Category: Uncategorized

The Republic of What?

The girls decided to join me in my 7:30 AM ventures out to Mostar before all the tour busses arrived from Dubrovnik. Having seen how charming the town was last night, we wanted the opportunity to take pictures and enjoy it while it was still quiet.

We stopped for breakfast at a nice cafe overlooking the Neretva River where we enjoyed some Bosnian coffee, baklava, crepes and omelets all while being entertained by the ducks below.

We had read that you could visit one of the mosques and unlike every other mosque we have been in, you only needed to cover your shoulders and arms, not your hair (though Jenny did), and we were allowed to walk onto the prayer carpets if we took our shoes off (we chose not to). The mosque was small and fairly simple – far different from the opulent one Jenny and I recently visited in Muscat.

The ticket allowed for us to climb up to the top of the minaret – all 80 steps of the claustrophobia-inducing tower but never afraid of a bit of a physical challenge, I was game. What I wasn’t game for was the exposure on the top. As soon as I stepped out of the doorway I uttered, “Oh Jesus.” The Aussies standing there got a slight laugh out of it while my daughter admonished me, “I can’t believe you said that while standing in a mosque.” Well…first of all I was not in the mosque, I was half in half out of the minaret and it’s not like I could control my utter fear at that moment; sometimes things just slip out. I was eight stories up on a two-foot wide perch with nothing but a hip-high wall standing between me and certain death. She’s lucky that was all I said…

Noella had said how much she would have loved to have been able to swim in the waterfalls at Plitvice so I decided we should make a stop at another set of waterfalls, Kravica, that we would be passing, as they’re said to be similar to Plitvice and you could swim there.

After the success of our drive to Mostar, following the less-traveled route, Jenny decided we should continue with the rural sightseeing we had already been enjoying. She wanted to see as much of the country as possible, so she chose a journey that would have us traversing some of the mountains. There is one thing that is clear about Bosnian roads – they are sinuous, holy cow are they sinuous. The mileage was only going to be 85 miles but the time the GPS was saying for covering that was 2:45, so my concern was ending up on a road we weren’t equipped to be on or suddenly turned to dirt, but she assured me it was all good…

About half way into the drive I wizz past a giant sign flying a flag that is not BIH’s (it looks more like Russia’s) that says “Welcome to Republic of (something or another starting with an S).” I turn to Jenny and ask, “The Republic of What? What the hell is that?” She had no idea and after furiously Googling for what it could possibly be, Jenny triumphantly declares, “Oh! It is the Republic of Srpska.” “Great, what is that?” I responded with an air of concern. She then begins reading, “It is a parliamentary-style government formed in 1992 at the outset of the Bosnian War with the stated intent to safeguard the interests of the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its formation is considered to be one of the causes of the Bosnian war.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” I said in utter disbelief.

So, I slowed the car to contemplate our options…of which we quickly determined there weren’t many. We noticed plenty of cars coming towards us, so we decided we would just roll with it. The scenery again was incredible with soaring mountains as far as the eye could see. Noella had never seen mountains like this or roads like we had been driving so it was fun to experience it with her.

At one point, I saw a sign for a monastery that was up ahead and as we rounded a bend I could see it rising above a grove of olive trees and a small vineyard. I made a quick turn in and Noella was pleased when she saw they had a bathroom. Jenny and I started walking toward the monastery to see what it was all about when suddenly we hear Noella hollering for both of us to go to her right away. Jenny and I both start cracking up because we know it has got to be something good. When we get over there, Noella starts explaining that she thought she had walked into a shower stall, we both start laughing so hard we thought we would die. It turned out Noella was getting to experience her first squat potty! Oh how we laughed…

Jenny and I decided that we wanted to go and check out the monastery as it was open to the public to visit (as long as they were dressed appropriately – no skin above the knee and no bare shoulders showing). Jenny and I both had on shorts, as well as Jenny’s top did not match the signage displayed for appropriate tops, so we donned the coverups they provided for just such an occasion.

The main church was incredibly ornate. Jenny and I both love the elaborate Orthodox churches with all the color, images and various objects of symbolism, including the bones and skeletal hand that were on display here in glass boxes.

I lit another candle for my dad in a side building (and paid for it at the gift shop once I was back at the car, otherwise it would have been some bad juju).

It wasn’t long before we were leaving the Republic and were literally a few miles to the border. The roads continued to be sinuous but it was now cut into a side of the mountain. I have decided that Bosnian drivers are crazy. At one point, after so many near misses, I finally broke out screaming, “What the f@ck is the matter with you people? Do I have a sticker on my car that says ‘Hit Me’.” Honestly, every other car was way over the line as they flew past me or so close to my arse trying to pass me it’s a miracle they didn’t end up in our trunk. At one point I made some super quick maneuver to a small pull out on the side of the road to let a car pass me who then had an eighteen wheeler pass him at the same time.

We had had good news during our drive so our plan for the evening was to celebrate Jenny having passed her master’s thesis with an exceptional grade! We are so happy for her and so unbelievably proud of her. Congrats to my girl!

Wow and Then Wow Again

Our morning dawned early but I give the girls credit for rallying to get up and out the door a bit before 7:00. I had done the research about the best way to see Plitvice Lakes National Park and knew we wanted to enter on the first hour of timed entry. I also figured on the hiking route we should do to optimize the hours we would have before the tour busses started showing up around 10:00 and the boardwalks got clogged up, this meant an arrival by no later than 8:00 AM.

By the time we arrived, we were thrilled to see the heavy clouds from yesterday were gone and the light cloud cover today was rapidly clearing. We were also thrilled that the temperature was just right for our 5 mike hike. 

