Maitai's Central (Don't Call It Eastern) European Excursion
Aug 20th, 2008, 12:58 PM
#121
Original Poster
"Are you going to have a blog with this report?"
seaurchin - yes, there will be a blog with many beautiful pictures (it's hard to take bad pictures with so many incredible sights) and then a video with music, and by then Tracy and I will be too old to travel because this is taking so long to complete.
"Taking a guess here that your next dinner (in Vienna) will be at Meinl am Graben..."
BTilke - Right on the money!
Day 12 shortly (Sadly, there will be 28 in total if I live to write them all).
seaurchin - yes, there will be a blog with many beautiful pictures (it's hard to take bad pictures with so many incredible sights) and then a video with music, and by then Tracy and I will be too old to travel because this is taking so long to complete.
"Taking a guess here that your next dinner (in Vienna) will be at Meinl am Graben..."
BTilke - Right on the money!
Day 12 shortly (Sadly, there will be 28 in total if I live to write them all).
Aug 20th, 2008, 02:19 PM
#123
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Maitaitom, Am only on day 6 but have to compliment you on your use of diacritical marks (that is assuming they are done correctly-har har). Where did you find them? Has someone else asked you this already? If so, I'll find the answer later.
How long have you been married? My hub says I do the "look" also. We actually found anniversary card referring to it. After only 10 years, he says I mastered it. At 30 years, I can do it via esp.
How long have you been married? My hub says I do the "look" also. We actually found anniversary card referring to it. After only 10 years, he says I mastered it. At 30 years, I can do it via esp.
Aug 20th, 2008, 02:55 PM
#124
Original Poster
"....but have to compliment you on your use of diacritical marks (that is assuming they are done correctly-har har). Where did you find them?"
I'd like to tell you that I am a diacritical mark savant. Well, that's what I'd like to tell you. I actually google the word I am looking for, paste it into my report and voilà.
I'd like to tell you that I am a diacritical mark savant. Well, that's what I'd like to tell you. I actually google the word I am looking for, paste it into my report and voilà.
Aug 21st, 2008, 04:46 AM
#126
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diacritical marks are available on a PC keyboard, as well as many others. If you type alt-131, for instance (has to be on the 10-key pad, I think) you get â. There are a whole bunch of things you can get:
130 to 139 gives you:
éâäàåçê ;ëèï
130 to 139 gives you:
éâäàåçê ;ëèï
Aug 21st, 2008, 07:09 AM
#127
maitai,
Thank you for your wonderful trip reports. They are truly a treat to read.
I would like to ask how you record the details of your travels. Do you take notes as you go or at the end of each day, use a digital voice recorder, etc.? Or, do you just have the memory of an elephant and compile everything after you return home? I realize that what works for one may not work for another, but I would appreciate knowing your method. Thanks.
Thank you for your wonderful trip reports. They are truly a treat to read.
I would like to ask how you record the details of your travels. Do you take notes as you go or at the end of each day, use a digital voice recorder, etc.? Or, do you just have the memory of an elephant and compile everything after you return home? I realize that what works for one may not work for another, but I would appreciate knowing your method. Thanks.
Aug 21st, 2008, 07:22 AM
#128
Original Poster
<b>DAY TWELVE – THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO HELP A TOURIST, THE SHOWER DEATH TRAP, CHURCH OR SAILBOAT AND DINNER AT THE GROCERY STORE </b>
When I had originally mapped out our trip, I had us flying directly from Kraków to Dubrovnik on SkyEurope. Yes, I had the perfect plan. Well, almost. Unfortunately, I received an email a few months after booking our overseas flights that SkyEurope was going to discontinue that route. It was back to the drawing board for me.
The good news; in the ensuing months we booked a flight on Croatian Airlines to Dubrovnik. The bad news; it was from Vienna. I had enjoyed my previous visit to Vienna, but the thought of the six-hour drive from Kraków didn’t thrill me, especially because I knew we would only have one night there. However, that was my only choice, and this was the day we were scheduled to make the drive.
We had said out goodbyes to the Cracowdays’ folks (I recommend this for an inexpensive and convenient place to stay in Kraków - just a short 10 minute walk to the Rynek), and we were on the road by 7:15.
Tracy (who was dubbed “Backseat Tracy” on our first trip with Kim and Mary to Italy in 2001) took up her customary backseat position, allowing Mary to be up front with Lady G and the maps. Mary loves maps! Tracy likes to read (although if you have ever seen any of my other trip reports, she is a top-notch navigator).
The three of us rambled through the Polish and Czech countryside and, as we did, Mary became increasingly more talkative (and she’s not quiet to begin with…of course, none of us are).
As Tracy sat in the back reading a book about love, an elephant and water (not necessarily in that order, I guess), Mary began asking questions about my life, loves, work and anything else that came in her head. There is a lot in her head, let me tell you.
My one and two word answers didn’t seem to be going over very well, because the less I answered, the more she asked. By the time we had reached the Czech/Austrian border (4 ½ hours later), Mary had obtained more information about me than Dr. Phil could ever imagine (Dr. Mary, I like it). I felt like laying down in the back seat to answer some of her questions, but that makes for unsafe driving tactics.
I looked in the rear view to get some verbal respite from Tracy, but she was weeping over something she had read in the elephant book (I think the trainer had run out of peanuts or something terrible), so I was on my own.
