Today we left the boat early and traveled by bus for many hours to Zagreb. We fly out of Zagreb early on Monday morning. Our trip back in the bus was through the mountains and tunnels with several stops. It has snowed here overnight also, and it's cold enough for it to stay. I looked for some souvenirs on this trip back, but wasn't lucky. Even the small shops in Croatia are decorated for Xmas. I asked at one shop for the tiny reed or grass woven ornaments I saw in the beginning of our trip, but with no luck. they were really unique. Being only one to two inches tall they were woven of grass or reeds into angels, bells and Xmas shapes and decorated with a tiny red ribbon. they would have been perfect to carry home as they weighed almost nothing.
Once we arrived in Zagreb we were able to go on a tour of the town around our hotel. The first day here we arrived so late that we couldn't do it. They have a Christmas Market downtown and it is nice and chilly outside. It had snowed overnight so it is laying on the cars, houses and grass. It is like a festival downtown with lots of people of all ages. Outside of the Roman Catholic church was a live display of the nativity scene. They had goats and one was eating the thatch on top of the hut! There were sheep and donkeys too. it was called Bethlehem. All around the church were small shops so I was able to do some souvenir shopping. I bought a mug with a map of Croatia on the outside with the towns listed that we visited. In the Xmas Market I was able to buy the gingerbread baked and painted ornaments for which Zagreb is known. I also bought an unbreakable red Xmas ball with Croatia and its symbol on it. The man added our name and the year also for us. At first he didn't understand me because I can't speak Croatian, but another local man shopping alongside of us interpreted for us.
We stayed down at the market till it was dark. They had an ice skating rink set up and the line was extremely long to get in. daddy took some pictures of it. We are at the end of the camera's battery because Daddy forgot to bring the battery charger and I dropped my camera and messed up the lens. I really liked my camera because it had a good zoom. We stopped inside a huge tent set up with all kinds of stalls selling food. the hit dog stand was unique. They served beer along with the dog, but their rolls have no slit for the dog to fit into. Instead they have a contraption that is a heated cone sticking up and they slip the roll onto this cone to toast it. Then they slip the hot dog into the slot the cone made. It was really neat! We have never seen anything like it!
We went back to the hotel for our Farewell Drink which was red and white wine and orange juice. The 2 guides: Darko and Matt gave each couple a gingerbread ornament just like the set I bought in the Xmas Market. Darko was buying them as we were buying ours and I didn't even realize it. Then Bruce and Cynthia walked with Daddy and I to eat dinner at a restaurant called Hansel and Gretel. It is amazing that so many families are outside this late at night with young children and it is school tomorrow. It is really cold outside, but the locals are used to it. A lot of the people in our group are just dressed in layers with no winter coat. I'm glad I have my coat, scarf and gloves!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010, Opatija, Croatia
We are in Opatija after a very long bus ride for 8 hours. It is a resort town. Park Angiolina (Angelina) was originally a private park but since WWII it is a public botanical garden. There are 3000 species of Mediterranean plants covering 3 hectares or 8 acres. They have the sequoia or redwood tree, a Japanese camellia, several magnolias, various palm trees and shrubs.The palms have to be protected in the winter. The music gazebo was rebuilt 2 years ago; the Communists destroyed it in 1945. Noble families traveled long hours to arrive here to vacation. The original family owner was a gardner in 1844 and he built the villa and sold it to an Austrian nobleman. After WWII it was owned by the town. This gardner, Scarpa, built a second villa in 1847 and named it after his daughter, Amelea. At this villa is growing sage, lavender, roses, cedar and cypress. It has a 9 foot wide chandelier with over 7000 crystal pieces, the largest in all of Europe. It is found in the gigantic ballroom. There is a statue of Isadora Duncan here because thiis was her favorite place to visit.
The town's name, Opatija, means abbey or monastery. The Franciscian monastery is next to ST. James church. The bell of ST. James rings early on the hour and continues slightly past the hour too. Next to ST. James church is a gold covered statue of the Madonna from Florence. The first statue made came by ship, was caught in a storm and lost when the ship sank. The second one came by train instead. In town is a healing spring that the nobility visited. The town is situated on the sea, but no swimming occurred until after the 20th century. It just wasn't fashionable and wasn't considered healthy. Along the sea is a 5 mile long promenade that extends to a town south of here. The residents take very long walks.
In 1904 a girl named Maria drowned in the whirlpool up against the sea wall. The fresh water from an underground spring flows out there so fast it creates a whirlpool that she couldn't swim out of. Of course, in 1904 swimming wasn't even taught. The whirlpool was called Slatina. There was a bronze statue erected by her father for her, but in 1942 Mussolini confiscated it for the bronze to be used in weapons.
