After saying goodbye to Eric, Holly, and Jeremy, we left home on Wednesday afternoon, arriving in Anchorage in time for dinner with Lalanya and Brecken. It was sad to say goodbye to them knowing that it would be several months before we saw them again. Our red-eye flight left at 1:45 AM. What a marathon...5 hours to Phoenix, another 5 to Philadelphia, followed by an 8 hour flight to Venice. We were definitely jet lagged when we arrived at Marco Polo Airport in Venice at 9:00 AM Friday (11 PM in AK) We found our rental car and made our way toward Trieste. It suddenly hit us that we were finally in Italy after so many months of planning. We arrived in Trieste only to discover that our GPS would not recognize the street where the B and B was located...our first challenge! We stopped a lady and asked if she spoke English and she replied, "a little". I showed her the address and she said "very complicated"and "hospital". I asked where we could find Wi-Fi and she directed us to local shopping mall, Torri d'Europa. Who would have thought that our first Italian bite to eat would be patates (french fries)at McDonalds) in order to use the internet. Soon we discovered that we had to be a local with a password in order to use the internet. We went to Plan B - find someone who could speak English. The first try was two young women and one could speak enough Englsih to understand our dilemma. We asked if she would call the B and B for us to get directions. Again we heard "very complicated" and "hospital". One said, " follow us in our car" and off we went tailing our new Italian friends very closely until getting cut off by a motorcycle. They took us to the top of a very narrow one way street where our host met us. The B and B Al Ferdinandeo was down another narrow alley street, high on a hill overlooking the city.
We would have never found it without the help of our Italian friends. After thanking the young women, inviting them to Alaska and many kisses on the cheeks, our host, an enthusiastic young woman showed us to our room. After a 3 hour nap, we woke jet lagged from our long flight and the drive to Trieste. We made our way up the hill to the Hosteria restaurant and had some delicious sea bass baked with vegetables, salad and of course a glass of wine. They also served a citrus liqueur after our meal, apparently to improve digestion. I now know why Italian meals take 2 hours after watching how much food kept coming out of the kitchen to the diners: wine, antipasto, the first course, more wine, main course, desert, and liqueur. We Americans tend to eat and run, for Europeans dining is an event! After dinner, we continued up the hill to the Gelatateria for our first gelato, after months of anticipating we were not disappointed. We strolled for a bit enjoying the warm evening and the view of the city, hardly believing that we were actually here in Italy.
Friday, August 31, 2012
We slept so well with the windows wide open and a gentle breeze blowing through our room. We woke feeling less jet lagged and ready to continue our journey. Our host served us a typical Italian breakfast of pastries, watermelon, a special bread unique to Trieste, juice and tea. We were on our way by 9AM making our way out of the city easily. In less than ten miles, we were in Slovenia at a market buying some snacks for the trip to Croatia. It was interesting trying to communicate that we wanted a half of a kilo when buying ham and cheese. Fortunately, the man next to us deciphered our hand signals and ordered for us. Before we knew it, we were at the border showing our passports...no questions were asked just two quick stamps and we were on our way. We had hoped to drive by way of the coast but it was raining hard so we took the autoceste instead. When we got off the toll road, we were surprised when the man asked for 240 kunas, approximately $50. At first we thought that we were ripped off, but our friends later told us that was the correct amount.
As we drove toward Pirovac and the sea, we feasted our eyes on Mediterranean landscape of red roofs, pine trees, vineyards, olive groves, fig trees and centuries old rock walls. Our GPS took us right to Augustus Cesarca 7; Gordana and Zeljko were waiting for us with big smiles.
Bob had not seen them in 24 years when he and Eric traveled to Zagreb for a hockey tournament and I had never met them. However, we have kept in touch all of these years and it felt like I have always known them. We also met their youngest son, Luka and his lovely wife Danijela.
We were so excited to be here and after many hugs, they showed us the way upstairs to our own 2 bedroom apartment with a large balcony and a view of the sea.
After getting settled, we went down to a dinner of smoked ham that Luka made, some delicious tomatoes from Danijela's family's garden, cheese, and fresh bread from the local Pekarna (bakery).
I could smell rosemary and lavender from their garden and marveled at the pomegranate and fig trees.
We had never tasted figs right from the tree and they were soft and so sweet. They also had grapes hanging down from the vines covering their carport and they too were delicious.
We walked to Pirovac's famous City Gate, to Our Lady of Carmel Church, and along an alley with a rock path shiny and smooth from centuries of footsteps.
We ended our stroll at the "sladoled" shop and had some delicious home made ice cream.
