Hrvatska (Croatia)!

Zdravo!

Our overnight ferry docked in the port of Zadar, Croatia at 7:00am and we disembarked feeling a bit groggy but much better than previous overnight travels.  We had learned from earlier experiences and booked a private cabin this time, which was worth every penny!  We arrived to a beautiful, cool morning and hopped into a taxi to Sukosan, a small beach town 10km South of Zadar.

Sunset on the harbor in Sukosan

Sukosan

We never would have found Sukosan if it weren't for us meeting up with Alison and Almir, our good friends from home and the reason we had left Italy for Croatia in the first place.  They had set up the lodging for us as the property is run by Almir’s family from the area.  The Lacic family owns a summer home with small efficiency apartments for vacationers and they were kind enough to give us a room at a great price.  Mirko and Beba were so incredibly warm and hospitable and even though we were not able to communicate with them very well, they were some of the sweetest people we've met.  We were by ourselves with them for the first day and the only communication exchanged was the common enjoyment of food and drinks.  Our 8:00am arrival into their home included cured hams and sausages, local cheeses, fruits from their yard, strong coffee, stronger schnapps, and homemade Maraschino cordials!  Now that’s a welcome!  After all that, we intended to turn in for a nap but ended up on a beautiful walk around the town.  Alison and Almir arrived the next afternoon and being that Almir speaks Croatian and Bosnian, things got a lot easier for sure!  We had a great time and it was so nice to spend some time with another couple in such a wonderful setting, a rarity for us.  And in even bigger news, Ali and Al got engaged while we were there!  We are so happy for them and know they have a great future ahead of them.  Congrats you two!

Alison & Almir, the happy couple!

One highlight of our time in Croatia was a visit to Plitvice Lakes National Park, about a two hour drive up into the mountains.  There lakes are comprised of travertine terraces at different elevations, with hundreds of waterfalls big and small connecting each of them.  The park’s beautiful scenery is accessed by trails and elevated wooden paths around the lakes and over the crystal clear streams and waterfalls.  Plitvice was yet another incredible corner of the world that we are so happy to have experienced!

View of one of the walkways over the water from the canyon rim

We're getting rained on harder by the second but trying to get a good pic!

No, this is not photo shopped.  The streams are running through the trees, and the water is THAT blue!

Waterfalls coming out of the side of the lake above.

We climbed into a cavern in the side of the canyon wall for a good view!

Almir caught a good snapshot of how we walk around the world together.

We joined Ali, Al, and more of Al’s family in Zadar one evening for dinner and to watch a stunning sunset over the Adriatic sea.  The spot we chose to watch was quite popular because of the terrace with a “sea organ” built into it.  The sea organ is a series of chambers of different lengths, like a pipe organ, but played by sea water pushing and pulling air in and out of holes in the side of the terrace sea wall.  The sounds it creates are ethereal and a little spooky at the same time, but very, very cool any way you hear it.  Unfortunately, as it only appears as holes in the sidewalk from above, its not very photogenic!

Sunset from the Sea Organ Terrace in Zadar, while the ocean played its own concert.

We enjoyed breakfast every morning in Sukosan on the balcony of Al's aunt's room as she had the best view of the ocean.  We had breads and other goodies from the local Pekara (bakery), cheese, meats, Nutella, homemade Palacinke (small crepes made from scratch), and coffee.  It was the perfect setting with great company!  One night we had dinner at a local restaurant run by friends of the family and had the best black cuttlefish ink risotto we have ever had.  Don't knock it until you try it, its amazing!  After paying the bill, the host of the restaurant offered us all a small taste of local pear brandy and we ended up having a great chat with the restaurant’s Australian bartender, after he noticed us speaking English.  It has been really interesting along the way, hearing people’s stories from all over the world, and how they end up living where they do.

Not a bad breakfast view for the week

We enjoyed time at the local beach, and late afternoons at the beach bar and restaurant over a glass of wine or a coffee while sharing stories with our friends.  The beach is much more rocky than we were used to but the color of the water and the clarity was just incredible.  Once you got out deep enough where you could float a little and weren’t being poked in the feet by rocks, it was perfect!

Spending the morning on Ugljan waiting for Al's uncle to grill the fish caught just yards from us!

One morning we took a quick ferry out to the island of Ugljan.  We spent the afternoon with some of Al's relatives, enjoyed swimming in beautiful water and a delicious fresh fish lunch that they caught themselves and grilled for us, then enjoyed another sunset on the ferry back to Zadar.  We had yet another great meal from our hosts back in Sukosan one evening called peka.  It consisted of a huge pot filled with different cuts of lamb and pork, potatoes, and carrots, cooked for hours over coals in the outdoor oven.  I'm not sure what we enjoyed more....the smell of it cooking on the fire or actually eating it.  Both were pretty incredible.  There is a great article on Honest Cooking describing its ingredients and history here.  Give it a quick read.

Almir's cousins cleaning fish for lunch

"Peka" almost ready to open up and eat!

The peka opened up, fresh tomatoes, and a pitcher of something similar to lemonade with mint and lavender!

After saying bittersweet goodbyes to Alison, Almir, and our hosts, we boarded an eight hour bus southbound from Zadar to Dubrovnik.  The last hour was somewhat terrifying while the bus driver took curves like we were in a sports car, on the edge of a cliff, with frequent oncoming traffic, in the pitch black.  Whew, glad we made it to the hotel in one piece!

Dubrovnik

The owner of the small pension we had booked was kind enough to pick us up at the bus station and drive us up to the apartment.  When we settled into our room and walked out on our balcony, we knew that we had made the right decision to spend a few more days exploring what Croatia was all about.  Our view looked out over Old Dubrovnik and its walls, Lokrum Island in the bay, and the expansive ocean beyond.  It was quite a sight and only got better in the morning.  Since we had made the decision to continue our Croatian visit fairly quickly, we weren't quite sure what Dubrovnik had to offer but we had work to do for the remaining days of our trip so we decided to go get some food, walk the old city for a bit, and spend the rest of the day on the balcony being productive.  We proceeded to walk down 411 stairs, which we quickly remembered we would have to walk back up to get to the pension.  Luckily we found a short cut and avoided some of the stairs on the way back.

View of the old walled city from our balcony

Our apartment was FOUR HUNDRED AND ELEVEN STEPS from the old city...

We spent some time at two different beaches and enjoyed them both.  The water was chilly but refreshing and perfectly clear.  We had one of our best unexpected days just walking the Old Town, Wes getting a haircut, enjoying cappuccinos while listening to a jazz band, hitting the beach until the sunset, eating a fabulous dinner, more coffee, and finally a stroll home and an amazing view from our balcony.  We have realized that just enjoying the surroundings and experiencing a city like a local, is for us, the better way to get a feel for a city than running to the tourism driven attractions.  And we know we keep saying this, and the list is getting very long, but Croatia is now definitely up there on our favorites list!

We walked up to this cafe as the pianist was playing the first notes of New York, New York.

Wes has a fascination with old municipal drinking fountains, and the water was COLD!

The Stradun, main street, at night.

We bid Croatia farewell, took a short flight to Rome, a train from the airport, a train to Naples, another train to Salerno, a bus to Amalfi, and a taxi to arrive in the cliff side village of Conca dei Marini!  Updates soon...