It was a short drive to entrance 1 and as we entered into the parking lot, past an empty bus lot and into the car park that only had a few dozen cars at most in it – I was happy with my decision.

Within minutes of entering the park, we were greeted with the first panoramic view leading to audible gasps. We could see the boardwalks below and were happy to see they were mostly devoid of people. We all thought it just magnificent and could not wait to start our exploration.

We descended down to the lakes below and began our hike to the base of the largest waterfall in the park. The scenery was spectacular and we loved how the boardwalks seemed to float on the turquoise water.

We traversed the entire lower lake region remarking how peaceful it was with the birds singing and the solitude of it all. 

We had been told the route we were taking was a 4-5 hour trek but we were surprised by the time we had reached the point where we needed the boat to cross the largest lake in the park.

The upper falls were also truly magnificent but in their own different sort of way – not as grand but rather mystical – Jenny said she felt like she was looking for Tinkerbell.

By the time we had reached the entrance, we were floored at all the people, lined up on the boardwalks below – the place had basically been ours three hours prior.

I had read about a spot, outside of the walking trails, where you could get an incredible birds eye view of the main waterfalls, so we set the GPS for the location where we thought it might be. As it turned out, I was spot on and the easy hike down to an overlook was spectacular – the same view that is used in many publications. Jenny and I agreed that in all our travels, Plitvice certainly ranked in the top with most beautiful natural scenery.

Back to the car, traveling over hill and dale for an hour or so, we reached the border control for Bosnia & Herzgevonia – another stamp in the passport as we were now leaving the EU. We had chosen to take the route that would allow us to see more of the country instead of the more direct, shorter route. The drive time was clocked at five hours going this way and we all had a good laugh about why it was going to take so long as we made our way through small side streets.

It was not long after crossing the border that we came upon our first mosque – Jenny was thrilled- Bosnia and Herzegovina is 51% Muslim; Islam having been introduced in the 15th and 16th centuries following the Ottoman conquest.

At one point we rounded a bend and saw some guys fly fishing. Jenny and I both said we needed to pull over and take a picture for Billy. As she and I walked out to the shore and I was snapping a phot, this guy that had been standing nearby said, “It is forbidden to take pictures.” Jenny quickly nudged me to put down my phone and then the guy started laughing and said, “I am just kidding.” Phew….

As we continued on, we were gobsmacked by the beauty of the country – it was truly stunning -who knew?!?

We drove for hours through a verdant valley, surrounded on both sides by immense mountains. It was wild as we passed hundreds of abandoned houses with only a few here or there that showed signs of life. All relics left from the war that ended here less than 30 years ago. We have never traveled to a place where war had been raged so recently and the evidence of it still so clear.

By the time we reached our destination for the evening, Mostar, it was a bit after 6:00. After quickly changing we headed out to find the restaurant Jenny had read about, one that specialized in Middle Eastern foods. Our dinner was delicious and we had the added bonus of listening to the call to prayer as we dined.

Mostar is a medieval town, charming in so many aspects, but like all the other charming places, it has been discovered. Its bridge is famous, having been built in the 15th century and then destroyed during the war that tore the former Yugoslavia apart. It has been rebuilt under the guidance of UNESCO as a symbol to show that “shared heritage can be a basis for social cohesion, inclusion and citizenship.”

Our introduction to Bosnia was fantastic. we were all so pleasantly surprised by its incredible beauty. Jenny and I put it up there with the top five most beautiful countries we have been in – wow, wow, wow

Primo Primosten

I woke up early this morning to try and get out ahead of the crowds in order to experience the palace without the throngs of people that blanketed it yesterday, and wow, what a difference! I love wandering areas in the wee hours of the morning before the locals arise and the tourists descend, it seems to impart a more authentic feel to the place

I made it back to the apartment around 8:15, woke the girls up and we walked the twenty minutes or so to pick up our rental car, a small but comfortable manual Peugeot – a definite step up from our car on Vis that had crank windows (even though the two cranks in the front were missing); the girls were just happy there was Bluetooth.

We headed out from Split with the decision to drive through Trogir, a UNESCO heritage site as well, and see if we wanted to stop. Pulling into town, the answer was a definitive “No!” after encountering masses and masses of people.

The next stop was Primosten, and when we saw it from a ways out we thought it looked like an ideal stop.

We pulled in there it was perfect – the town was quiet, with mostly locals lounging on the beach.

After a challenging start to figuring out how pay for the parking, we walked up to the church on the top of the hill. The church was open and I was finally able to light my first candle for my dad.

The small church really held a beautiful spot and the cemetery surrounding it had spectacular views. The breeze on top of the hill was delightful and combined with the shade, made for a relaxing respite from the sun. We all just found a spot to chill out a bit before making our way back down in search of lunch.

We selected a spot right on the water. We each ordered a greek salad and split a basket of freshly baked bread which was divine.

From Primosten, we headed inland towards our destination for the night, a hotel on the outskirts of Plitvice Lakes National Park. My trusty navigator, who has rarely failed me, ended up missing the exit and before we knew it, we were looking at an additional 30 minutes as we had to go 15 minutes up the highway to exit and turn around to get back to the exit. However, when evaluating out options we opted for a route that would really take us about the same amount of time but would take us through more of the country.

Our decision paid off in spades, as we absolutely loved the drive through the countryside, getting a real feel for the country. We were clearly in an area that saw few tourists as we got some serious stares from the locals as we waved.

After a quick stop at the market to load up on snacks and lunch for our hike tomorrow, a nice dinner, followed by showers, we all called it a night.