By the time that we made it back home, Bob and I had "hit the wall" and were in bed by 9:30PM.
After a good nights sleep, we woke more refreshed. Considering the 10 hour time difference from Alaska and the 20 hour flight, it takes awhile to adjust and not feel the jet lag. After a breakfast feast of fresh farm eggs, ham, fresh bread from the bakery, Gordana's homemade apicot jam and figs from their tree, we were ready to start the day. Luka and Danijela had to return to Zagreb; we said our goodbyes and told them that we hoped to see them again when we visited Zagreb later in our trip. Gordana and Zeljko took us to see the Vransko Jezero Nature Park overlooking a huge lake and a view of the Kornati Islands.
We enjoyed the fantastic view of the largest lake in Croatia, covering an area of about 30 square miles of marshes and waters rich in fish and birdlife.
At the park, there is a memorial chapel dedicated to Croatians who were thrown alive into a deep hole by the Serbs. It was an emotional experience seeing the pictures; asking how any human being could do this to other human beings.
From there, we drove up to the top of an overlook on the other side of the bay with a lovely view of Pirovac and the islands of Kornati.
On our way back to Pirovac, we stopped at a roadside stand and bought some grapes and plums.
After arriving home, Gordana prepared a late lunch (their main meal) of soup, stuffed paprika (peppers) mashed potatoes, and more delicious tomatoes. After relaxing, we walked down to the Negrit Cafe to get on the internet and call home using Skype. The cafe overlooks the harbor and it was fun to watch the boats come and go. One huge sailboat came into port with several European men with huge bellies and wearing skimpy Speedos...what a sight! Around 5:30 we went for a swim in the sea with Gordana and Zeljko.
Bishop Donat built the Church of the Holy Trinity now called St. Donatus in the former Roman Forum. The Forum was constructed sometime between the 1st and 3rd century; one of the cornerstones shows the dedication during the reign of Emperor Augustus. The paving stones are still there, as well as some walls, a pair of columns and one stand-alone column known as the "Pillar of Shame", used to punish and humiliate transgressors in the Middle Ages. What is amazing is that the ruins lie exposed to the elements and children play on them, vendors sell their goods, people sit on them all seemingly oblivious to their history.
From there, we walked the "Riva", the public walkway along the sea. We stopped to hear the "Sea Organ"; constantly changing sounds created by the 35 pipes with underwater whistles. The motion of the sea drives air and water through the whistle openings, creating sounds that vary depending on the force and speed of the waves. We continued on to another art exhibit called the "Column of Light" where people were stepping on panels that changed patterns and colors. We ended at an outdoor cafe for pizza enjoying good conversation with our wonderful friends and the warm evening.
On Monday after breakfast, we drove south to Sibenik. On the way, we stopped at a broad bay where the Adriatic flows into the Kirka River.
Our first stop was the Cathedral of St. James that took 155 years to build (1431-1536). We admired the extraordinary sculptures of Juraj Dalmatinac (the principal designer) in the apse and down in the baptisery.
After leaving the Cathedral, we noticed the frieze of whimsical faces on the outside...71 human heads! The local legend says that these comical faces were of local citizens who did not contribute their fair share to build the cathedral .
From there, we trudged up the many steps to Fortress of St. Michael (sv. Mihovila). The Fortress was probably built in the 10th century on a hill overlooking the city of Sibenik. The view of the city and the sea was impressive.
On our way to the car, we made a quick stop in the town park to look at the many turtles in the fountain.
As we walked along the harbor to our car, we noticed several expensive yachts coming into the harbor. Apparently, Sibenik is a popular place to berth when sailing the Adriatic and Kornati National Park.
From Sibenik, we drove a short distance to Primosten, a little island whose inhabitants were linked to land by a causeway 5 centuries ago! Formerly a fishing village, Primosten has a charm all of its own with stone houses, churches and narrow lanes.
We stopped to buy some local red wine and were amazed to watch the lady pour the wine in a Coca-Cola bottle. Zeljko's joke at dinner in that evening was, "more Coca-Cola?"
On the way home, we stopped at a restaurant called the Marin and watched as they cooked pig and sheep over a woodfire rotissiere. We plan to take Gordana and Zeljko here on Friday evening.
This is a quaint and picturesque little village with a flotilla of expensive boats in the harbor.
When we returned to Pirovac, we went swimming in the sea to cool off.
That evening we walked to the Spalladium for the best pizza that we have had in a long time and got on the internet to call the family. It still amazes me that we can be sitting in Croatia and both see and talk to Bob's parents in NY. We introduced them to our friends, Gordana and Zeljko via Skype. We were sleeping soundly by 10 pm... must be the sea air.