The town of Opatija is a relatively new town, being only 160 years old. Rich people came from Vienna and Buddapest to visit the villas. Their transportation then was by carriage meaning it took 7-9 days to arrive. When the train lines were built, it became a 12 hour trip. The gazebo in the park was originally the pastry shop in that time. But they never really baked the pastries here. They were shipped by train from Vienna the afternoon before.
We stopped in a coffee shop to use the restroom and ordered 2 cappuccinos, mainly because it was cold outside. This was the first place I have seen over here to eat in that is no smoking! There were 2 old men that bought beers and went outside to drink and smoke. This is a Sunday morning around 9AM!
The town's name, Opatija, means abbey or monastery. The Franciscian monastery is next to ST. James church. The bell of ST. James rings early on the hour and continues slightly past the hour too. Next to ST. James church is a gold covered statue of the Madonna from Florence. The first statue made came by ship, was caught in a storm and lost when the ship sank. The second one came by train instead. In town is a healing spring that the nobility visited. The town is situated on the sea, but no swimming occurred until after the 20th century. It just wasn't fashionable and wasn't considered healthy. Along the sea is a 5 mile long promenade that extends to a town south of here. The residents take very long walks.
In 1904 a girl named Maria drowned in the whirlpool up against the sea wall. The fresh water from an underground spring flows out there so fast it creates a whirlpool that she couldn't swim out of. Of course, in 1904 swimming wasn't even taught. The whirlpool was called Slatina. There was a bronze statue erected by her father for her, but in 1942 Mussolini confiscated it for the bronze to be used in weapons.
The town of Opatija is a relatively new town, being only 160 years old. Rich people came from Vienna and Buddapest to visit the villas. Their transportation then was by carriage meaning it took 7-9 days to arrive. When the train lines were built, it became a 12 hour trip. The gazebo in the park was originally the pastry shop in that time. But they never really baked the pastries here. They were shipped by train from Vienna the afternoon before.
We stopped in a coffee shop to use the restroom and ordered 2 cappuccinos, mainly because it was cold outside. This was the first place I have seen over here to eat in that is no smoking! There were 2 old men that bought beers and went outside to drink and smoke. This is a Sunday morning around 9AM!
Friday, December 10, 2010, Mostar, Bosnia.
Today we need our passports again because we are not in Croatia. Most of our trip has been in towns in Croatia. When we flew to Zagreb, Croatia we went through customs; therefore, we do not need our passports anywhere in Croatiaa. But we needed them in Montenegro and now in Bosnia.
Our boat is docked in the river outside of Neum, Croatia. The water is crystal clear and the shore is steep and rocky. The trees on the shore are pine, fir, cedar, palms and oleander.There are 6 hotels here. The area is rich because the trade is only 1% tax here; but Croatia has 23% tax. The hotels are very expensive and exclusive. Croatia is on the border against the water for 8 miles. So Bosnia does not touch the water. We had to get in tenders to get to shore. There they had to check our passports before we boarded a bus to go to the Bosnian border.
we are rdriving through a valley in Croatia where they grow most of their agriculture. Their weather is perfect for it. They have olive groves, vineyards, apple groves, kiwi groves, tangerine trees and watermelon. From the 15th century to the early 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was in control of this area. From the 7th century on it has been Christian. The olive trees are only 2 years old because the Civil Wars destroyed their crops. First, it was the Serbs who set them on fire. Then it was bombed when the Muslims were fighting the Croats.
The Yugo was the only car produced in Yugoslavia. By the end of the 1980's the Yugo had been upgraded. The village is deserted now
because when the war came the Muslims left and not too many bothered to come back. They just left their mosques with their minarets because the Croatians moved in from Bosnia. It was known as an art colony in the summer because of all the artists that visited to paint. They store their beer and grappa outside because it is so cold.
Mostar, Bosnia is a city of bridges. It is at the crossroads of the East and West. Founded and developed by the Turks, it is still a place where all of the cu,tures meet and blend. It is the second largset town in Bosnia. The largest is the capital, Sarajevo. This countrygoes by 2 names: Bosnia and Herzegovina. They use 2 alphabets: the Surrelic and Latin. It is protected from the winds by the hills so it is a little warmer here than where the boat is. It was 35 degrees at the boat, so we are dressed in layers. Plus the sun is shining now since it is later in the day. Now it is 50 degrees.You can see a lot of destroyed houses and the streets have trash blowing all around. They are so depressed they don't have the pride the Croatians have for their towns. Before the war Mostar was a great town, but not now. They had an aluminum factory that was connected to Croatia by train. After the Civil War all industry has halted. During the war all of the factories and infrasucture was destroyed, so the economy is in very bad shape. The people only care about themselves, not about their towns or others. There are lots of graves on the sides of the road just from the Civil War of 1991 - 1999. Before the war 100,000 people lived here, now only 70,000. In all of Bosnia/Herzegovina the population is 4.5 million. Bostnick is Muslim for Bosnia. Bosnia/Herzegovina is 35% Muslim, 30% Roman Catholic and 20% Serbian and a small percentage of Jewish gypsies. We can see a Christian cross up in the hills which is the highest cross in the Balkans. The first people that settled in Bosnia were the Illyrians, then the Romans, then the Baltics, followed by the Turks, then the Austrians. Then it became part of Yugoslavia and now is Bosnia/Herzegovina. The Turks brought the Islam way of life to these people and they just assimilated it. The Austrians brought schools, culture, music and theatre.
