Farewell to Budapest, Hungary

After our full month of glorious travel, we returned to Budapest for our flight home. We got in at 6pm Saturday and our plane left on Monday morning. We needed to repack everything and say goodbye to Budapest, a city we had been to often and grown to love. Of all the European cities, it is the one we feel the most comfortable in. I’m sure the reason is that we know it the best. We know how to get around and feel safe here.

I did some last shopping for gifts despite the fact that our suitcases were straining. Tom returned our rental car. We had no one to say goodbye to at this point. We just needed to bid Hungary goodbye. We walked along the Danube at night and strolled the streets and squares one last time. But mainly we ate.

Yes, we made reservations at Bock Bistro for Saturday night. Although we had eaten often at Bock Bistro in Villanyi, we had never eaten at their new restaurant in Budapest; it was wonderful. The interior looks exactly like a French bistro, or I was reminded of New Orleans. Tile floors, wooden tables with white linen, shelves stocked with wine, and a man in the corner playing the accordion. Nothing overly formal. I was excited to be back to Hungarian wine and behaved accordingly.

Notice the clean platters and chewed over lamb bones. And the smile of contentment.

As if one night of gluttony wasn’t enough, we went for two. Our final night we returned to our favorite Budapest restaurant, Borsso Bistro, one we took all of our visitors to.

Tom and I sat outside on a warm evening and both ate monumentally good duck with Thai spring-roll ravioli and ginger mash potatoes. We just looked at one another in disbelief. How did we get to be so lucky?

We have had quite the journey through Central Europe and most of all Hungary, a country with a whole lotta soul.

Somehow the next morning we got all of our luggage to the airport and back to San Luis Obispo

And we are delighted to have returned to our family, friends, and our little Dilsey dog.

Vienna

This beautiful city was our last touring stop before going back to Budapest. We had heard what a magnificent city it was and it did not disappoint. The Danube is not a central feature in Vienna like it is in Prague and Budapest. The Innere Stadt or central city district, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is not built around the river. The area is filled with numerous museums, the Stephansdom (gothic cathedral), the Hofburg palace (the base for the Habsburgs for six centuries), and parliament.

The first day we spent touring the Schloss Schonbrunn, a magnificent palace commissioned by Leopold I and used by Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth. We toured the apartments, reception rooms, ballroom, Chinese Rooms, Million Room (because it cost a million to decorate), and the sumptuous gardens.

It was also extremely hot, and I spent much of my time wondering how the women went around in their corsets, petticoats, and long, heavy dresses. No wonder they didn’t move and had ladies in waiting dress them.

The chief highlights for me were the art museums. The Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of Europe’s finest art museums and I had never heard of it. We went straight to the floor to see paintings by Bruegel, Durer, Rubens, Titan, Raphael, and Caravaggio among others. One whole gallery room displayed Bruegels, one of my very favorites. I spent an hour in that room alone looking at Hunters in the Snow and The Tower of Babel for example.

The Leopold Museum was another surprise. It displays a collection of 19 and 20^th century Austrian art. We went because I wanted to see Gustav Klimt. Tod and Leben or Death and Life is displayed there. Klimt is the only Austrian painter I really know.

The primary Austrian artist featured at the Leopold is Egon Schiele, a provocative painter who died young from the Spanish flu in 1918 after serving in WWI. His paintings were a revelation to me. His sketches were in the basement and his paintings on the ground floor. Schiele lived in Cesky Krumlov for a while (a Czech town we loved) and painted it several times. See what you think of his paintings.

One evening we attended a concert in the Hofburg. A small orchestra and opera singers entertained us and a packed house with Mozart and Strauss. It’s hard to top Strauss’ Viennese waltzes while in Vienna. We spent three days in Vienna and felt as if we could spend more. We were bathed in art, history, and culture.

Lake Balaton

As I am sure most everyone has figured out by now, Tom and I have returned home to California. It is wonderful being home. To feel complete with our Hungarian adventure, I have to post two more entries about our last week abroad: Lake Balaton and Vienna.