To tell the whole truth, all that talking made the trip seem shorter than the exactly six hours it took us from Kraków to Vienna. Suddenly I was having a Vienna flashback (although there was no Third Man or a Ferris Wheel involved).
My initial driving experience in Vienna in the 1990s had been a disaster. Trying to find our hotel became a quest, and it took us more than an hour to find the correct route into the center of town. No GPS in those days.
With Lady G, Mary and now Tracy guiding me in, we found the rental car agency easily. The car rental guy showed me on the map where our hotel was and said to just take the nearby U-Bahn to our nearby destination. This was going to be a snap. Yes, you know better than that.
When Tracy asked me if I knew where the subway was, being a guy (a somewhat over-confidant guy), I stated, “Yes, I do.” In reality, I didn’t really have a clue, but the rental car person said it was very close. Well, we walked this way, then that way, and then every which way until Tracy’s and Mary’s exasperated looks could only mean one thing. “Ask for directions,” they said in unison. Hey, at least there was no “idiot” in their vernacular. Yet.
We asked one woman (not a local, but she seemed to know what she was talking about), who gave us partial directions that lead us into a shopping area. We asked another person who gave us a couple of platform choices. After hitting a dead-end, we asked a lady with a baby-stroller, and she pointed us across the courtyard. “That’s where you want to be.”
After descending the escalator, we were once again pointed (by someone who really seemed like they knew what they were talking about) in a direction that led us to, what we thought, were our platforms. They were platforms, but just not our platforms.
Our bemused looks caught the attention of a kindly, older woman, who took pity on the stupid Americans wandering aimlessly in a Vienna U-Bahn station.
She said she was going in the same direction as we were going, and to just follow her. We asked her about buying tickets, and she shrugged and said to keep following her. We followed her right onto the train taking us to our destination. “Umm, what about tickets?” I asked.
“Don’t worry,” she said and walked away. (She had a nice, honest face. I was sure she would visit us in prison). The three American felons then rode to the next stop, which was (fortunately) our destination, and quickly got off. As the train pulled away, there was the nice, old lady waving to us from inside the car with a big smile. Sometimes, it just takes a village.
Vienna’s hotels had been very full when I tried to secure reservations, but luckily I had found Pension Nossek, with a great location on the Graben in the heart of the old city. The location was great.
This is a place that gets mixed reviews and for good reason. The pluses are its location, a really nice breakfast, and the staff is very friendly and helpful.
On the negative side, the rooms are in desperate need of some tender, loving care. To say our room was worn was an understatement. It was also very muggy on this damp day, and the fan in the room ran very slow (it’s not good when you can see the individual blades going round and round) and provided no relief.
“Oh well,” I said to Tracy, “I’ll take a refreshing shower,” which we all needed after lugging the luggage on the subway and over to the hotel. From the bathroom, Tracy heard a “Holy (Expletive To be Named Later)” from the shower. Knowing that I was not re-enacting a scene from Psycho, Tracy ran in to see what the commotion was all about.
There was no shower mat, so I had calmly stepped inside the shower and turned the water on. How I stayed upright when I took that first slip is still something I am amazed I was able to do. Now I know how Peggy Fleming (yes, I am dating myself, but she was my first true love…unbeknownst to her, of course) felt during the ’68 Olympics.
“Nobody’s breaking a hip on my watch,” Tracy said and she stayed with me during the duration. Finally, Grandpa Maitai got out of the shower unscathed. “Just get my walker and let’s go out to lunch,” I said.
We found a quaint Italian restaurant in a nearby alley, and since it was already after 3 p.m., the three of us were famished. Afterward, during a little downpour, we ducked inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and became a bit perplexed. “Is this the inside of a church or a sailing regatta?” I asked.
The interior of the cathedral had a very odd display of giant, white sails and bright, blue lights. It was like we were visiting a place of worship, and The America’s Cup had broken out. We never did find out what this exhibit was all about.
I thought about going up the stairs to the top of St. Stephens, but Vienna was getting socked in with clouds and rain, so there would be no view, and fortunately for my traveling companions, no stairs.
Our next stop was the Crypts of the Imperial family (4€ each). We saw Franz Joseph and some other Hapsburg tombs, and then, tired of dead people, we headed back to the Graben for a little vino outside, since it had stopped raining.
Mary told us about a specialty store in Vienna called Meinl am Graben, and since it was early in the evening we decided to explore the store before finding a restaurant for dinner. Wow, what a store!
The three of us walked around the entire place that included restaurants, a wine cellar and specialty foods in different sections that beckoned us to buy. Reluctantly, we walked away, looking for a dinner restaurant, but our minds kept drifting back to the store we had just visited. Yes, we were in love with Meinl!
Let’s see, we all like wine. Meinl has a bar that serves wine. What should we do? We hurried back to the Meinl Weinbar, where we plopped our butts down for, as it tuned out, the duration of the evening.
We sat in a non-smoking area (what a change from my first Austrian visit in 1984 when you couldn’t even see inside restaurants due to the thick cigarette smoke) amongst a vast array of wines. Our server was knowledgeable, showed us a litany of wines, and we were very happy to partake in a few glasses…apiece.
This was a comfortable setting, and after chatting with a U.C.L.A. alumnus for a bit (yes, as a San Diego State guy, I can go slumming), we decided to see if they had some food to go with the wine. We left that to the server’s discretion, who came back shortly with a bountiful platter of prosciutto, various cheeses, capers and crunchy bread, which was now our dinner on this evening.
