Our Trip to Croatia

June 18-30, 2014

Penelope and Vincent Bowen

When Sophia was twelve I took her on a trip to Costa Rica. Last year Vincent informed me that since he would be eleven and a half - almost twelve that he thought this would be a good year for us to travel. Since our schedules seemed to work out I agreed. I then gave him the catalogue from Road Scholar with their intergenerational trips with the choices I would enjoy circled. After some discussion and thought Vincent chose to go on the Adventure on the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia. It was titled "Pirates and Peaks" but I think what appealed to him was the soccer match with a local team. So we signed up and spent the next eight months learning about Croatia, getting our supplies in order and anticipating a great trip.

Monday 6/16 I flew to Colorado Springs and spent Tuesday with the family helping Vincent do his final packing. Wednesday morning July 18 We went to the CS airport expecting to fly to Chicago and then to Frankfurt and then to Split in Croatia, arriving Thursday afternoon. (Croatia is 8 hours ahead of Colorado) But there was storm in Chicago and the flight was canceled. We spent an hour with the agent trying to reschedule the flight but it was very difficult because of connections and full plans. Eventually I suggested we fly back to San Francisco and pick up a direct flight to Frankfurt. There we would have to take the afternoon flight to Split because the morning flight was full. But at least on Friday there were two flights to Split - the other days there was only one. So Vincent and I called his mother who came and picked us up and we spent the night in Colorado Springs. Vincent was a very good sport about this first learning experience of international travel. What I learned from this experience was #1 avoid Chicago in transit if at all possible and #2 never fly an international or major flight out of Colorado Springs, they are too small with two few flight choices. They are only good for simple direct flights even though they are more expensive.

Thursday 6/19 We left Colorado Springs early in the morning, flew to San Francisco where we boarded a direct flight to Frankfurt. We had good seats next to each other because the gate agent moved some people around. Vincent was excited by the size of the plane and we had good seats for watching the movies, which he did for most of the trip, not sleeping as much as I did. We even had a pretty good meal. So some ten hours later we arrived in Frankfurt. We tried the earlier Split plane but it was full so we hung out in the airport, Vincent slept heavily for a few hours while I sat guard until we boarded, arriving at Split around 6PM. We got our suitcases and went through customs and then out into the lobby and were absolutely delighted to see a man holding up a "Road Scholar" sign. We had arrived and our trials were over (or so we thought - wait until you hear about our flights home!)

Friday 6/20 The man who picked us up was Daniel's father. Daniel was our tour guide and he and his father own the tour and bus company that took care of us on this trip. Daniel's father didn't speak much English but we managed to understand a few things as we drove down the beautiful coast to Makarska. We were met at our Hotel Dalmatija by tour guide Tamara who was very welcoming. After she checked us in she suggested we get some dinner, which we knew we needed despite being so tired. Fortunately it was a buffet so we went in to eat where we met a few of the other members of the group. They were most welcoming and I already knew one of the grandmothers, she was on the Costa Rica trip two years ago when I was there with Sophia. We discussed a bit of what they had done for the day and Vincent was happy about one thing. Earlier in the day he had finally looked at the schedule to see what he was missing by arriving a day and a half late and he was sorry to see he was missing the soccer match. Turned out that the match was postponed until next week. So off we went to bed, happy to be here, nice hotel, lovely room on the eighth floor with a wonderful view and comfortable beds. Good night's sleep!!

Saturday 6/21 We both felt better after a good night's sleep so down we went for breakfast. We soon found that the hotel's two very small elevators were very slow so we quickly learned to walk down from the eighth floor which was really ten levels and we often walked up as well, good exercise. The breakfast in the hotel was buffet and had almost anything you wanted. I usually had cereal, yogurt, and fruit. Vincent had pastry, fruit, and yogurt. This morning several of the kids came up and introduced themselves to Vincent, what a sweet and welcoming thing to do. By the end of the day we both felt very much a part of the group. It took us a few days to learn everyone's name and relationships. We are a group of 12 grandparents and 12 grandchildren. Our two excellent leaders are Daniel and Tamara, both very good English speaks and very good with the children. They taught the kids a lot and participated in all of the activities and Daniel always had enough energy left to roughhouse with the kids while swimming in the sea and to play soccer in the park after dinner. Our group is: Penelope and Vincent, Sara with Eli, Ruth with Lily, Jim & Gwen with cousins Grant and Micah, Lesly & Mitch with Josh, Barry with Lukas, Marj withy Jack, April with cousins Haywood and Max, Frank & Carolyn with Korel and Cassidy, nine boys and three girls all around 11 or 12. All but one love soccer and played it and watched the world cup together almost every day, staying up late in the bar to do so!

