We Survived the White Knuckle Drive of Death! - Our 2006 Croatian Trip Report
Oct 3rd, 2006, 05:47 PM
#41
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Hi Tracy - I really think you will enjoy the apartment. It is simple but it was comfy and clean and exactly like it looks in the pictures. Ljubica and Nino are friendly as can be. Just remember that the good pillows are in the sofa storage!
Oct 3rd, 2006, 05:59 PM
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Hi Stu - Thanks for reading -I think we would have liked the Konavoski Dvori too, I would have loved to watch more of the folk dancing show.
After I get my report done (5 days done so far and 5500 words - yikes!) I might try to find a way to post a few pictures. Any suggestions on what I might do?
After I get my report done (5 days done so far and 5500 words - yikes!) I might try to find a way to post a few pictures. Any suggestions on what I might do?
Oct 9th, 2006, 08:21 PM
#43
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After our morning farewells to our kind hosts, we set off for Hvar. The drive along the city walls north makes me so sorry to leave – the time went way too quickly! Dubrovnik and Croatia are so different from anywhere we have been before. Dramatic and impressive – it gets right in your face and you cannot fail to be awed by the beauty. If you have a chance to go – do! I cannot imagine any traveler being sorry they came here.
The drive north along the coast is easy and we decide to stop in Ston. I had heard it was a nice place to stop, but really, I didn’t get it. Did we miss the town, LOL? There were a couple restaurants and oyster beds and that was about it. We did see the wall, gave it a couple of clicks of the camera and that was it. No way were we interested in climbing! At about this point I decided that I better check the ferry schedule from Drvnik to Sucaraj. I know they cross fairly regularly so I had not consulted the print out I had brought along. Oh Oh. Well, I had dawdled in Ston doing nothing long enough that we are going to have to hustle to make the ferry. Next stop, Bosnia-Herzegovina, a non-event. Gas was expensive, but I understand the shopping might be cheaper than Croatia? We are just waived thru the border. Shoot, would have been kind of fun to get a passport stamp.
To this point we have pretty much been hugging the coast but now we see the flattest section of Croatia we have run into. Looks like a gardener’s paradise and every square foot seems to be cultivated. There are garden stands every 50 feet with baskets of picturesque fruit and vegetable and piles of melons with water hoses running over them. I am absolutely convinced these must be the most succulent fruits on the planet but we cannot stop as we are on a mission now. MUST…MAKE…FERRY… I am trying to snap pictures as we drive by, but am only getting blurs. Just when we think it is possible to make it – disaster strikes. A truck driving the actual speed limit – where did this guy get his license???
We drive into Drvnik just in time to wave good bye with our white hankies to the ferry as it departs the shore. Drat! DH gives me the ol’ “married 23 years and this happens every time” look. We stop and speak to the first car in line for the next ferry – the unlucky guy that was the first car NOT to make the last one, and it turns out he had arrived at 12:30, which was a full hour before our arrival – HAH! I don’t know why it made me feel better to miss it by an hour instead of a few minutes, result is no different! Well, now we have a couple hours to kill. There is a big beach and little cafes here in Drvnik. Won’t be too tough to kill some time waiting. I went to change to my swimsuit, but DH does not want to swim. He would prefer to wait by the ferry ticket office for it to open again and sweat instead of cooling off in the water. Whatever. I head away from the busy beach along a promenade and find an area where there are villas for rent. There is a little rocky beach and I spend the next hour floating and effortlessly treading water with two polish couples on holiday. One of the women, a teacher, tells me two jokes she knows in English and the punch lines in both are at the expense of the Germans. I find this funny, because in pre PC days here in the US I think I would have heard the same stories but with a polack as the butt of the joke. I am a 50/50 split of German and Polish, so either way I get it!
Our drive to Hvar Town was exciting, but not so scary, as reported earlier in this report and we locate our next apartment for three nights, the Villa Domus Marini. We have a studio on the ground floor and a big stone terrace with a water view to ourselves for 40 euro a night. Hard to believe lodging on this island could be so inexpensive. I have commented on this place in another thread, but here are the basics I wrote there - Room was great, bed comfy, neighbors quiet, but I was not too fond of the bathroom (some mold, but we had nice big towels) and the gold velour upholstered armchairs in my room. They had seen better days. There were 4 generations of the family staying here. The Grandma and Grandpa of the family run the joint and the daughter ( who has young children) takes care of the correspondence and she was always helpful and prompt. The great grandparents were down from their village in the interior of the island and spent their time over seeing the activity.
