Croatia - Our tour of the Dalmatian Coast

We had so much fun on our 11 day trip to Croatia and I think it was our favorite trip so far.   With every trip we take it gets easier to adapt and navigate through all the different cities. Including dealing with planes, ships, trains and busses to get to where we need to be.  This helps make each trip a little more relaxing and enjoyable.  For us this trip was the perfect combination of hiking, resting, sun bathing and history.  

Day 1

We arrived at the Split Airport in the afternoon, rented a car and drove straight to Plitvice, which is about 3 hours north of Split.  We wanted to see the Plitvice Lakes National Park, which were tagged as a World Heritage site in 1979, and figured that getting there the day before and going to the park when it opened would be our best way to avoid all the tour busses and hoards of people.  The hotel was a small family run place with about 10 basic rooms right at the entrance to the park.   Overall it was a surprisingly uneventful day as the roads were in great condition, the hotel was easy to find and the trout we had for dinner was amazing (better than the other offering which was a mixed meat platter… yuck).

Best fish of the trip!

Day 2

Plitvice Lakes National Park

We woke up at 7am to thunder and torrential rain.  After considering whether to abort our plans for the park we purchased ponchos and were on our way.  The rain let up about 10 minutes into our walk so we were glad we stuck it out.  The park was amazing. The park consists of gorgeous lakes connected by a series of waterfalls with a wooden pathway and footbridges for people to walk the fringes. We toured the upper lakes and by the time we finished lunch the rain was picking up again for the tour of the lower lakes. Once we finished and were headed back to the car the sun was coming out and the hoards of tourists had arrived. 

It rained, it poured and it wasn't even a Duck game.

Trogir

Since we didn’t have to turn the rental car in until later that evening we killed some time by stopping by the town of Trogir on our way back to the airport to drop off the car.  Trogir is a small town just outside of Split and is on the National Heritage list for its collection of Romanesque and Renaissance architecture that flourished during Venetian rule. 

Split

With only one night planned in Split, we set out on the town for dinner and eat across the main street from the Diocletian’s Palace, another World Heritage Site, and enjoyed watching all of the people roam the streets. We then went inside the Diocletian Palace, an imposing Roman ruin, which is actually a very active part of the city with its labyrinthine streets packed with people, bars, shops and restaurants. There was live music and dancing in the square which we enjoyed before calling it a night. 

Day 3-7

Korcula Island

With the weather improving we arrived into the island of Korcula to find sun, relaxation and the nicest accommodations of our trip. Our first day on the island was spent lying out at the beach (rocks) and taking in the sun while also enjoying the local fare. Fresh seafood and pasta/pizza were the main dishes served on the island and we enjoyed both during the 4 days. After the first day we purchased a pad and floatie (see pad pictured below) for future sun days on the rocks. Both improved life on the rocks and in the Adriatic.  Korcula Town is bordered on 3 sides by the Adriatic Sea with pine and palm trees lining the streets and city walls.  This is where we spent the majority of our time while on the island. When we weren’t lying by the ocean we were buying fruit from the local green market, eating gelato or relaxing at a café for a beer. 

Korcula!

Traci's biggest craving "fresh fruit"

Some fun in the sun.

Lesic Dimitri Palace - best accommodations of the trip

Traci posing in the upper square in Korcula

A romantic night out at LD (part of our hotel)

Good times and good food

The streets of Korcula

Traci outside our apartment in Korcula before dinner.

Mljet Island

While on the island we took a day trip to the Mljet National Park, which has two beautiful salt lakes. The lakes and park were amazing and offered excellent opportunities for kayaking and mountain biking, however, activities were limited this day as Brody was suffering dehydration. It reminded both of us of Sunriver with all the pine trees and bike paths.  People staying on the island were all on bikes utilizing the many nature paths that bordered the lakes.  Other than Brody’s dehydration the only other problem we had was the lack of edible food anywhere on the island.  After ordering lunch at an outdoor café we took one bite and walked away because it was so bad we thought we would get food poisoning (Recommendation: Take picnic lunch if you go). We ended up with cheese and crackers from a mini mart for lunch.

It just smelled like central Oregon.

Traci as she contemplates swimming in the lake

So relaxing.

Day 7-10

Dubrovnik

After 4 relaxing sun filled days on Korcula Island, we took the ferry to Dubrovnik and then a bus to the Old Town, which is where we stayed while in Dubrovnik.  Old Town is protected by a mighty defensive wall and has streets made of marble. This was the busiest of the towns we visited because of the daily tourists from the cruise ships. We stayed in an apartment in Old Town that was close to everything, making it easy to get out see the sights and make it back for some needed rest and air conditioning.    

When planning the trip we thought Dubrovnik would be a cool town to see but it ended up being much more of a historical education for both Brody and I.  It was crazy for us to think about the Civil War that started in 1991 and ended around 1996 with the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia and how recent the war had been. During the war about 60% of the Old Town was destroyed by Serbian missiles, and yet it seemed as though so much of it had been completely repaired.  We went to the War Photo Limited, which had exhibits of the photos taken from different Time Magazine photographers of what the city looked like during/after the war.