The bill came to 89€, and the night turned out to be quite fun and relaxing. Plus, since Mary had asked me everything about my life earlier in the day, it was the patrons and server at the wine bar who were peppered with inquiries about their lives. They never knew what hit ‘em.
She asked our server where he was from, and he said, “Croatia.” We told him we would be flying to Dubrovnik the following morning.
He informed us he was from TrogIr, a place we would visit after Dubrovnik. He said, “You will love Croatia. It is so lovely.”
Tracy added, “We are looking forward so much to seeing your beautiful country.” Mary was also hoping her husband, currently somewhere between Los Angeles and New York on his whirlwind journey to join us back in Austria, would also be able to join us on our journey to our next destination.
One thing I was sure of; Mary would have many questions for him.
<b>COMING UP - DAY THIRTEEN – DOES KIM MAKE THE PLANE, DOES HIS LUGGAGE, ROOMS WITH A VIEW, MIRROR IMAGE, CRUISE OUT-OF CONTROL, AND THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE MODERN WORLD </b>
When I had originally mapped out our trip, I had us flying directly from Kraków to Dubrovnik on SkyEurope. Yes, I had the perfect plan. Well, almost. Unfortunately, I received an email a few months after booking our overseas flights that SkyEurope was going to discontinue that route. It was back to the drawing board for me.
The good news; in the ensuing months we booked a flight on Croatian Airlines to Dubrovnik. The bad news; it was from Vienna. I had enjoyed my previous visit to Vienna, but the thought of the six-hour drive from Kraków didn’t thrill me, especially because I knew we would only have one night there. However, that was my only choice, and this was the day we were scheduled to make the drive.
We had said out goodbyes to the Cracowdays’ folks (I recommend this for an inexpensive and convenient place to stay in Kraków - just a short 10 minute walk to the Rynek), and we were on the road by 7:15.
Tracy (who was dubbed “Backseat Tracy” on our first trip with Kim and Mary to Italy in 2001) took up her customary backseat position, allowing Mary to be up front with Lady G and the maps. Mary loves maps! Tracy likes to read (although if you have ever seen any of my other trip reports, she is a top-notch navigator).
The three of us rambled through the Polish and Czech countryside and, as we did, Mary became increasingly more talkative (and she’s not quiet to begin with…of course, none of us are).
As Tracy sat in the back reading a book about love, an elephant and water (not necessarily in that order, I guess), Mary began asking questions about my life, loves, work and anything else that came in her head. There is a lot in her head, let me tell you.
My one and two word answers didn’t seem to be going over very well, because the less I answered, the more she asked. By the time we had reached the Czech/Austrian border (4 ½ hours later), Mary had obtained more information about me than Dr. Phil could ever imagine (Dr. Mary, I like it). I felt like laying down in the back seat to answer some of her questions, but that makes for unsafe driving tactics.
I looked in the rear view to get some verbal respite from Tracy, but she was weeping over something she had read in the elephant book (I think the trainer had run out of peanuts or something terrible), so I was on my own.
To tell the whole truth, all that talking made the trip seem shorter than the exactly six hours it took us from Kraków to Vienna. Suddenly I was having a Vienna flashback (although there was no Third Man or a Ferris Wheel involved).
My initial driving experience in Vienna in the 1990s had been a disaster. Trying to find our hotel became a quest, and it took us more than an hour to find the correct route into the center of town. No GPS in those days.
With Lady G, Mary and now Tracy guiding me in, we found the rental car agency easily. The car rental guy showed me on the map where our hotel was and said to just take the nearby U-Bahn to our nearby destination. This was going to be a snap. Yes, you know better than that.
When Tracy asked me if I knew where the subway was, being a guy (a somewhat over-confidant guy), I stated, “Yes, I do.” In reality, I didn’t really have a clue, but the rental car person said it was very close. Well, we walked this way, then that way, and then every which way until Tracy’s and Mary’s exasperated looks could only mean one thing. “Ask for directions,” they said in unison. Hey, at least there was no “idiot” in their vernacular. Yet.
We asked one woman (not a local, but she seemed to know what she was talking about), who gave us partial directions that lead us into a shopping area. We asked another person who gave us a couple of platform choices. After hitting a dead-end, we asked a lady with a baby-stroller, and she pointed us across the courtyard. “That’s where you want to be.”
After descending the escalator, we were once again pointed (by someone who really seemed like they knew what they were talking about) in a direction that led us to, what we thought, were our platforms. They were platforms, but just not our platforms.
Our bemused looks caught the attention of a kindly, older woman, who took pity on the stupid Americans wandering aimlessly in a Vienna U-Bahn station.
She said she was going in the same direction as we were going, and to just follow her. We asked her about buying tickets, and she shrugged and said to keep following her. We followed her right onto the train taking us to our destination. “Umm, what about tickets?” I asked.
“Don’t worry,” she said and walked away. (She had a nice, honest face. I was sure she would visit us in prison). The three American felons then rode to the next stop, which was (fortunately) our destination, and quickly got off. As the train pulled away, there was the nice, old lady waving to us from inside the car with a big smile. Sometimes, it just takes a village.
Vienna’s hotels had been very full when I tried to secure reservations, but luckily I had found Pension Nossek, with a great location on the Graben in the heart of the old city. The location was great.
This is a place that gets mixed reviews and for good reason. The pluses are its location, a really nice breakfast, and the staff is very friendly and helpful.
