Trogir - Zadar

Cheese sampling -  Trogir

That rain last night did turn into a torrential downpour - complete with large chunks of hail. Luckily we were tucked up safe and dry inside a cute restaurant stuffing our faces with more cheese and pasta.



As we emerged out into the windy streets it became obvious that areas of the old city of Trogir have serious drainage issues.
A novelty for us to have to whip off our shoes in order to wade through the aftermath and make it to the cake shop - but the local business people looked frustrated and a bit helpless at the pools of water creeping into their doorways - sodden outdoor dining areas left abandoned and dripping.

Nut and caramel cake

 

Love the markets

Markets - Trogir

Seems to be a common thing - on our morning rituals to hunt out our health fuelled breakies of coffees and croissants, we inevitably come across the commotion of a local market bursting with colour and produce.

I guess the fruit balances out the pastry.
Maybe.

Church in Krka park

Krka NP

Todays mission was a visit to the Krka National Park on route to our destination of Zadar. The parks landscape is defined by beautiful waterfalls and we enjoyed a cruisey wander along the boardwalks through loads of different flora and fauna - didn't spot any bears, snakes or otters though. Must be feeling shy today.

Country roading it

As we crept further north it was awesome to end up on real country roads for a change. The landscape changed, the dominating cliffs and mountains that have been a constant receded further into the background and the land flattened out, vast fields now sprinkled with hues of gold and yellow. And olive trees of course. The rural villages were lined with crumbling stones houses, and we finally spotted a bit of livestock! The friendly wee fellas emerged one by one from their barn to get their photos taken. True professionals.

A whole day hanging in Zadar tomorrow.

Love x

Seafood and eat it

Dinner by the blue

Wednesday 25th -
Writing this now instead of out there exploring because its pississssing down - thunder is rumbling off in the distance and although its only 2pm, its dark and grey out. Is that hail? Just massive drops of the wet stuff.

Can't really complain though as we've had some pretty boomer weather days - hot and just humid enough to stick your top to your back and make you crave that cool glass of rosė with lunch. All to aware that holidays must come to an end eventually so making the most of it :)

Spent our last day in Dubrovnik lazing by our wee local beach, a different set of huge cruise liners berthed in the port this time.
The water is invitingly warm.
And again, not to sound like a broken record, but we have been eating like Queens and feeling very grateful for it. Fish is too hard to pass up being so near the sea at most of our destinations - so menus always offer a big selection - anything from sea bass, black cuttlefish risottos, oysters, shellfish and fish platters to share, oysters, grilled fish, sardines, octopus, squiddly diddly, crab, yellow tail, mackerel, did I mention oysters....

Love Boat

burr burrrrr ANOTHER ridiculous view to eat beside - Dubrovnik

Our accommodation in Korčula

                                                                             
Tuesday it's goodbye to Dubrovnik, have car, will travel - my god stunning, past the numerous oyster and mussel farms of Mali Ston, and mountains towering above in places and then flattening out to reveal olive groves and vineyards galore.
A short ferry ride across to the 6th largest Adriatic island of Korčula, said to be the birthplace of Marco Polo.

It's another picturesque wee town knotted with marble streets, alleyways and blooming hydrangeas. According to the LP the town has a fascinating fishbone layout that was cleverly designed for the comfort and safety of the inhabitants from the strong westerly and northeasterly winds. Clever duckies. Picture perfect in places.

Korčula

 

Korčula   

We really enjoyed sampling a lunch time Dalmatian platter of salted and marinated anchovies, olives, local edible 'seaweed' samphire, capers, fig jam and finally the infamous Pag cheese we were curious about - made so delicious thanks to the sheep that free range off the barren land of Pag, grazing on salty herbs and plants and voila, the flavour is in their milk. Very tasty indeed.