From the Danube Bend above Budapest, Tom and I drove to Lake Balaton to meet Gyozo and Andrea and their three kids. Gyozo represents a shoe company and is the businessman whom Tom accompanied to Romania.

We have gotten together with them often in Pecs. They spend their summers at a cottage on Lake Balaton, one her father built.

Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Europe and is the resort area for Hungarians. We also learned that the lake was a popular meeting place during the communist era for families from East Germany and West Germany because they could both travel there.

Gyozo and Andrea had booked us in a hotel where several Hungarians stayed with their families for a week or so. The hotel provided “half board”; they served breakfast and dinner. We felt slightly self-conscious because we were clearly not locals and appeared as intruders into this cozy Hungarian beach scene. Our English, manner, and dress give us away.

Everyone went around in bathing suits, no cover-ups, and I was struck by the different attitude toward the body. Many Hungarians are overweight (because of the high fat diet), yet no effort is made to cover the body. There is no evidence of shame or preoccupation with the body. Huge grandmas and grandpas go around in two piece suits and speedos. My one piece suit and Tom’s long leg suit were a novelty. Maybe Tom and I are not typical of American culture (perhaps more Southern culture), but I envied the Hungarian matter of fact attitude about the body as just a body, no residual puritan self-consciousness or the counter-response—preening and calling attention to it. In Hungary and probably all of Europe, it is what it is.

We kept noticing how everyone gathered up beach paraphernalia and headed down a path to the lake every morning. We walked down the path at dusk and were surprised to see that it ended on a very small wooden dock with metal steps leading down into the lake. No sand, no beach, no place to lay out. Only water surrounded by water reeds. Where was everyone going? The only option was in the water. The water stayed shallow for about a half a mile, I swear.

And it was cold, we thought. Nevertheless, everyone had a ball. The kids walked to the lake, played, got out, and simply walked back. No towels, no drying off.

We had a wonderful time visiting with our Hungarian friends. They grilled for us, and we sat around on beach chairs in their backyard chatting. I especially enjoyed talking with their children and listening to their attitudes toward Hungary. They complained a lot about how things don’t work and seem discouraged with their country. They also reported being tired of all the references to their tragic history: those days were over. Although impatience with the past is typical for this age, we did wonder how much this Hungarian generation would be willing to fight to make changes. We worry that many will just try to leave. These kids are very bright and have been provided with lots of opportunities and loving parents. Tom and I look forward to following their life paths.

This family became dear to us and we will miss them.

Danube Bend

We returned to Hungary. After our travels to Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia, we arrived back where we started, to a country that we have come to love. It’s not more beautiful than the other places we have visited, but this is the European country where we have made our friends and discovered a sense of place.

The one area that we had not visited was the Danube Bend, where the famous river curves around north of Budapest and makes a bend, thus the name.

From Kocise, Slovakia, we drove to and stayed in Szentendre, labeled as an artist colony. Arriving on Sunday evening, we saw people out strolling on the embankment above the Danube. Lots of families as well as lovers. Everyone seemed to be outside.

We didn’t have a reservation, the first time that we had done this. We decided that we would be spontaneous and see if we could luck out and find some perfect hideaway in this little town. After driving down a couple of quaint streets, we began to feel that this wasn’t going to happen and thus quickly consulted our Lonely Planet. So much for winging it. Locating Matthias Rex, one of the recommendations, we walked in at 6:30pm and asked if they had a room. The clerk didn’t seem to know. Fortunately, they did and this cute clerk, who clearly wanted to practice his English, became our best friend.

We joined the others strolling down the pedestrian walkway and the Danube. I hate to confess this, but the Danube looks like Bayou Teche in Lafayette, Louisiana, small and brown, yet people walk along the flowered sidewalk as if they are strolling the Seine. Something about water brings people outdoors; no matter what the size of the river or lake, people want to be near it. Yes, people settled near water for practical reasons, but they go outside to walk along, lie down, or picnic near it. We have noticed this everywhere we have been. It’s a human and communal ritual, so we joined.

