeon, he watched a surgeon perform an amputation, proceed to accidentally cut himself and a bystander. The patient, the surgeon, and the bystander all died of infection: a 300% mortality! Lister eventually came upon Carbolic Acid, a derivative of coal tar or creosote, to soak the bandages and keep the wounds from getting infected. He obviously got a lot of pushback by the older surgeons who "knew" he was wrong, but the town learned that his patients didn't die so often and flocked to his door.
We the proceeded to the mansion at Pollak Park, an old mansion. This included old Spanish paintings and an old Georgian house, including the servants' quarters. Upstairs was a photographic exhibit of photographer Henry Benson, who had many pictures of American presidents and of Glasgow. There was also a haunting photo of RFK just after he was shot. Lunch at the mansion was barely edible, consisting of tarragon soup, cold meats that wouldn't cut with the butter knife they put on the table, cold cheese and salad. The scone for desert was passable.
After lunch, the group went back to the Kelvingrove museum. I perused a few of the things I hadn't seen yesterday. There was some more history of the city dating to the 1100s and a small natural history exhibit.
We first went to the Cathedral (or High Kirk) of Saint Kentigern, better known as Saint Mungo. He was the patron saint of Glasgow, having died in 614. He gave the city its character in a poem:
To be continued
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
July 31
We arrived at our hotel, the Grand Central, at about 8 am, and of course they didn't have an available room. We checked our bags, and proceeded to walk about 1 1/2 miles to the Kelvingrove museum in West Glasgow. The museum and area were named after the River Kelvin, which flows nearby. Sir William Thompson, or Lord Kelvin of thermodynamic fame, studied at the University of Glasgow which is nearby. The museum looks like a converted church, but isn't. The collection is somewhat eclectic, ranging from early Scottish artifacts recovered from the bogs, to Salvador Dali. There is an exhibit of works out "The Glasgow Boys", a collection of artists at the end of the 19th century that were very Impressionistic. Old friends, as Mickie used to say. There were 16th century tapestries, Dutch masters, and
CThe Floating Heads. Also was an exhibit honoring the 150th birthday of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, an architect contemporaneous with Frank Lloyd Wright. The Art Deco style is fascinating.
After a nap, we met the rest of the group. A collection from across the country, as is typical for Odysseys. Our guide, Conor, took us through the particulars, and what we would be doing for the next 2 weeks.
Then to the Piping Museum for instruction on the bagpipes. We all tried, and Ann won't let me post the picture of her trying! Dinner at the museum was ok. Certainly adequate but nothing to extoll about.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
A Quick Trip to Montenegro -Day 13
A Quick Trip to Montenegro -Day 13
We met Izador, the tour Director, and he introduced us to Joseph the driver. This was an unscheduled trip, as our regular tour included a free day in Dubrovnik, and we had seen most of it yesterday. Eight of us piled into a van for the trip across the border to the town of Kotor. The border crossing wasn't too bad, and it was 2 hours to Kotor. The mountains were more beautiful than those in Croatia. Taller, steeper, and less vegetation leading to a very stark impression, but pretty. We eventually got to the coast and travelled along the water of the outer bay. There was an isthmus leading to a very well protected inner bay. A few towns dotted the periphery of both bays.
Half way around, we stopped in a small town to take a short boat ride to an island in the middle of the bay with a church on it. Any time you turn around, they built a church.
We finally got to the town of Kotor, which is another walled city like Dubrovnik, just smaller. We had to wait a while to get our guide, as Izador had not provided the correct phone number to Joseph so he could alert her. Not terrific planning.
The town was originally Roman, with the name Dekator. This lasted until the 7th century when Rome collapsed. They were semi-autonomous until the 13th century until the Slavs began to come from the east over the mountains. In the 14th and 15th century, the Ottomans were on the move, and in 1420, they "invited" the Venetians to come in for protection. You can tell on a city's walls how the Venetians arrived, by the symbols of a Lion with a Book. If the book is open, it was a friendly takeover. If the book is closed, it was somewhat more hostile. The lion medallion on the entrance to the city is holding an open book.
The Venetians remained in charge until 1797 when the Austrians arrived, then Napoleon, then the Austrians again until 1918. Then, as we know, "All the Slavs" were joined under Tito as Yugoslavia. Then the wars of the 90s, and Montenegro finally achieved independence in 2006.
The city of Kotor itself expanded, and the current walls were built in 1555. The central clock tower was built in 1612, and the still working mechanism was installed in the early 1800s by Napoleon. Over the years, the ground has settled some, and it leans a few inches, so it qualifies as the "Other Leaning Tower".