Relaxing For A Day

I had the alarm set for 5:15 this morning but when it went off I hit the stop button and decided I was too tired to finish my blog and I would just lay there until the girl’s alarm was set to go off at 6:00 AM, at least so I thought. As I lay there, I heard the church bell ring once for the half hour at 5:30 but the next thing I knew I was hearing the bell ring just one time again. Trying to figure out why it rang only once for what I thought should be 5:45 (and remembering I had heard it ring three times previously for quarter of), I grabbed my phone only to see that it was 6:30. “Oh sh*t,” I hollered….our ferry was leaving at 7:00 and the dock was a solid 12 minute walk.

So…I am sure you can imagine what the next ten minutes were like… thank goodness we all had packed most of our things the night before because the mad dash stuffing our backpacks and trying to get out the door (literally and figuratively) was a bit of a scene!

Thankfully we made it so we arrived in Split around 8:30 and headed straight to breakfast, enjoying a lovely meal in a beautiful restaurant which had been highly recommended (even if we felt a bit out of place looking like backpackers), and it did not disappoint.

We were happy to receive an email from our apartment that it would be ready to check in at 10:30 instead of the 3:00 they had originally told me. Today was another very hot day and we were happy to relax in the AC for  a bit before venturing out. The apartment, as I had researched, was in a perfect location, right on the edge of the ancient Diocletian’s Palace. The “palace” (resembling more a fortress) was built for the aforementioned Roman emperor at the turn of the 4th century as his retirement residence and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

Making our way out, the streets were packed with tourists and really made it difficult to enjoy much. We did manage to get off the beaten path a bit and make our way into the absolute maze of passages that make up the area but all the people were a bit overwhelming.

We opted to stop for a cold drink and a lite bite for the girls before we decided that crowds and heat weren’t worth the frustrations so we returned to the apartment where both girls fell fast asleep for a few hours.

By the time they woke, it was a few minutes before our dinner reservation, but they insisted on making it, so I went ahead and checked us in before they were quick to follow.

Our meal at Portofino was excellent! The girls split a goat cheese salad and I began with a monkfish carpaccio that was to die for. This was followed by a shrimp and crab risotto for me, and a shared bowl of fettuccini with lobster and truffle for the ladies. We were too stuffed for desert but I know we would have enjoyed it as well.

Following dinner, Noella returned to the apartment to go to bed early while Jenny and I walked along the Riva, checking out the mega – mega yachts and back to the apartment winding our way though the streets just talking. 

Today was a less busy day than the others, but we have plenty of hectic days ahead of us, so a more relaxed day was just fine by us.

Mama Mia x 2

Today was a no agenda day – we had tossed around some ideas last night but decided we would let the day unfold with no set plans and with the ability for everyone to sleep in with no alarms going off. I actually slept until 8:15 and the girls until about 10:00 – a win because I knew they both needed sleep!

I sat out on the balcony watching an older gentleman for a while, who was sitting down by the shore packing sardines into tin cans, carefully alternating layers between fish and salt. He was so absolutely methodical in his actions that it was something he had clearly spent most of his years doing.

We discussed breakfast but decided against it and opted for smoothies instead and hiring a rental car so we could see the island’s interior and the other main town of Komiza. 

The morning was hot, and we quickly realized that walking around the other village might not be so fun. We decided we would first go to a beach and cool off for a bit, then go to Komiza for a late snack when, hopefully, the wind had time to pick up and the sun had time to lay down. We picked up a little manual Fiat for a six hour rental and headed up (and I mean up) and over the hills.

The scenery was beautiful as we passed vineyard after vineyard with olive groves dispersed throughout. The total population of Vis Island is about 3600, evident on our drive – we were all so surprised with how few homes we came across and just how remote everything was. 

The rental agency had suggested a few beaches that we could access that were not too far off the tarmac as we were not allowed to take the car on the dirt roads. It was funny because I had to pay cash for the rental but I told them, we always use our credit cards for the insurance in case anything happens. Their response was, “Well, if anything happens, we will give you back your cash and then we will charge your credit card so you will have the insurance to cover the damage.” Hmmm… but I trusted them – the owner was the same guy I rented the apartment and chartered the boat through. 

The beach we chose was the other sandy bottom beach on the island, Stončica. We parked as close as we could get and then made the five or so minute hike down to the isolated cove. There was a small restaurant there, a few families, and less than a half dozen boats moored – perfect! The water was the warmest we had experienced thus far, maybe because it was pretty shallow for quite a ways out but it still gave relief from the blazing hot sun. 

After an hour or so, we decided to move on to Komiza which is a less touristed town as there is no ferry port there. The day was still hot but seemed to be even more so on this side of the island. We walked down to the shore and a bit along the sea until we spotted a restaurant right on the water that looked like it was a nice spot for a drink. As soon as we walked in, I recognized the location from an article I had read about the filming locales on Vis – it was another scene from Mama Mia 2 (the arch where they dine overlooking the water).

The waiter could not have been nicer, welcoming us and wanting to know where we were from. When we told him the US, he said he had just had a table of Texans in and he went and retrieved a small lapel pin they had given him that was the shape of Texas decorated with their flag. I explained to him the meaning of the flag and their motto of being the “Lone Star State,” and he responded the Texan flag looks like the Chilean flag – no doubt it does!

The view from taverna Konoba Jastozera was fantastic, the location perfect, and our lunch was delicious – a plate of various seafoods, including sardines and anchovies (we could handle the sardines but the anchovies were a no go), as well as a platter of grilled calamari and eggplant.