After breakfast we drove to an area in the Zagora Region to a place on the Cetina River where we would start our River Rafting trip. We were suited up with life jackets and helmets and seven of us were assigned to our guide Nikola. We had a lot of fun and it was a lot of work. Yes we got soaking wet as we went through a waterfall and through narrow rapids. At one point we had to stop and walk around a rough area while our guide took the boat alone through the narrow drop. Before we left the kids were invited to jump off the cliff into to the river. Vincent did it six times! I didn't post those photos on Facebook choosing to show them to the parents after we were home. I am guessing that we were on the river for about an hour and we really enjoyed our guide. He told us a bit about the economy of Croatia - it is primarily based on tourism so he works as a guide for the season of about May through October, working every day seven days a week all day. Then during the winter months he lives with his parents on the family farm and helps them there. There is very little work outside of tourism-based activities. Croatia is trying to develop other industries but not much so far. There is a power plant on the Cetina River and they are considering more in order to be able to sell power to other countries but borders do create problems. We heard this same story from other guides. Our guide, Daniel has a Mechanical Engineer degree but cannot find work in that field so he is working with his father’s bus and tour company. He used his math interests to give the kids a math problem every day that they had to solve on their bus ride! They enjoyed the puzzle! After rafting we drove to our lunch spot, which was nearby - about 10 miles from Omis. The drive up the mountain was very narrow, a car width wide and the bus was very close to the building walls. The village was 300-400 years old, not having been destroyed in the 1991 war. We arrived at our Flintstone Style Restaurant. The restaurant was dug into a mountain of rock so inside it had rock walls on three sides and above and below. They had a lot of Flintstone style artifacts there, which the kids enjoyed. We had a very good lunch, a traditional style stew of some type. After lunch we drove back to Makarsha where the buses dropped us off at the harbor and we walked back to our hotel discovering a bit of the center of town. I mentioned buses; we had two buses, one larger one holding about 20 passengers and a smaller van holding about 10. The kids all took over the bigger bus and most of the adults were in the smaller van, but it was too crowed for all of us so 4-5 of us rode with the kids. I preferred the bigger bus because it was more comfortable on my back and the kids’ noise didn't bother me - it was rather fun to see what they were up to! We arrived at the hotel and actually had time to clean up before dinner. Vincent and I bought some beach towels, we needed our own so I was going to buy some cheap ones and not bring them home but some family had bought these towels designed with Croatia on them so they made good souvenirs to take home. Dinner each night throughout the trip was a buffet between 7 and 9. We had a reserved table at both hotels so we did not have to be in a hurry to get a table and it was a rather relaxed and enjoyable affair. The kids ended up sitting together and they enjoyed that. The second hotel was a bit better and higher class but this hotel food was fine too. We had a variety of choices some Croatia style food but mainly a standard Western fare. We had lots of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as lettuce and tomatoes, all safe to eat and that was a treat. After dinner this night was the start of a trend - Vincent came and asked me if he could go with some kids to the park to play soccer. I was too tired to go with him so I said "no" but other kids wanted to go and other grandparents didn't want to go and eventually a very kind grandfather said he would go and make sure they were all safe and returned home by 9:00. Eventually after I did go to the park one afternoon, and the beach another it was much easier to let the kids go off of their own. It was a great experience because they met local kids who came specifically to play soccer with them every evening, a bit of summer intercultural fun.