As soon as we got settled we had to get into town for our 7:15 dinner reservation at Macondo. The villa is less than a 10 min walk along the water to town, past the monastery and we enjoyed the walk each time we took it. As we walk past the Hotel Riva I am sure I spot fellow Fodorite Rcormier snuggling on one of the outside couches with her hubby, but we have no time to stop as we have to get to the ATM and do not want to be late for our ressie.
At Macondo we have a table in the passageway and contemplate the menu. I have heard the lobster spaghetti is a must do so I did. While we are getting settled in for the meal we start chatting with some fun loving American women at the table next to us. In one of the serendipitous moments of travel that we all experience from time to time, we enjoyed a lively conversation with them during the course of the evening. They were a delightful and well traveled trio from New York/New Jersey with some really funny stories to tell of their adventures to that point. Conversation was jumping as we shared travel experiences and tips. We even got shushed by an old couple walking by – oh my, I think we were the loud Americans that night!
I saw the couple from Riva come to the restaurant and sit at the other end of the passage and want to go over – I am just positive it is a Fodorite sighting– but as we are involved in conversation with our next door table mates I don’t get there before they leave. Darn.
After dinner we walk back to the harbor, where an outdoor show featuring the very beautiful Miss Universe (who is Croatian) has just ended and the scene is very lively. A bit of strolling past the cafes, shops and hotels along the waterfront before we are off to bed. A sailboat is motoring in circles in the harbor calling out two names over and over and looking around with flashlights. Oh no, are children or pets overboard???? Well, the two culprits come running along the harbor – teenagers apparently late for curfew. They hop into the dingy and row back out to the boat. I can just imagine the parents scolding them for being late and causing more gray hair – same the world over – right? DH and I especially enjoy seeing the big honkin’ yachts in the harbor. The occupants are inside enjoying drinks, playing cards, chatting and knowing all the while that poor little landlubbers like us are looking in longingly. Next time…….
The drive north along the coast is easy and we decide to stop in Ston. I had heard it was a nice place to stop, but really, I didn’t get it. Did we miss the town, LOL? There were a couple restaurants and oyster beds and that was about it. We did see the wall, gave it a couple of clicks of the camera and that was it. No way were we interested in climbing! At about this point I decided that I better check the ferry schedule from Drvnik to Sucaraj. I know they cross fairly regularly so I had not consulted the print out I had brought along. Oh Oh. Well, I had dawdled in Ston doing nothing long enough that we are going to have to hustle to make the ferry. Next stop, Bosnia-Herzegovina, a non-event. Gas was expensive, but I understand the shopping might be cheaper than Croatia? We are just waived thru the border. Shoot, would have been kind of fun to get a passport stamp.
To this point we have pretty much been hugging the coast but now we see the flattest section of Croatia we have run into. Looks like a gardener’s paradise and every square foot seems to be cultivated. There are garden stands every 50 feet with baskets of picturesque fruit and vegetable and piles of melons with water hoses running over them. I am absolutely convinced these must be the most succulent fruits on the planet but we cannot stop as we are on a mission now. MUST…MAKE…FERRY… I am trying to snap pictures as we drive by, but am only getting blurs. Just when we think it is possible to make it – disaster strikes. A truck driving the actual speed limit – where did this guy get his license???
We drive into Drvnik just in time to wave good bye with our white hankies to the ferry as it departs the shore. Drat! DH gives me the ol’ “married 23 years and this happens every time” look. We stop and speak to the first car in line for the next ferry – the unlucky guy that was the first car NOT to make the last one, and it turns out he had arrived at 12:30, which was a full hour before our arrival – HAH! I don’t know why it made me feel better to miss it by an hour instead of a few minutes, result is no different! Well, now we have a couple hours to kill. There is a big beach and little cafes here in Drvnik. Won’t be too tough to kill some time waiting. I went to change to my swimsuit, but DH does not want to swim. He would prefer to wait by the ferry ticket office for it to open again and sweat instead of cooling off in the water. Whatever. I head away from the busy beach along a promenade and find an area where there are villas for rent. There is a little rocky beach and I spend the next hour floating and effortlessly treading water with two polish couples on holiday. One of the women, a teacher, tells me two jokes she knows in English and the punch lines in both are at the expense of the Germans. I find this funny, because in pre PC days here in the US I think I would have heard the same stories but with a polack as the butt of the joke. I am a 50/50 split of German and Polish, so either way I get it!