And a few extra photos from our brief walk around Komiza:

We drove back to town, refilled the tank with a few liters of gas and made our way back to the apartment where we relaxed for a bit before readying ourselves for dinner.

Dinner was at a lively taverna where we sat outside under a sprawling lemon tree. Since we had had such a late lunch we opted for dinner at 8:00 and to split a few items, including grandpa’s shrimp (I couldn’t resist trying his recipe, I thought it so sweet) and a whole grilled fish. The waiter brought a platter with a choice of three different fish in various sizes. We settled on the red scorpion fish and a side salad of cucumber, tomato, olives and creamy feta. Our meal was excellent and sweet Noella surprised us by insisting on picking up the tab.

The decision was made to bring our evening to a close with a cone of gelato while strolling along the water to the ferry port and back. We remarked how many people were still out, now after 11:00, including many younger people seemingly without parents – the relaxed lifestyle that comes with living on an island and everyone knowing everyone…so very nice.

A Mama Mia Day

I was up before my alarm went off this morning, but in all honesty, not by much. The morning was another glorious one but a bit hectic trying to get my blog done from last night (I just could not keep my eyes open), to making sure we arrived on time for our boat charter today. I figured since we were on an island, and I had read about some really cool coves, beaches and caves to go to, we would hire a boat as most of the places are not accessible by car or foot and the ones that are, are doubly crowded (and I think you all know how I feel about crowds now). This was a bit of an expense, but worthwhile I had hoped and for really not that much more money than joining a group tour, we could have our own private boat which meant we could stay someplace as long as we like, get the shade if we wanted, sit wherever we wanted etc. – all things I did not feel like fighting for.

We showed up at 9:00 on the dot and met our captain for the day – a cute, 25-year old named Ivan (pronounced like Yvonne). Ivan’s English was understandable and he was eager to let me know that everything we did would be up to us – exactly what I was after. We discussed the planned stops and then agreed that once we were there we would decide if we wanted to stay or move on; the only one that we had agreed ahead of time for sure on was the famous Blue Cave, part of the Vis Archipelago UNESCO Global Geopark created in 2019.

Our route today was a circumnavigation of Vis with a detour over to Bisevo Island where the Blue Cave is located. Our first stop was the submarine tunnel built by the Yugoslavian leader Tito during the Cold War. The tunnel is about 60 feet high and 330 feet long but was never used. It was quite a cool experience going all the way into it.

Our next stop was the small secluded bay Barjoška which was a filming location for Mama Mia 2. It looked a bit different as they brought in props for use in the movie, but either way, the cove was beautiful and it was the first stop, of many to come, where we enjoyed a brisk swim in a place we had basically to ourselves.

Next up was the Blue Cave (or Modra špilja). Because we were traveling with a local company, and not a tour operator from Split or one of the other islands, our tickets included a fast track. Ivan had originally told us he thought it would take us about 30 minutes before we could board the designated boats that are licensed to take you inside the cave, but we lucked out and basically hopped right in.

Our skipper was a funny gal, who gave us some insight into the phenomena we were about to see. From the seaside, there is a small opening that you can crawl into, there is an opening underwater and then there is the opening that is maybe five feet in diameter that allows for one small craft at a time to enter or exit with all passengers needing to duck their heads into the middle of the boat to clear the opening.

Upon first entering you immediately notice a very faint blue glow and I was thinking, “OK. This is not quite as exciting as the pictures make it seem.” But then as you turn a corner, the entire chamber of the cave is a glow in this stunning blue, so much so that Jenny turned to me and said, “Do they have lights on underneath the water there?” And in honesty, if I had not read about this place ahead of time, I would have said it certainly looked like it.

The interior of the cave would be close to pitch black except for that underwater entrance I mentioned earlier. Because the water is so clear, the sunlight can penetrate far down allowing for a reflection of the white sandy bottom to come back up and then cast a radiant blue glow up out of the water back into the darkened chamber. The whole process and result was quite fantastic.

The trip through was quick, like really quick, and for 18 Euros a person it felt a bit like a rip off, even Ivan could not believe the price, but, it was stunning, and I had never seen anything like it before so it made it all worthwhile.

From here we headed to another cove for more swimming but this little cove was again, like nothing I have ever seen. As we motored in, I could see only one other boat tied up to the steep limestone wall and I thought well this is pretty but… Ivan said it got better for which I was confused because it appeared as though the small cove ended.

However, as we got closer, we could see it rounded the bend for another 40 feet or so – absolutely stunning! It was just us and the one other vessel but they had all swam before we got there so we had the water all to ourselves! It was simply gorgeous!

We lingered here, swimming and sunning for quite some time as the place was just too beautiful to move on from, before making our way to the next stop, another cave known as the Green Cave, but first we stopped at a few smaller ones:

Our timing arriving at the Green Cave was perfect as there were two boats full of people that were just leaving so were had the place to ourselves. Unlike the blue cave, the green cave we could swim into. What makes this cave so unique is the two-foot diameter hole in the top that shines a beam of light down into the water. The green comes from the algae that grows on the rocks on the ceiling and under the water. The experience of floating in the beam of light was a bit surreal, reminding me a bit of the movie “Cocoon.” Unfortunately, I could not safely bring my phone in here so this is one of those experiences delegated to our memories.

After so much swimming, we were ready for lunch so Ivan took us to a beautiful bay near the village of Rukavac, that had a charming restaurant overlooking the beach. We enjoyed smoked swordfish and smoked tuna carpaccio, along with a few salads, a fish sandwich, and a couple of drinks. I laughed when we docked and I asked Ivan where we would find the boat and he replied not to worry, “I will be in the bar…” At first I thought he was kidding so I joked, “Having some drinks, huh?” He replied in all sincerity, “Just one cold beer,” which I gladly bought him.