Sunday 6/22 Today we visited the seven Bacina Lakes. They located near the port city of Ploce, about half way between Markarska and Dubrovnik. We were divided between two wooden boats and spent some time motoring the lakes, it was beautiful. We were surrounded by mountains and unspoiled nature. Six of the lakes are connected so we would go through narrow openings to get to another lake. The lakes are near the sea and the bottom is below the sea but it is fresh water although it does get brackish at times. Our boat driver told us a lot of the history of the lakes. The one I remember is about the building of a tunnel to the sea in 1912 by the Austro-Hungarian government. They started at opposite ends and ended up meeting perfectly. This tunnel led to the lowering of the lake level, which made environment changes. Currently the tunnel is underneath the Adriatic Highway, which we often drove on between Split and Dubrovnik. The boat had a table in the middle and we had lunch of cold cuts, cheese, bread, peppers, onions, and drinks; soft drinks and wine. Croatian wine was actually quite good. They are developing the wine industry and hope to someday be able to export it. After the boat ride was over we hung around for a while. We swam in the lake - my favorite swim of the trip, ate some more, played with some local puppies and just relaxed. It was so pleasant. Then back to the hotel for some free time and of course the kids wanted to play soccer. This time I went to the park with them to watch. It was about a five-minute walk along the beachfront shopping area. Our hotel is right on the boarder of the sea and the walkway is lined with restaurants, small shops, and gelato stands. At the end of the commercial section is the city park with a large enclosed soccer/volleyball asphalt court. The kids set up a game and were having fun. Eventually a more organized team was playing next to them and eventually their coach asked our kids if they'd like to play each other. Which they did and after a while the coach just stepped back and let the kids have at it. They had it all organized with subs some playing on each other's team and they even learned each other's names. I don't think many - if any of the kids spoke English and none of our kids had a word of Croatian but they sure had a good time. Eventually we walked back - Vincent and I wanted to buy a few post cards and check out the souvenirs. Of course we got a gelato too. Then we went to the harbor where the kids were supposed to learn how to fish. There were two or three ladies with a few long poles and they proceeded to show them how to fish. I'm not sure if much was learned but the kids had a good time and the scenery was spectacular. Back to the hotel and dinner - probably soccer after dinner too - although this might have been one of the nights where the kids hung out in the bar to watch a World Cup match.

Monday 6/23 Today we started the day with a car ferry transfer to the Island of Brac. Brac is famous for its white stone which is claimed to have been used for building the White House in Washington D.C. But it is questionable as to when, where and how much of the stone was used. It may have been used for some columns, and may have been used in the 1902 restoration but the stone on Brac is certainly white and beautiful. We drove to Pucisca to visit the stone-cutting school and the students working on various pieces. It has been teaching for 100 years but the stone has been used for several thousand years - back in Roman times. One student let our kids try chipping out some of the stones, they enjoyed that. The village had a small shopping area and Vincent was able to find some special stone souvenirs for his family, he was a very careful and efficient shopper. We had a gelato break and then drove up the mountain to Vidova Gora, the highest peak (2500') of the Adriatic islands. We could see the beach below where we would be going to next and we could see much of the Dalmatian coast. Along the drive we saw a few villages and very large piles of rocks. The island was originally covered in rocks and for the past 100 years the women have been gathering rocks to prepare land for the cultivation of vineyards, olive, fig, almond, and cherry orchards. They also grow lavender and make many products with lavender. We also visited a place where they have preserved the old equipment for pressing olives for oil. I would have enjoyed bringing some oil home but since they did not have any in cans I was concerned about a suitcase full of oil! We continued down to Bols and the beach Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn). This is the beach that is on many of the Croatian travel posters. We had a picnic lunch on the beach and lots of swimming and playing. The water was very warm so the kids really had a good time. I did go in for a while and I was glad to see they had showers - I think it was about a dollar or so. It felt good to rinse off the heavy salt coating, even Vincent enjoyed the shower. Took the Ferry back to Makarska. Cleaned up for dinner and enjoyed that and then as usual the kids went out to play soccer. They never seem to be tired!

