If you are a new follower and want a quick overview, here’s what happened in July: our recent newsletter.

Chasing the Wind

Yesterday was one of the most challenging days that we’ve had on the bike, as we were chased for over a day by the Bura. You may not be familiar with the Bura, we weren’t, but from the time that we got off the ferry in Stinica, back on the mainland of Croatia, it started chasing us as we headed south. We did not realize how dangerous it was until we were pulled over at a police stop and they said in no uncertain terms, “You cannot continue; you must turn around and go another way. Two motorcycles have already gone down.”

The Bura, which is sometimes called the Bora, is one of several “winds” in Croatia, and it is considered the most dangerous since it can blow up to 136 MPH. We were lucky it didn’t hit that, but it WAS moving us back and forth on the highway fronting the Adriatic, so when we hit the police stop we were forced to turn around and go UP and THROUGH that same mountain range that it comes from! I guess it’s considered a better alternative, but we crisscrossed back and forth up the most amazing side of the Velebit Mountain range until we got over it, and it still blew the whole way south, and even into today.

They say in winter it can last for days and it is very cold, and even in July the air mass was still chilly.

But we made it to our stop last night near Sibenik, and today rode into Split, probably the fourth time we have been here. When people have asked us where our “home” is, we usually tell them, “we have none,” but I recognize that Split, Antalya (Turkey), and Sarande (Albania) are pretty damn close to being almost like a home to us, so we’re in Split for a few days to appreciate the summer chaos! This weekend is a HUGE EDM concert, and the entire town is packed.

No matter how many pictures I post of these beautiful mountains behind the city of Makarska, they will not show the true grandness of them. The tallest one is 1762 m, just under 6,000 ft.

The city is beautiful all by itself, but to see this enormous wall of rocks immediately inland just makes it all the more significant. The last few days we have spent in one of our favorite cities, Split, and we were also graced with having a room courtesy of our good friend, Maria Brooks. It was downtown and close to everything and considering the whole town was taken over by kids for a major EDM concert, we were glad to have a room! We spent several days with another friend, Sanya, and finally started working on our tans!

We’ll be in Makarska for a few days, then back to Split again for about a week. This morning we went exploring on a nice trail and found some beautiful beaches along with nice coves that were fully prepared for laying out towels. And the water was fantastic.

We will be leaving Croatia in a few days, but it’s been great! We came south from Slovenia, which we REALLY loved, and visited three different islands in the Istrian area. If you have never been to the northern part of Croatia, I recommend it! Meanwhile, I had time to do some video work, so here’s one of the Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle in SLOVEnia, which were amazing, and the other is on Kat and my first time spelunking in Pazin Cave in Croatia.

https://youtu.be/fUAb4khnurM & https://youtu.be/TCW3i5CBK-Y

How Hot Is It?

We are staying in Split longer than we initially intended, but that is working out well, since traveling right now is uncomfortable. We visited the nearby Kastel we originally settled in on our first visit in 2019, and it brought back some great memories for Kat and me, since that was our first introduction to Split, which we still love, even after this, our fourth visit. We haven’t been too motivated to do much, and since we know the town pretty well, there’s not much TO do, except for relaxing, catching up on things, and hitting the beach. So we’re not complaining.

Tomorrow we will finally be moving on to Bosnia, and after a few days cross into Serbia, and then back to Romania. We have about 24 days left on the motorcycle before we need to return it, so we are using it for all it’s worth! Today we went to a nice spot called Slatine, which is near the town of Trogir, one of the places we fell in love with during our first visit here in 2019. We found a nice area on the rocks and then met my cousin Michael and his wife Cheryl for dinner, which was awesome since they had never met Kathleen.