On the negative side, the rooms are in desperate need of some tender, loving care. To say our room was worn was an understatement. It was also very muggy on this damp day, and the fan in the room ran very slow (it’s not good when you can see the individual blades going round and round) and provided no relief.
“Oh well,” I said to Tracy, “I’ll take a refreshing shower,” which we all needed after lugging the luggage on the subway and over to the hotel. From the bathroom, Tracy heard a “Holy (Expletive To be Named Later)” from the shower. Knowing that I was not re-enacting a scene from Psycho, Tracy ran in to see what the commotion was all about.
There was no shower mat, so I had calmly stepped inside the shower and turned the water on. How I stayed upright when I took that first slip is still something I am amazed I was able to do. Now I know how Peggy Fleming (yes, I am dating myself, but she was my first true love…unbeknownst to her, of course) felt during the ’68 Olympics.
“Nobody’s breaking a hip on my watch,” Tracy said and she stayed with me during the duration. Finally, Grandpa Maitai got out of the shower unscathed. “Just get my walker and let’s go out to lunch,” I said.
We found a quaint Italian restaurant in a nearby alley, and since it was already after 3 p.m., the three of us were famished. Afterward, during a little downpour, we ducked inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and became a bit perplexed. “Is this the inside of a church or a sailing regatta?” I asked.
The interior of the cathedral had a very odd display of giant, white sails and bright, blue lights. It was like we were visiting a place of worship, and The America’s Cup had broken out. We never did find out what this exhibit was all about.
I thought about going up the stairs to the top of St. Stephens, but Vienna was getting socked in with clouds and rain, so there would be no view, and fortunately for my traveling companions, no stairs.
Our next stop was the Crypts of the Imperial family (4€ each). We saw Franz Joseph and some other Hapsburg tombs, and then, tired of dead people, we headed back to the Graben for a little vino outside, since it had stopped raining.
Mary told us about a specialty store in Vienna called Meinl am Graben, and since it was early in the evening we decided to explore the store before finding a restaurant for dinner. Wow, what a store!
The three of us walked around the entire place that included restaurants, a wine cellar and specialty foods in different sections that beckoned us to buy. Reluctantly, we walked away, looking for a dinner restaurant, but our minds kept drifting back to the store we had just visited. Yes, we were in love with Meinl!
Let’s see, we all like wine. Meinl has a bar that serves wine. What should we do? We hurried back to the Meinl Weinbar, where we plopped our butts down for, as it tuned out, the duration of the evening.
We sat in a non-smoking area (what a change from my first Austrian visit in 1984 when you couldn’t even see inside restaurants due to the thick cigarette smoke) amongst a vast array of wines. Our server was knowledgeable, showed us a litany of wines, and we were very happy to partake in a few glasses…apiece.
This was a comfortable setting, and after chatting with a U.C.L.A. alumnus for a bit (yes, as a San Diego State guy, I can go slumming), we decided to see if they had some food to go with the wine. We left that to the server’s discretion, who came back shortly with a bountiful platter of prosciutto, various cheeses, capers and crunchy bread, which was now our dinner on this evening.
The bill came to 89€, and the night turned out to be quite fun and relaxing. Plus, since Mary had asked me everything about my life earlier in the day, it was the patrons and server at the wine bar who were peppered with inquiries about their lives. They never knew what hit ‘em.
She asked our server where he was from, and he said, “Croatia.” We told him we would be flying to Dubrovnik the following morning.
He informed us he was from TrogIr, a place we would visit after Dubrovnik. He said, “You will love Croatia. It is so lovely.”
Tracy added, “We are looking forward so much to seeing your beautiful country.” Mary was also hoping her husband, currently somewhere between Los Angeles and New York on his whirlwind journey to join us back in Austria, would also be able to join us on our journey to our next destination.
One thing I was sure of; Mary would have many questions for him.
<b>COMING UP - DAY THIRTEEN – DOES KIM MAKE THE PLANE, DOES HIS LUGGAGE, ROOMS WITH A VIEW, MIRROR IMAGE, CRUISE OUT-OF CONTROL, AND THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE MODERN WORLD </b>
Aug 21st, 2008, 10:53 AM
#129
Original Poster
"I would like to ask how you record the details of your travels."
Sorry NoleNomad, I did not see your question when I posted this morning.
Tracy is the copious note taker (notebook always at the ready) while on our trips, and I have already done extensive pre-planning wand have other notes. When something comes up, one of us will say, "Oh be sure to write that down," but usually Tracy is one step ahead of us.
As I think I stated earlier to a similar question, when it comes to memory, I guess it is because I have such a passion for traveling that I can remember details not only from this trip, but from trips taken a decade or two ago.
When I go through her notes, plus look at everyone's photos, each day seems as vivid as the day we were there. It actually amazes me how much I recall.
If my memory was as good for other things as it is for traveling and sports trivia, I would be a rich man. But I guess, since I have the inordinate good fortune of being able to travel to these places with a beautiful wife and terrific friends, my life could not be any richer than it is. Thanks for the comments.
Sorry NoleNomad, I did not see your question when I posted this morning.
Tracy is the copious note taker (notebook always at the ready) while on our trips, and I have already done extensive pre-planning wand have other notes. When something comes up, one of us will say, "Oh be sure to write that down," but usually Tracy is one step ahead of us.
As I think I stated earlier to a similar question, when it comes to memory, I guess it is because I have such a passion for traveling that I can remember details not only from this trip, but from trips taken a decade or two ago.
