Home Away From Home

Foremost, allow me to apologize on behalf of each blog entry previously and hereafter. Because of ridiculously overpriced internet cafes for travelers I have only budgeted for 15 minutes to write this blog. 15 minutes, 2£, $3.56... RIP OFF. Which means creativity and content will suffer.

So anyhow... This blog is in reference to CROATIA.

Many of you have never heard of it. It's a very well kept cup of beans that is about to spill over... especiall next year when U.S. airlines will offer direct flights. Each year more and more people flock to the exotic beaches of the Dalmatia Coast. As Brandy and I journeyed from country to country meeting travelers, many urged us to commit a few travel days to the ancient Roman beach resort. We heard of the coast's capital, Split, so we purchased an extension train ticket because our $700 multi country Eurail pass doesn't cover Croatia. But the $50 extra bucks was more than worth it.

We showed up in Split with no reservation, but to our good fortune, flocks of locals bombard travelers as soon as they step off trains, boats and planes to offer "accomodation!" One Croatian woman even said to us in broken English "Hello, my name is Room, would like me?" After accepting the offer of an old man to follow him along with 2 Australian gals and 2 Asian gals to see his place, we waited in his home for two hours while he disappeared to round up more travelers and then finally returned to tell us "I have no rooms." This all worked out to our benefit because when we left a sweet young college lad named Baldo invited us to come stay in his tidy apartment for less money and in a prime location: the Diocletian Palace, the center of the town in the very palace where the 13th century Roman Emperor used to spend days bathing in the summer sun when not persecuting Christians.

After one day in Split we jumped on a bus to find the hostel we reserved ahead of time. The hostel, Villa Sanja, was situated in a "nearby" town called Lokva Rogoznica, which actually was an hour drive through winding mountains. Baldo informed us that in Lokva Rogoznica we would not have fun, but we'd relax. And that is just what we did. Our $19 a night hostel was steps from the pebble beaches and the mountains were our backdrop. We even had a private room with a balcony overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Pure brilliance. We couldn't have asked for a better place.
The local seafood, impeccably fresh. The people, incredibly friendly. And the weather, perfect. We even had a few adventures. One morning we woke up to a commotion near the beach. A man had driven his Mercedes off the side of the road, riding the side rail 25 feet before taking a 75 foot dive down the side of the cliff and landed on the shoreline. He walked away untouched. A miracle. Another night we had a lovely dinner at a restuarant about one mile down the windy mountain road. When we asked our waitress what time the last bus came, she informed us that we missed it and she commanded us, "My brother will take you home." No questions asked, her brother Marco, who was also a waiter, hopped in his car and picked us up in front of the restaurant to take us back to the hostel. But first he picked up two dozen freshly baked donuts at the local bakery, which of course he offered us. And of course, we accepted one.

Just a few details of the fully relaxed 5 day stay in beautiful Croatia. In two years they will join the EU, so plan your trip to Croatia before then.

OFF to ITALIA!!!

CIAO :)