Tuesday 6/24 Today we drove to Omis where the kids did some rock climbing. Croatia's surface is about 60% mountainous and most of that is karst topography so there is a lot of interest in climbing in Croatia. Some kids had climbed before but all tried it and had a great time. some kids had to overcome fear and they were amazing. Vincent had done it before so he climbed 2 or 3 routes and enjoyed it - lots of photos! The kids all complained about the photos but all grandparents reminded them photos were the price of the trip so eventually they stopped complaining so much, especially because they found it was a loosing battle. Omis was once the home to very powerful pirates so we heard a bit of their story and could see how they were able to protect their city. Omis is where the Cetina River flows into the Adriatic Sea. We walked around the old town where some buildings survive from the 15th century, an old church and parts of old fortresses. We climbed up to and then inside an old tower, which I think was a Roman tower called Peovica, the remaining part of a castle from the 13th century. It is also called the Mirabella Fortress and was used as a hideout for the Omis pirates. We had lunch at a local restaurant where they served us tuna - a large steak of it. Some people liked it and some didn't - it was very strong tasting. Then I think we went back to the hotel for maybe an hour's rest until we met downstairs in the lobby ready to head for a soccer match. Daniel had given all the kids soccer shirts with their names on the back so the kids were dressed and ready to go. We stopped first at the Franciscan monastery of St Mary as they have a shell museum with some 3000 shells from around the world. Amazing how colorful some of the shells were. Then off to the soccer game with a team of local Makarsha youths. They were quite a bit bigger than our kids - maybe 15 years old but our kids gave them a work out. Vincent played goalie and did an outstanding job of stopping it from being a slaughter, several times I heard cheering "good job Vincent". It was a fun game to watch. I don't think the kids played soccer after dinner tonight! Probably watch the World Cup instead.

Wednesday 6/25 Today we said good-bye to Makarska and headed south along the coast road to Dubrovnik. The views were stunning. We had the fun of a border crossing into Bosnia-Herzegovina so we stopped for a toilet break, a gelato and some shopping in a store. We actually got some souvenirs, Vincent his soccer shirt, me a deck of cards, and a bag of the seasoning that is used a lot in Croatia. It was about an hour's drive between the two border entry points. This bit of land allows Bosnia some port access. We had no trouble going through, as Americans they didn't even check our passports. We continued on to the town of Ston. Ston has been an important salt-producing town for centuries. In 1333 they built a 3.5-mile stone wall to protect the salt plant from invaders and the wall is still standing. We climbed up and along a portion of this wall - it is much like the Great Wall of China that I climbed along the previous month. We ate lunch in one of the local restaurants where we had a delicious risotto dish with or without mussels. It was one of the best lunches I enjoyed on the trip. We went to the salt plant and I bought some bags of salt for a couple of people who enjoy cooking. This salt is supposed to be very pure. We arrived to Dubrovnik and checked into our hotel. We had been changed to the Tirena hotel which we think was an upgrade, very nice all around. Vincent didn't want to play soccer so we walked around the hotel, down to the beach, and through the local shopping area. Then we swam in the lovely pool and cleaned up for dinner and went downstairs to the dinning area. This place had a much larger buffet with a big variety of main dishes including pizza! We enjoyed our meal and then the kids went out to play soccer and I relaxed in my room! Great day.

Thursday 6/26 Today we took the city bus to the historic city of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik has been a city state since the 7th century and starting in the 13th century a set of walls were built surrounding the city to protect it from the invaders. A major earthquake destroyed most of the city in 1667 and again a major portion of the city was destroyed in the war of 1991. Most of the old city has been restored and the surrounding new city has all been rebuilt to the beautiful coastline that we see today. We walked around the old city on the marble streets and heard about the various buildings. Vincent and I stopped and had drinks at a local bar with Josh and his grandparents and then we joined the group to walk up on and around the old walls. It was a beautiful view of the city and much of the coastline. Then Vincent and I and Josh and his grandfather, Mitch took the cable car up to the top of the mountain where we had a stupendous view of the city and islands. It was raining a bit so some distant views were clouded over but it was still worth it. When we came down we looked for a lunch place, the boys wanted pizza. We were reading the menu at one restaurant and when the man came over to invite us in he ended up telling us where to get the best pizza in town so Vincent and I and Josh and his grandparents went there and had the best pizza of the trip! By this time we were ready to go back so we took the bus back to our hotel - it was about a 40-minute ride and then we swam, some of us played soccer, and we all had a very good dinner.

Friday 6/27 Today we had a boat ride to the Elafiti Islands. There are 13 islands in total. We walked down to the sea and through the lobby of a very expensive hotel to a dock where we boarded a boat - large enough for the 24 of us plus about 6 other people. We visited the islands of Kolocep, Lopud, and Sipan. We stopped at each island and were free to walk around for a while. One of the islands had some churches and villas dating from the 16th century. After two of the islands we were served lunch on the boat, freshly grilled fish or chicken and lovely vegetables, also soft drinks and wine. It was very good. Then we visited the island of Lopud which has a wonderful sandy beach. We had to walk up over the hill to the other side of the island so Vincent and I plus a few others chose to take a small cart. It was well worth it. The water was lovely - only four feet deep for a long way out and warm enough for the kids to stay in for a while. We took the cart back when it was time to board the boat. Then back to our hotel to clean up for dinner.