Two important places exist along the Danube Bend: Visegrad and Esztergom, both important to Hungary’s history. First we went to the Visegrad Citadel, sitting atop a 350 meter hill, a very commanding defensive post. We walked along the ramparts and took in spectacular views of the Danube as it twists down below.

Next we drove to Esztergom about 66 kilometers north of Budapest and not far from the Slovakian border. Hungary’s first king, St. Stephen, who was responsible for uniting the seven tribes of Hungary, was born here. For a few centuries Esztergom is the place where the kings were coronated.

For over a thousand years the city has also served as the seat of Roman Catholicism. The highest ranking cleric is the archbishop of Esztergom and the basilica is the largest church in Hungary. As we drove into the city, we could see the colossal cathedral dome from a distance.

Two things of note: the painting above the altar and the treasury. Above the main altar hangs the world’s largest painting on a single canvas, a copy of Titian’s Assumption.

Also we spent quite a bit of time in awe of the contents of the cathedral’s treasury. The ecclesiastical relics, vestments, chalices, and other liturgical treasures were a testament to the wealth and artistry devoted to the Catholic Church over the centuries.

High Tetras – Stary Smokovec

If Carol had not given a paper at the Husse Conference when we first arrived, we would not have met Zsuzsa and if we not met Zsuzsa, we would never have had a desire to visit the High Tetras. She is from Slovakia and told us of the wonderful hiking and scenery in the mountains of the north eastern part of Slovakia. Carol and I decided to take a look for ourselves. Zsuzsa recommended a few hotels that we checked out on line and decided on the Grand Hotel. In its prime, it was certainly a “Grand Hotel.”

It is a little dated, but the staff is very helpful and friendly, and the building suggests the former grandeur. The rooms were spacious, with a balcony, very clean and comfortable. The hotel itself has an enormous bar area, a really formal dining room, a pool table, and a new wellness center.

The town of Stary Smokovec and the surrounding communities cater to the ski crowd in the winter and the hikers in the summer. We took a funicular up to the trailhead of a very rocky trail that led us to some waterfalls and then after about two hours of walking to a ski lift that gave us a ride down the mountain. There were a large number of hikers of all shapes, sizes, fitness levels, and all types of gear. There were families out for a day stroll and hard core backpackers who were going to go up into the mountains for a night or two.

A short tram ride back to our hotel, and we were ready to explore the wellness center. There was a soaking pool, whirlpool, cold dunk, dry sauna, wet sauna, and a room with tile covered lounge chairs and a starry night ceiling. All very nice and modern and obviously built to attract the after ski crowd. There were not many people taking advantage of the facilities and we enjoyed then immensely.

After two nights at the Grand, we got up to drive the three hours to Kosice to meet up with Zsuzsa and her boyfriend, Giovanni, who had come to visit her from his home in Sardenia. However, on the way, Carol found in the Lonely Planet that we would be going very close to Spis Castel. Since it had been a couple of days since our last castle visit, we naturally stopped to have a look. This is an enormous complex and it is tourist friendly with an informative audioguide and great views.

The really neat thing about our flexible itinerary is that we did not have a castle viewing planned for the day but took advantage of the sights on our route.

Anyway, in Kocise, we had a fun evening with Zsuzsa and Giovanni and left the next morning for our temporary home country, Hungary.

Random Observations about the Czech Republic (with ancillary comparisons to Hungary)

More castles than any sane person could possibly visit. All impressive. Why does the Czech Republic have so many? It seems like many more than Hungary.

Czechs love beer and produce lots of great beer. The people also support their indigenous industry. For the first time in my life, I asked Tom if it were beer o’clock. The Czech make some wonderful dark beer, not too heavy. We saw many a Czech drinking beer before noon; some for breakfast.

Okay, this is one to ponder. The Czech people don’t seem as full-bodied as the Hungarians. Go figure. They drink beer.