Inside, there are a few squares with multiple little streets with no rhyme or reason to the plan or direction. A main cathedral to Saint Triphon contained some relics of the Saint from 809. The original cathedral was built in 1166, and recently celebrated its 850th birthday. We also walked into the Orthodox Church to find they don't have pews, as everybody stands for services.
A nice lunch of seafood risotto and a salad, and we piled back into the van for the return trip.
Our farewell dinner was at a local farm for home hospitality. The owner showed us his 250 year old olive press, and the classical ways of crushing the olives with a horse drawn crusher and pressing them by hand with a large log to turn the screw. The first press with cold water is the best oil for salads, the second with hot water is for cooking, the dregs are for making soap, and the final paste and pits are for compost. They waste nothing. The modern methods are much faster and use spinning centrifugal force to separate the grades of oils. This press is only used now for us tourists.
We met Izador, the tour Director, and he introduced us to Joseph the driver. This was an unscheduled trip, as our regular tour included a free day in Dubrovnik, and we had seen most of it yesterday. Eight of us piled into a van for the trip across the border to the town of Kotor. The border crossing wasn't too bad, and it was 2 hours to Kotor. The mountains were more beautiful than those in Croatia. Taller, steeper, and less vegetation leading to a very stark impression, but pretty. We eventually got to the coast and travelled along the water of the outer bay. There was an isthmus leading to a very well protected inner bay. A few towns dotted the periphery of both bays.
Half way around, we stopped in a small town to take a short boat ride to an island in the middle of the bay with a church on it. Any time you turn around, they built a church.
We finally got to the town of Kotor, which is another walled city like Dubrovnik, just smaller. We had to wait a while to get our guide, as Izador had not provided the correct phone number to Joseph so he could alert her. Not terrific planning.
The town was originally Roman, with the name Dekator. This lasted until the 7th century when Rome collapsed. They were semi-autonomous until the 13th century until the Slavs began to come from the east over the mountains. In the 14th and 15th century, the Ottomans were on the move, and in 1420, they "invited" the Venetians to come in for protection. You can tell on a city's walls how the Venetians arrived, by the symbols of a Lion with a Book. If the book is open, it was a friendly takeover. If the book is closed, it was somewhat more hostile. The lion medallion on the entrance to the city is holding an open book.
The Venetians remained in charge until 1797 when the Austrians arrived, then Napoleon, then the Austrians again until 1918. Then, as we know, "All the Slavs" were joined under Tito as Yugoslavia. Then the wars of the 90s, and Montenegro finally achieved independence in 2006.
The city of Kotor itself expanded, and the current walls were built in 1555. The central clock tower was built in 1612, and the still working mechanism was installed in the early 1800s by Napoleon. Over the years, the ground has settled some, and it leans a few inches, so it qualifies as the "Other Leaning Tower".
Inside, there are a few squares with multiple little streets with no rhyme or reason to the plan or direction. A main cathedral to Saint Triphon contained some relics of the Saint from 809. The original cathedral was built in 1166, and recently celebrated its 850th birthday. We also walked into the Orthodox Church to find they don't have pews, as everybody stands for services.
A nice lunch of seafood risotto and a salad, and we piled back into the van for the return trip.
Our farewell dinner was at a local farm for home hospitality. The owner showed us his 250 year old olive press, and the classical ways of crushing the olives with a horse drawn crusher and pressing them by hand with a large log to turn the screw. The first press with cold water is the best oil for salads, the second with hot water is for cooking, the dregs are for making soap, and the final paste and pits are for compost. They waste nothing. The modern methods are much faster and use spinning centrifugal force to separate the grades of oils. This press is only used now for us tourists.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Dubrovnik -Day 12
Dubrovnik -Day 12
A walking tour through this old charming city. We saw the oldest continuously running apothecary in Europe. This dates to the 13th century. There were old bottles, etc.
Our guide spent some time recounting his experiences during the siege here in 1992. The Yugoslav (Serbian) army had occupied the hills overlooking the city and were lobbing shells down into the center of town. Buildings were destroyed, and food was scarce. He was a young teenager then, and obviously was extremely scared.
There were many churches, and little shops. We could see the different architectures from Venetian, Austrian, and French influences.
Of course, we had to see the "Steps of Shame" from the Game of Thrones. These steps were patterned after the Spanish Steps in Rome, but were used as Cercei walked. Dubrovnik is the set for King's Landing, and many scenes were filmed here. I did not take one of the many tours, but looked through the pictures they showed and recognized the scenes. Supposedly, some of the upcoming Star Wars movie was filmed here also. Maybe Rei and Luke lived here. We left them at the end of Episode VII on top of a Rocky Mountain that certainly could have been in the surrounding area...