Tucked away in a street of Korčula

Promenade of Split

Lunch by the blue - Korčula

This blue, I tell ya. Korčula

Our room overlooking the marina in Korčula

Anitas store in Split

So an early start this morning to make it back to the mainland, first stop Split.
Thats if Ms GPS Gloria can help us to find Split?
We somehow ended up on a back country, one-way dirt road wedged amongst vineyards and feeling most dubious, suspecting that Gloria had put us wrong.
Saw a local.
Is this the way to Split we asked hopefully
Ah, no.
Signalled the universal sign for turn around and go back from where you came ladies.
So we turned around.
He lead us back out to the main road. Bless.
Thanks Gloria.



Gotta say, its probably our least favourite place to date this Split hoopala. Sure, we may of got lost once more and ended up on a highway to god only knows where, and yep, got some attitude from the rude parking man - but all that aside, this second largest city in Croatia felt a bit nahyea. To be fair, we popped in to the heart of the city, ate a sandwich and decided to pop on out again. Lots of other tourists and just not feeling it much today. So maybe under different circumstances....it may deserve a better chance.


We are now in Trogir for the night - and if the rain decides to ease off, we will venture in (I mean, we have to eat) - its meant to be another gorgeous, tiny place set within medieval walls.

I'm still on the hunt for some cake to write about.

Until next time.

Love us
X

From Brač back to the mainland

Pooch on board - Bol

Thursday 19th June -
We took a ferry trip from Brač to the nearby island of Hvar - a small bay town surrounded by 13th century walls and an important base for commanding trade up and down the Adriatic across to Italy and throughout the wider Adriatic. According to the Lonely Planet, it apparently appeals to 'well-heeled' guests, so it was nice for a day visit... but even nicer to get back to Bol. We're feeling quite at home in our wee seaside village, full of stone houses and winding streets.

 

View of Hvar from the fortress         

Hvar

Friday 20th June -
Awoke to sun.
Finally were able to enjoy some time on the ole Zlatni Rat - filled with smooth white peebles and other tourists. The sea was refreshing after being kissed by the sun.











Everywhere we go, there is the constant backdrop of the mainland -  this almighty craggy mountain range that tumbles down to the coast which is pierced with white stone buildings and orange tiled roofs.
It's pretty breathtaking.
And the freedom of a car = awesome.
By late afternoon we headed to the other side of the island, back to my nanas village of Postira to meet more rellies - Pavo (Paul) and Evelyn. I see Pavo has our bad sense of humour. But he made us a home cooked dinner and Evelyn supplied us with maps and info galore, they have both travelled Croatia so was great to get some tips. They also travel abroad a lot these two. Come to NZ I said. Too far they replied...
I guess we kiwis are used to going far - because we kinda have to if we want to go anywhere... far... you know what I mean...

Pavo and Evelyn

On route to dinner in Postira - this is our trusty wagon! And an olive tree!

Markarska

Markarska

Saturday 20th June -
So it's goodbye to Bol, Postira, Donji Humac, family roots, the island of Brač.


We downed our strong coffees, stocked up on a bit of the local olive oil and drove to Sumartin to catch a ferry back to the mainland.





This time we docked at the pretty port town of Markarska - a spot favoured by tourists from neighbouring Bosnia and Hercegovina, and more importantly Jays rellies home town.

A wedding in the old city of Dubrovnik

Desert. Note the smurf.

About a 2/12 hour picturesque drive south along the coast saw us arrive at Dubrovnik - the most prosperous, elegant and expensive city in Croatia.
Greeted with a couple of huge cruise liners heaving with tourists, belting out the theme to the Love Boat :)

We are staying just outside of the tourist-jammed old city in a place called Lapad - but hot diggidty dam, we have never laid eyes on a more gloriously god dam gorgeous old city than this.
We joke how ugly it is here, as we walk around in wide eyed, open mouthed awe - caught each other doing so, so amped it up a notch. Or three.

And as ya do when you're in an old city on the other side of the world, bumped into someone from work, ha!