We can’t find bakeries selling wonderful bread and pastries. In Hungary there is one on every block. Now I am seeing a connection--you love bread, you be big.

The Hungarian towns also have many more bookstores.

We witnessed so many Hungarian students and young people carrying around instruments on their way to lessons or class. Everyone plays a musical instrument.

The Czech Republic appeared a little more prosperous to us. I don’t know if this is true. The people that you see on the streets in Prague and other small towns dress better and appear happier to the casual observer. Maybe it is that we got to know Hungarian culture more intimately and had more conversations, but they look more serious and downhearted on the whole. They are very thoughtful, not casual or superficial. Life seems harder for them.

Prague is a mecca of tourists. Hordes of people, lots of energy. Budapest feels different. It is beautiful, but in a different way than Prague. It has the majestic Danube and impressive squares and buildings. Some how it is a messier culture as the graffiti attests, but it goes beyond appearances. Its history speaks more of tragic past and people holding on to their national pride while fearing the worse/the future. They are not an optimistic bunch and understandably so. Prague has some public humor as well. Look at this statue appropriately named "Piss" that is right outside the Kafka Museum.

In Budapest we saw the efforts to attract tourists with the National Gallup and other huge events. Often they got rained on despite all the efforts. Prague doesn’t do anything. She’s like an old broad who knows she’s got it.

She also sells herself out on occasion. For example, the music that is offered to tourists in Prague is not the two hour and half hour concert of serious classical music. Hawkers pass out leaflets at many churches and other venues for a sixty minute concert of Vivaldi, Pachabel, and perhaps a little Mozart or the Brandenburg concerto. We went to two of these concerts: one at St. Nicholas Church and the other at the famous art deco Municipal House. The first concert at 6pm was billed as a choir singing with the old organ and included the program. We knew how long the program would last and frankly it was a draw. Go get a little culture and then time for daily hedonism of drink and dinner, all of which I am in favor of and enjoy not having to choose between my culture and my hedonism.

We were disappointed with the concert because it consisted of 18 singers (three with wonderful voices) and a small antique organ, not the cathedral’s massive organ that we had anticipated filling the cathedral and our lungs. We did enjoy the acoustics. The voices continued to ascend upward to the dome long after their lips closed.

Our second concert was billed as members of the Prague Royal Orchestra; there were twelve with no conductor. They did a mediocre to bad Pachabel and Mozart. Then a violin soloist from the Royal Orchestra came out and performed Vivaldi’s Four Season and the Brandenburg concerto, all crowd pleasers. He salvaged the evening as did the spectacular concert hall.

I have mixed feelings about the concerts. In Hungary there is no artistic compromise; they do the whole damn thing. I admire this. Prague knows what the tourist wants and gives it to them. We could have gone to a concert any night of the week, several compete against one another. For the choir, there were probably thirty people. For the other concert, the first thirty rows of reserved, expensive seats were barely occupied and then the seven rows of open seating were relatively full.

In Salzburg, I should mention that we saw a fabulous concert at the Mirabel Schloss (palace) that consisted of only a pianist and violinist who played magnificently for an hour and half. The two of them provided the whole experience and they were magnificent.

First Bad Day

Tom and I packed up our stuff in the apartment in Prague on a fairly timely basis (for me that is). I was ready and packed at 10am. Tom had already made one luggage trip to the illegally parked car down below. He came up to get me and the last load. He grabbed the suitcase, I snatched up the rest, and we walked out the door with my slamming it behind us. Tom said, “Did you get the key?” “No, I thought you had it…. No problem, they will have one at reception.” To make a long story short, they had to call a locksmith at our expense. We were delayed an hour.

We then set off to Kutna Hora, an old silver mining town, with a beautiful cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Barbara, the patron saint of the miners.

It was one of those jaw dropping cathedrals because of its height. You walk in and the vaults are meters above you.