Main street in Old Dubrovnik at 8am

Dubrovnik from the top of the City Walls

City streets of Dubrovnik

Fresh fruit and candied nuts. Just what was needed before our flight home.

Mostar

On our second day in Dubrovnik we took a day trip to Mostar, Bosnia.  Our trip included a 2 ½ hour bus ride across the boarder into Bosnia & Hercegovina before arriving at the small town of Mostar, which is on the World Heritage List. On our way to Mostar and in the less tourist populated areas there was a lot more evidence of the war in terms of damage to buildings in Croatia and even more so in Bosnia.

Mostar is mainly known for its old historic bridge (“Stari Most”), which was built by the Ottomon Empire while under their control back in the 15^th century. The bridge was destroyed in 1993 during the Civil War. The bridge was later rebuilt at a cost of EUR 13 million paid for by Croatia, the US and Turkey (as they were interested in seeing that the bridge was reconstructed as an exact replica as the original bridge built by the Ottoman Empire).

Stari Most

Mostar old town is beautiful with old stone buildings and green trees lining the riverbanks. The roads leading to the bridge are narrow and filled with shops of souvenirs. We eat lunch in the old town, took pictures and walked around before getting back on the bus for a fun trip back.

On the way back our driver elected to go a different way where he believed border crossing would be quicker. This took us down a 5 mile gravel road that no one on the bus thought would end. Ultimately on our way back we passed through the “Republic of Serbia” a self-contained country with its own border control within the country of Bosnia and then through the border control of Bosnia & Hercegovia and then the border control of Croatia. Finally back in Croatia we found our way back to Dubrovnik in time for some much needed pizza and rest.

Gravel road in Bosnia....I think the guide was even scared the driver was lost.

Cavtat

On our final day in Dubrovnik, we walked the walls of the city of Old Town early in the morning which took a little over an hour and found beautify views of the sea and city. The walls were built between the 13^th and 16^th centuries. The entire old town was contained within a barrier 2km long and up to 25M high. After this a break at a local café was necessary and provided a nice rest.

We then left Old Town Dubrovnik on a water taxi around noon headed for Cavtat a city which was originally part of the Dubrovnik republic. This harbor town was filled with fancy yachts and nice beaches. We enjoyed Cavtat as it had far fewer people than Dubrovnik and provided a break from the other tourists. After walking around and finding some local souvenirs we headed back to Dubrovnik for dinner. 

This just sums it all up.....relaxing

OTTOLENGHI

We found this place while wondering around in Notting Hill and we instantly fell in love with it.  There isn’t anywhere to sit inside so everything is ‘take away.’  The shops were started by Yotam Ottolenghi who also has a cookbook called Plenty.  The store and cookbook focus mainly on fresh food with bold flavors and vibrant colors. Mainly vegetarian, Ottolenghi offers excellent salads and deserts.

We have been going there at least once a week to pick up dinner and desert since we found it back in February and we still love it.   

The Open

Brody and I went to the final day of The Open at Royal St. Georges Golf Club.  After years of watching The Open at 4am and all of the other majors each year Brody was so excited to get to see the greatest golfers in the world in person. 

We took a high speed train at 7:40am from St. Pancras to Sandwich which took about an hour and a half.  Once arriving in Sandwich we had a nice 30 min walk to the course.  Unfortunately we don’t have any great pictures of the day because cameras weren’t allowed and you had to check your mobile phones at the gate.  We spent most of the morning walking around the course and sitting in the stands at the 10^th green watching a few pairings (De Vries/Moore, Sabbatini/Gallacher, Cink/Ferrie, Choi/Overton, Stanley/Day, Boyd/Wilson).  Then we had lunch at one of the course pavilions and watched some of the action from the big screen.  By the time lunch was over Phil Mickelson had just teed off.  Brody was so excited to see Phil that we spent the next couple of hours following him from holes 2 through 8. I have never seen Brody move so fast… there were a couple of times that I had to remind him that me and my big belly couldn’t race up the hills as fast as he could.  Phil had a great showing with birdies on holes 2, 4, 6 and an eagle on 7.   After 7, Phil was in second at 5 under and Brody was sure he had a chance to win.     

We took a break from running after Phil and headed for the 16^th green so that we could find a place to sit on the ground and watch. As we approached 16th green, Phil had just birdied 10 and gone to 6 under 1 shot back of Darren Clarke. Over the course of the hour we watched a number of groups (Immelman/Watson, Schwartzel/Yang, Jacobson/Scott, Stricker/Simpson, Campbell/Lehman, Palmer/Johnson, Kaymer/Love III), while Phil proceeded to bogey 11, 13 and 15 as he approached us on 16. Capping off his downfall, he 3 putted 16 green and bogeyed leaving the green at 2 under. This was the sign for us that Phil would not catch Clarke and it was time to head to the train station, arriving back home around 8pm. The 2011 Open Champion was Darren Clarke at 5 under 3 shots clear of second place (Phil Mickelson).