Our drive to Hvar Town was exciting, but not so scary, as reported earlier in this report and we locate our next apartment for three nights, the Villa Domus Marini. We have a studio on the ground floor and a big stone terrace with a water view to ourselves for 40 euro a night. Hard to believe lodging on this island could be so inexpensive. I have commented on this place in another thread, but here are the basics I wrote there - Room was great, bed comfy, neighbors quiet, but I was not too fond of the bathroom (some mold, but we had nice big towels) and the gold velour upholstered armchairs in my room. They had seen better days. There were 4 generations of the family staying here. The Grandma and Grandpa of the family run the joint and the daughter ( who has young children) takes care of the correspondence and she was always helpful and prompt. The great grandparents were down from their village in the interior of the island and spent their time over seeing the activity.
As soon as we got settled we had to get into town for our 7:15 dinner reservation at Macondo. The villa is less than a 10 min walk along the water to town, past the monastery and we enjoyed the walk each time we took it. As we walk past the Hotel Riva I am sure I spot fellow Fodorite Rcormier snuggling on one of the outside couches with her hubby, but we have no time to stop as we have to get to the ATM and do not want to be late for our ressie.
At Macondo we have a table in the passageway and contemplate the menu. I have heard the lobster spaghetti is a must do so I did. While we are getting settled in for the meal we start chatting with some fun loving American women at the table next to us. In one of the serendipitous moments of travel that we all experience from time to time, we enjoyed a lively conversation with them during the course of the evening. They were a delightful and well traveled trio from New York/New Jersey with some really funny stories to tell of their adventures to that point. Conversation was jumping as we shared travel experiences and tips. We even got shushed by an old couple walking by – oh my, I think we were the loud Americans that night!
I saw the couple from Riva come to the restaurant and sit at the other end of the passage and want to go over – I am just positive it is a Fodorite sighting– but as we are involved in conversation with our next door table mates I don’t get there before they leave. Darn.
After dinner we walk back to the harbor, where an outdoor show featuring the very beautiful Miss Universe (who is Croatian) has just ended and the scene is very lively. A bit of strolling past the cafes, shops and hotels along the waterfront before we are off to bed. A sailboat is motoring in circles in the harbor calling out two names over and over and looking around with flashlights. Oh no, are children or pets overboard???? Well, the two culprits come running along the harbor – teenagers apparently late for curfew. They hop into the dingy and row back out to the boat. I can just imagine the parents scolding them for being late and causing more gray hair – same the world over – right? DH and I especially enjoy seeing the big honkin’ yachts in the harbor. The occupants are inside enjoying drinks, playing cards, chatting and knowing all the while that poor little landlubbers like us are looking in longingly. Next time…….
Oct 10th, 2006, 05:24 AM
#44
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Great report. Glad the apartment worked out you are expressing my sentiments exactly. Stick to the patio! Also I too felt like all other trips we are on the run so much but in Dubrovnik (after a week in Italy) we just relaxed and let the charm of the city and views entertain us.
Oct 11th, 2006, 05:49 PM
#46
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Saturday, 9/9
We wake up this morning after a great night’s sleep – the bed was very comfortable. It is coffee on the terrace time and since our studio apartment has a kitchenette we start a pot. We wait. No action. We have a SITUATION here.
Our coffee maker does not work. Hubby took it out to "Grandpa" who cheerfully agreed to look at it. He had John follow him down to the bachelor pad/work room he has set up under the stairs of the villa and agreed - Yep - it was broken! Nothing he could do about it, but he insisted hubby have a shot of the homemade hootch he had down there, (about the color and consistency of motor oil reports DH) and hubby cheerfully complied. It was 9am.
The coffee maker never did work, but we had an electric kettle and my DH walked over to pick up some instant coffee at the store nearby so all was well. Grandpa also invited hubby to come back the next morning to watch ultimate fighting with him but, wisely, DH politely declined.
