After Venice, it was time to direct our focus east, toward Croatia. By now, I was having second thoughts about driving down south after watching the air quality first hand in Northern Italy. And to think I was just adding to the misty haze out there.
Croatia is not new to me, although I recall my last trip being there over 30 years ago, when Croatia was part of what was then known as Yugoslavia. Back then, our family would pack up two cars and two tents and head east to the islands of Krk and Cres. Good times! I recall arriving in Yugoslavia with a Sony tapedeck I had bought for 130 German Marks or thereabouts. To the Slavs, of course, a quality Sony tapedeck was the equivalent of a UFO to us westerners back in the day, and the local ice cream vendor wasted no time making an offer for it: 200 marks, more than what I had paid for it. Deal! How to go capitalist in a socialist society. Once I returned to Germany, I bought a bigger and better Siemens tapedeck.
Of course, the year 2017 sees Croatia as being a member of the European Union, although their currency is still different, the kuna. After a brief reprieve of street tolls in Slovenia, we were back to forking over cash for streets already built in Croatia. Our destination was an old house in the middle of the sticks, in a town called Visnjan. Needless to say, even with a GPS, we would get lost until we regrouped, didn't ask for directions (hard to do when there are no people), and eventually found our way. European Union or not, people in that village had eyes bulging like (flying) saucers upon spotting our white car with a German license plate. Curiosity, nothing more, nothing less. It's refreshing to see real people in the country, people who are friendly, people who make an effort to connect with you, as these people were.
We shopped in the nearby coastal town of Porec before calling it a day. Again, I remember a haze in Porec that was gloomy, Armageddon like almost. Coastal fog coming from the water? If only. Those same cruise liners that stopped in Venice also happen to stop down the Croatian coast in Pula, would you believe it. Later in the evening, the kids and I were developing deep throated coughs. Not good, since I was also training for the Frankfurt Marathon that was a mere ten days away.
While the family was already settling in for the day, I decided to put in my running miles for my training. Nothing fancy, I merely followed the road from Visnjan to Porec, ran a good ten miles, fought off a few stray dogs, and returned home an hour later. Again stares from the villagers. Running from village to village along deserted country trails is just not something people do around here. I felt good, although I was already popping Ibuprofens for the cough I was developing.
The next day, we decided to hike as a family, a good two hour hike in the middle of the sticks, through apple orchards and lavender fields. We reached a lavender farm that also had a shop, where they were selling soap, bushels, even lavender pillows for the sleep deprived. How do you get children to hike and not complain? Talk to them! Talk to them about their interests, like Pokemon or dinosaurs so that their energy shifts to their mouths and the conversation and not their feet, where it always was to begin with. Even the kids enjoyed those hikes, although I doubt they will remember the lavender fields many years from now. Talking: still a time honored family tradition.
The next day, we would visit the small coastal town of Porec, and later a series of caves that seem to be a specialty in these parts of the world. Think Croatia only has Game of Thrones and Dubrovnic to offer? Think again.
Croatia is not new to me, although I recall my last trip being there over 30 years ago, when Croatia was part of what was then known as Yugoslavia. Back then, our family would pack up two cars and two tents and head east to the islands of Krk and Cres. Good times! I recall arriving in Yugoslavia with a Sony tapedeck I had bought for 130 German Marks or thereabouts. To the Slavs, of course, a quality Sony tapedeck was the equivalent of a UFO to us westerners back in the day, and the local ice cream vendor wasted no time making an offer for it: 200 marks, more than what I had paid for it. Deal! How to go capitalist in a socialist society. Once I returned to Germany, I bought a bigger and better Siemens tapedeck.
Of course, the year 2017 sees Croatia as being a member of the European Union, although their currency is still different, the kuna. After a brief reprieve of street tolls in Slovenia, we were back to forking over cash for streets already built in Croatia. Our destination was an old house in the middle of the sticks, in a town called Visnjan. Needless to say, even with a GPS, we would get lost until we regrouped, didn't ask for directions (hard to do when there are no people), and eventually found our way. European Union or not, people in that village had eyes bulging like (flying) saucers upon spotting our white car with a German license plate. Curiosity, nothing more, nothing less. It's refreshing to see real people in the country, people who are friendly, people who make an effort to connect with you, as these people were.
We shopped in the nearby coastal town of Porec before calling it a day. Again, I remember a haze in Porec that was gloomy, Armageddon like almost. Coastal fog coming from the water? If only. Those same cruise liners that stopped in Venice also happen to stop down the Croatian coast in Pula, would you believe it. Later in the evening, the kids and I were developing deep throated coughs. Not good, since I was also training for the Frankfurt Marathon that was a mere ten days away.
While the family was already settling in for the day, I decided to put in my running miles for my training. Nothing fancy, I merely followed the road from Visnjan to Porec, ran a good ten miles, fought off a few stray dogs, and returned home an hour later. Again stares from the villagers. Running from village to village along deserted country trails is just not something people do around here. I felt good, although I was already popping Ibuprofens for the cough I was developing.
The next day, we decided to hike as a family, a good two hour hike in the middle of the sticks, through apple orchards and lavender fields. We reached a lavender farm that also had a shop, where they were selling soap, bushels, even lavender pillows for the sleep deprived. How do you get children to hike and not complain? Talk to them! Talk to them about their interests, like Pokemon or dinosaurs so that their energy shifts to their mouths and the conversation and not their feet, where it always was to begin with. Even the kids enjoyed those hikes, although I doubt they will remember the lavender fields many years from now. Talking: still a time honored family tradition.
The next day, we would visit the small coastal town of Porec, and later a series of caves that seem to be a specialty in these parts of the world. Think Croatia only has Game of Thrones and Dubrovnic to offer? Think again.
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