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.
Synagogue in Split
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Split to Hvar - Day 9
Split to Hvar - Day 9
We spent the morning walking around Split. This is an old Town which got bigger in Roman times. The emperor, Diocletian, made the palace huge with room and more rooms. He live in the 300s. Much of the original structure is still intact. He was buried on the grounds in a large mosaleum, but was subsequently moved when the Christians took over and turned it into a church. They removed much of the inner structures of the palace, and built dwelling spaces. People still live there, but barely. Most of the buildings were nationalized during Tito's time and homeless people moved in. After independence in 1991, these people had basically a "life estate" as the buildings reverted to their former owners. The landlords are now waiting for the tenants to die off.
One of the subterranean rooms was where Daenyris Targaryen kept the dragons in chains. Or at least, where it was filmed.
After the castle, we wandered in the rest of the town. It is quite quaint, and reminded me of the old city in Jerusalem, just less noisy and dirty. Lunch on our own with a quick pizza.
We got on the ferry to Hvar, a 2 hour ride. My seat companions were some Canadians with their dog and cat who were cuddling with each other.
Our hotel here is lovely with a wonderful view of the water. Lavender is everywhere.
We spent the morning walking around Split. This is an old Town which got bigger in Roman times. The emperor, Diocletian, made the palace huge with room and more rooms. He live in the 300s. Much of the original structure is still intact. He was buried on the grounds in a large mosaleum, but was subsequently moved when the Christians took over and turned it into a church. They removed much of the inner structures of the palace, and built dwelling spaces. People still live there, but barely. Most of the buildings were nationalized during Tito's time and homeless people moved in. After independence in 1991, these people had basically a "life estate" as the buildings reverted to their former owners. The landlords are now waiting for the tenants to die off.
One of the subterranean rooms was where Daenyris Targaryen kept the dragons in chains. Or at least, where it was filmed.
After the castle, we wandered in the rest of the town. It is quite quaint, and reminded me of the old city in Jerusalem, just less noisy and dirty. Lunch on our own with a quick pizza.
We got on the ferry to Hvar, a 2 hour ride. My seat companions were some Canadians with their dog and cat who were cuddling with each other.
Our hotel here is lovely with a wonderful view of the water. Lavender is everywhere.
Moving South - Day 8
Moving South - Day 8
A long bus ride coming off the Itrian peninsula, coming down the mainland coast. Long, as in 3 hours. Yes, Paul, that is nothing to you.
We came to the Plitvice Lakes National Park. This is a series of lakes and waterfalls which we hiked and hiked and hiked. The course was about 4 miles along the rivers and waterfalls. We were walking on a wooden path next to, across, and over the falls. I was reminded of Myst. It was actually pretty spectacular, but there were no guide rails or protection, and I was concerned about falling from the narrow path, especially when a bunch of teenagers were coming the opposite direction. Luckily, there were no mishaps. But, as we were about to complete our trek back to our starting point, the path was flooded from all the recent rains, and we had to retrace our steps. Once we got back, we were on a boat to another falls, but there was more hiking up about 100 meters up the hill. No chest pain, but I was huffing pretty hard. Ann had no problems, though, even with her hips or back. My back was talking to me, but I tried not to listen.
And that was the day. Another 3 hours on the bus to Trogir which isn't too far from Split, where we spend tomorrow.
A long bus ride coming off the Itrian peninsula, coming down the mainland coast. Long, as in 3 hours. Yes, Paul, that is nothing to you.
We came to the Plitvice Lakes National Park. This is a series of lakes and waterfalls which we hiked and hiked and hiked. The course was about 4 miles along the rivers and waterfalls. We were walking on a wooden path next to, across, and over the falls. I was reminded of Myst. It was actually pretty spectacular, but there were no guide rails or protection, and I was concerned about falling from the narrow path, especially when a bunch of teenagers were coming the opposite direction. Luckily, there were no mishaps. But, as we were about to complete our trek back to our starting point, the path was flooded from all the recent rains, and we had to retrace our steps. Once we got back, we were on a boat to another falls, but there was more hiking up about 100 meters up the hill. No chest pain, but I was huffing pretty hard. Ann had no problems, though, even with her hips or back. My back was talking to me, but I tried not to listen.
And that was the day. Another 3 hours on the bus to Trogir which isn't too far from Split, where we spend tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Wandering -Day 7
Wandering -Day 7
We went to a little town, Moscenice, up on top of one of the local mountains. This was a medieval little town with 3 foot wide streets, and houses on top of each other. Cute and quaint. We saw how they used to press the olives for oil, and the differences between the "virgin" or first press and the later presses (not with cold press).
Lunch at a very pretty mountaintop restaurant, with a wonderful view. The lunch itself, however, was nowhere near as nice. Strange pasta with a weird sauce, and desert that was a sweet marzipan-like concoction. Totally inedible.
At the bottom of the mountain, they dropped us off to walk the 7 miles back along the coastal path. Took us a while, and we stopped once for gelato. Yes, not much of a day.
Drinks and dinner along the water with 2 couples on the trip. They have known each other from before the trip, and keep everyone in stitches. More gelato after dinner (why not?).
We went to a little town, Moscenice, up on top of one of the local mountains. This was a medieval little town with 3 foot wide streets, and houses on top of each other. Cute and quaint. We saw how they used to press the olives for oil, and the differences between the "virgin" or first press and the later presses (not with cold press).
Lunch at a very pretty mountaintop restaurant, with a wonderful view. The lunch itself, however, was nowhere near as nice. Strange pasta with a weird sauce, and desert that was a sweet marzipan-like concoction. Totally inedible.
At the bottom of the mountain, they dropped us off to walk the 7 miles back along the coastal path. Took us a while, and we stopped once for gelato. Yes, not much of a day.
Drinks and dinner along the water with 2 couples on the trip. They have known each other from before the trip, and keep everyone in stitches. More gelato after dinner (why not?).
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