Exploring Istrian Peninsula (northern Croatia)

I love it when a plan comes together! Our “plan” when we left our room a few days ago in Ljubljana, Slovenia, was to go south to the Adriatic Sea and check out the towns of Koper and Piran in Slovenia. Since we were THAT close to Trieste, Italy, and since we had friends staying there, we joined them for coffee along the way. From there we drove into the coastal village of Koper…and drove out minutes later, for no reason other than we decided that the “Old Town” did not compel us to stick around. , on the other hand, Piran drew us in, and was pretty damn awesome! Having a bike helps since we can usually go past entry gates and this village had a nice entry road running right along the waterfront. We drove right IN TO the downtown area and we normally can park on the sidewalk or a designated bike area—and not pay for parking. Sweet!

In 2019, on our first visit to Croatia, we went to the city of Zagreb, the capital, and rented a motorcycle for about 3 days. We rode to the coastal city of Rijeka, and explored a bit of what is known as the Istrian peninsula.

From there our destination was the city of Pula since everyone said it was a cool town to visit, but our eyes lit up when we pulled in and saw a full size coliseum, just like in Rome! We found out that it’s one of the six largest coliseums outside of Italy, and the only one with four side towers entirely preserved. It’s a landmark in this town, and we both agreed that we wanted to come back. We just did.. .

We spent the entire day in Pula, which is about a 1 hour magnificent ride from where we were staying, went to see the coliseum again, of course, walked around Old Town, and also did something that we hadn’t done for quite some time: we went snorkeling. The local Istrian tourist board is doing a campaign to introduce tourists to snorkeling in this area, so I contacted them and said that we were interested in trying it since we had never found good snorkeling in Croatia yet! We met Barbara Unkovic, a lifelong resident in this area, and a diver for three decades. She changed our mind about snorkeling in Pula as we spent quite a bit of time talking about the area, and over an hour in the water. Her passion was drawing maps of the topography of the coastline, and she did it where we dove plus 22 other locations! It’s like having a roadmap of where to dive, which, I think, is brilliant.

Pula was awesome, and if you get to Croatia, allow some time to go up north to visit the Istrian peninsula.

Of the many places we have stayed over the years, our most recent rooms in Slovenia and Croatia were a bit different. Whereas we used to stay “in the city,” especially near Old Town (if they had one), in Slovenia we stayed about 30 minutes south of the capital city of Ljubljana. In the Croatia Istrian area, we were in a small village called Katun, about 30 minutes from the West Coast, which we thought initially was in the middle of NOWHERE, so we were surprised to find, just 10 minutes away, a really cool town, just a bit larger, called Pazin.

We rode in the other morning and found yet another castle, and this one was awesome! It was primitive in that it felt “old,” unlike so many others that get modernized to the point of taking away their charm. Pazin is the capital of the Istria admin area and is almost in the dead center of the peninsula. We were able to drive to either coast in about an hour–which we did.

Behind the castle in Pazin we also found this HUGE chasm with zip lines running across. We passed on that, but we DID do the cave exploration, first time for both of us, so that was a great experience. Neither Kat or I had “spelunked” before, and it was challenging, but not scary, and we did two zip lines getting in, and came to the end of the tunnel 200 meters inside, to find the blackest black we ever experienced. Very cool.

Croatia has always been very high on our favorite places list, and that is still the case. In the last week we visited Trieste (Italy), plus the Istrian towns of Novigrad, Porec, Rovinj, and Pula, and we are soon going to the island of Cres, via ferry, then zipping over to the island of Krk, where we will stay. From there we ride down the coast to Sibenik, then Split, and onward a few days in Makarska. We exit Croatia to Bosnia and east, to eventually return to Romania in about a month.

Yesterday was another day of firsts as we took not just one ferry, but two. We left the inland area of the (Croatian) Istrian peninsula and went out to the east coast and departed on ferry #1 from probably one of the most beautiful ferry ports I’ve ever seen, called Brestova. We started from the top of a very tall mountain cliff and worked our way down to the waterfront and there at the port was a restaurant as well as a beach! The ferry took us over to the island of Cres, which only took about 20 minutes.