Our tour included a ticket to the Wall Walk around the periphery of the walled city. The views were spectacular, and we could see the different roofs inside the city indicating which had been bombed during the siege and renovated and which were original.
We had lunch at a restaurant at the bottom of the wall with our waiter Zlatomir. Pasta for me, seafood risotto for Ann.
After lunch, we found the remaining Synagogue in Dubrovnik. There was never a large Jewish presence here, but of course it is all gone now. We saw some of the old Torah covers, ketubahs, and yellow "Jude" armbands from the war.
Before dinner, we stopped at the hole in the wall bar, which literally steps through a hole in the wall to steps and terraces overlooking the water. A beautiful sight to watch the sun go down over some drinks.
Dinner at a fish restaurant just outside the city walls. We shared a delicious gazpacho and salad. The fresh tuna entree with roasted vegetables which we also shared was such a large portion that one serving was more than we could eat. As we were walking back to our hotel through the old city, we were treated to a beautiful fireworks display over the harbor, courtesy of one of the day's wedding parties.
A walking tour through this old charming city. We saw the oldest continuously running apothecary in Europe. This dates to the 13th century. There were old bottles, etc.
Our guide spent some time recounting his experiences during the siege here in 1992. The Yugoslav (Serbian) army had occupied the hills overlooking the city and were lobbing shells down into the center of town. Buildings were destroyed, and food was scarce. He was a young teenager then, and obviously was extremely scared.
There were many churches, and little shops. We could see the different architectures from Venetian, Austrian, and French influences.
Of course, we had to see the "Steps of Shame" from the Game of Thrones. These steps were patterned after the Spanish Steps in Rome, but were used as Cercei walked. Dubrovnik is the set for King's Landing, and many scenes were filmed here. I did not take one of the many tours, but looked through the pictures they showed and recognized the scenes. Supposedly, some of the upcoming Star Wars movie was filmed here also. Maybe Rei and Luke lived here. We left them at the end of Episode VII on top of a Rocky Mountain that certainly could have been in the surrounding area...
Our tour included a ticket to the Wall Walk around the periphery of the walled city. The views were spectacular, and we could see the different roofs inside the city indicating which had been bombed during the siege and renovated and which were original.
We had lunch at a restaurant at the bottom of the wall with our waiter Zlatomir. Pasta for me, seafood risotto for Ann.
After lunch, we found the remaining Synagogue in Dubrovnik. There was never a large Jewish presence here, but of course it is all gone now. We saw some of the old Torah covers, ketubahs, and yellow "Jude" armbands from the war.
Before dinner, we stopped at the hole in the wall bar, which literally steps through a hole in the wall to steps and terraces overlooking the water. A beautiful sight to watch the sun go down over some drinks.
Dinner at a fish restaurant just outside the city walls. We shared a delicious gazpacho and salad. The fresh tuna entree with roasted vegetables which we also shared was such a large portion that one serving was more than we could eat. As we were walking back to our hotel through the old city, we were treated to a beautiful fireworks display over the harbor, courtesy of one of the day's wedding parties.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Travel to Dubrovnik - Day 11
Travel to Dubrovnik - Day 11
We piled onto the bus to begin our final leg of the trip. It is shorter to get to Dubrovnik by traveling the length of Hvar island and taking the ferry from there. We went over some more semi-treacherous mountains to Sucuraj and stopped for an early lunch. Sort of like the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. This was a teeny town. We got back on the bus and stayed on as we got onto the ferry for the 45 minute ride.
Once on the mainland, we turned southeast toward Dubrovnik. However, on the way, there is a little slip of Bosnia on the route, so we had to stop for two border crossings about 4 miles apart with a little town in between. Although Sandra, our tour guide, asked us to take out our passports at the border crossing into Bosnia, we were able to enter into Bosnia without having to actually show our passports to the border crossing patrol. A bit of a disappoint as we would have liked another stamp on our passports. Croatia and Bosnia have an agreement on border crossing so it was actually quite easy to pass through Bosnia. Does it count if you are only in a country for 20 minutes? At least we peed there, so we left our mark. And eating gelato which we have been trying at every opportunity. No, we're not in Italy, but the influence is there.
The name Dubrovnik comes from the Croatian work for oak, as there were once many oak trees here. It became a strong city-state and a trade powerhouse, flourishing in the 15th and 16th centuries. An earthquake in 1667 led to a swift demise, as Venice rose to power.
We checked in to the Imperial Hotel, which is a fancy upscale place. We took a quick walking tour into the old walled city. We found some pizza for dinner. Tomorrow, we take a more extensive tour. And then, on Sunday, our last day of the trip we are going to head to Montenegro for the day.