We wanted to head out for some swimming as it was another great day in Croatia. Grandpa suggested a beach for us. We needed to take a short drive to the end of the road that lead around that end of the island and walk from there, about a 20 minutes hike along the shoreline. We did and it was just terrific. There was only one other couple there when we arrived and the rocks at this beach were fairly small – score! There was a restaurant a few hundred meters away that you can get to by boat from Hvar – called Robinson Caruso – we never got quite that far, but we saw some boats coming and going. We stayed a few hours enjoying quiet time. We visited with two other couples while we were there, one set from Budapest, one from Austria. This is one of my favorite parts of any trip, just casually running into nice people and getting to know them for a while.
After beach time we take a little drive to Milna, a very small town south and east of Hvar. Not much there but a beach and some seaside restaurants and villas. We pick a small joint for an early dinner when we see the owner outside grilling some lovely calamari and shrimp. DH absolutely loved the calamari, says it was the best he had on the trip. There was a sweet little grey striped kitty visiting tables in turn for a nibble. Soooo casual and relaxing to hang out in shorts and watch the water and the beach frolickers. There was a campground across the way and the Italian tourists were playing bocce. As simple as it was, DH and I count it as one of our favorite times in the trip.
We still had plenty of daylight left, so took off for the south coast of the island. A quick drive to the one way tunnel -green/red light system working just fine – and we drove down to Zavala through a bunch of switchbacks. Slow pace over here too, it is cocktail time and a few cafes are filled with groups of families and friends enjoying the last of the day’s sun. We headed west past Ivan Dolac and enjoyed the coastal road. The sun was getting low and shining a perfect golden light over the vineyards and the water. The steep hills falling down to the water remind us of the Pacific Coast Highway down along Big Sur (well, minus the gorgeous pines), but there is barely anyone else here and it seems so unspoiled. We hit the literal end of the road in Sveta Nedjelja and that is it. There is no way to get back to Hvar along the coast from here. Even though it is maybe only 4 miles as the crow flies to the road to Hvar we must backtrack to Plitve. I highly recommend this drive. If you were not lucky enough to take the white knuckle drive of death, this one will give you a few thrills.
Back to Hvar for another stroll though town. It is Saturday night, but much quieter than last night and more enjoyable. Had my best gelato combo yet – orange and blueberry. We only have one full day left in Croatia tomorrow – how can it have gone so quickly??
We wake up this morning after a great night’s sleep – the bed was very comfortable. It is coffee on the terrace time and since our studio apartment has a kitchenette we start a pot. We wait. No action. We have a SITUATION here.
Our coffee maker does not work. Hubby took it out to "Grandpa" who cheerfully agreed to look at it. He had John follow him down to the bachelor pad/work room he has set up under the stairs of the villa and agreed - Yep - it was broken! Nothing he could do about it, but he insisted hubby have a shot of the homemade hootch he had down there, (about the color and consistency of motor oil reports DH) and hubby cheerfully complied. It was 9am.
The coffee maker never did work, but we had an electric kettle and my DH walked over to pick up some instant coffee at the store nearby so all was well. Grandpa also invited hubby to come back the next morning to watch ultimate fighting with him but, wisely, DH politely declined.
We wanted to head out for some swimming as it was another great day in Croatia. Grandpa suggested a beach for us. We needed to take a short drive to the end of the road that lead around that end of the island and walk from there, about a 20 minutes hike along the shoreline. We did and it was just terrific. There was only one other couple there when we arrived and the rocks at this beach were fairly small – score! There was a restaurant a few hundred meters away that you can get to by boat from Hvar – called Robinson Caruso – we never got quite that far, but we saw some boats coming and going. We stayed a few hours enjoying quiet time. We visited with two other couples while we were there, one set from Budapest, one from Austria. This is one of my favorite parts of any trip, just casually running into nice people and getting to know them for a while.
After beach time we take a little drive to Milna, a very small town south and east of Hvar. Not much there but a beach and some seaside restaurants and villas. We pick a small joint for an early dinner when we see the owner outside grilling some lovely calamari and shrimp. DH absolutely loved the calamari, says it was the best he had on the trip. There was a sweet little grey striped kitty visiting tables in turn for a nibble. Soooo casual and relaxing to hang out in shorts and watch the water and the beach frolickers. There was a campground across the way and the Italian tourists were playing bocce. As simple as it was, DH and I count it as one of our favorite times in the trip.