We were glad that we made the detour to Kutna Hora even though we got very lost trying to get into town. Our friend Gyoso, the Hungarian businessman with whom Tom went to Romania, loaned us his GPS. This whole car trip would have been a disaster without it. Getting into old historic towns with small one-way streets and finding a small pension in the old city center is a nightmare. Our GPS, who is now our travelling companion and nicknamed ZsaZsa (thanks to our friend Kathryn) cannot navigate us through these areas very well. So imagine, a driver, a semi-navigator with a map, Zsazsa, and road construction with signs in a foreign language. Not pretty.

We got badly turned around and lost twice trying to get to places around Kutna Hora. It happened again getting out of town—you would think a simple task, but no. Our destination was a chapel that was supposed to be five minutes away, but for us an hour. I jumped out of the car at one point because I was convinced we were driving the wrong way. I jumped out because I spotted this lonely Czech man ambling leisurely down the sidewalk. This is always a mistake because they know no English and I know no Czech, yet we talk to one another as if the other understood. He gestured vehemently and spoke louder to make sure I understood. The one thing we did find out from him was that we were going the wrong way. It was one of those experiences where we circled our destination several times.

Again well worth the aggravation. Tom and I both said that we had never seen anything like it—the Sedlec Ossuary. Part of the problem was that all of the signs said Kostnice, which means ossuary in Czech. This small Bohemian chapel was overrun during the plague with bodies, and the cemetery couldn’t keep up. People began to just throw bodies on the other grave sites until eventually bones began to pile up. In 1870 the aristocratic Schwarzenberg family bought the chapel and asked a local woodcarver named Rint to design something with the bones. He had the bones of no fewer than 40,000 people. The result is astonishing: bone crests, bone chandeliers, a Schwartzberg coat of arms, crosses and four huge bone pyramids.

Oh, I forgot to mention our stop for a quick bite for lunch that turned into a hot stay on a sun-backed terrace while the chef ran out for groceries. We are lucky that we haven’t encountered many aggravations, and we have made a concerted effort not to be ugly Americans (as Tom referenced in his rant). Even given a run of bad luck, we still saw some incredible things.

AARG--Tourists

Sometimes I really can't believe people. Tourists can be really annoying at times. In the last week or so, we have been exposed to more people in a smaller area that anywhere we have been in Europe. I am proud that the stereotype of the "Ugly American" is not too prevalent. However, the "Ugly Traveler" is alive and well. I am amazed at just how inconsiderate some people can be. The sidewalks are somewhere between narrow and non-existent yet fat yahoos in front of you will stop in the middle of the sidewalk or street and just gawk. Gawking is fine - just move to the side to do it. And how about the budding Ansel Adams who will spend five minutes lining up the perfect shot of his girl in the perfect place while other patiently wait for a chance to use the chosen spot. And then to review all of the pics for the day is maddening.

We went to a concert last night and damned if some idiot didn't snap a few flash photos of the performance. That was really bad, but then he (seated a couple of rows in front directly in our sight line) proceeded to review all of the pictures he had taken. Unbelievable.

And by the way - why does someone bring their dog on a sightseeing vacation? I love Disley a bunch but she is not going to walk around a city with me among a ton of other visitors. It just makes no sense. But the worst is the couple who bring along their 2 and 3 year olds on a tour of a castle or to a museum. The kid will remember nothing but he manages to disrupt the tour for the twenty other people.

It must be time to leave Prague and go to a smaller town in the Czech countryside. And that is what we will do tomorrow. YEAH

Telc - then Prague

Telc is a beautiful little town. The town square was unique. There is building after building of Renaissance houses built around the square, all having different colorful facades. We walked around the pond after dinner in the evening and the next day had a tour of the local castle. We were the only two English speakers for a tour and the young lady who was our guide had obviously memorized the English version of her speech. Most our our questions were met with a blank stare. She knew the history of the castle in English, but she did not really know English.

We have noticed that many Czech do not know English. This surprised us only because most people dealing with tourists in Croatia and Hungary do know English, and we had been spoiled. We are not sure what conclusions to draw from this. Certainly German is the first foreign language that Czechs would learn in school.