Cres is one of the largest islands in the country, relatively narrow but quite long, and as we left the arrival port area we started climbing and literally rode the motorcycle along the top of the mountain peaks. Water on the right side as well as the left. It was just thrilling, windy, and the sky was pristine, and Kathleen was a rockstar as she dealt with the curvy roads and the ups and downs.

We eventually worked our way down to the next departure port, Meraj, and 20 minutes later found ourselves on our second island of the day, Krk, which is where we spent the night. Croatia has over 1,000 Islands, and is a boater’s paradise, but most of the major islands are also accessible by ferry, so that works for us, though not all of them take vehicles.

This morning we started our next ferry trip, and this one took a little bit longer, about 90 minutes, to get to the island of Rab. The goal was to at least view some of these islands, and at some point we may return for longer.

Rab was absolutely amazing, and surprisingly not very crowded and relatively affordable. Tomorrow it is back to the mainland and onward to Split, kind of like a distant hometown for us.

Budapest is now in our rearview mirror, and was a lovely stay for 8 days. We did not see everything, we didn’t need to or want to, but we saw what we wanted to and had a terrific time. The weather was actually very cooperative for the week except for some overcast skies and a few spots of rain.

Here is a compilation from my personal Facebook page and GROUP.

    We are now 90 minutes west at Lake Balaton, a place that had been suggested several times over the years. It is the second largest lake in Central Europe, and the water is a very unique color of blue green since it is mineral water and thermal! The temperature stays within a few degrees year-round, but we will have to take their word for it since we are not going in!

Even though the weather report sounded threatening before we left, we were blessed with beautiful sunny skies, so explored some of the small cities around the lake. It is a bicycle rider’s heaven! Very flat and beautiful with dedicated bike lanes. We had an amazing lunch and are now in our intimate, cozy room getting ready for our exit to Croatia tomorrow.

06.10.23

Closing thoughts on Hungary- for now: Our time in Budapest was quite wonderful, although the prices of many things have changed since when we were there in 2019! The $22 massage? A thing of the past. The best that Kathleen could find now was $50 USD, with most between $60-90, but we are seeing that same trend everywhere these days. We discussed whether we would like to return for longer, like maybe a month or more, but twice was enough for us. So much more to see.

Our time at Lake Balaton was quite lovely, and I would definitely like to return. It seems to be a magnet for bicycle riders, and I could easily see spending a week or two there just touring the entire lake, which is the largest in Europe, 77 kilometers long, but not very wide. The night before we left it poured rain, including thunder and lightning! But when we awoke it had slowed down to a drizzle and the entire 246 km to our next destination was rain-free.

Our exit out of Hungary was the smoothest ever, and this was our first Schengen to Schengen border crossing, which was kind of weird. The only way that we even knew that we had crossed the border, is that we had to stop to pay a toll once we reached Croatia. No passport control, no showing of motorcycle registration documents, it was easy peasy. I can see why those who live in Schengen love it!

After about 24 hours in Zagreb, we find it to be a lovely town, also imminently walkable, like Budapest. Plenty of places to eat, drink, and find decadent delicacies to splurge on! The architecture here is quite beautiful, statues everywhere, but just like in Budapest, no cats anywhere! We haven’t quite figured that one out… But we did find the farmer’s market and lots of cool statues here, too.

Some interesting sites we visited include the Grič Tunnel, which was built during WW II as a bomb shelter, and used during 1990s war as well. It’s 350 meters long and has six exits.

We met up with some friends who we initially met in Peru- 2 years ago- and stayed in touch with over the years. They picked us up for dinner and introduced us to cevapi, which is kind of like a flat patty made of sausage meat. Definitely a treat!

06.14.23

How we travel NOW: By the numbers.

We crossed into Slovenia yesterday, which is country #47 in total for me as well as Kat, and #35 within the past five years. And here’s another fun fact; of those 47 countries, all but FIVE I visited after I was 60 years old. So do not tell me you are “too old” to travel!