Gordana and Zelko had never been there before and were as excited as we were. We were all happy that the sea was calm for our 3 hour excursion.
The park is comprised of 89 islands, islets, and reefs spread across 30 square miles of land and 80 square miles of sea. Less than a quarter of Kornati's barren landscape is land; the rest of the park is submerged under the sea. We passed one island that had a sign for a restaurant...we all laughed at how tiny it was!
We were served a lunch of blue fish that tasted like mackerel, along with cabbage, similar to coleslaw, and bread. After sampling the very strong brandy and wine that you mixed with water, we passed and drank juice.
Just as we finished our lunch, we moored at the island of Levmaka for three hours. It had rained lightly for part of our trip but stopped when we got there. There was a short path to the other side of the island to a beautiful bay with torquoise water and a sand bottom. The water was cooler than in Pirovac, but not cold enough to keep us from going for a swim.
I think that I stayed in for nearly an hour and when I came to shore the sun was poking out just in time to warm us up. We all relaxed and enjoyed the afternoon before returning to the boat. On our return, it was sunny and smooth. We saw some dolphins swimming along with us and a few cormorants. We arrived back in Pirovac at 6 PM, tired but happy. After deciding to have desert before dinner, we stopped for the best "sladoled" homemade ice cream that I have ever had and enjoyed it as we strolled through the village toward home. Gordana made a tasty spaghetti dinner and it was early to bed again.
Thursday 9-6
Today we drove south to visit Split, the largest city on the Damatian coast and more than 1700 years old. We parked near the port, at the train and bus station location. Split, a transportation hub for the Dalmatian coast, was bustling with activity: cruise ships, huge ferries, and yachts.
We made our way to old town surrounded by the walls of Diocletian's Palace, built for the Roman Emperor Diocletian for retirement in 305 AD. It is one of the most complete remains of a Roman palace in Croatia. As we entered the famous Eastern Silver Gate, we could not fathom how many others went before us.
Residents have made their homes and established businesses inside since the 7th century. Today was full of vendors selling their goods. We wandered through and ended up at Cathedral of St. Dominus. It had an impressive bell tower but a little too intimidating to climb, not to mention looking unsafe.
We explored the narrow streets and shops and of course stopped for some ice cream. Zeljko wanted to show us a narrow passage way called "you go first" because as you can see, it is pretty cozy when two people enter at the same time.
We walked by a huge brass statue of Gregory of Nin by local sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. Zeljko told us that if we rubbed the toe, it would bring us good luck.
As we made our way back, a quartet was singing Croatian songs acapella. We took a break to sit and enjoy their lovely harmony.
Zeljko and Godana wanted to show us Trogir, an enchanting town that is one of the better preserved medievel towns protected by UNESCO. The entire town is on the World Heritage list.
We enjoyed walking along the lively seaside promenade, a great place to people watch and enjoy the sailboats in the harbor. We made our way to Kamerlengo Castle and Saint Mark's tower, now used as summer stage.
After a full day, we were all tired when we got back to Pirovac so we opted to walk down to the Splalladium for Pizza and beer. It was another delightful day enjoying time with our friends, experiencing the beauty, history and culture of the Dalmation coast.
On Friday, we drove to the Krka National Park named for the river Krka that it encloses.
A perfect swimming pool under the cascades on a perfect day.
After an amazing day, we took Gordana and Zeljko out to dinner at the Marin. We toasted our friendship over wine and had a delicious roasted pig dinner. To end the day, we took one last walk along the beach in lovely Pirovac and endulged in one last gelato.
Saturday, 9-8
It was another beautiful day and our last morning in Pirovac. Gordana and I walked to the Pekarna for breakfasts treats. It was hard to say good-bye to our dear friends and gracious hosts. Hopefully, the next time that we see them will be in Alaska.
We drove the 200 miles to Zagreb arriving mid afternoon.
After a nap, Marin, Zelko and Gordana's oldest son took us on a tour of the city and we stopped at a quaint little Italian resturant for dinner.
Sunday, 9-19
Bob was not feeling well and decided to stay put at Zelko and Gordona's apartment. Marin had hockey practice and dropped me off at the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The construction started in the 13th century and is being reconstructed due to eathquake damage. Since I arrived during mass, I did not take a lot of photographs. Many churchgoers appeared to be on a pilgrimage for Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac, a hero to the Croatians; he is buried in the apse.