The day was amazing from start to finish. With Phil's run for glory and the torrential downpours of rain that occurred each hour just to keep people in their coats and umbrellas . We found little trouble finding great viewing spots while following Phil who clearly had the largest crowds. The last Open Championship at Royal St. Georges was 2003 when Ben Crane walked away with the Claret Jug.  We can't wait to go again next year. 

Wimbledon

I arrived at Wimbledon at 5:45 am to ‘queue’ for 5 hours to get a general admissions ticket (£20) to Wimbledon. Once in, I made it into court 3 they informed me if I got up to leave I would loose my seat and have to join the queue again for re-entry. This meant no bathroom breaks. As I was in line for 5 hours I was hoping for a quick match between Marion Bartoli and Lourdes Dominguez. Although you are stuck in your seat, you are allowed to bring food and up to one bottle of wine/champagne per person.  During the match, I had champagne and strawberries and cream. After 3 sets Marion was successful in defeating Lourdes and providing me some much needed relief. From court 3 I then went with some co-workers to Murray Hill to watch some of the Centre Court action on the big screen. This included eating lunch and enjoying the traditional beverage of choice at Wimbledon, Pimm's. I spent the rest of the day touring the facility and taking it all in. The sun was out all day and I made it home just in time to show off my tan (burn) to Traci.

Royal Ascot

The 14^th June 2011 marked the first day of the racing of the 300^th Royal Ascot. This is the social event of the year which the Queen kicked off the day at 2pm with her royal horse carriage entrance. The Royal Ascot consists of a week of horse racing in the town of Ascot and is attended all week by the Queen of England. I attended the first day along with others from work. The highlight of the day was definitely the facinators worn by the women and the morning coats and top hats worn by the gentlemen. After an early dedication to American horses I finally found a winner making up for some early losses. This was the closest I will ever get to the Queen as she was about 5 boxes down from ours. I believe I have never looked so good in a top hat. 

Queens entrance and official start to the 300th Royal Ascot.

Queen's Day - Amsterdam

Queen's Day (in Dutch: Koninginnedag) in Amsterdam is a unique night and day carnival-like event on 30th of April each year and during the night before – so called Queen's Night. Queen's Day is a huge party across the whole city combined with a flea market throughout streets.

This last minute decision turned out to be a cultural experience like none other. With Traci off to the States I took Chris and Lindsey up on their offer to let me crash at their house and with only minor challenges I arrived at Chris and Lindsey’s just in time for the barbeque. Friday night we took to the streets, where there were bands playing and thousands of people gathering along the canals to enjoy the festivities.

Saturday morning kicked off with a citywide flea market.  Queen’s Day is the only day each year where people are allowed to sell their stuff on the streets without paying taxes. This gives everyone and their brother the chance to sell their second-hand things on the streets and parks of Amsterdam, creating one of the world's largest flea markets. Not surprisingly Lindsey found many treasures she had to have including a battery powered sewing machine. We made our way to a barbeque and then to a friend’s boat where we spent the day watching all of the people dressed up in orange passing along the canal in other boats. We finished the day on a rooftop terrace taking in the evening moonlight and on our way home made sure to stop at the Kebab stand.

Sunday morning the streets filled with garbage, I made my way to the airport and got home in time for Traci’s arrival back from the US. 

A wonderful sunny day out in Amsterdam. What more could anyone ask for.... oh yes a urinal in the street please. Done.

Weekend in Oxford

On Saturday morning we took the train to Oxford, which is only about 1 hour away from London.  We stayed in a charming Bed & Breakfast (Burlington B&B), which was about a 10-minute walk to the city center.  It was nice to get a break from the crowds in London and we both liked how pedestrian friendly the streets were as lots of streets, were blocked to traffic.  The town is centered around the University of Oxford and filled with younger college students.

Oxford University, which started in 1096, is the oldest English-speaking university in the World.  There are 38 separate colleges in Oxford that together form what is known as the University of Oxford.  As you walk down the street you can tell which buildings and houses are part of the university by the doors, which are all painted bright blue.

We spent most of our time wondering around the town.  First we went to Christ Church, which is part of the university. The famous Alice books were written by a Christ Church math lecturer, Charles Dodgson, who’s pen name was Lewis Carroll. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass were originally tales told by Alice Liddell, daughter of the Dean of Christ Church. Many locations in Alice’s adventures are based on parts of the College. Also many of the scenes in the Harry Potter feature films are shot in various locations of the College. The Great Hall was replicated in the film to create Hogwart's Hall.

We also found time to make it to some of the local pubs (The Bear and The Eagle & Child). The Bear is the oldest pub in Oxford and is most famous for its collection of school ties dating back to the early 1900s. This pub was a really small cozy bar with low ceilings, dark atmosphere and traditional Ales. Being off the main road made this pub feel old and filled with tradition without the overwhelming rush of tourists. Before catching the train home, we stopped in at The Eagle & Child for lunch. This pub is famous for its hosting of “The Inklings”, a small group of friends that met to discuss literature, writing and life. Members of this group included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. There is a plaque in the back of the pub, along with a couple of pictures signed by both Lewis and Tolkien signed portraits