When I go through her notes, plus look at everyone's photos, each day seems as vivid as the day we were there. It actually amazes me how much I recall.
If my memory was as good for other things as it is for traveling and sports trivia, I would be a rich man. But I guess, since I have the inordinate good fortune of being able to travel to these places with a beautiful wife and terrific friends, my life could not be any richer than it is. Thanks for the comments.
Aug 21st, 2008, 04:00 PM
#130
Original Poster
Wow, I actually knocked out two today. It must be the cocktail hour.
<b> DAY THIRTEEN – DOES KIM MAKE THE PLANE, DOES HIS LUGGAGE, ROOMS WITH A VIEW, MIRROR IMAGE, CRUISE OUT-OF CONTROL, AND THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE MODERN WORLD </b>
We awoke to a driving rainstorm and had a delicious, little breakfast in the charming breakfast room of the Pension Nossek. The hotel had pre-ordered the taxi to meet us, and the driver was up (you have to take a lift to get to the pension lobby) at the reception desk after we finished breakfast and helped us with our luggage.
I talked a lot to the driver on the way to the airport and asked him numerous questions (obviously Mary had rubbed off on me). Our driver pointed out many monuments on the trip to the airport.
It turned out he was also from Croatia and was very excited about the upcoming European Cup, because Croatia was going to open it against Austria. Although he had lived in Austria for years, there was no delay when I asked him which team would command his rooting interest.
“Croatia,” he said. He then proceeded to help me with Croatian pronunciations so I would not embarrass myself more than usual when I spoke to the local Dubrovnik populous upon arrival.
After checking in, Mary was very nervous knowing Kim had a small window of opportunity in order to make our 10:10 flight. At 9:35, she started worrying even more.
I bet her a glass of wine Kim would be coming down the escalator within five minutes. “Kim never loses a bet for me,” I said.
Remember the ease showed by O.J Simpson running through airports in those old Hertz commercials? Well, Kim’s disheveled and sweaty appearance did not resemble O.J. in any manner as he walked off the escalator (of course, Kim also has never been a double murderer).
Kim had been directed to the wrong terminal for our flight (probably the same people directing us to the U-Bahn the day before), and he ran as fast as he could (which, unfortunately, is not very fast) to make our flight.
Then, like clockwork, the man at the Croatian Airline gate announced that the flight from Vienna to Dubrovnik would be delayed 30 minutes. Always the true friend, I said, “See Kim, you didn’t have to run after all.”
We arrived in Dubrovnik at noon and proceeded to grab our luggage. Well, three of us did. Kim’s luggage was somewhere in the world between Los Angeles and Dubrovnik. I told him, “Well, at least you have clean, lost clothes.” At that point, and I’m not sure of this, Kim gave me “the look.”
Our driver that had been sent by our apartment host, Jadranka Benrussi, gave us lots of information on the area. When I asked him his favorite restaurant in Dubrovnik, he said with a sly smile, “I don’t really have a favorite. They are all pretty touristic. My favorites are out of town.”
He dropped us at the Hilton Hotel parking lot and said he would help us with our bags because we had a little walking left to do. We walked up some steps, came to a dead end, turned left and walked up more steps. Tracy and Mary were very happy Peter (our driver) had offered to help. Over the course of three days, we became very acquainted with these steps. Tracy counted 99 of them in all.
We went though a small gate on the left, down some stairs and there were our two separate apartments, which also had a nice outdoor courtyard that afforded views out over the neighborhood all the way to the Adriatic. Needless to say, the four of us consumed a good portion of wine on that patio during our evenings in Dubrovnik.
Kim only had his sweaty traveling clothes, and it was a very warm day. Tracy then offered Kim a pair of my shorts and a shirt, and when he emerged from his apartment, there I was. No wait, there he was. I got to see those clothes for the better part of the next two days.
Jadranka’s apartments, located below her and her husband’s residence, is located a short distance from the Gradska Vrata Pilc (Pile Gate). As we got closer to the Pile Gate, there were hundreds of people all shuffling along at a snail’s pace in huge herds following the ubiquitous Umbrella People in all directions. These were the swarms of cruise boat touristas who, as we were to find out, descend upon Dubrovnik every day between about 8 and 4.
As we jostled our way through the Pile Gate and down some stairs we decided to head to the harbor for lunch. To get to the harbor we walked down Dubrobnik’s main drag, the Stradun.
We had only walked for a short time when it looked like Tracy taken a slight misstep. “I slipped,” she said. And sure enough, the Stradun is a little slippery because of its limestone coating and made even slippier by the thousands of people who walk on it each day.
“Wow, I bet people fall here when it’s wet,” Mary said, and I could only hope that shower-slipping “Grandpa Maitai” would not be one of those unfortunate people.
The Stradun was packed with tourists at its plethora of shops and restaurants that line the street or are located just off of it. Restaurant hucksters were hawking their respective places but we walked by, and by the time we had reached the harbor, the massive throngs were, for the moment, blissfully gone.
After lunching on pizza, pasta and salad, we started walking around Dubrovnik to get our bearings. It was getting later in the afternoon, so the cruise boat navy numbers were lessening by the minute, and the narrow lanes became much more pleasant for strolling instead of elbowing.
Then it happened!