After leaving our one night stop in Telc, we decided to get an apartment in Prague. Boy - that was a great decision. First, it's cheaper than a hotel, it's bigger than a hotel room, we can make coffee in the morning and it is tucked away more in a neighborhood and therefore quiet. The apartment also afforded us the luxury of doing three loads of laundry. We like the place so much that we are spending another day here. We visited the Castle yesterday and after a couple of hours in the rain, returned to the apartment. We dried out and went to a choral concert at the St. Nicolas Church and then dinner on the banks of the Vltava river. I had beef cheeks with potato dumplings and Carol had confit of duck, green beans, and a potato cake. We have to walk a lot to indulge in this kind of food.

Today we went back to the castle to see the national art gallery housed in one of the palaces that we gave up on yesterday due to the rain. Then we meandered through the castle gardens and found a nice little cafe near our apartment to have a cold dark beer. All in all - a great day.

More site seeing tomorrow and who knows, maybe I'll get a few picture up on the blog.

A Few Towns Later

It is really hard to keep up. So, after Ljubjlana, we spent a couple of nights at Lake Bled in northern Slovenia. It was incredibly beautiful. We had a two hour lunch at the castle overlooking the lake and environs. You can all look forward the the slide show. There is a small island in the middle of the lake. There is a small church on the island and many folks go there to get married. We witnessed several weddings - all really beautiful and fairy tale like.

Then we went to Salzburg. What do you know - another beautiful and quaint old town area with an imposing castle. Mozart, Sound of Music, museums and the time passed very quickly. We are told by people we meet that tourism is down quite a bit but there are still plenty of people and large crowds in the well-known areas. The tell tale sign is that there are many empty tables in the cafes and we have had no trouble finding rooms or restaurants - even ones written up in Lonely Planet or Tripadvisor. We did take the "Sound of Music Tour" in honor of the Rummell family. Don't tell Kathryn but we are planning a "Sound of Music" screening with Carol singing all of the original songs in the places where they were sung in the movie. Book your tickets early because it is sure to be a sellout.

We are now finishing our time in Cesky Krumlov in Southern Czech Republic. Damned if it isn't yet another quaint little town with an imposing castle. We had a wonderful time walking around, seeing a remarkable revolving theater (the audience rotates to look at various staging areas), gardens, and lots of people rafting down the river that almost circles the town. We found this incredible place to stay called Zahradka 8 Privat Hotel. It is in a converted farm house a few miles out of town. The apartments are huge, very tastefully decorated and complete with breakfast served in our room. A cart with coffee is magically outside of our door at 7:30 and then at 8:30 another cart appears with enough food for 6 hungry people. After the first morning, the owner asked if something was wrong with breakfast since we did not eat much. She asked this as we sat around an enormous conference table sipping some excellent ice cold champagne she brought in. They called a taxi for us so I could sample the beer while eating smoked ribs in town for dinner. Carol (the wine snob) went gaga over this dark beer that she has ordered many times just in the few days we have been in the Czech Republic.

That's all for now - I'll try to get some pictures up when we get to Prague. Tonight is on to another quaint little town (Telc) after seeing another imposing castle on the way.

On to Ljubljana

Well - we didn't finish writing about our Croatia trip and we are now in Slovenia. I should back up just a bit. After we got back from Croatia, we needed to turn our attentions to packing up the apartment and getting ready to leave Pecs. We had lots of final stuff to do and it was the final week of Wimbledon which ranks right up there with LSU football as "can't miss" events. We went to our landlord's vineyard for a cook out one night. We had our friend Gabi and her two sons over for dinner at our house one night and of course we had our farewell dinner at Cafe Zona (Enoteca). We even visited with our friends Gyozo and Andrea and Carol worked some with their daughters on writing a essay. There was the final round of goodbyes and then cramming everything back into the suitcases we came with.

