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!