Now this might sound a little dramatic, but at a few minutes before four in the afternoon on a gorgeous afternoon, June 5, 2008, my life changed forever. Tracy, Kim, Mary and I stepped through a little hole in the Dubrovnik Wall, walked down some steps and were thrust into a place that I modestly refer to as the Eighth Wonder of The Modern World. We had entered the most mystical spot on earth. Others know it simply as the Buza Bar.
Yes, I’d seen pictures. Yes, I’d read accounts by people who had visited, but nothing could have prepared me for this wine and beer paradise.
The tables and chairs are set out on little cliffs that command incredible views out over the Adriatic Sea. There are no rails, so if one sits back in their chair the wrong way, well, let’s just say that could be your ultimate final call. Nearby people were swimming and diving off cliffs into the sea. The water was a color of blue that was so beautiful not even pictures could do it justice.
All of this ambiance and wine, too, please pinch me. Kim joked that Croatia obviously must not have strict OSHA regulations, and then he promptly cut his leg open just a tad from a tiny, exposed piece of metal. It was nothing that a band-aid and a few small bottles of red vino couldn’t fix.
Buza has just one girl who works behind the bar, and upon our arrival she traversed the terrain like a celestial mountain goat to take our order. She then glided back to the bar and within minutes was at our table carrying wine and beer. If they had an Olympics for wine and beer servers, she would receive the Gold Medal.
During my second or third wine (math is useless in a setting like this), as I looked out on this incredible view, I waxed poetic, “This is like your first kiss or your first love.”
Kim responded, “How about your first wife?”
Once again, the sage lyrics of the omnipresent philosopher Meat Loaf immediately danced in my head, “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad,” I said.
For those of you who travel to Dubrovnik, even if you do not drink alcohol, this is a spot not to be missed. Be sure to get here by about 4 p.m., because by 4:30 each day, the Buza Bar was packed.
As we soaked in the atmosphere (and the wine), the four of us spent 90 minutes solving virtually all the world’s problems. As we sat there, small boats were hurrying the last of the day-tripping cruise people out to the giant ships located off the Croatian coast. These ships were so large that on a clear day I firmly believe they could block out the sun and cause an eclipse.
Tracy dragged me out of the Buza Bar (where I could have stayed for all three days in Dubrovnik), and soon we were back on the Stradun, now peacefully devoid of tourists (except for us and a few others).
The four of us showered (not together people, this isn’t the 70s), and we sat out on our apartment patio sipping wine (that we had purchased at a little market on the way back to the apartments), looking out over the trees toward the Adriatic and listening to Kim’s IPOD. “Oh yeah”, we agreed, “The four of us are very lucky people.”
After exiting the Buza Bar, we had seen a cute restaurant that caught our attention and we made reservations. So after our wine and music interlude on our apartment patio we all walked back to Ekvinocijo Konoba and dined on its outside patio. It was a lovely evening.
The very nice server said the fish at this restaurant “was fresh from the Adriatic” so Mary had the fresh fish filet and a very good grilled zucchini.
Tracy started with another “Wow” dish. The fried calamari was incredible (and I am not a big calamari person). It was fresh and had just a light hint of garlic. She also had the seafood risotto.
I also had risotto, of the shrimp variety, and the best French Fries I had eaten in quite some time.
Kim had the only weak dish of the evening; a breaded shrimp he said was “cold and a disappointment,” much like many of the dates Kim and I had taken out in our college days (Kim was the first person I met at San Diego State in 1970).
Of course, we needed something to wash down those dishes, and a liter of the house white did the trick.
For the most part, the four of us always split the bill no matter who buys what dishes. We do not itemize. We do not say, “Oh, but you had one more appetizer and a coffee while we just had a dessert.” Obviously, if someone only has a salad, one of the couples will put in a little bit more.
This method has worked on all of our European trips, and there has never been one squabble about money. I’ve witnessed groups in Europe have terrible verbal exchanges at tables next me to me, fighting over “their fair share of the bill.” It is painful to watch. Life’s too short, and I would have to think that over the duration of our many trips, we have all come out pretty even.
We laughed at this particular bill, because it seemed no matter what country we were in, what restaurant we were in or what we all ate and drank, the bill always came out to the equivalent of $75 per couple. Tonight was no different.
We walked off our dinner (those 99 steps are good exercise) back to the Benrussi apartments. Tomorrow, we would further explore Dubrovnik, and Kim would hope that he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of the trip in my clothes.
<b>COMING UP - DAY FOURTEEN – DELIGHTFUL DUBROVNIK, WALK A MILE IN MY SHORTS OR THE WILD GOOSE CHASE TO FIND KIM’S CLOTHES, HITTING THE WALLS, WATCH OUT FOR THAT CRUISE SHIP, WINE AND CHEESE WITH JADRANKA AND SPRINGTIME FOR (YOU KNOW WHO) </b>
<b> DAY THIRTEEN – DOES KIM MAKE THE PLANE, DOES HIS LUGGAGE, ROOMS WITH A VIEW, MIRROR IMAGE, CRUISE OUT-OF CONTROL, AND THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE MODERN WORLD </b>
We awoke to a driving rainstorm and had a delicious, little breakfast in the charming breakfast room of the Pension Nossek. The hotel had pre-ordered the taxi to meet us, and the driver was up (you have to take a lift to get to the pension lobby) at the reception desk after we finished breakfast and helped us with our luggage.
I talked a lot to the driver on the way to the airport and asked him numerous questions (obviously Mary had rubbed off on me). Our driver pointed out many monuments on the trip to the airport.