Our last day in Zagreb included more walking, and over the past few weeks we’ve done more than five miles each day we weren’t traveling. On the way to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, we stopped in Samobor, a cute village about 30 minutes west of Zagreb, and enjoyed a peaceful rest before the remainder of our 90 minute or so drive. Our Slovenia room is not IN Ljubljana, but is about 30 minutes south in another small village called Velike Lasce. We typically get lodging inside major towns, close to the two things we require: restaurants, and coffee shops, and ideally, near the “Old Towns,” but we’re trying something new. And when we say this town is small, that is not an exaggeration! One coffee shop, one restaurant open on weekends, one pizza store, one grocery store, and four nail salon and hair salons. A “Night on the Town” takes only 11 minute…(Thank you Google!) Our AirBNB unit is awesome, with a large bedroom, nice kitchen, and bathroom, and it’s on the main road, with a bit of road noise, but is quiet after about 8:00 pm.

Our experiment is not our typical M.O., and we can, and will, get into the city a few times during our 14 days here, but we are almost dead center in the country, so will use this is a “base” to explore in all directions. We will do the same thing when we return to the Istrian Peninsula (Croatia) when we leave here the end of June. By that time, our 87 day summer ride will be about halfway done, and we are still figuring out where to go then, but we know we will end up back in Romania for the last few weeks in August. We’ve been doing this travel thing for almost five years now, and we are still experimenting, trying to find the right thing(s) that “work” for us. It is never dull! Thanks for joining us.

Slovenia is known for its lakes, mountains, and amazing topography, but the lovely people we have met make it all the more attractive. Meanwhile, it’s also known for caves!

Last week we went to Postojna Cave, since it is on every list of places to visit in the country. It is immense, as in huge, 20 km long, and the most biologically diverse cave in the world. It is the home of a small amphibian called the olm, which is like a salamander and can live for over 100 years and go for more than a decade without eating! They have been called “Living Dragons,” and there is a lot of folklore around them.

The cave: You actually ride a tram inside, and for 20 minutes it feels like you are going through Disneyland! The tunnels feel surreal, almost artificial, and you expect Captain Jack Sparrow to pop out from behind a rock and start singing! But once the tram stopped and we started walking, it turned into a whole new feeling. We must have walked for an hour, and got to see many different levels of the cave. The pictures can in no way show the beauty inside.

About 10 km down the road is another attraction, the Predjama Castle, which is the largest castle built inside a cave! Yes, it is actually built into the mouth and it is almost mythological, like you are looking at something from a fantasy and expecting a dragon to fly out.

This was the second of three castles we visited during the past week.The most recent one was in the city of Celje, which was unknown to us, but other travel sites also recommended we check it out. And for good reason! It truly felt like we were cast back to medieval times. Then on to our final destination, the city of Maribor, which is the second largest city in the country.

Unfortunately, it didn’t wow as much as we expected, but I did get a chance to view the oldest grapevine in the world, almost 400 years old and still producing.

No question, Slovenia has captured our attention. It is one of the smallest countries in this region, and we are almost geographically dead center so plan to visit as many places as we can while we are here. Did I tell you, “the people here are just amazing!” We have not met anyone who was not pleasant, friendly and courteous, and English to them is almost a second national language, so communication is pretty effortless. Which is always nice.

There are some pictures that we see of spectacular places, and we don’t always recognize or remember where they were. That’s the way it was when I went to Lake Bled in Slovenia. I have seen pictures of this lake with a church in the middle, but it never quite stuck in my mind as to where it was.

When we were in Meteora, Greece, last year, the same thing happened. I had seen pictures of the monasteries on top of the pinnacles and always thought that they were spectacular and never even imagined that I would see them, but we did. Likewise, that same thing happened in Peru .

