Time's up.

The end. Our trip's over. Sad to be leaving such a beautiful country. Sad to be leaving a vacation. Sad that my time with Kari and Riley is winding down. But, with any trip, at the end, I guess I'm always prepared and so in some respects, I was ready to go.






We set our alarms early (8AM was early...especially since none of us really slept for some reason) and went straight down to the water. As with last night's sunset, why didn't we do this sooner?!?!?! It as so beautiful down there and no one else was around (to upset!). Later in the day we noticed that the wind picked up but at that point it was so still except for the occasional fishing boat going past. Riley got in a few jumps, I floated around a bit and Kari got in for a short while too.




We went up the 303 steps (we counted!) without a break at the pool and were pretty hungry for breakfast. Breakfast consisted of the bits and pieces left in the fridge and a final cup of the toffee cappuccino concoction Kari cleverly brought along. It was tough to go but it was time.




I budgeted 3 1/2 hours to drive to the airport, fill up with diesel, return the car, check in, security and customs. We had a bit of a cushion but it was actually pretty close. Of course once we got through immigration and upstairs to the zoo that was waiting there for us, I think we all wished we'd maybe cut it a bit closer to minimize the time we had to spend trapped in the departures hall with the MASS of people boarding international flights home...mostly, you guessed it, to Germany!




We should be home a bit after 4. It'll be a challenge to get to the Albert Heijn in time to get a proper stash of groceries, but we'll see. Tomorrow Kristen arrives and we'll have a week together in the Netherlands, finally! I have to work a couple of days but I'll try to make it up to her!




So that's the end of this part of the holiday. There are several parts though. Paris, Les Tilleuls, Croatia, The Hague and some more of the Netherlands, and hey, I'll include Houston too because other thatn work, it is pretty fun to go to Rice Village, the malls, etc. David and I are also talking about a trip to Austin on the weekend between work weeks too. So...it should be an enjoyable next three weeks.

UPDATE:


Since I've been away I've heard news that Sherrin got the job she applied for in Vienna and that Jocelyn finally(!!!) got her dissertation submitted. Wow! Those are both huge! Sherrin leaves at the end of October. With me gone u til mid-Sept and her getting everything ready, it doesn't leave much time. Still, I'm really happy that she gets ton stay in Europe. I know that was something she really wanted.

The Highway Downstream

Wow, this 10-11 hours of sleep every night is delicious! We're not setting alarms and we're just sleeping as long as we need. Bed between 22h-23h and up usually around 9. It seems like I am the one sleeping through most of the night although the first few nights I would wake because it was like an oven in the back room and I only had a fan. Kari and Riley were dealing with some jet lag so despite being out in the main, climate-controlled room, they were waking up around 5AM fairly regularly.






Today the rough plan is to go back to the restaurant where we finished up our rafting and go for a swim in the river and then have lunch there. Then we'll come back here to hang out at the sea as much as possible. We have to leave tomorrow! WAH!




Except for some mixed signals from Michael and Dana and the annoying German guy who wouldn't share his air mattress (we bought our very own yesterday...so there!), it's been quite lovely to stay here. The place is fine. It's clean, it's big enough, we have a kitchen and a balcony with a stunning view. We can get wi-fi down by the pool and we can get access to a great little swimming spot that we only have to share with a couple dozen people instead of a couple hundred or thousand at the other places we've been to.




Our first destination after breakfast was the restaurant by the river in the Cetina valley. We wandered along the paths looking for the perfect swimming hole. It didn't exist. But...wee found a decent spot which ended up getting su bier over the course of the hour that we were there.




Getting into the water was pretty tricky. It was cold. That's refreshing if you're dying of heat but we hadn't soaked up enough sunshine at that point. It was slow going. One I got in it was nice and Riley and I played in the currents, driving upstream and that catching the 'highway' back downstream. We lasted about an hour and then headed back for lunch (oh dear...pizza again!)




Omis really is our favorite little spot. It is an adorable town nestled at the base of some limestone cliffs. The tree lined boulevard though the main street and the maze-like side streets makes it quite intriguing. We stopped on our way back from swimming at the river so Kari could buy some souvenirs for Robert and Julio. Afterwards we were all pretty eager to hit our beach again and hang out for the rest of the afternoon.