We still had plenty of daylight left, so took off for the south coast of the island. A quick drive to the one way tunnel -green/red light system working just fine – and we drove down to Zavala through a bunch of switchbacks. Slow pace over here too, it is cocktail time and a few cafes are filled with groups of families and friends enjoying the last of the day’s sun. We headed west past Ivan Dolac and enjoyed the coastal road. The sun was getting low and shining a perfect golden light over the vineyards and the water. The steep hills falling down to the water remind us of the Pacific Coast Highway down along Big Sur (well, minus the gorgeous pines), but there is barely anyone else here and it seems so unspoiled. We hit the literal end of the road in Sveta Nedjelja and that is it. There is no way to get back to Hvar along the coast from here. Even though it is maybe only 4 miles as the crow flies to the road to Hvar we must backtrack to Plitve. I highly recommend this drive. If you were not lucky enough to take the white knuckle drive of death, this one will give you a few thrills.
Back to Hvar for another stroll though town. It is Saturday night, but much quieter than last night and more enjoyable. Had my best gelato combo yet – orange and blueberry. We only have one full day left in Croatia tomorrow – how can it have gone so quickly??
Oct 12th, 2006, 08:57 AM
#49
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Hi Jana - The gelato was in the shop set back right next to the Arsonal - I think it was the Arsonal - it was the place where the Venetians brought the boats in for repair, and it is under reconstruction itself. That was the only good gelato place we found on Hvar. The one on the square was just ok and once we accidently went to a yogurt place, how did we manage that??
Thanks to the folks that are sticking with me thru to the end - I only have one and a half more days to report!!
Thanks to the folks that are sticking with me thru to the end - I only have one and a half more days to report!!
Oct 12th, 2006, 06:52 PM
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Our last full day in Croatia is as beautiful as every previous day has been. The weather has been stunning while we have been here. Today we plan on a walk through the back streets of Hvar and up to the fortress. It is Sunday and the streets are fairly quiet. While we are strolling around the neighborhoods we hear music start up in the square and it is enjoyable to have a musical background to our wanderings. When we get to the square we see there is a folk dancing demonstration going on and different costumed groups are showing off their dances to the crowds gathered around. We are appreciative of the free show of course, but get a huge chuckle from the antics of one of the male dancers. He is dressed in a white shirts and pants, he is a little chunky, and it is an energetic dance. For the life of him, he cannot keep those pants up so, exasperated, he just steps out of them and continues the dancing in his tighty whities. He got a huge round of applause and more than a few whistles, LOL.
After a visit to St. Stephen's Cathedral we start the walk up to the fortress. It is, of course, up hill all the way. We don't mind the climb however because the view that starts to unfold of the town and harbor is so pretty. Once at the top we pay our fee and go in. Some folks just look around the outside and don't pay to go in. They get 95% of the experience for free. Once inside we walk along a bit of the wall and head over to the best overlook, there isn't really much to see inside. We hang out for quite a while just enjoying the situation we find ourselves in. We chat for about a half hour with a young couple from Toronto who are traveling Europe for 4 months after an 8 month stint in Japan teaching English. Their story is not all idyllic days and romantic nights - more than once in the European part of their trip they were hot, sticky,crabby and ready to pack it in. They changed plans on the fly, rode out the annoying days and were awfully glad they had stuck around by the time they got to Croatia. I just wonder what it would be like to travel for that length of time.
On our way out an incident occurred that every woman in the universe dreads (if you are a skirt wearing woman that is). A lady has obviously been in the restroom and is walking about with the back of her skirt tucked up into her underwear. I hurry up to her telling her this but she doesn't speak English so I appear to be a crazy person babbling at her and tugging at her clothes. She gets it quick and we share a laugh together.
We want just a little more beach time on this warm day so we get the car and drive back to the little beach in Milna. There is nothing really that terribly special about it but we like it there. A few hours of snooze/swim time and it is time to go back to Hvar as we have an important dinner date.
A funny thing about perspective. We were driving along and we see a SUV coming out of a side street. We both looked twice and DH said geez – look at that behemoth truck!. It pulled in front of us. It was a Hyundai. We both just died laughing, here in the US it would seem like a baby.
We meet Fodorite XYZ99 and her DH at Golden Shell. This is a slow food restaurant and I am here to tell you they do not lie! Hubby and I really enjoyed the night and were glad for the extra time at the table to get to know the XYZ's. Great couple!