We were on our way to Machu Picchu and needed a room to stay the night before. I was perusing bookings.com and saw pictures of what they call a “vertical hotel”: capsules strapped to the side of the mountain that you sleep in. I flipped out and told Kat we need to do that. She rolled her eyes in disbelief and said, “no way.” When we saw the price, I agreed with her, but I actually reached out to friends who helped us experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Angkor Watt was another. The iconic image of the main temple rising from the ground with the sun behind it was profound, and for several days we toured the largest religious monument in the world.

Keep track of pictures and places that give you pause. Maybe you think you’ll never go there, but maybe you will! How many other places will WE visit and find unexpected surprises? We look forward to sharing them.

12.10.21

#127

12.10.21

Goodbye Croatia, Hello Turkey

I remember about a decade ago I was watching a TV show with my (then) wife in my very comfortable living room, in my very comfortable chair, in very comfortable Orange County, CA. A TV commercial came on advertising the country of Turkey, possibly from their visitor’s bureau. I recall thinking, maybe even aloud, “Who the hell wants to visit Turkey?”

A few years later a friend of mine, Sara, told me she was visiting Turkey and I expressed the same thoughts, maybe even to her: “WHY Turkey?” I don’t recall her answer, but she was amazed, impressed and so were the pictures she shared.

So now I am IN Turkey, and I was on a call with my cousin a few weeks back and when I told her where I was going she posed the same, “Why Turkey?” question. What is it about this country that made/ makes Americans pose that question? I admit I had preconceptions and imagined a primitive country more Morocco-like than European-like. Over the course of Kathleen and my travels since 2019 we planned to visit the country TWICE, and we even had tickets but had to cancel them at the time.

Tunisia in 2019 was our first Muslim country and both of us were unsure how that would feel, but it was lovely, as were the people. It took about a day to get over the attire, the 5 times a day “call to prayer” which sounded over loudspeakers, and the language which was much different. Regardless, the food was delicious, and the people were as curious about us as we were about them. Turkey has the same prayer calls, but is VERY contemporary, with more selections of food, clothing, jewelry, and anything you wish to buy. At insane prices…

Since she and I are cold weather wimps, and it is now the start of “winter” (per the calendar) we kept searching for warm or warmish weather. We looked into Greece and their many islands, plus Malta, and Cyprus and then one day I looked at the map and found the furthest south place we could stay before running into Africa or having to trek to Asia. That city is called “Antalya,” –in Turkey–and that is where we are.

We did some research on the country and found it to be remarkably tourist friendly with one of the best railway systems in this part of the world, which was a very nice surprise since our usual haunts in Southern & Eastern Europe have poor rail systems, and per wiki, “an active network of 12,532 km (7,787 mi) of railways, making it the 23rd-largest railway system in the world.”

We’ve been here less that a week and every day we discover new “AHA” places, events, and views. For instance:

• The town is located in a bay on the Mediterranean and it has loads of history. Hadrian’s Gate was the entrance that the emperor entered in to back in the time of Christ. Likewise, there is a Tower, Hidirilik, which is undergoing renovation and that is also 2000 years old, plus some of the most beautiful mosques I’ve ever seen. Very close is the amazing Duden waterfall (look it up), plus within a view hours bus ride there are towns like Cappadocia, with unbelievable landscapes, and Pamukkale, with thermal pools flowing down travertine terraces.
• The difference between the US dollar and the Turkish lira (TL) is at an all-time low, which is hard on the natives, but means our dollars go far. Breakfast for two, including omelets, bread, and two cappuccinos are about $5.50. Last night we had a huge burger, which came with fries and a small salad, plus I added a Mediterranean salad and a glass of wine, and the total was $10. This also means our rent is cheap…Our planned AirBNB visit did not pan out so we are staying at an apartment/ hotel which is in “Old Town,” 2 minutes to an amazing viewpoint, and within 5 minutes’ walk to more restaurants than we need.
• Residency. One of our biggest hurdles over our three years of travel has been the common 90-day visa limitations. Albania and Georgia were possible destinations for us to get around this (12 mo. visa), but Turkey has the easiest residence process than anywhere we’ve been. Our plan is a one-year visa which easily transitions into a two-year permit and if we do that for eight years, we are full time residents. That is very tempting!
• It’s almost Christmas and I am writing this at a café with no jacket on and 63-degree temps. It IS rainy season, but it’s been warm so far and we don’t expect weather to be restrictive.