The next stop we were uninterested in making once we pulled up to it. A 2016 article in the British Daily Mail proclaimed Stiniva Beach, the most beautiful beach in Europe, and the word is definitely out. The place was packed full of boats – ridiculously so. Having seen the pictures I knew it is beautiful but the scene was too much and after having enjoyed so many quiet, peaceful locations, this was an affront to our experiences thus far.

So the last stop on our trip was Ivan’s favorite beach and one that was different from all the others as this was a sandy bottom beach – one of only two on the whole island. Smokova Beach was beautiful, only accessible by boat or a thirty minute hike down from the road, so there was only a handful of other people there. It looked like a giant swimming pool but was just as chilly as all the others stops. By this time, Noella had fallen asleep so Jenny and I jumped in and swam to shore. Jenny really loves to swim, especially dunking her head under, and here since it was sand, we could swim without our water shoes on as there were no rocks for the urchins to cling too! 

Our day wrapped up with Ivan dropping us at the dock closest to our apartment and him offering to buy us a beer if we ever return to Vis.

We enjoyed dinner at a pizza restaurant and then returned to the apartment where we stayed up talking until just about midnight.

Chim Chim Cher-ee

As the sun rose this morning, so did I. The instant coffee pack I bought yesterday answered all of my questions about what 3 in 1 meant once I poured hot water over it – apparently it includes coffee, creamer and sugar all mixed in one. Even if I don’t typically enjoy a sweet coffee, there was something almost sublime about this cup – sipping it on the balcony while listening to the faint hum of an outboard buzzing through the harbor. I enjoyed a slow start, finishing up my blog, checking in with Jenny making sure they were going to make their early flight from Rome (turned out they had been up before even I was awake) and fhen firmed up our plans for tomorrow’s boat ride.

By 10:00, I thought I should take advantage of the few hours I had before Jenny and Noella arrived. I set out in the opposite direction I had gone the last few outings back towards the main center of Vis. Vis is a bit confusing in that the island is named Vis and the main town is also named Vis. And with that, you might be wondering how we ever selected Vis. It is not the most famous of the Croatian islands; Hvar instead is quickly rising to the top of the “It” list for European Islands. Vis was chosen because Jenny said she wanted a Mama Mia moment. I honestly still do not know what that means, I have never seen the movie, but apparently Mama Mia 2 was filmed on location in Vis, and Jenny wanted to live that experience, so here we are, on and in Vis.

I made my way walking along the crescent shaped harbor back towards where the ferry dock is, noticing it was already hot, much hotter than yesterday with little breeze. I wandered past beaches filled with families, past the partially excavated Roman baths behind locked gates, the monastery which was built on an ancient Roman amphitheater, into a small church (no candles to light), and through the cemetery. I found it so interesting that the graves here are all marked with photos of those that eternally lay below the highly adorned grave sites. This cemetery has to have one of the prettiest locations, out on the tip of a promontory facing back towards the mainland.

I returned the way I had come and waited out the ferry’s arrival with a peach iced tea in the shade. An hour or so later, the ginormous car ferry arrived and my two intrepid travelers arrived – exhausted as all get out; not surprising after having taken 4 flights and been in, now, 4 countries in 8 days, not to mention the nonstop partying along the way. All they wanted was sleep, until they saw how beautiful the water was and then a swim was first on the priority list.

I had lugged hard-bottomed water shoes for all three of us from home as the beaches here are not sandy, they are stone and the water is filled with black spiny sea urchins.

We quickly changed into our suits, walked around in front of our apartment and enjoyed a lovely swim in the crisp, crystal clear water. Apparently the waters revived them and they decided not to nap, to shop instead, have an early dinner and then call it a day – smart thinking!

I always love showing up to a restaurant only to be told that they do not have a reservation for us. Thank goodness I had their confirmation email and with that, their attitudes quickly shifted, The restaurant was in a lovely terraced garden and while the appetizers were delicious, the entrees did not impress. Our waitress was our entertainment as Jenny quickly pointed out that she was the happiest person on earth and should really get a job at one of the Disney parks. Noella quickly dubbed her “Mary Poppins” and I broke out in a rousing rendition of “Chim Chim Cher-we” changing the lyrics to fit the dire state of our meals, apparently doing such a good job that Jenny took a pause and had to verify those weren’t the actual lyrics (maybe I missed my calling too).

After dinner, the girls hit the bed and I took an evening stroll. The lights along the harbor were lovely but bed was soon calling me too…

Perfection Already

It seemed more than fitting to set off from Boston Logan airport for this, my last trip to The Netherlands, for the foreseeable future. It was in this same terminal, almost three years ago, we put Jenny on an airplane destined for a town she had never set foot in, a university she had never explored and an apartment she had only seen via FaceTime. That was the height of Covid- borders were closed to everyone except those who had residence status, which she did via her student visa. Walking through those doors today, a whole lot of feelings I had back then – like I couldn’t catch my breath, like my head was spinning, like I was gonna pass out – came flooding back. Putting my 17 year old on a plane to Europe, knowing that, God forbid, if something happened to her, I could not just get on the next plane and go to her was, frankly, traumatizing. I did not have residency therefore I would have to apply for an exception, deal with bureaucracy all the while the time would be ticking. Sometimes I can’t fathom I got through that, but I did..we did, and honestly, I don’t want to go through something like that ever again. So taking some breaths and reminding myself I was on my way to meet her, in Croatia first, for a celebratory trip on her graduating from university and championing her way through hardships and heartbreaks, having perseverance of the most remarkable kind and on acknowledging her missteps and her need for self reflection. This trip would close out the chapter of her time in Maastricht but first we would spend the next eight days exploring Croatia.

