Venice and back…

"Lost tourists in Venice....NOT US!"

Well our time in Croatia is slowly coming to an end and before we leave we managed to sneak in a few more things. It all started when we decided to go to Venice for a few days. After the complicated booking process, we managed to board a bus to Split in order to catch the ferry to Ancona in order to catch a train to Venice. Sounded easy. How hard could a 2 hour bus trip, 5 hour fast ferry and 4 hour train trip be? We flew from Perth to Singapore to Frankfurt to Budapest to Split, we could easily manage this…

Caleb with Roman Guards in Split

The trip started off fabulously with us being collected from the house by Petar then as we arrived at the bus station, a bus arrived heading to Split. Awesome. The weather was a tad on the hot side reaching 38 degrees when we arrived in Split, a city that has a large port and ancient city. We explored the ancient city after checking in (all good so far) and we placed our bags at the left luggage. Excellent progress. The kids were getting hungry and hot so we found a place to eat in the shade and then we still had time to explore the city. We then made our way to the SNAV terminal and we passed through passport control ready for the Italian adventure.

SNAV Croazia Jet in Split

The SNAV boat – Croatzia Jet was impressive. It was sleek and big and only running about 20 minutes late. The majority of the passengers were Italians returning from their Summer holiday or a religious pilgrimage to Medjigore (Spell check?). The crossing was smooth and the transition from Kuna to Euros was relatively painless although the girl at the counter was disgusted that Stephen produced a 100€ note as that is all that he got at the bank.

We arrived at Ancona to be dumped on the dock at nearly midnight with not a clue as to where to find a taxi. After some clever scanning of the area by we managed to get a very friendly taxi to take us to our hotel. A speedy 5 minute ride cost us 25€ ($1.00 AU is about 0.75€)…okay, it is worth it, getting to the hotel safely and we were tired and ready for bed.

Waiting at Ancona Train Station

Day 2, after a pre-packaged continental breakfast (didn’t know they existed really) we left for the train station (22€) and only 3 minutes away. We happily waited for our train and boarded the first class carriage to find people in our seats! How could this be!? We planned everything so well, well it turned out that the computer changed our ticket. Stephen marched up to the conductor and said “People are in our seats!” and the conductor looked at the ticket then said calmly “You have the wrong day, you have no ticket.” Well, Stephen went pale then was told” Ah, it is hot, there are many seats, just sit anywhere”. So for 4 hours we had to change seats at every station until it got so annoying that we ended up sitting in the carriage that had no air conditioning working. It was about 38 degrees and the conductors were so distracted by the heat they never asked us once to show our ticket. They kept saying “It is so hot, please move up to the next carriage …” but we just said that it was easier to stay put rather than keep moving. We gladly jumped off the train once we arrived in Venice to start the exploration.

Stephen, Kayla and Caleb in St Marcs Square Venice

Venice is beautiful and it is somewhere you must visit at some point in time at least once. Stephen was fortunate to visit once before however this time he really felt he saw Venice as we stayed for nearly 4 days. And boy, an expensive 4 days they were! We walked the streets after finding our gorgeous apartments. The Venitians obviously hate tourists as they are rude and don’t try very hard at all to make your stay easy. When we arrived we were given no real information about where the local shop was or how to get about. Luckily we knew about the bus pass which was expensive and the discounted price was only for children aged 14 to 26….go figure, so at 33€ each, we made very good use of the pass as well as a museum pass that we eventually found. St Marcs square and the palaces are amazing. Caleb loved spotting gondolas (he called them canoes for 2 of the 4 days) and Kayla was obsessed with Gypsies. We looked at masks and glass and we did a trip across to Murano in the hope of seeing glass blowing but it never eventuated as it was way too hot. Fran and Stephen were keen to get some clothing which was good for Fran but not for Stephen. The kids were excellent with walking in the heat everyday.

Nice dinner in Venice

Our first real cost shock was when we were desperate to have a cold drink. We had a coke, a tonic water, 2 juices and a bottle of water. Stephen nearly had a stroke when he had to pay 26€. Highway robbery. After the first day we found the local shop tucked away so tourist can not find and got food and water etc…to reduce our cost of living. The kids were stoked as they were allowed to have cocoa pops for breakfast as it was cheaper than everything else. We rode the gondola knowing we paid too much but it was worth every cent. We saw Marco Polo’s home and Cassanova’s Venice hangout which would have been missed if we didn’t do it. Caleb loved seeing real dinosaur bone and sabre tooth tiger teeth at the museum and Kayla loved being in Venice. We were happy with our navigation and Fran was actually exceptionally pleased with her map reading skills.

Gondola ride in Venice

So we said goodbye with a little bit of relief to Venice and we headed back on the train with the correct ticket to Ancona. We had a cabin to ourselves which was great however the kids had been struck by cabin fever as there is no where for them to run and jump and play. We hoped that they would sleep due to exhaustion however they seemed to have more energy. So 4 and a half hours was spent saying “Sh” and “This is your last warning” and “There are other people on the train” and “How many times have we…” and with great relief we arrived in Ancona. Again, off to the hotel, only 15€ this time…keh? How come it was 22 and 25 last time? On arrival we asked the reception to point us in the direction of a park which we found and said “Run wild!”.