So if you share this blog and someone asks, “WHY Turkey?” you can tell them why!

Happy Holidays until my next post.

12.06.21

If you’d like to read the online version: https://www.croatiaweek.com/exploring-croatias-coffee-and-cafe-culture/

When I arrived in Split, Croatia for the first time in May 2019, after I got over my awe of the beauty of this place, something else caught my attention: there were coffee shops everywhere. I couldn’t walk for more than a block or two before running into another one, and the majority of them only sold coffee, but no pastries, although some actually carried beer. What’s up with that, I wondered?

I returned to Split this past October and was reminded again how many coffee shops there were. When I got here I put out a Facebook query and asked where I could get a LARGE, ie, American sized cup of coffee. That generated 54 responses and several great suggestions including many that said, “Get over it. It’s not about the coffee itself, it’s about the café experience. Go in expecting to have TWO cups and enjoy your time there.” That feedback was echoed by my interview with Marin Rimac, who is usually called by his nickname “Dado,” and since he owns one of the most popular java shops in town, 4coffee soul food, and has been in this business for eight years, I invited him for a coffee (!) to share what he could about the Coffee Culture in Croatia. He is not Croatian born, but hails from Germany and has been visiting Croatia for most of his life, although his parents came from Bosnian roots.

“Yes, they are correct in telling you it’s not just about the coffee. But it’s not just a Croatia thing, either” he said, “and covers most of the Balkan countries. Coffee here is a bit different than in western europe, though they love their coffee there, too. Many people here in Croatia own their property and receive income from it, so lots of them have time on their hands. Cafés are watering holes, meeting places, where people gather and catch up.” He describes it as a “Southern Europe” thing.

Using a population of 178,000 per the 2011 census (which is probably higher now) I asked him how many shops there were in town. I was looking to determine how many coffee shops there were for each person. “Could there be 1780 shops in the Split area?” I asked, and he shrugged and said, “Who knows?” I used that number because it would calculate to one shop per 100 people, and that possibility blew me away. I mean, in the US there is a Starbucks on every corner, but the population difference is much larger.

“The problem, “ he continued, “is that most coffee served is ‘industrial’ coffee, which is not that good a quality. When I arrived I saw that ‘specialty’ coffee was hard to find and that is what made me focus on that market. I wasn’t intimidated by the number of shops since most of them were all the same.” The people of Split, and presumably other areas as well, have learned to tell the difference, and the term “specialty coffee” came up in several of my Facebook responses.

But what IS specialty coffee? “Let me put it this way,” he said. “I get my own green beans from agencies I trust. I roast my own beans, which are all handpicked. I have notes about when it was picked, how it was washed, and I can follow the whole timetable until I get it here. The way that specialty coffee is treated is more like a fine wine or quality whiskey or scotch, and that has a huge impact on the final product.” The good news is that the good news has spread and there are half a dozen (and growing!) specialty coffee shops in Split, with surely more to come.

As an entrepreneur for decades, I have met many of my kind and one thing I recognize is passion, and Dado had that in spades.

The problem with coffee is that the industry has become too “Americanized” if I can use that term. If we look back a few decades, there weren’t a lot of JUST coffee shops in the sixties and seventies. There were some that also offered entertainment and other nighttime activities, but pure coffee shops were rare. The institute of coffee came about with massive numbers,  and just like other fast-food chains and other businesses like that, they were solely driven by quantity, not quality. That probably works better in America where people get much of their coffee “on the go,” but here in Croatia and much of Europe, coffee is not treated as a pick me up, quick caffeine jolt, but instead, more of a lifestyle enhancer. And that is certainly the case in Split and Croatia in general.