We saw an angel in the old city

Sunday 22nd June -
The old city walls and forts, built between the 13th and 16th centuries, are Dubrovniks main claim to fame. We hit them early (hit the wall one could say) so as to avoid A) the heat of the day and B) the hordes the hordes. Can only imagine how bonkers it gets here in July- Sept - word is they may even have to limit visitor numbers to the town during the peak season as the main thoroughfares can get impossibly crowded.

The 2km walk of the city walls offers stunning views over the town and sea. I clogged my camera with photos of roofs for crying out loud. Ridiculously enticing angles and views everywhere you look.
And an overflow of stray kitty cats.

 Neats has been getting her fill of Ston oysters, (cultivated in the bay of Mali Ston, whose sea is considered to be the cleanest and clearest in the wooooooorld) because they are ridiculously cheap compared to back home.
I'm on the look-out for cake.
No surprises there.

And hello! Theres that colleague from work again. How small is this city?! Of all the cities...

A somewhat sobering yet powerful visit to an exhibition down in the city at the War Photo museum. It declares its intention to 'expose the myth of war...on how war inflicts injustices on innocents and combatants alike'. Achieved. Tissues required even.
Theres a permanent exhibition on the war in former Yugoslavia, and a current intense exhibition on the Syrian war.

Up on the old city walls - Dubrovnik. Game of Throoooooooooones dun dun duuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Dubrovnik 

With Evelyn and Pavo - dads cuzzie wuzzie

As you can imagine theres still a bit to see and do of this country. We head off again in a few days time - a bit of an island hop and then north to sample the delights up that way - we are on the hunt for lobster and truffles because when in Croatia...and its our birthdays soon after all :)

Hope all is well and happy back home

Love us

xxx

Our evolving schedule to date x

Donji Humac

The Adriatic - Bol

The place we are staying at in Bol is owned by a guy named Marinko. Ha!

Zuke, Neats and I met with more of the Marinkovich family in the village our grandfather grew up in - which is one of the oldest settlements on Brač, Donji Humac.

Zuke, Dario, Don, Jakša

Unfortunately I completely forgot to take a pic or copy of Zukes family tree, but we met the brothers Jakša and Dario from Antes side of the family is that right dad? Jakša speaksa da english (he and wife Ingrid and kids lived in Oz for a while), and they live in the old house. He's all over the family history of the area so it was a crash course in Marinkovich ancestry - aided by the petrol strong walnut liquor Jakša makes and poured for us to sample. Please, nobody breathe around any naked flames.

Marinkydinkys represent

After Jakšas fairly convincing and lengthy discussion on the superior taste of Brač lamb - it's killed younger, cooks better in small pieces, not so strong etc etc, a call was placed to the local restaurant Konoba Kopacina to ensure our meal was ready when we turned up.



It's literally a 1 minute walk from the house, and on the way we stopped to listen to the dulcet tones of the local choir (klapa) practicing -  in silence we stood on the stairs as the sound of angels floated down to meet us. They sing the traditional folk songs which have always been an integral part of the lives of the Dalmatian people. Anita and I joked they could always come and serenade us at dinner, that'd be nice cheers.

So with Marinkdinky hill in the distance, surrounded by grape vines and locals, we walked in to the restaurant (which once housed the old school our papa went to), passing our lamb sizzling on the spit.

We shared the most delicious rustic meal of lamb cutlets (Jakša was right), crispy jacket potatoes smothered in the local olive oil, crunched on whole spring onions dally styles, and a fresh green salad. And wine, this time mixed with a dash of water which just loosened it up perfectly.

And guess what. The klapa group turned up. They sat down at the table next to us, a group of 6 local boys in their 20's sat down and sang. It will forever be one of our most memorable evenings.

Not sure if this wee sample of klapa will work

When we stood outside the church on our way home, the bells rang out.
This is one very special place

The bells are ringing!

And just incase you're wondering...
'Hey Neats are you bored with all this Marinkydinky stuff?'
'Oh God no. It's been awesome, I'm enjoying it.'

After all she's been around dallys all her life. Not to mention married to one, aye Jay. X