Kayla mesmorised by Monks and Priests

The boat crossing back to Croatia wasn’t as smooth and there was a delegation of Italians going to Medgegore where they gathered around our area in order to hold mass. Well, Kayla thought she had died and gone to heaven, there were 3 priests and a monk. She sat through the entire hour of mass in Italian and at the end the monk gave her a silver crucifix which she now wears proudly. On arriving home Kayla built her own wooden crucifix and she prays every night. Don’t ask us where this all comes from…we are just as confused.

The golden challis and Kayla

So we are back in a Croatia and starting to look towards the holiday destinations starting on the 9th of September. We have managed to set Petar and Stana up on Skype which has been a great achievement and they already been chatting to family in Australia. Today we went to Krka on a cruise and swam in a lagoon at the base of a waterfall…absolute bliss and we could have swam for hours, but the boat had to leave some time.

Where we swam in Krka National Park

There will be one more entry before we head to London and the entries will be shorter as we won’t have to luxury of time as we have had in Croatia. Now to upload a videos and picks for Venice and Krka.

Krka

*Unable to upload videos due to seriously weak internet*

Memories so far...

Some Arty Shots

On the Buses…Dubrovnik and Zagreb

Beautiful Tribunj

We have been very lucky to have this opportunity to travel and to have a picturesque village such as Tribunj as our base, we are blessed. This hasn’t come at a cost the location is blue sea, rocky coastline but unfortunately has poor buses. We have waited 45 minutes for a bus to date.

The bus will be here soon...it is only 45 minutes late!

There are so many buses that it surprises us that the system is very ineffective and down right frustrating at times. Fran said that one thing that hasn’t changed and that is the bus system, it is still terrible.
Being frustrated by the buses started with local trips but when we decided to head to Dubrovnik for 2 nights, it was confirmed and cemented in our memories. We caught the bus from Vodice (Near Tribunj) and we travelled the scenic route along the coast. Every 5 minutes (it felt like that) the bus stopped to pick up a passenger even if there were no seats available. The 7 hour trip ended up being 8 hours and 45 minutes due to meandering nature of our bus driver. But the scenery was amazing and this made up for the mammoth trip.
We arrived in the magnificent city of Dubrovnik, drenched in history and a postcard picture from every angle. We were only booked for 2 nights but after the bus trip decided and extra night was required and we were so glad we did as we felt we SAW Dubrovnik and left feeling that we did as much as we could. Note, if going to Dubrovnik, it isn’t cheap, the food isn’t that great but the atmosphere and the history is overwhelming. We stayed at the Mia Apartments which were close to the old city. It was great waking up early and walking through the city before the big tour buses arrived making it a very busy place. We went on the cable car to the top of the mountain, walked the fort walls and went up and down the stairs that meander around the city.
Caleb and Kayla enjoyed drinking from the central fountain and Fran loved finding out as may places we could see that were part of the Dubrovnik card. Stephen enjoyed taking the photos and making sure exploding doors didn’t hurt his son…now about that, Caleb and Stephen went to get breakfast from the local bakery when on their way back they decided to see where a door lead, as they approached the door, a gust of wind blew the door shut in front of them and shattered into hundreds of pieces. Luckily neither one of them was hurt. Maybe it was a sign?

The door that wasn't meant to be....gone

We sadly had top get back on the bus to Tribunj (sad because we feared another 8 to 9 hour journey) and we made our was along the coast, crossing over Bosnia Herzegovina again and back to home in great time, the bus driver this time was dead keen to finish work on time, so much so he risked driving through Sibenik only to be pulled over by the police to be warned that he would be fined cutting through the city. So we made it back very tired ready for our next journey, Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia 4.5 bus journey inland from Tribunj.

This time we were pleasantly surprised by our bus service. The bus was immaculate and on time. We made our way through the magnificent mountains and the bus only stopped where it was suppose to stop. The highway to Zagreb is new and fantastic. Tunnels bore straight through some mountains – the longest just under 6 kms in length. The country side kept changing as we wizzed passed and you could see the style of housing changing with the different countryside.

Caleb on the bus

Tunnel ahead!

The Austrian Hungarian Empire was very evident when arriving in Zagreb, the architecture was very Austrian and the Hansel and Gretel Ice-cream parlour was the icing on the cake, pardon the pun. Stephen was a little surprised at the graffiti and the deteriorating architecture but it was a welcoming and friendly city with an amazing tram network making movement around the city easy and efficient.

Raspberry Heaven

Capsicum anyone?

We brought the hot weather with us with our final day being 38 degrees. We visited the cathedral, museums, bought souvenirs, ate too much good food and generally had a great time. The kids highlight was the Zoo and Fran was pleasantly surprised at how many improvements had been made since her last visit 24 years ago. Even with the trams, our feet hurt and we were very thankful to the wonderful apartment where we stayed.