Unfortunately, I was traveling solo as Billy was headed to Nashville for a meeting while Jenny and her friend Noella would be arriving the day after me, following a seven-day, whirlwind tour from Ibiza to Barcelona to Rome to Croatia. Logistically, this was the only time we could do this trip due to commitments beginning in July and the need to vacate Jenny’s apartment in Maastricht so unfortunately Billy misses out on the fun, but also the work at the end!

I arrived into Split about twenty minutes too late to get the first ferry so I figured I should just take it easy until the next ferry four hours later. I walked along the waterfront, chose a restaurant from the long line of them, had two Heinekens for breakfast, then a plate of beef carpaccio and fries for lunch (plus two sparkling waters to counterbalance my two beers). I chilled for a while longer, enjoying the great people watching, before heading to the ferry port to make the final leg of my trip to our initial destination – the island of Vis, the furthest inhabited island off the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia.

By the time I arrived at our first destination, almost 24 hours later, I had already traveled by car, train, bus, plane, shuttle, ferry and finally by my own two legs. Traveling is a chore, there’s no two ways about it, but it has delivered some of my most memorable experiences, molded some of my staunchest beliefs and developed some of my greatest strengths. So like the old adage says, “no pain. no gain.” All of course worth it when one considers the fun and adventures I have had along the way!

Our apartment for the next four nights is dreamy, sitting right on the edge of the Adriatic overlooking the small harbor with a few dozen sailing vessels moored and the old town of Kut.

After getting settled I headed out to pick up a few necessities and quickly decided against dining out for dinner but opted instead for a loaf of fresh bakery bread with some prosciutto, cheese and a bottle of rosé – an old standby meal for us when traveling anywhere in Europe. And besides, the view from our little balcony just couldn’t be beat!

At one point I looked over and saw this older, local lady fishing with a hand-line – to no avail.

After dinner, I could feel myself fading fast but also itching to get out and explore more of this seemingly charming island, and I am so glad I did. The island has been inhabited since the 4th century BC but many of the buildings from the 1600s are still standing and in use, adding a warmth and feeling of coziness. I wandered along the narrow “streets”, winding this way and that, climbing up and down hand-carved steps, peering over stone walls, poking my head through dilapidated garden gates, and stopping to admire the bountiful array of flowers.

My evening concluded by watching the sun sink over the hills while licking on a deliciously simple vanilla gelato cone – absolute perfection!

What You Think You Know…

4:00 on the dot we were out the door. Jenny did a fantastic job of navigating us in the dark to the parking structure where we were meeting the car rental representative to drop the car. He had already texted he was there waiting and he couldn’t have been nicer.

We entered the airport’s designated business class check in area and when we walked up to the desk the agent asked us what airline. When we told her “Qatar,” she said “Oh you are going to Amsterdam.” When we asked her how she knew that (we were actually going to Doha then switching flights) she said we were the last people to check in even though we were there more than 1 1/2 hours before departure.

We passed through immigration where my passport got the serious once over -page by page- with the officer wanting to know how long I’d be staying in Holland (not too sure why he cared) but my answer sufficed, and I received my exit stamp.

On to security, where Jenny and I were the only ones being screened. No need to take anything out of your bag just send it through. Now…we are used to traveling with Billy, AKA “The gadget guru,” whose carryon is always so full of every sort of instrument you can imagine that 9 times out of 10, he ends up in secondary inspection with 2 of those 9 times him having to try and explain to the officer what the item that got flagged is and isn’t for; he’s even had a few things confiscated along the way. An inspection officer at Heathrow nailed it right on the head once when he told Billy, “This is what we call a very busy bag.” So, secondary inspection is a right of passage when you are traveling with Billy, but never me, until today that is.

Jenny and I watched her bag pass through, my purse pass through and then we watched my bag take the dreaded detour off the main belt. The inspector came over, with two more officers joining him and all I can think is, Oh crap, they think the bag of za’atar mix is pot. Nope.

The guy looks at me and says,” What you have danger in your bag?”

“Dangerous?…Nothing.”

“No! What you have danger?” smirking at me.

Now my heart starts beating a little and I’m thinking, was the bag ever out of my sight? My palms start getting a little sweaty and I’m thinking did this smirking agent just set me up?

“Look,” he says, turning the x-ray monitor so I can see it, “What you see danger?”

I’m looking but don’t know what to look for until Jenny confidently exclaims, “That!” as her finger points to a long thin solid object.

“Yes,” he says smiling at Jenny as though she had done a good job.

Oh shit…

I look at him and say, “it’s a butter knife.”

“Take it out your bag.”

And I start unzipping all my exterior pockets because I have no idea where it is, until I finally discover the culprit. I pull it out like King Arthur pulling Excalibur from the stone, hoping my arse is not going to end up in Omani jail.

He looks it over, I told him I used it to make snacks cause I sure as heck was not about to tell him I used it to dig a cork out of a bottle of wine. He and the other two officers start laughing and tell me, “Ok. No problem.”

Boy how I love the Omanis!

A few steps away Jenny looks at me and says, “I thought you took it out of your bag last night?”

“I did,” I assure her, “but I had grabbed a second knife because I couldn’t find what I had done with the first one…” (Well now I know)

“Mom…” is all I got in return, followed by, “I can’t wait to tell dad.” Which she promptly did by text.