We set up camp on the little pier we'd been sitting on all week. Riley was off jumping off the cliff for the umpteenth time and he was trying to get Kari to give it a go. I had jumped from cliffs but I just don't like it. I know that about myself! I'm okay with that! So, instead, I floated around on the air mattress.




When I got out of the water one of the locals was there so I said hi. As soon as he saw that the stuff on the pier belonged to me he started yammering on in German about the pier being for diving, not for sitting on. Harrumph. Really?! There was no one else there and yikes, we'd been sitting in that very spot for a week. Crap. I wasn't impressed and he knew it. Good God. Did it really matter? What is this with Europeans and their rules...well except for those related to queueing. Grrr. Another unpleasant experience. Sigh!




Back up at the apartment I read while Riley played Angry Birds and Kari chilled before her workout. Then when she went out, I packed. Man, did I ever fail with this trip's pack job. I feel almost embarrassed at the amount of crap I brought. But bringing it is one thing, not using it is another. BAD me. 22kg too. Duh!




After Kari's workout we all went down to the jumping rock for sunset. We should have done that more often. It was so peaceful and quiet there. The light was amazing and I got some good photos. I got some videos too actually...of Kari finally making herself jump off the rock lest Riley call her a chicken forevermore!

Expectation Management

Hmm...having to deal with some disappointments. When I started researching how long it would take to get to Dubrovnik estimates between 3and 4 hours came up. But it's only 180km?! Wah! With the heat and a 9 year old, that just doesn't sound like a nice day! Bah!




So then I thought maybe sea-kayaking. Darned if I can find anywhere to rent them. I got a lead on the nearby town of Brela but when we went there and asked at the tourist information centre, the girl said she didn't know...she didn't live there. Ummm...sure...thanks. So off we went to Makarska which is referred to as a Riviera. It was pretty and had a nice boulevard but it also had obnoxious hotels and the beaches were PACKED! Kari and I both commented that where we're staying is more our style.




We found places to parasail, rent jet-skis, scuba dive and rent bikes but we didn't find any mention of sea kayaks. I must give up my search and relax and enjoy what we do end up doing.

So today, the day we were going to go in to Dubrovnik, we had a morning and afternoon swim at our gorgeous little swimming spot and we had lunch in Makarska. There we go. I imagine Riley and I are going to have another marathon Tetris-Magic session tonight while Kari's out working out. Ten we'll have a low key dinner. We're not big foodies so we're all happy enough with sandwiches for dinner. I'm sick of eating out anyway and with two weeks in Houston coming up, if I'm not careful, nothing's going to fit. I put on a simple t-shirt today and it felt constrictive. We are living in our "uniforms" and eating up a storm. Dangerous!





We saw dolphins! They were swimming parallel to our beach and we saw them when we got back up to the apartment at the end of the day. We spotted three for sure. Kari was so excited! We kept hoping they'd jump for us but we were still pretty happy with their swimming so close to the surface of the water for us to catch a glimpse. Now except for the dalamatian dogs, we've seen all the wildlife we'd hoped to!

CetinaRiver Rafting

Today we ventured forth! After breakfast I had to hold my breath and get us up that hill again in the car. Success. Then I turned left and we drove for 20mins or so into Omis (pronounced Amish).

We were looking to find something to do be it kayak rentals, bike rentals, hiking trails or whatever. We ended up signing up for a rafting tour that would take us down the Cetina river starting at 1h30. That meant we had about three hours to kill. Riley wanted to go back to the apartment for that time. Ha! Nice try!





Instead we went wandering through the maze of streets back from the main road. Without meaning to, but pleasantly surprised just the same, we ended up on the path to take us up to the fortress on the top of the hill. What a view! And wow, there are stairs everywhere here! This country is one big stair master!!!




We stopped at a few shops but most of it was touristy crap - though I did buy a sarong for 50kuna, ~9€. we stopped and had lunch at another pizza place (a trend that can't continue!) and then treated ourselves to a wander through the grocery store, because it was air-conditioned! Then, before we knew it, it was time to wait and gather for our tour.