It turned out he was also from Croatia and was very excited about the upcoming European Cup, because Croatia was going to open it against Austria. Although he had lived in Austria for years, there was no delay when I asked him which team would command his rooting interest.
“Croatia,” he said. He then proceeded to help me with Croatian pronunciations so I would not embarrass myself more than usual when I spoke to the local Dubrovnik populous upon arrival.
After checking in, Mary was very nervous knowing Kim had a small window of opportunity in order to make our 10:10 flight. At 9:35, she started worrying even more.
I bet her a glass of wine Kim would be coming down the escalator within five minutes. “Kim never loses a bet for me,” I said.
Remember the ease showed by O.J Simpson running through airports in those old Hertz commercials? Well, Kim’s disheveled and sweaty appearance did not resemble O.J. in any manner as he walked off the escalator (of course, Kim also has never been a double murderer).
Kim had been directed to the wrong terminal for our flight (probably the same people directing us to the U-Bahn the day before), and he ran as fast as he could (which, unfortunately, is not very fast) to make our flight.
Then, like clockwork, the man at the Croatian Airline gate announced that the flight from Vienna to Dubrovnik would be delayed 30 minutes. Always the true friend, I said, “See Kim, you didn’t have to run after all.”
We arrived in Dubrovnik at noon and proceeded to grab our luggage. Well, three of us did. Kim’s luggage was somewhere in the world between Los Angeles and Dubrovnik. I told him, “Well, at least you have clean, lost clothes.” At that point, and I’m not sure of this, Kim gave me “the look.”
Our driver that had been sent by our apartment host, Jadranka Benrussi, gave us lots of information on the area. When I asked him his favorite restaurant in Dubrovnik, he said with a sly smile, “I don’t really have a favorite. They are all pretty touristic. My favorites are out of town.”
He dropped us at the Hilton Hotel parking lot and said he would help us with our bags because we had a little walking left to do. We walked up some steps, came to a dead end, turned left and walked up more steps. Tracy and Mary were very happy Peter (our driver) had offered to help. Over the course of three days, we became very acquainted with these steps. Tracy counted 99 of them in all.
We went though a small gate on the left, down some stairs and there were our two separate apartments, which also had a nice outdoor courtyard that afforded views out over the neighborhood all the way to the Adriatic. Needless to say, the four of us consumed a good portion of wine on that patio during our evenings in Dubrovnik.
Kim only had his sweaty traveling clothes, and it was a very warm day. Tracy then offered Kim a pair of my shorts and a shirt, and when he emerged from his apartment, there I was. No wait, there he was. I got to see those clothes for the better part of the next two days.
Jadranka’s apartments, located below her and her husband’s residence, is located a short distance from the Gradska Vrata Pilc (Pile Gate). As we got closer to the Pile Gate, there were hundreds of people all shuffling along at a snail’s pace in huge herds following the ubiquitous Umbrella People in all directions. These were the swarms of cruise boat touristas who, as we were to find out, descend upon Dubrovnik every day between about 8 and 4.
As we jostled our way through the Pile Gate and down some stairs we decided to head to the harbor for lunch. To get to the harbor we walked down Dubrobnik’s main drag, the Stradun.
We had only walked for a short time when it looked like Tracy taken a slight misstep. “I slipped,” she said. And sure enough, the Stradun is a little slippery because of its limestone coating and made even slippier by the thousands of people who walk on it each day.
“Wow, I bet people fall here when it’s wet,” Mary said, and I could only hope that shower-slipping “Grandpa Maitai” would not be one of those unfortunate people.
The Stradun was packed with tourists at its plethora of shops and restaurants that line the street or are located just off of it. Restaurant hucksters were hawking their respective places but we walked by, and by the time we had reached the harbor, the massive throngs were, for the moment, blissfully gone.
After lunching on pizza, pasta and salad, we started walking around Dubrovnik to get our bearings. It was getting later in the afternoon, so the cruise boat navy numbers were lessening by the minute, and the narrow lanes became much more pleasant for strolling instead of elbowing.
Then it happened!
Now this might sound a little dramatic, but at a few minutes before four in the afternoon on a gorgeous afternoon, June 5, 2008, my life changed forever. Tracy, Kim, Mary and I stepped through a little hole in the Dubrovnik Wall, walked down some steps and were thrust into a place that I modestly refer to as the Eighth Wonder of The Modern World. We had entered the most mystical spot on earth. Others know it simply as the Buza Bar.
Yes, I’d seen pictures. Yes, I’d read accounts by people who had visited, but nothing could have prepared me for this wine and beer paradise.
The tables and chairs are set out on little cliffs that command incredible views out over the Adriatic Sea. There are no rails, so if one sits back in their chair the wrong way, well, let’s just say that could be your ultimate final call. Nearby people were swimming and diving off cliffs into the sea. The water was a color of blue that was so beautiful not even pictures could do it justice.
All of this ambiance and wine, too, please pinch me. Kim joked that Croatia obviously must not have strict OSHA regulations, and then he promptly cut his leg open just a tad from a tiny, exposed piece of metal. It was nothing that a band-aid and a few small bottles of red vino couldn’t fix.
Buza has just one girl who works behind the bar, and upon our arrival she traversed the terrain like a celestial mountain goat to take our order. She then glided back to the bar and within minutes was at our table carrying wine and beer. If they had an Olympics for wine and beer servers, she would receive the Gold Medal.