We piled onto the bus to begin our final leg of the trip. It is shorter to get to Dubrovnik by traveling the length of Hvar island and taking the ferry from there. We went over some more semi-treacherous mountains to Sucuraj and stopped for an early lunch. Sort of like the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. This was a teeny town. We got back on the bus and stayed on as we got onto the ferry for the 45 minute ride.
Once on the mainland, we turned southeast toward Dubrovnik. However, on the way, there is a little slip of Bosnia on the route, so we had to stop for two border crossings about 4 miles apart with a little town in between. Although Sandra, our tour guide, asked us to take out our passports at the border crossing into Bosnia, we were able to enter into Bosnia without having to actually show our passports to the border crossing patrol. A bit of a disappoint as we would have liked another stamp on our passports. Croatia and Bosnia have an agreement on border crossing so it was actually quite easy to pass through Bosnia. Does it count if you are only in a country for 20 minutes? At least we peed there, so we left our mark. And eating gelato which we have been trying at every opportunity. No, we're not in Italy, but the influence is there.
The name Dubrovnik comes from the Croatian work for oak, as there were once many oak trees here. It became a strong city-state and a trade powerhouse, flourishing in the 15th and 16th centuries. An earthquake in 1667 led to a swift demise, as Venice rose to power.
We checked in to the Imperial Hotel, which is a fancy upscale place. We took a quick walking tour into the old walled city. We found some pizza for dinner. Tomorrow, we take a more extensive tour. And then, on Sunday, our last day of the trip we are going to head to Montenegro for the day.
A Day in Hvar - Day 10
A Day in Hvar - Day 10
We took a walk around Hvar to see this city. It is a small town, but the largest on the island. Note that both the town and the island are named Hvar. The derivation is from the Greek name of the town, Pharos, and is actually pronounced in the local dialect as "for". The town was ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, the Venetians, the Hapsburgs, etc, similar to the rest of this area. The architecture is typical in limestone and small narrow streets. We saw an old church of St. Mark, with an old painting of the Last Supper. This is an overwhelmingly Catholic country, and there are lots of churches and shrines. We continues on to the central square, with the Cathedral of St. Stephen.
We got into the bus to go to the old city of the island, Stari Grad, which is Croatian for Old City. This was the original town of the island, but the Venetians moved the main city and port to Hvar on the south for a better view of the Adriatic. Stari Grad lies at the end of a long harbor which made it very well protected. On the north side of the harbor is the old Roman city of Salona, which was destroyed in the 8th century. The newer town was built next to it. The south end of the town is a huge agricultural area.
THe bus trip from Hvar to Stari Grad was via the scenic route over the mountain. Our bus traversed the loop backs to climb and descend the hills, but the road was barely wide enough for traffic. More than once, we had to back up 500' or more to a slightly wider section of the road to let another bus or truck get by.
We came back via the modern road and tunnel for lunch in our hotel. The afternoon was our own.
I chose to climb to the fortress overlooking the town, climbing about 1000 steps (at least it seemed that way) and up the ramp to the fortress itself. This overlooks the city and the harbor with a wonderful view. There was not a lot to see in the fortress itself, but there was a collection of old amphorae from a ship that had sunk in Roman times. There were dungeons which reminded me of Game of Thrones. The original fortress dated to the 1200s, but was destroyed in 1579 when the munitions storage was struck by lightening and blew up. The rebuilt fortress is called Xxx, supposedly because of the Spanish workers or the architect. No one is quite sure, but it is known that the Spanish never ruled here.
We had dinner at a restaurant named Fig. This is not related to the similarly named restaurant in Charleston, but is run by a guy named Jeff from San Diego. Our waitress was named Marta, and we had an uproarious fun time. The other couples we were with (Jeff and Jan, Jim and Harriet, Mike and Billie) were in stitches laughing throughout dinner. Of course, alcohol was involved. We involved an English family at the next table with 3 daughters, one of whom was a sullen 13 year old. We tried to encourage her to smile and eat with her family, but to little avail. Our meal itself was delicious, starting with spicy Margueritas and wine, a fig and feta flat bread, brochettes, and chicken and avocado tacos. The whole meal came to 300 kuna per couple, or $45 with an American sized tip to Marta who was a great sport dealing with us and giving back as much crap as we gave her.
Ann's notes
Our two and a half days on the island of Hvar have been wonderful, with amazing scenery. The island is mainly a tourist island, with the locals, as they are called, principally working in the tourist industry eight to nine months each year, with practically all of the hotels, restaurants and shops closed during the winter months. There are approximately 140,000 olive trees on the island and each local family has their own olive trees and vineyard. Olives are are harvested by hand, with field work being done in the off season.