There were 3 people waiting there with us. Harry, Gabby and Kevin proved to be lovely companions for the afternoon. They also were our allies when it came to dealing with Marko, our rafting guide with the personality of sandpaper! Ugh. While he does the tour twice a day for five months Lmost solid, and I trust him to keep us safe, he barked at us and was so gruff. Bah! By the end he 'lightened up' with a story that went something like "This is the Island of Love, my friends sometimes live here for three months. Now we go." sigh...not everyone is a people-person.





But the tour was worth it. It was stunning. The Cetina river valley featured in the guidebooks, but you never know. They were right, it was not to be missed. Plus it the water was so cool and refreshing, the cliffs were so high and the vegetation was so lush that while it was hot out, it really took the edge off being in there. We stopped in a couple of places for some swims and Riley jumped from tree branches and cliffs. It stopped being so tranquil when the 'Team Italy' rafts showed up and all the Guido's got out. Then there were the 'bomba's' which initially had me worried but proved to not be too bad. Infect, they were pretty fun!


We finished at this gorgeous spot on the river that we could go back to because it's accessible by car. That might be worth keeping in mind for Friday. Gosh...I can't believe how quickly time is going.


I watched Riley by the pool while Kari did some hill training and then it was a pasta dinner which kept us busy through to about 22:00. Phew...there went the day. But it was a great one full of adventure and sight seeing. Lazy is back on the menu for tomorrow though! The thought of driving to Dubrovnik tomorrow doesn't appeal. In fact it doesn't appeal at all, but you can't come all this way and not see it!

Omis and river rafting.

Today we ventured forth! After breakfast I had to hold my breath and get us up that hill again in the car. Success. Then I turned left and we drove for 20mins or so into Omis (pronounced Amish).

We were looking to find something to do be it kayak rentals, bike rentals, hiking trails or whatever. We ended up signing up for a rafting tour that would take us down the Cetina river starting at 1h30. That meant we had about three hours to kill. Riley wanted to go back to the apartment for that time. Ha! Nice try!

Instead we went wandering through the maze of streets back from the main road. Without meaning to, but pleasantly surprised just the same, we ended up on the path to take us up to the fortress on the top of the hill. What a view! And wow, there are stairs everywhere here! This country is one big stair master!!!

We stopped at a few shops but most of it was touristy crap - though I did buy a sarong for 50kuna, ~9€. we stopped and had lunch at another pizza place (a trend that can't continue!) and then treated ourselves to a wander through the grocery store, because it was air-conditioned! Then, before we knew it, it was time to wait and gather for our tour.

There were 3 people waiting there with us. Harry, Gabby and Kevin proved to be lovely companions for the afternoon. They also were our allies when it came to dealing with Marko, our rafting guide with the personality of sandpaper! Ugh. While he does the tour twice a day for five months Lmost solid, and I trust him to keep us safe, he barked at us and was so gruff. Bah! By the end he 'lightened up' with a story that went something like "This is the Island of Love, my friends sometimes live here for three months. Now we go." sigh...not everyone is a people-person.

But the tour was worth it. It was stunning. The Cetina river valley featured in the guidebooks, but you never know. They were right, it was not to be missed. Plus it the water was so cool and refreshing, the cliffs were so high and the vegetation was so lush that while it was hot out, it really took the edge off being in there. We stopped in a couple of places for some swims and Riley jumped from tree branches and cliffs. It stopped being so tranquil when the 'Team Italy' rafts showed up and all the Guido's got out. Then there were the 'bomba's' which initially had me worried but proved to not be too bad. Infect, they were pretty fun!

We finished at this gorgeous spot on the river that we could go back to because it's accessible by car. That might be worth keeping in mind for Friday. Gosh...I can't believe how quickly time is going.

I watched Riley by the pool while Kari did some hill training and then it was a pasta dinner which kept us busy through to about 22:00. Phew...there went the day. But it was a great one full of adventure and sight seeing. Lazy is back on the menu for tomorrow though! The thought of driving to Dubrovnik tomorrow doesn't appeal. In fact it doesn't appeal at all, but you can't come all this way and not see it!