During my second or third wine (math is useless in a setting like this), as I looked out on this incredible view, I waxed poetic, “This is like your first kiss or your first love.”
Kim responded, “How about your first wife?”
Once again, the sage lyrics of the omnipresent philosopher Meat Loaf immediately danced in my head, “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad,” I said.
For those of you who travel to Dubrovnik, even if you do not drink alcohol, this is a spot not to be missed. Be sure to get here by about 4 p.m., because by 4:30 each day, the Buza Bar was packed.
As we soaked in the atmosphere (and the wine), the four of us spent 90 minutes solving virtually all the world’s problems. As we sat there, small boats were hurrying the last of the day-tripping cruise people out to the giant ships located off the Croatian coast. These ships were so large that on a clear day I firmly believe they could block out the sun and cause an eclipse.
Tracy dragged me out of the Buza Bar (where I could have stayed for all three days in Dubrovnik), and soon we were back on the Stradun, now peacefully devoid of tourists (except for us and a few others).
The four of us showered (not together people, this isn’t the 70s), and we sat out on our apartment patio sipping wine (that we had purchased at a little market on the way back to the apartments), looking out over the trees toward the Adriatic and listening to Kim’s IPOD. “Oh yeah”, we agreed, “The four of us are very lucky people.”
After exiting the Buza Bar, we had seen a cute restaurant that caught our attention and we made reservations. So after our wine and music interlude on our apartment patio we all walked back to Ekvinocijo Konoba and dined on its outside patio. It was a lovely evening.
The very nice server said the fish at this restaurant “was fresh from the Adriatic” so Mary had the fresh fish filet and a very good grilled zucchini.
Tracy started with another “Wow” dish. The fried calamari was incredible (and I am not a big calamari person). It was fresh and had just a light hint of garlic. She also had the seafood risotto.
I also had risotto, of the shrimp variety, and the best French Fries I had eaten in quite some time.
Kim had the only weak dish of the evening; a breaded shrimp he said was “cold and a disappointment,” much like many of the dates Kim and I had taken out in our college days (Kim was the first person I met at San Diego State in 1970).
Of course, we needed something to wash down those dishes, and a liter of the house white did the trick.
For the most part, the four of us always split the bill no matter who buys what dishes. We do not itemize. We do not say, “Oh, but you had one more appetizer and a coffee while we just had a dessert.” Obviously, if someone only has a salad, one of the couples will put in a little bit more.
This method has worked on all of our European trips, and there has never been one squabble about money. I’ve witnessed groups in Europe have terrible verbal exchanges at tables next me to me, fighting over “their fair share of the bill.” It is painful to watch. Life’s too short, and I would have to think that over the duration of our many trips, we have all come out pretty even.
We laughed at this particular bill, because it seemed no matter what country we were in, what restaurant we were in or what we all ate and drank, the bill always came out to the equivalent of $75 per couple. Tonight was no different.
We walked off our dinner (those 99 steps are good exercise) back to the Benrussi apartments. Tomorrow, we would further explore Dubrovnik, and Kim would hope that he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of the trip in my clothes.
<b>COMING UP - DAY FOURTEEN – DELIGHTFUL DUBROVNIK, WALK A MILE IN MY SHORTS OR THE WILD GOOSE CHASE TO FIND KIM’S CLOTHES, HITTING THE WALLS, WATCH OUT FOR THAT CRUISE SHIP, WINE AND CHEESE WITH JADRANKA AND SPRINGTIME FOR (YOU KNOW WHO) </b>
Aug 21st, 2008, 05:22 PM
#131
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MaiTai...
You have brought back such great memories for me of my trip to Dubrovnik 2 years ago. I LOVE the Buza Bar too and could have easily spent much more time there!
When we were there we stayed in a sobe inside the walls and every morning would go to a cafe right at the end of "our" street for our cappucinnos. As we stayed there enjoying our leisurely breakfast we would marvel at the hordes of cruisers flowing through the city gates. And that was at the end of September! I can only imagine the numbers during the height of the summer.
As always, looking forward to more of your report!
You have brought back such great memories for me of my trip to Dubrovnik 2 years ago. I LOVE the Buza Bar too and could have easily spent much more time there!
When we were there we stayed in a sobe inside the walls and every morning would go to a cafe right at the end of "our" street for our cappucinnos. As we stayed there enjoying our leisurely breakfast we would marvel at the hordes of cruisers flowing through the city gates. And that was at the end of September! I can only imagine the numbers during the height of the summer.
As always, looking forward to more of your report!
Aug 22nd, 2008, 09:10 AM
#133
Original Poster
LCI and Tracy,
My screen saver is the Buza Bar photo I took while walking the wall, and on days when work heads south, I head back there for a few moments to regain peace and tranquility.
My screen saver is the Buza Bar photo I took while walking the wall, and on days when work heads south, I head back there for a few moments to regain peace and tranquility.
Aug 22nd, 2008, 09:47 AM
#134
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Love it! I should do it as well. We were lucky enough to be in Dubrovnik in November when it was nice and quiet, and we were literally the only people at Buza Bar except for the waitress and the cat with her kittens. That goes down in history as being one of the best moments of my life! I would be perfectly content spending the rest of my life right there....
I'm at work and could use some pretending like I'm elsewhere. Maybe I'll find my Buza pictures and pretend I'm there.
Tracy
I'm at work and could use some pretending like I'm elsewhere. Maybe I'll find my Buza pictures and pretend I'm there.
Tracy
