Day 02 - Tuesday

Still on the plane, I watched "What Happens in Vegas", (Cameron Diaz is hot, ouch) and off to bed for a hour or more.  Only to be awakened with more food, continental breakfast.  Oh well.

0900 CEDT - which will be the time for our whole trip, whether in Croatia or France.  Here we sit in Munich, 30 minutes early, and an hour to wait before we head to Split.  The sky is bright, sunny, and blue.  Ends up we wait an additional hour since some fool did not show up at the gate for the flight and so the luggage had to be removed.  We flew over mountains on one side, and could see the Adriatic on the other.  In Split, we were met at the airport by a young man with a sign that read "Lisa", who drove us to our apartment where we arrived around 1330.  Here we were greeted by Slatko who owns the apartment.  After that, we both crashed!  Very very tired.

1800 - Awoke from our naps and went for a wander.  Down along the beach, many people, couples, families, young and old swimming (it's 31 and hot, and it's been so for the past 2 weeks here).  We stopped around the wharf where the various large car and passenger ferries dock, just short of the old city, the Diocletian Palace (more on that we we get there).  Bank machined, turned around, got some groceries, then off to a restaurant on the beach (outdoors amongst very large tall tress) called the Šumica (Šuma, pronounced Shoo'-ma) is "woods" in Hrvatski.  Very nice, very warm, no bugs.  We had salads (radič), a meat plate with veal and lamb kabob and chicken and two types of sausages and mom's greasy potatoes (and ice cream for dessert).  Way too much food.  That and a bottle of wine... 209 Kuna plus 25% tax plus tip for a total of 300 Kuna or $60 - wow.  The wine was from Bosnia-Herzegovina and called Vranac.  Fruity, light bodied, not much structured, easy to drink and very tasty.  I did fairly well at the grocery store and dinner ordering and speaking Hrvatski.  I apologized to both for my poor "english" but they said  it was just fine.  Pictures to follow very soon as quickly as I can get a good safe connection on this laptop...

 

Day 03 - Wednesday

We explored today, walked for about 4 to 5 hours, downtown, around the Diocletian Palace (UNESCO heritage site) and beyond.  Stopped several times, for a pivo (pee'-vo) (beer) (10 Kuna each ($2CDN), pizza (35 Kuna each) (my first choice was tripe but they were already out of it for the day - darn), and terrific lemon ice cream.  I love the whipped sherbet style of ice cream over here, I remember it from my trip to Jugoslavia 40 years ago.  It was hot.  At least 33C. 

The view, the vista from the other side of town looking at the palace, postcard like.  Water in the foreground, then the palace, and the mountains in the background.  I hope some of my photos do it justice. 

When we returned home, we go on our suits and took a 5 minute walk down to the shore for a swim.  Cool at first, but once you're in, wow.  The beaches here (and in southern France) are not like Cuba or back home.  Many are rock beaches, small pebbles in stead of sand.  And in the water were softball and larger sized stones.  Really cooled us off.  Returned to the apartment, cool and feeling good.  Lisa is reading, drinking wine, I am typing, drinking Coke Zero.  It is 730pm and dusk, almost dark. 

Dinner at Boban tonight, 500 freakin' Kuna.  Actually, when you break it down, very reasonable.  Nice wine from the island of Hvar, Lisa had fillet mignon in truffle sauce, and I had the best calamari (local catch) that I've ever had.  I had with plead the waiter to bring me ketchup, he said "ne moj".  Couldn't decide between cucumber or cabbage salad so I had 50/50, in oil and vinegar, just like my mom makes it.  What a night, as we walk home near midnight, it must still be over 20 if not 25C.