Saturday 6/28 This morning we took the bus back to old Dubrovnik and walked to Fort Lovrjenac where we would start our sea kayaking field trip. The trip was about an hour each way to the island of Lokrum. Each grandchild had to be accompanied by a grandparent so there was no question I had to go. But I had some major concerns that I just wasn't capable of going the distance. Fortunately they had a couple of three person kayaks so Tamara agreed to go with Vincent and me, which was great. I found the kayaking not only a lot of work, which I could have tolerated but it was extremely painful. The seas were rough and we did not go in a straight line to the island and after a while every stroke made a shot of pain in my shoulder. Fortunately Vincent and Tamara were able to carry through so I would occasionally take a break. Then when I did row since I was in the front and couldn't twist around to see Vincent very efficiently would say "left, right," etc so I could keep pace. They did have a leader in the front of our group and one in the back, plus one motorboat that did tow at least one grandmother and grandson but thanks to Tamara and Vincent we made it both ways. We did stop for a break on Lokrum Island and walked to a salt-water lake where some kids went swimming. There was more to see on the island but our time was so short and I was so tired we didn't see anything of the island. When we arrived back to the mainland in early afternoon there was some discussion about what to do. Vincent and I starting walking up the alley to the main part of town, discussing whether to get a gelato, something to drink, lunch, or climb up the tower. When we got to the end of the alley there was a bus with the number of our route back to the hotel so we jumped on board and went back to the hotel, hot, wet, sticky with salt water, and tired. After we got off and were walking to the hotel I had Vincent give me all his stuff and told him to go jump in the pool and I took our stuff back to the room and dumped it on the floor and then joined Vincent in the pool, it felt so good to cool off and relax a bit. I noticed that the bar by the pool served some food and I asked if we could eat in wet suits and she said of course so Vincent ordered a Caesar salad and I order a grilled cheese sandwich and we ate lunch there. Korel and Cassidy and their grandparents did the same so we all had lunch together and felt much better. Later on Vincent and I walked along the shopping area and bought a gelato and some Pringles and had a gelato and salt party and felt revived. Vincent had enough energy to join the five o'clock soccer game while I took a long shower and then joined the group for dinner. I'm sure some of the group enjoyed the kayaking but I heard no one say they couldn't wait to go again and no one picked it as their favorite activity. I figure this is another "only for my grandchild event" - like zip lining was for Sophia!

Sunday 6/29 Our last full day in Croatia. We left this morning and drove to Cilipi about 30 minutes southeast from Dubrovnik. It is where the airport we flew out of the next day is located. Cilipi is a small village that has preserved traditional customs such as folk music and dancing in traditional folk costumes. After the folklore dance performance we walked around the town and looked at the handcrafts for sale. We bought some sugared almonds after tasting several types and I tried the local brandy like drink - very strong. After some time here we drove to a nearby winery where we had lunch and the adults tasted several wines. They were very good. We drove back through the beautiful country side - back to our hotel We cleaned up for our farewell dinner, took lots of photos, the kids talked about their favorite activities, and we said our fond goodbyes.

Monday 7/30 Several of us met in the lobby around six this morning and drove to the airport. We had easy check in and a nice flight to Frankfurt and then our nightmare experience started. I wrote a two-page letter to United about how they handled the problem and I don't intend going into detail here. Suffice it to say - our flight to Chicago was cancelled so we had to stay overnight in Frankfurt. On Tuesday we flew to Chicago and stayed overnight there, and on Wednesday we flew to Denver, arriving home three days after we left! This summary leaves out the 4 hours of standing in line, the mishandling of our rebooking, the mis information and out right lies from United. It was the most difficult travel experience I have had in my 35 years of travel. But Vincent and I arrived home safe and sound and we have sworn to not let these flight experiences over shadow the great memories of our wonderful trip in Croatia. Vincent thinks we will be able to laugh about these experiences some day - I'm not so sure. But we did have a good trip and I'm so glad Vincent picked Croatia - it is a beautiful country.

Written on 7/14/14 by Penelope Bowen