We had some things that we knew we would not be transporting back home and made stacks to give away. Some things could be of use to Gabi's son Andrew who will be setting up a new apartment. Some things went into a collection of items to be given to the next Fulbrighter - no need to buy another iron and ironing board to be used for a short time. And then there were some pillows, sheets, towels and blankets that we did not feel should be added to the collection. We decided to give those types of items to the man who sells home grown flowers everyday on the street corner near the house. This become one of the most touching moments of all of our goodbyes. Carol and Gabi had arranged for him (named Laszlo or Lassie) to come by at 9 AM today to get the items. I should say that Lassie is out selling his flowers every single day - rain or shine - hot or freezing cold. We would wave to him several times each day and we would exchange pleasantries - us in English, him in Hungarian - not having a clue what each other was saying but certainly feeling the spirit of friendship and affection. Once, as we were going to the bus station for a weekend trip, we wheeled our suitcases by his corner and he got a stricken look on his face thinking we were leaving town for good. Only when we indicated that we would return in 4 days did he again smile and wave his usual greeting. Lassie lives with his Mother in a rather shabby apartment near us. They obviously have very limited resources.

Lassie came to the house at 9 o'clock sharp and presented us with a bottle of wine. We were so touched by his gesture. He may be a poor Hungarian flower seller but he went out of his way to show us that he appreciated our friendliness and occasional purchase. He was delighted with the sheets, towels, coffee maker and fan. We are going to miss his big smile and cheery greeting.

We will try to catch up with our travels and stay current on this final month traveling around. Ljubljana is a very picturesque town in northern Slovenia. We will see the castle and other sights tomorrow and then Thursday we will be on the Lake Bled.

We will try to keep you posted.

Dubrovnik

We had a GPS with us that our friend Gyozo loaned us. We named her Zsa -Zsa and she was a great help on our travels - most of the time. We drove the length of Hvar island and took a short ferry ride to the mainland. The trip down the coast was beautiful, reminding us of the California coast with its steep drop-offs into the water. The roads were in great shape and there were no difficulties even crossing into Bosnia and Herzogovina for the 5 km section. The weather had been a mixture but seemed to be clearing as we approached Dubrovnik. Zsa Zsa had accurately led us all the way, but she then plopped us smack dab in the middle of the worst traffic jam I have ever experienced. On top of that, she did not know that the street address of the hotel was a pedestrian street. We inched our way along – drove the wrong way on one way streets – did u-turns in the middle of the road – and generally cussed at the obviously non-existent traffic planners.

The worst was when we were traveling down a two way street only to find that one lane was blocked by parked cars. So there were these lines of cars facing each other in the one open lane. People were getting out of their cars and talking (yelling) and gesticulating at each other and we were at a complete stop. I did this cute u-turn maneuver and a couple of cars were nice enough to back up so I could go back down the hill to yet another massive tie up. At this point, Carol jumped out of the car and found the hotel on foot. She was able to direct us around to the back of the hotel and the parking lot. WHEW, I headed for the bar and cold beer while Kathryn set out to find the ocean (sea) because there was a moment of sun to enjoy.

Carol and I joined Kathryn walking down to the ocean and watched her take her second swim in the Adriatic. After a delightful dinner and a good night's sleep - we were ready to see the famous Old Town area.


This walled city was a real jewel. We did a one hour walking tour with a Croatian guide and then set out to walk around the city on top of the protective wall.


They have a great job of restoring the damaged parts while retaining the ancient flavor of the city. About 70% of the roofs were damaged in the war during the 90's and they have rebuilt them with similar material and amazing speed.



There was lots to see including the feeding of the pigeons. At noon, workers come out and feed the pigeons who are trained to congregate at the market square when the bell strikes 12. I'm not sure that is a great idea, but I must say the birds looked very happy and well-fed.

We found a covered patio restaurant and had lunch while the daily rainstorm came through.


Again, the bad weather did not affect us much at all. I know it may be a surprise to you readers, but Carol and Kathryn found some shopping to do while I got a haircut. Old Town Dubrovnik still is home to about 1000 people so all of the regular services are available. Amazingly, they were not finished with shopping, so I proceeded to a cafe for an afternoon cappuccino and some people watching.