The truth is I took the knives for protection, back on arrival day from the W. I know, not much a dinner knife will do but it was better than nothing in my eyes at the time with all those voices were in my head /“you are two women traveling alone in a Muslim country”; we might be the only guests at the desert camp the second night; “it’s not safe to go to the Middle East…”

BUT knowing what I know now it was ridiculous – absolutely ridiculous! The Omanis are such a kind and gentle people, actually tolerant of every religion and belief. Unlike the high tensions and strict doctrines of the Sunni and Shia muslims of countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran respectively, Omanis are practitioners of a denomination of Islam known as Ibadi, formed some 50 years after the death of Prophet Mohammad. It actually predated both the Sunni and Shia dominations in both regions. Today, Oman is the only Muslim country in the world to have a majority of the Ibadi population. Had I known them, like I know them now, I would never have felt the need to have some sort of protection, though it did come in handy for opening the wine!

There was just beginning to be enough light after takeoff to see the northern and eastern parts of Oman as twilight was gaining ground. I could see those craggy top mountains from above and they were just as awesome from above as they were from the ground.

I am one of those people on planes, that some love to hate. No matter if everyone else has their shade closed, mine is open, my cheek pushed against the pane, nose smashed down trying to see every last bit of the ground beneath me. I then cross check it with the “flight map” on my TV screen which runs the entire length of my trip so I know where I am looking, and today was no different.

Arrival in Doha was a shock. It was dark when we came through on our way to Oman so seeing it for the first time was crazy. What Doha is to Muscat; sun is to snow – they could not be more opposite. The skyscrapers, amusement parks, manufactured beaches, and outrageous villas are all the complete antithesis to Oman. Doha is flashy, Muscat is understated; Doha leaps forth from its environment, Muscat blends in. There was nothing about Doha that appealed.

Seeing the world from 37,000 really is amazing, so is the fact that we flew right over Baghdad and Mosul; something I could never have imagined doing not that long ago. What was more amazing to me were the snow covered mountains in Turkey. It took us an hour to clear them!

Once at the hotel in Amsterdam, Jenny asked me about our trip, had I really enjoyed it and would I ever want to return. She asked if it rates up there with some of our favorites like Myanmar and Peru. “No doubt,” I told her. Oman has to be the best trip we have had for person to person exchanges. The people in Myanmar were wonderfully friendly but in a different way and there was very limited exchange with them due to the language barrier. In Peru, it was the children in the mountain villages who we had the most exchanges with – their excitement and happiness needed no words. But the person to person interactions we had with the Omanis – their genuine interest in us, their enthusiasm for Jenny’s studies; their curiosity on our choice to come; their willingness and wanting to help – all unmatched by any previous travels.

Not once, did we get a bad vibe or feel like we were unwelcome – even the kid who shooed me away from my parking spot did so politely and with a smile. We never once felt disrespected for either being female or for being a westerner. We encountered nothing but genuineness, kindness and conviviality from every single person we had the true pleasure of meeting along the way.

What we thought we knew; we didn’t. What we have tagged the people and culture of an entire region, is incorrect. I, we, walk away from this trip enlightened. Oman is not the Middle East and the Middle East is not Oman but a different perspective was born from this trip, and for that we are grateful.

The Most Beautiful Town in Oman

Checking into our hotel last night, the first thing Jenny said is, “I sure hope there is no earthquake.” We have continued to read reports on the devastation from the quake that hit Turkey and Syria so it has been in the front of our minds and truthfully, I hoped so too. We were on the third floor of the building, reached by one set of stone steps carved from the mountain and a second set built by man.

I took an early morning walk this morning to move the car and see the village before the tourists arrived.

This town had been, for the most part, an abandoned village not long ago. The buildings made from stone, mud and timber in the ceilings, having fallen into disrepair, until one man, who had kept his home in a livable condition opened it to guests and before he knew it, it was full all the time. Others soon followed and now it is a mecca for both global tourists and Omanis as well.

They say that Misfah al Abriyeen is the most beautiful village in all of Oman, perched on the side of the mountain high above the wadi below with agricultural terraces descending down to the cliff’s edge. The terraces are oases in an otherwise brown and arid environment, irrigated by the falaj system that runs down and across watering the bananas, dates, mangoes, papayas, tomatoes, etc. that grow here.

We woke to a beautiful view out across the wadi and decided we would take a hike to the other side. The temperature was already rising but we figured we would have quite a bit of shade from the palms to help offset the effects of the sun.

We made our way through the old passageways, many more like tunnels, down steps carved from stone. The stone that was not frequently stepped on maintained its rough brownish color while the spots where your foot would naturally fall were worn smooth, black and slick.

Jenny told me that when she was young and had created her “town” in the woods adjacent to our home, in her mind she always pictured a place like the lush terraced gardens we were walking through. She had imagined a place that was vibrant green with tropical plant life, something our deciduous forests and snowy winters could never provide.

As we descended lower into the wadi, we happened across a group of people, one guy and three girls, with the guy clearly knowing the area. Jenny and I had paused to look across to see where the trail went when the guy told us we should go over to the other side. He said the view, looking back at Misfah, was the highlight of the area and was not to be missed. He though, had seen it many times and was sending the girls ahead to climb up the other side while he waited for them in the shade. He told us he had lived in Oman for four years now and each February has gotten subsequently hotter. It should be cold now he said (though I think cold is relative if you are in the Middle East) but it was almost 90 degrees.

