10.15.21
In May 2019 Kathleen and I took a ferry from Ancona, Italy to Split, Croatia. In the months prior I knew little about Croatia other than that it was formerly Soviet held as part of the larger nation of Yugoslavia. In the mid nineties Croatia, as well as much of Eastern Europe, finally regained their independence.
We sailed in overnight and rode into the harbor on a beautiful May 15th morning, and our love affair with Croatia—and Split—began. We stayed for 45 days then moved about a half hour south, then down to Dubrovnik area, and finally left the area the middle of July (2019). That September Kathleen returned for six weeks while I was in the US, and she had a lovely apartment in downtown Split which she loved. As soon as we left, we couldn’t wait to return.
We had no idea that COVID would stall that for so long, but after two years we have come “home.”
Weird as that sounds, there is something about this country, this area, that speaks to us. The beautiful water, scenery, weather, and food, plus the people, all help make us feel comfortable.
After a solid 90 days of summer travel for me, and Kathleen and I separated most of that time, we both connected on October 2 and took an overnight flight through Germany. BTW, many of the warnings and restrictions you read about concerning international flights is really, truly, not that big a deal. COVID tests are part of the routine now, and except for some occasional “locator forms” or “health affidavits,” it’s no big deal. Imagine our pleasure and delight when we landed at Split airport, had no problems with immigration, and found out that NO ONE was wearing masks. I’ll bypass that controversial subject other than to say that they take things in stride here and except for a few random grocery stores, we’ve not had to wear masks anywhere.
Since our room in Split town wasn’t going to be available for a few days, we got a short-term room for four days just north of town and relaxed and enjoyed the area that we loved so much. A few days later we moved into our 30-day rental right in Old Town, and we love it. We can walk to a dozen coffee shops in 5 minutes, same with the beach, and the weather is terrific (but chillier than we like…) and we’re exploring the town. Again. We weren’t quite sure how long we would stay here but having some “stability” was important for both of us, so we found a killer deal right on the main waterfront (the Riva), so will stay an additional 30 days there. As of now, Greece is next on our list. Gotta’ find the warmth, you know?
I found a gym, Kat has several coffee/ writing spots, and we plan to unwind and get some much delayed work done. Along with some fun too! I got my first fiction book on Amazon, called “The World Series of OZ,” both paperback and Kindle, and working on “COVIDstories,” which is a collaboration with 19 other writers worldwide sharing their POSITIVE COVID stories. As I’ve read through my submissions it’s reassuring to know that many people grew, learned, and changed their lives in a positive way. That book will be available before the end of the year, and the OZ book is live right now.
What’s next?
Good question. As of now, Athens is the most likely port of call through Christmas and New Year’s and then possibly Egypt/ Jordan/ Israel. We need to stay equator close till spring and then come north again.
What about you? Do you have Travel Younger plans for 2022?