Nearby, was the Dolac, a fruit and vegetable market with an overabundance of souvenirs stands.
I found my way to the short funicular tram built in 1888 to the bottom of the Lotrscak Tower where the Gric cannon is fired every day at noon, supposedly to commemorate Zagreb's victory over the Turks.
I walked up stairs to the top of the tower with great views of the city, especially Saint Mark's Cathedral and Square.
The church ages back to the 13th century. However, the multi-colored tiled roof was constructed in 1880 and is quite impressive. The cathedral includes many works of Ivan Mestrovic, Croatia's most noted sculptor.
When I walked down to St. Mark's, I was disappointed that it was closed. I walked around some of the parliment buildings and the Presidential Palace before going to the central square, Trg Ban Jelacica.
I arrived in time to see some sort of military exercise in front of the statue of the Ban Jossip Jelacica, a famous army general.
Stopping at a little outdoor cafe on the main street to rest, I realized that it was almost 2:30 and Marin was due back to pick me.
Before going home, he showed me the hockey rink that Eric played in almost 24 years ago. We also walked around a lake close to the apartment. It was a lovely day and lots of families were out picnicing and enjoying the day.
Bob was feeling a little better so we drove to a nearby shopping mall that is part of the Arena. After looking at some of the shops, we found a nice little restaurant for dinner. It was early to bed since we had a long trip to Fiesole in Tuscany tomorrow.
Monday, 9-10
After saying goodbye to Marin we started our 347 mile journey to Italy at 7:30AM. Before long we were in Slovenia, an idyllic and Bavarian style farmland, neatly laid out many along hillsides.
It was not long after we got off the autostada north of Florence before we arrived in the countyside of Tuscany, through rolling hills, vineyards, and olive grooves. We found the Agriturisimo Olmo easily, a lovely salmon colored stucco home nestled in an olive grove. Mara met us and was so excited to have guests from Alaska. We could hardly believe that we were in Zagreb, Croatia this morning and were now in Italy. Our room was beautifully decorated, spacious and comfotable. From their patio and pool, there was a lovely view of Fiesole and the bell tower in Florence. Mara offered us a glass of red wine from the
Montepulciano area. Delicious! Bob chose to relax in the room and I headed to the pool for a swim, to soak up the late afternoon sun, as well as enjoy the panoramic view. Tuscany is just as I had imagined! Since the restaurants do not open until 7 pm, we drove into the village of Fiesole. What an experience...narrow roads, fast drivers that are always in our lane coming around corners. And that was in the countryside! Once we reached the village it looked like one way lanes, but two cars shared the road often inches away from each other. In some spots, one car would have to stop to let the other pass. Thank God that Bob is a good driver! We walked around the square for a bit and stopped in at a little vino shop. After sampling, the young sommelier filled a bottle and capped it with a top like a beer bottle. All for 2 euros and it was good!
We made it back to the restaurant Dina on a terrace overlooking Fiesole and Florence in the distance. Again the menu is always appertif, first and second course, side dishes, and desert. We opted for the first course of pasta. Bob had an excellent spinach ravioli in meat sauce and I had another type of pasta in a light meat sauce. I had the best fillet of beef that I had ever eaten. Bob joked that the poor thing had just been slaughtered to feed me. They served fried zucchini, french fries, and a whole bowl of tomatoes in basil along with our meal. We were stuffed to say the least. We noticed that they add the service charge (tip) which is not even 10% and also charge for bread. After sitting in the park looking out at the city lights, we drove the half mile down the road to our B and B. We poured ourselves a glass of wine that we had bought in Fiesole and retreated to the outdoor bed overlooking a wonderful view and a starry night. The perfect end of our first day in Tuscany
Tuesday, 9-11
The next morning Mara prepared a delicious breakfast for us: croissants with homemade fig, apricot, and plum jam, fruit kabobs, juice and tea. After breakfast, we drove back to Fiesole, parked the car and took the bus into Florence. From San Marco Square, we made it as far as the L'Accademia before Bob realized that he was too sick to continue. We went back to our B&B so he could rest. I swam in the pool and relaxed in the sun enjoying the tranquility and beauty of Tuscany. Later we went to dinner at La Panacea, noted for its seafood. We shared a pasta seafood dish with tons of mussles, clams, squid, and shrimp. We could have stopped right there but had already ordered. My grilled prawns on a very large platter of vegetables and Bob' s fish and calamari were the next course. Wow! Everything was so fresh and mouthwatering. It really puts most of our restarants in the US to shame. After enjoying the warm evening, we retired to our cozy room for the night.
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