Dado echoes that thought and describes what is happening today as the “third wave.” The first waves, maybe a half century ago, grew into the massive growth of coffee shops in general during the 70’s, and now people are balking at “boring” coffee and want something different; something better. The coffee drinking public pays attention and they have developed a more refined palate.

“What really changed things was the invention of the espresso machine,” he said, which surprisingly took place over a century ago. But espresso machines did not really become practical—or affordable—until just a few decades ago. That simple machine is more compact and efficient than it was in the beginning. In my travels the way they drink espresso in other countries, like Italy is NOT like we do here in Croatia! The average enjoyment time of an espresso shot in Rome can be measured in minutes, not hours.

In Croatia people love their cafes– drinking beers, coke, an espresso with milk, smoking and talking. Being in the cafe is the draw, which is why they linger so long, but a good java makes the experience even more enjoyable.

Coffee is a very unusual bean. It is a tree but has characteristics of a bush, and the coffee bean can be affected by the types of trees around it. It can be roasted in many different ways, too, and of course, it can be brewed perfectly—or not so good. Regardless, the Croatian Coffee Culture has it right. Enjoy the bean. Enjoy the company and enjoy life.

11.21.21

Time moves so quickly it seems, and we never get to do everything we have planned. That may fit you, too, regardless of where you are. As permanent travelers we usually have a FINITE amount of time in each location, and our target is about six weeks. On this, our second stay in Split, we will be here for 60 days, and we still didn’t go all the places/ do all the things we wanted. But we finally got to the island of Hvar for our four-year anniversary since meeting. And what an adventurous four years it has been!

It’s 53.3 km, 33 miles, and takes about 1.5 hours via a regular ferry. I say regular because we could have taken a higher speed catamaran, made it in one hour, but we wanted to go to the city of Stari Grad since we heard so much about it, rather than Hvar City, the more popular destination. Ninety minutes on a ferry is a pleasure for me and I am SO glad I no longer get sick like I did years ago. After a week of somewhat overcast skies, we intentionally waited as long as we could before making the trek since sunny skies on a ferry across the ocean are much better.

The ferry was perfect, as was Stari Grad, and the weather was flawless. We only wanted to stay for one day so the 0830 departure time from Split got us there by 10:30 which gave us most of the day as well as the next. We weren’t quite sure how far we were from the actual city or our room, but thank you, Google Maps, it was a 2 km walk, about 20 minutes, along the inland waterway, which was very nice. Since we had few smaller day packs, it was also easy. The actual “city” of Stari Grad is really just a few blocks long, with a “Riva” similar to what we have here in Split, along the waterfront. Since it is winter, most businesses and restaurants were closed, so our selection was limited. If we were there for a month, it might get boring, but we found a nice outside restaurant and had pasta and pork chops under sunny skies. Prices were comparable to Split, a nice surprise, and we explored a bit then took a break back at our room, which was another 15-minute walk up the other side of the waterway. But when you’re walking in such beautiful places, the time and the distance are less important. Since we had a later lunch, we went out that night for a coffee and dessert at a cute little spot, and we sat outside, bundled up, joined by a local cat who took the other chair and just cleaned him/her self the whole time. There is not much happening in this town at night, so the silence was welcome.

It was gorgeous the next morning and we found a great coffee spot, had our very typical breakfast strudel, then walked and explored the old homes and fortress in the area, then hiked outside town to what they call the Stari Grad Plain. It is several hundred acres of different crops growing aside each other, and at ground level it’s hard to see the patchwork, but from a higher elevation it is visually stunning. As it was, there was a pleasant breeze, and we enjoyed the walk. A nice afternoon lunch of one of the best soups I have EVER had really surprised me, and normally I would not be a carrot/ ginger soup eater, but this was outstanding.