Back at the Villa we pack up our stuff -sniff- and are ready to move on tomorrow.
After a visit to St. Stephen's Cathedral we start the walk up to the fortress. It is, of course, up hill all the way. We don't mind the climb however because the view that starts to unfold of the town and harbor is so pretty. Once at the top we pay our fee and go in. Some folks just look around the outside and don't pay to go in. They get 95% of the experience for free. Once inside we walk along a bit of the wall and head over to the best overlook, there isn't really much to see inside. We hang out for quite a while just enjoying the situation we find ourselves in. We chat for about a half hour with a young couple from Toronto who are traveling Europe for 4 months after an 8 month stint in Japan teaching English. Their story is not all idyllic days and romantic nights - more than once in the European part of their trip they were hot, sticky,crabby and ready to pack it in. They changed plans on the fly, rode out the annoying days and were awfully glad they had stuck around by the time they got to Croatia. I just wonder what it would be like to travel for that length of time.
On our way out an incident occurred that every woman in the universe dreads (if you are a skirt wearing woman that is). A lady has obviously been in the restroom and is walking about with the back of her skirt tucked up into her underwear. I hurry up to her telling her this but she doesn't speak English so I appear to be a crazy person babbling at her and tugging at her clothes. She gets it quick and we share a laugh together.
We want just a little more beach time on this warm day so we get the car and drive back to the little beach in Milna. There is nothing really that terribly special about it but we like it there. A few hours of snooze/swim time and it is time to go back to Hvar as we have an important dinner date.
A funny thing about perspective. We were driving along and we see a SUV coming out of a side street. We both looked twice and DH said geez – look at that behemoth truck!. It pulled in front of us. It was a Hyundai. We both just died laughing, here in the US it would seem like a baby.
We meet Fodorite XYZ99 and her DH at Golden Shell. This is a slow food restaurant and I am here to tell you they do not lie! Hubby and I really enjoyed the night and were glad for the extra time at the table to get to know the XYZ's. Great couple!
Back at the Villa we pack up our stuff -sniff- and are ready to move on tomorrow.
Oct 12th, 2006, 06:56 PM
#51
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Guess What Folks? It's Twofer Day at Fodor's - I am going to finish this sucker off right now with our last day in Croatia.
We are off to the ferry in the morning and since we know there is a nice new grocery store just across the street, we do not eat. Easy enough to park our car in the ferry line since we already have our ticket and we traipse over to the store and pick up some cold cuts, cheese and bread for our brekky, which we eat on a bench by the water. Even after a week we are still amazed by the clarity of the water.
We arrive at Split and follow the line of cars off the boat and away from the port. This is a big and busy city and the way out was not very clearly marked. Whoever was ahead of us clearly knew where they were going so we just followed and got to the main road north to the airport.
We had a tiny bit of trouble at the airport. I knew from prior posts that Sixt rentals just pull into the parking lot, park, and the car return office is inside. We parked and I took my normal set of pictures of the car from every angle, in case any after drop-off damage claims come our way. Then we went inside and decided to take care of turning our Europe-By-Air Vouchers into tickets. The vouchers cost 99 US each, plus the taxes, so each ticket cost about 140 US. If I had purchased two R/T tickets on the same airline for the same flight it would have been well over $300 a piece. This was a painless process, almost. I knew we had to pay the taxes, and it had to be paid in Kuna, so I was ready. The nice lady at the counter said it would be 476 kuna. Ok, great – 471, 472, 473, 474. Oh no. We are 2 kuna short. A very kind lady standing by for a flight to Frankfurt offered up the two kuna in about two seconds. Whew! So that is taken care and our Kuna are all gone, killed two birds with one stone. We head over to the car rental desks. We see everyone but Sixt. Where the heck are they? Information points us upstairs and there we go. Now this is the part that still makes me crazy. We hand over the keys, they ask for the parking lot ticket we got when we drove into the airport parking area. It has been over 15 minutes so we owe 6 kuna for parking. ARRGHHHHH. They absolutely won’t let us off the hook so we have to go to the ATM and get 100k. If it were not so ridiculous it would be funny. Of course, I am kind of laughing now but at the time it just seemed so stupid. So, now we have 94 kuna to burn. I looked for my two kuna lady to repay her, but could not find her. We get coffee, we get some candy, we get a nice box of chocolates from the duty free and we hang out until our flight is called.