A bit too much sun...

Another 11 hours of sleep. Nice. Being on vacation rocks. Of course it wasn't a full sleep because I again woke up feeling way too hot. One night I may come out and join Kari and Riley under the A/C unit!!!

After breakfast we headed down to the 'beach'. We ended up on the same little dock I was on the day before. Riley did great in the water until he got stung by something, which we think might have been a jellyfish. He was rather leery about going into the water after that...understandably. Kari and I alternated between soaking up the sun and floating on the air mattresses. Turns out I needed to have reapplied the sunscreen a bit sooner because my belly is bright red and in the evening it became rather tender. Argh...I'd been so careful.

We wandered back up to the apartment for a late lunch and then in the late afternoon Riley only wanted to go in the swimming pool. Kari and I checked our email and snoozed while Riley contented himself for hours with his snorkel and mask bobbing for plastic animal figurines. Soooo easily amused!1

We wanted to pick up some groceries for tomorrow's breakfast so we opted to hike (!) up the hill to have dinner at Galeb too. We opted for a simple, safe ham pizza which was actually really quite tasty. Dinner was around 14€ for 2 pizzas and 2 rounds of drinks...not bad. Note as cheap as it might have been here even two or three years ago but still, a bit better than The Hague.

Kari and Riley made it!

It was so hot last night! I had a fan going but I woke up several times because the air so so heavy and stifling. My room is the only one wi the fan, I think Kari will die in the other bedroom without a fan. Hmmmm...

I got up at 9:30 and had a nice breakfast on the terrace then got. Yself sorted and down to the beach for 10:30, this time with my converse shoes so that I didn't hurt the bottoms of my feet. I grabbed an air mattress from below Michael and Gordana's place and found a nice little spot to set up camp for a little while down by the water.

The water initially feels cold but once I got in it actually felt warm. Getting in is a quick process since the water was swirling around so much that the nether-regions got initiated with one good crashing wave in and around the rocks. This is not your typical white sand beach but rather a rock coast with a few access areas that people have really made the most of. There are concrete stairs that give you access to the next bay or that have been put in to the side of a boulder so that you can get to the top to perch for a while. There are little concrete 'docks' that you can lie on and the are even hand rails in the rocks to help you get in...which I needed to have used when I slipped on some seaweed.

I didn't have too long to play since I needed to get back up to the pool and check my mail from Kari (who wasn't thrilled to be reminded about the AMS-ZAG-SPL route), grab some lunch and get cleaned up. Then there was that MASSIVE hill I had to drive up that had me feeling rather apprehensive. The whole way up I prayed that no one was coming down and literally chanted my mantra out loud: you can do this, you can do this. And I did...but would NOT wanted to have met someone along the way! Oy!

It was a much easier drive going back to Split. Thank God there were no accidents. It's true too that the return journey never feels as long. I now wonder if I haven't wasted 100€ for the week on a GPS too. Ha! But I'll definitely need it for the trip into Dubrovnik.

I made it with almost 50mins to spare so I took advantage of the time to stop at a Lidl which is a big grocery store. That was a fun way to kill time and I picked us up some goodies. What I didn't realize is how close to the airport turnoff the shop is though so I accidentally headed into Trogir and nearly goit caught in a huge traffic jam ten minutes before they landed. Gulp! I made it back out of town and to the turnoff in time to see their plane in its landing approach. I'm such a sap and got all choked up.

I couldn't hold the tears back when I finally saw them through the glass in the domestic arrivals area. Yay! My family is here! And so while they weren't thrilled to find out that they had another hour of travel, we got caug up in the car and back to the apartment around 17h30...in time for a pre-dinner swim.

I didn't realize the water would be so choppy at this time of day, the winds had shifted. No matter, Kari and I had air mattresses and Riley's a fish! It was a challenging first dip but it was still pleasant and hey...here we are at the Dalmatian coast! No complaints!

Dinner was a simple buffet of bread and cheese, tomatoes and bacon for sandwiches...so yummy! We'll likely go out for other dinners but it was good to keep this one low key and home based because I knew they'd want to crash after dinner, which, indeed they did! Well earned though...it had been a long day.