From there it was back to our room to pack up, and we were very lucky to have a great AirBNB hostess who let us check in earlier the day before and check out late on our departure time. We walked back along the waterfront as the sun was setting and got on the ferry just as a full moon was cresting over the mountains and shortly, over the ocean. Whereas I spent our ferry time topside on the first leg, I definitely stayed inside and warm for our return trip.

Thoughts about Hvar.

There are 700 or so islands off the coast, and this was number three for us. Initially we planned to go to another island, Korcula, but the ferry timing didn’t work, and many say that Korcula is even better (plus I love the name) but that will wait until our next trip back here, which will be next year. Meanwhile Hvar is definitely on the list of places to return to, and we spoke with a waiter who told us what to expect for a monthly stay there in spring. Un-friggin-believable, so that is now on the list of things to do.

One of the best things about this weekend, and the whole time here in Croatia, is that COVID is a non-topic. No masks were required or requested on the ferry, but people still stayed a bit apart. We haven’t been thermal scanned since we got here and so appreciate that we can live life as “normal” as we used to.

In two weeks: Turkey.

10.26.21

Even though we’ve only been in Split, Croatia a few weeks, we already started planning our next few months out. This is not the first time we went through this exercise. When we initially left the US in February 2019 we went to Valencia, Spain, and already knew from the beginning that Tivoli, Italy would be next. That took us through the first 90 days and we knew we’d have to leave the EU (Schengen rules…), but didn’t have a plan initially. We eventually decided on Croatia, Split in particular, which is where we are now, and stayed north of town for 45 days and loved it. Croatia resonated with both of us so much that Kat later returned for some dental work, and here we are, two years later, back again. We had plans in 2019-2020 that may have kept us in Europe—or Asia–, so getting stuck in Mexico for 15 months was not part of our plan. Now we are back to “normal,” or at least our version of normal!

We love Croatia and decided to stay for about 63 days or so, a bit longer than planned. But, what’s next? Being cold weather wimps, we knew there was only one direction to go: South. Like the birds. To a warmer climate. Our initial plan was Athens, Greece since we only spent a few days there in 2019 and thought 30 days would be about right. From there we had the island of Crete as an option or Cyprus, or both. They are all EU countries so no matter where, we would be limited to 90 days.

As I started to investigate HOW to get from Split to Athens, the challenges started coming. Between costs and too many layovers, I began to rethink this. The only problem with this part of Europe is that trains are generally NOT an option, and buses can also be limited. We can take a bus only so far, ditto a train, but nowhere near to Greece. Kat also brought up the idea of skipping Greece and going back to Sicily, Italy, and to the island of Siracusa. Truth is, we both LOVED that spot, but flying to Palermo, the largest airport in Sicily, was pricey for our budget. So I looked at the map, specifically Turkey, and found the furthest city on the South coast: Antalya. And that is the new plan for about 40 days or so, maybe longer.

Antalya is warmish, has beautiful scenery and Turkey has one of the best railroad systems in that part of the world, including high-speed rails. That allows us to visit Istanbul and farther away cities without having to fly.

In this almost post-COVID world, somethings are approaching normal, but most are not. Before we entertain any country as a destination, we have to investigate their entry and quarantine requirements, if any. We have learned how to follow the rules as well as bend the ones that can be bent. It is not “fun” in the conventional sense, but we feel that at least we can travel with our terms to some degree.

What happens after Turkey?

Good question. Initially it was Israel, Jordan, and Egypt over a 6 week or so period. They are all close, but Israel right now is still off limits to Americans. Without Israel being an option I’m not sure if Egypt and Jordan are enough of a draw. BUT, the pyramids are on MY Bucket List, so that carries a lot of weight. Funny, we use this term “Bucket List,” and I can’t say I had/ have one, but there still are quite a few things I want to do before I check out.

Anyone know how I can get a ride in a private jet??

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 15^th 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?