Now we are back in Tribunj again and getting ready for our next adventure – trying to get to Italy. We have a 2 hour bus trip to Split, a 7 hour boat trip to Ancona, Italy, where we will stay the night, then an early start to catch a train to Venice taking 4.5 hours. We have 3 nights in Venice and we are once again relying on the apartment system rather than hotels. So far, we have been very happy with the apartments and would recommend the ones so far. The heat continues even though we have been told that the weather changes after Velika Gospa…um, it is still hot!

Our apartment in Zagreb

But the beach has become our second home, where we can swim without fear of sharks and stingers (Except sea urchins) and lie under the pine trees in the non- ozone depleted sky. The tourist numbers are reducing making it a lot quieter and more relaxed. We are amazed at how we only have 3 weeks left in Croatia and hope it slows down in the last 2 weeks. More could have been written about each and every sight, but it would go on forever and nobody would want to read that! Ciao!

Donkeys, Islands and Deodorant Optional

Our swimming spot 200 metres from home - Zamalin

This week started with a busy weekend of festivals and a boat cruise. The donkey races in Tribunj have been a annual tradition seeing people come for miles around to watch men in traditional outfits riding donkeys around the town. It has become so big that they can only race 3 at a time in order to keep the spectators safe. The surrounding areas have the usual festival fair with the two stand outs, the beer bus and the spit that can roast about 12 lambs at once!

Barvarian beer bus Big Spit
We were lucky to find a good viewing spot on the hill however the atmosphere and excitement was enough for us! Also hearing familiar names such as Justin Beiber and Angelina Jolle (Spell check) s names of the Donkeys gave the kids something to giggle about. Kayla was thrilled to have fairy floss as they had white and not just pink and blue and they also gave you flavour options.
The Town bridge with spectators waiting for the Donkey Races.
The weather here is warm and a little humid, different to what Stephen expected a European Summer to be. He expected the heat to be a little more intense and drier, but we expect that the climate here too is ‘a changing’. On more than one occasion we have had to share close quarters with many a shirtless individual and it has come to our attention that deodorant must be optional. We have learned that in order not to offend the senses that sitting upwind is a must. This accompanied with the bikini/speedo wearing larger individuals, makes Summer in Europe a sensory experience. Or shall we say sensory overload?

Our swimming spot - Zamalin in Tribunj

But, having said that, one overwhelming positive here is that with all the vino, rakija and alcohol, there is no agro. None! Nista! They all drink a lot but there is no anger. The trick here is that there is a lot of food and food and drinking go together, not in isolation like Australia. So I think Australians can learn a lot from this, there needs to be plenty of food and wine is drunk at a leisurely pace, not is a hurry because the party is about to end….food for thought. Of course, some are permanently pickled, but where in the world isn’t there some?
Kornati Islands
An early night after the Donkey extravaganza was needed, as we had an early start for the Kornati island boat cruise. Kornati is a National Park made up of over 120 islands along the Adriatic coastline. We set off at 9 am from Vodice on a slow boat (about the speed of the Rottnest Islander of old), with an offering of Rakija but they tricked Stephen by calling it ‘schnaps’ thinking he was German, along the coast on the very calm and picturesque Adriatic Sea.
On the boat.
Lunch was served, with vino, whilst we were serenaded by a local trio in Dalmatian music. They often strayed into music of the 1950s from the USA however this wasn’t their strongest genre. Stick to the Dalmatian Classics is our feedback. The boat went past stunning islands and enormous rock faces until we embarked at the park ready to spend some time on the island. We made our way to the Salt Lake reminding us of our lake in the hills “Lake Leschenaultia” except with rocks and donkeys. The donkeys were very tame and let the children pat them all in the hope of a free feed. The water was warm and very salty, a lovely refreshing pause to the cruise.
Salt Lake - Konati
We headed back to Vodice passing the small towns along the coastline and enduring a beauty contest run by the lecherous old man in charge. We chose to go out on deck during this period. Watching the Old Austrian Bogan Cougar, who should have been in Ibitha, was too much and quite frankly inappropriate for my children. Guess what? She won! The beautiful coastline brought us home and back to bed where we all collapsed after a few rounds of Uno.
Our town Tribunj from the boat as we headed back.
Uno has been a constant to help settle the children when they are tired or bored. Waiting for 1.5 hours at the Travel Agents in Vodice was too much for us all. After being told that we could only book tickets through them we ended up with a receipt and no ticket. We bumped into some Canadian tourists who were a little frustrated as they were not able to book a ticket out. We reflected that Croatia wants you in but not happy about letting you go, it is like a black hole for tourists. We have Fran who can speak the language and knows the ways of the Croats which is easier but not simple. So buying 4 bus tickets and 4 ferry tickets should have been simple but the girl was on the phone to Sibenik, then people came in and were served, then she had to hand write each ticket to Zagreb. Hooly Dooly! They had a computer in front of them but it wasn’t used once! But we are learning to breathe deeply and go with the flow. We then found out we could have booked online and probably received a better deal and an actual ticket! We have done everything else online and hopefully our hotel bookings to Venice/Ancona will all be legitimate.
Today is a quiet day and the children have reluctantly participated in Home School. Next week, here we come Dubrovnik!