Split, Croatia

On the coast of the Adriatic Sea, Split is a busy port, but also possesses a beautiful harbor and a valuable old town center. The weather wasn’t great when we arrived: cloudy and later rain. Trying to maximize our time in Split, we went straight to Diocletion’s Palace after checking into the Hotel Park. The palace is more like a military fortress with thick walls, gates, and towers. Diocletian was a Roman emperor, governed for 20 years, built the palace to retire from public life, and returned to the vast stone palace in 305, now a Unesco World Heritage site. Made from lustrous white stone, the palace took 10 years to construct, with Diocletion sparing no expense. Split is a unique place with a palm-lined harbor promenade on a peninsula.

Outside the front gate of the palace is an imposing statue of Gregorius of Nin, a 10^th century Croatian bishop. It is a defining image of Split that serves as a good luck charm for those who touch his left toe. So Kathryn, Tom, and I rubbed the hell out of his toe for good weather because the skies were definitely overcast.

In the interior courtyard of the Roman complex is the peristyle with columns and a café where tourists gather.

We came upon a photo shoot of bride and groom posing for the photographer—a strange juxtaposition of ancient and contemporary.

We went inside the Cathedral of St. Dominius, originally built as Diocletion’s mausoleum, and the Temple of Jupiter, with a statue of St. John. It was later converted into a baptistry.

As we walked within the walls, we saw daily life. People live, work, and play here. We came upon a woman hanging her laundry, a very typical scene.

We also came upon a wedding party. The groom, his friends, and some musicians promenaded down the streets of Split. The best we could figure out as we followed them is that they were on their way to the wedding for no bride was apparent. A band played and a person waved a Croatian flag as the groom embraced his friends along the streets.

The Hotel Park where we stayed proved to be a favorite of our trip. We ate in the dining room there because of a heavy rain storm and had a delectable meal. Yet another wedding party had their wedding reception dinner at a long table next to ours. All of the pamphlets said the bar was historic, but we never figured out why. We did determine that the hotel had the best breakfast on the European continent.

Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park

This national park may be the most beautiful place on earth. Not too far from the Croatian capital of Zagreb, the sixteen lakes making up the park became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. We had seen a few pictures of it, but still were not prepared for its beauty. Arriving in time to enter the park at four in the afternoon, Tom, Kathryn, and I set out to explore the Upper Lakes before the park closed at eight pm. We took a short boat ride across one beautiful turquoise lake to begin our walk. Wooden footbridges follow the lakes and the cascading streams.

Beech forests surround the lakes and provide some shade from the brilliant sun that is responsible for so much of the water’s colors. I have never seen such blues and green, all alluring and all defying the camera lens.

A series of waterfalls link the lakes and rushing streams. Coming across 3, 4, or 5 waterfalls together on one side of a lake startles the viewer until the onlooker rounds a bend to discover yet another series of cascading water. The sheer number of waterfalls impacts and causes one to walk around the paths in disbelief.

Another contributing factor to the lakes’ extraordinary natural beauty is the green moss and plants growing on top of each other. According to what you read, these encrusted plants form travertine barriers, thus creating the waterfalls. Because the travertine barriers continually form and reform, their new combinations cause the water’s path to organically evolve into new patterns and waterfalls.

The next morning we went to the Lower Lakes, formed by the Upper Lakes creating cavities for the water to fill. We took the boat across the biggest lake to get to a new park entrance and a hike up the surrounding small mountain to look down on the water vistas. The overlooks stunned us. We lingered over one point in particular and when we left, a lone man entered the path and got his first look. “Wow!” he said. We hiked another few feet out of sight only to hear him go “WOW!” when he got to the overlook. The extraordinary beauty prompts such exclamations.

Underground springs feed the Lower Lakes. A unique combination of water, rock, and plant life causes a natural process that I don’t quite understand. The effect is that water disappears into the porous limestone and reappears in other places. The result is spectacular.