Apart from olive oil, wine and tomatoes, lavender and herbs, most other food and merchandise is brought onto the island. Families own their homes, with multi generations occupying the same property. Our morning guide Nikol grew up on the island and returned after university to follow her parents into the tourism industry.
I have surprised myself at the amount of walking and hiking I have been able to comfortably do. I hiked to the highest point in Split for spectacular views of the city, and hiked up to the top of Hvar early this morning for more terrific views. I was only slightly concerned this morning on my walk as I was the only one hiking at 7:30am, but I wasn't too concerned because I was sure Steve knew where I had gone. But, when I got back I found out that Steve really had no idea where I had gone. He thought I had taken a walk around the hotel.
We took a walk around Hvar to see this city. It is a small town, but the largest on the island. Note that both the town and the island are named Hvar. The derivation is from the Greek name of the town, Pharos, and is actually pronounced in the local dialect as "for". The town was ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, the Venetians, the Hapsburgs, etc, similar to the rest of this area. The architecture is typical in limestone and small narrow streets. We saw an old church of St. Mark, with an old painting of the Last Supper. This is an overwhelmingly Catholic country, and there are lots of churches and shrines. We continues on to the central square, with the Cathedral of St. Stephen.
We got into the bus to go to the old city of the island, Stari Grad, which is Croatian for Old City. This was the original town of the island, but the Venetians moved the main city and port to Hvar on the south for a better view of the Adriatic. Stari Grad lies at the end of a long harbor which made it very well protected. On the north side of the harbor is the old Roman city of Salona, which was destroyed in the 8th century. The newer town was built next to it. The south end of the town is a huge agricultural area.
THe bus trip from Hvar to Stari Grad was via the scenic route over the mountain. Our bus traversed the loop backs to climb and descend the hills, but the road was barely wide enough for traffic. More than once, we had to back up 500' or more to a slightly wider section of the road to let another bus or truck get by.
We came back via the modern road and tunnel for lunch in our hotel. The afternoon was our own.
I chose to climb to the fortress overlooking the town, climbing about 1000 steps (at least it seemed that way) and up the ramp to the fortress itself. This overlooks the city and the harbor with a wonderful view. There was not a lot to see in the fortress itself, but there was a collection of old amphorae from a ship that had sunk in Roman times. There were dungeons which reminded me of Game of Thrones. The original fortress dated to the 1200s, but was destroyed in 1579 when the munitions storage was struck by lightening and blew up. The rebuilt fortress is called Xxx, supposedly because of the Spanish workers or the architect. No one is quite sure, but it is known that the Spanish never ruled here.
We had dinner at a restaurant named Fig. This is not related to the similarly named restaurant in Charleston, but is run by a guy named Jeff from San Diego. Our waitress was named Marta, and we had an uproarious fun time. The other couples we were with (Jeff and Jan, Jim and Harriet, Mike and Billie) were in stitches laughing throughout dinner. Of course, alcohol was involved. We involved an English family at the next table with 3 daughters, one of whom was a sullen 13 year old. We tried to encourage her to smile and eat with her family, but to little avail. Our meal itself was delicious, starting with spicy Margueritas and wine, a fig and feta flat bread, brochettes, and chicken and avocado tacos. The whole meal came to 300 kuna per couple, or $45 with an American sized tip to Marta who was a great sport dealing with us and giving back as much crap as we gave her.
Ann's notes
Our two and a half days on the island of Hvar have been wonderful, with amazing scenery. The island is mainly a tourist island, with the locals, as they are called, principally working in the tourist industry eight to nine months each year, with practically all of the hotels, restaurants and shops closed during the winter months. There are approximately 140,000 olive trees on the island and each local family has their own olive trees and vineyard. Olives are are harvested by hand, with field work being done in the off season.
Apart from olive oil, wine and tomatoes, lavender and herbs, most other food and merchandise is brought onto the island. Families own their homes, with multi generations occupying the same property. Our morning guide Nikol grew up on the island and returned after university to follow her parents into the tourism industry.
I have surprised myself at the amount of walking and hiking I have been able to comfortably do. I hiked to the highest point in Split for spectacular views of the city, and hiked up to the top of Hvar early this morning for more terrific views. I was only slightly concerned this morning on my walk as I was the only one hiking at 7:30am, but I wasn't too concerned because I was sure Steve knew where I had gone. But, when I got back I found out that Steve really had no idea where I had gone. He thought I had taken a walk around the hotel.
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