On our flight from Split to Rome is the elusive Fodorite Rcormier and her hubby. They are a darling young couple celebrating their second anniversary in Croatia and I was so glad to finally speak to her. I would have loved to spend more time with them but we were off to the Amalfi Coast for a week and they were heading home.
Now, strangely enough, later that night in Italy I am thrilled we had that box of chocolates from the duty free. We got totally, completely and surprisingly lost in Naples in the dark. We ended up in some industrial park and a security guard at a booth, who did not speak one word of English drew us a detailed map (even carefully labeling each road and exit) to get us back to our last known position. I was so happy to have a nice gift to give him. Kismet.
It was a terrific trip. Thank you to all the Fodorites who helped me plan, and to all the wonderful, interesting, ordinary folks we met along the way. They turn a trip into a fabulous life experience that I can pull out at anytime to enjoy.
The end.
Whew.
We are off to the ferry in the morning and since we know there is a nice new grocery store just across the street, we do not eat. Easy enough to park our car in the ferry line since we already have our ticket and we traipse over to the store and pick up some cold cuts, cheese and bread for our brekky, which we eat on a bench by the water. Even after a week we are still amazed by the clarity of the water.
We arrive at Split and follow the line of cars off the boat and away from the port. This is a big and busy city and the way out was not very clearly marked. Whoever was ahead of us clearly knew where they were going so we just followed and got to the main road north to the airport.
We had a tiny bit of trouble at the airport. I knew from prior posts that Sixt rentals just pull into the parking lot, park, and the car return office is inside. We parked and I took my normal set of pictures of the car from every angle, in case any after drop-off damage claims come our way. Then we went inside and decided to take care of turning our Europe-By-Air Vouchers into tickets. The vouchers cost 99 US each, plus the taxes, so each ticket cost about 140 US. If I had purchased two R/T tickets on the same airline for the same flight it would have been well over $300 a piece. This was a painless process, almost. I knew we had to pay the taxes, and it had to be paid in Kuna, so I was ready. The nice lady at the counter said it would be 476 kuna. Ok, great – 471, 472, 473, 474. Oh no. We are 2 kuna short. A very kind lady standing by for a flight to Frankfurt offered up the two kuna in about two seconds. Whew! So that is taken care and our Kuna are all gone, killed two birds with one stone. We head over to the car rental desks. We see everyone but Sixt. Where the heck are they? Information points us upstairs and there we go. Now this is the part that still makes me crazy. We hand over the keys, they ask for the parking lot ticket we got when we drove into the airport parking area. It has been over 15 minutes so we owe 6 kuna for parking. ARRGHHHHH. They absolutely won’t let us off the hook so we have to go to the ATM and get 100k. If it were not so ridiculous it would be funny. Of course, I am kind of laughing now but at the time it just seemed so stupid. So, now we have 94 kuna to burn. I looked for my two kuna lady to repay her, but could not find her. We get coffee, we get some candy, we get a nice box of chocolates from the duty free and we hang out until our flight is called.
On our flight from Split to Rome is the elusive Fodorite Rcormier and her hubby. They are a darling young couple celebrating their second anniversary in Croatia and I was so glad to finally speak to her. I would have loved to spend more time with them but we were off to the Amalfi Coast for a week and they were heading home.
Now, strangely enough, later that night in Italy I am thrilled we had that box of chocolates from the duty free. We got totally, completely and surprisingly lost in Naples in the dark. We ended up in some industrial park and a security guard at a booth, who did not speak one word of English drew us a detailed map (even carefully labeling each road and exit) to get us back to our last known position. I was so happy to have a nice gift to give him. Kismet.
It was a terrific trip. Thank you to all the Fodorites who helped me plan, and to all the wonderful, interesting, ordinary folks we met along the way. They turn a trip into a fabulous life experience that I can pull out at anytime to enjoy.
The end.
Whew.
Oct 13th, 2006, 01:25 PM
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HC.. glad you shared the rest of your journey with us.. LOLd at the tighty-whitey dance! and spent a minute in awe at the memory of the clear water. So glad for the 2Kuna lady.. there are wonderful people everywhere! and boo'd the 6kuna parking lot collector. hehe. How awesome it was that you had the chocolates for a thankyou gift! It sounds like you had a wonderful time in Croatia!! and .. the pictures (again) are beautiful!!
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