Jenny and I continued on down to the wadi floor and back up the other side, happy to enter back into the shade of the palms, stopping at the falaj to fling cool water on ourselves and rub down our exposed arms. Once we got high enough, we could see Misfah and we both agreed the guy was spot on – the view was great!

We contemplated going up higher and meeting up with the road to return to town but the amount of sun exposure that way seemed too great so we chose to return the way we came, and really going back up all those steps we had come down was not so difficult especially since we had lots of shade.

After checking out, Jenny and I decided to try and grab something more to fill our bellies as breakfast at our hotel was slim pickings. There was a coffee shop on the very top of one of the buildings, maybe six stories up so we hoofed it up there (me with my twenty five pound pack on) laughing along the way at the signs they had posted on each floor (Ready to start the challenge? was floor one; Yeah, we know, but you are almost there was a floor somewhere in the middle; If you made it up here, consider yourself fit! was of course the top floor). Once on top, we found a charming spot, with a decent breeze but food was basically a choice of pre-packaged potato chips or slices of cake. Oh what the heck, we earned those calories so a frappe and a slice of cake it was – both of which were delicious along with the view and the donkeys braying down below for entertainment, it made a nice break!

After leaving Misfah, we headed to Al Hamra, this also an abandoned mud village, also slowly being brought back to life. Thing was there were two parts to Al Hamra, the old quarter and a totally new area but Google maps didn’t differentiate. We took a turn trying to find our way there when we ended up stopping to look at the map. A man walking towards us was watching us clearly trying to decide if we needed assistance. I rolled the window down and greeted him. He asked if he could help us and I told him we were looking for Al Hamra. He seemed puzzled and said we had found it. But then I explained we were looking for the mud village and he quickly understood. He told us just to keep going but first he wanted to know where we were from. “America,” I announced. “Oh? The United States of America,” he replied, stunning both Jenny and me. “Yes,” I confirmed. “The good ole US of A.” He told us he has a good friend that lives in California, hence, I am sure, why he referred to that way. “Welcome to Oman. The roads are all connected here. You won’t have a problem. Good Luck.”

We drove along until we came to the village but saw what looked like a viewpoint across the way so we continued on to there. We parked the car and headed across the street to get a better look.

Behind a small square building there was a tarp folded up with a cement block holding it down, sitting on top of the tarp was a scrawny maimed kitten that began meowing in a raspy voice when it saw us. Jenny immediately jumped into action picking up bottle caps and filling them with water. The kitten, crazed with thirst, barely let Jenny fill the the tops with the water it was obviously desperate for. I am not sure how many top-fulls it drank but I think at least 10. Jenny, the girl with the big heart, was pleased as punch that she could help the poor thing.

We drove back to the village and took a quick look around but it was hot and there was no breeze; we also still had a 2 1/2 hour drive in front us to return to Muscat and it was already 2:30.

The drive back was beautiful, if you like mountains, which we do, so we really enjoyed it. I do not think I have ever seen so many shades of brown at one time and so much variation in the topography of mountains.

As the amount of traffic on the road grew, so did the level of craziness of the drivers. Mix that in with the highway only being two lanes with heavily loaded trucks blocking up one of them, and it being under major construction with constantly shifting lanes and my defensive driving skills were kicked into high gear – poor Jenny white knuckled more than a few times but I appreciated her turning to me after a few close calls and saying, “Mom, you are a really good driver.”

As good a driver as I am, Jenny is as good a navigator and while driving in Oman certainly presented itself with some demanding situations, so did trying to navigate with Google Maps. And as much as some of the road conditions presented me with many challenges, so were there for Jenny in the sense that Google Maps had not kept up with the construction of new highways in Oman, especially in and around Muscat. More than once, we followed the GPS when road signs were pointing elsewhere and Jenny would say, “That highway isn’t even on the map!” And so it was coming in to Muscat to get to our hotel. The road to it wasn’t on the GPS – we could see it; we passed it pointing at it. “There it is” but the GPS failed us. In the end, it turned out OK as we drove right through Muscat Cricket Club and they happened to be playing a game. It would have been fun to watch for a bit, but other things called.

We finally got to the hotel, entering through the exit – the guardsman laughing at/with us, “No problem. Welcome!” he said. We pulled into the parking lot and Jenny excitedly pointed and said, “Oh my God, Look!” pointing at all the cars lined up with the “Tour of Oman” placards displayed on the sides of the cars and the designations of “Press,” “Doctor,” “Television,” etc.

The Tour of Oman is the Middle East’s Tour de France. Crazy thing is I had just been asking Nasser about this a few days ago (though he knew very little about it) and telling Jenny on our way up to Jabal Akhdar that The Tour usually climbs that road. Billy LOVES the bike racing, my father got him hooked, and Jenny just couldn’t wait to text him pictures.

Jenny and I were prepared to ask for autographs if we saw any of the riders but alas, we never did. It would have been so fun if we could have brought something back from it for Billy!

We had thought about maybe going out our last night, but that thought quickly dissipated when we gave thought to traffic, darkness, GPS challenges and a 3:30 AM alarm. Instead we decided to have hot showers and dinner at the hotel. I was excited to learn I could even order a proper glass of wine, as most of the trip was a dry one, except last night when I broke down and used a butter knife to dig the cork out of a bottle of wine I had been carrying with me since I bought it at the Duty Free in Doha on our stopover. My husband referred to me as McGyver, I might say it was desperation, either way it tasted damn good!

As we were about to leave the room, I heard The Call to Prayer, a now familiar, but no less intriguing sound. Jenny, who was facetiming with her boyfriend Seb, put him “on hold” so to speak, threw open the sliders and asked both of us not to say a word, so she could “hear it, just one more time…”