They had many Turkish wars. You could tell what faith a person was by the color they wore. The Serbs wore green, the Muslims wore blue and the Roman Catholic Croats wore red. In a Muslim house the women and children never saw the visitors. The man entertained them by himself with food and drink prepared by his wives. She would prepare the food and place it on a shelf that would turn and open up on the other side of the wall where the husband was entertaining. Therefore, the visitors would never see the man's family at all. Today, they can have several wives if they can support them. In most cases they can't afford more than one. The kitchen was in the yard with the fireplace. To keep the house warm they brought the coals inside and placed them in a metal pot with a lid. It served to keep the food and room warm. They drink Turkish coffee very slowly because it is very thick. Their cups have no handles and they are very small. The women always had their faces covered. A man could not see her before he married her. Now they don't practice this anymore. When the Austrians came and they could see the ladies eyes, they changed. When the Communists came the ladies became powerful.
When the Serbs fought the Croats, Bosnia was the land caught in betwee;, so their people were divided in their patriotism depending on where they lived. So many have not come back to where they used to live and their houses are just sitting there destroyed and empty. it is a really depressing city.
We also visited the old town. It has all cobblestone streets and is hard to walk on. it is also very cold outside with a strong wind called the burra. It has forts, towers and gates all built in the 16th century. it is built around the river which is flowing so swiftly today because eof all the rain they recently had. In fact, part of the river is flooding into people's yards and porches. The recent Civil War destroyed the old bridge and it has just recently been reconstructed. This old bridge of the Old Town of Mostar is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. They had to do the reconstruction exactly as if it were being done in the 16th century. When it was reopened the Prince of Wales did the honor in July, 2005. It is amazing to see how high the bridge rises in such a short span, that they could have built something like this in the 16th century!.
The streets are steep and narrow in the Old Town. There are many, many shops and mosques here. At noon bells ring and the Muslims walk towards their mosques for their daily service. This occurs 5 times a day. They definitely seem to be more religious than we do, if mosque attendance is counted. There are also Roman Catholic churches too. We were able to do a lot of souvenir shopping here. I was able to buy some beautiful scarves and of course, I found my thimbles. At one point I got nervous because a young girl was begging for food. she grabbed my arm as if to pull me and get my attention. I just kept on walking. That part is hard to deal with. You know we live in such a nice country with all of the modern conveniences, and here they are in a third world environment.
We are back on the bus going to a restaurant for a very late lunch, like 2:30PM. It has been a rather long ride and in some spots the bus can hardly stay on the roads because they are so narrow. When we went over one bridge I looked out and couldn't even see the road below us. It looked like the bus was literally, driving on top of the river. We weren't sure what food we were eating. The salad was identifiable, but the meat: chicken? Turkey? Beef? Pork? Found out later that day. It was chicken and veal. Some people don't believe that. But it definitely was not pork because the restaurant was a Muslim one.
We arrived back on the boat very late and had to hurry up for the Captain's Farewell Dinner. It was very good and the people somewhat dressed up, but not like you see on the big cruise ships. All of us have been wearing our clothes more than once over here. You just cannot pack enough for this long of a trip into one suitcase.
Our boat is docked in the river outside of Neum, Croatia. The water is crystal clear and the shore is steep and rocky. The trees on the shore are pine, fir, cedar, palms and oleander.There are 6 hotels here. The area is rich because the trade is only 1% tax here; but Croatia has 23% tax. The hotels are very expensive and exclusive. Croatia is on the border against the water for 8 miles. So Bosnia does not touch the water. We had to get in tenders to get to shore. There they had to check our passports before we boarded a bus to go to the Bosnian border.
we are rdriving through a valley in Croatia where they grow most of their agriculture. Their weather is perfect for it. They have olive groves, vineyards, apple groves, kiwi groves, tangerine trees and watermelon. From the 15th century to the early 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was in control of this area. From the 7th century on it has been Christian. The olive trees are only 2 years old because the Civil Wars destroyed their crops. First, it was the Serbs who set them on fire. Then it was bombed when the Muslims were fighting the Croats.
The Yugo was the only car produced in Yugoslavia. By the end of the 1980's the Yugo had been upgraded. The village is deserted now
because when the war came the Muslims left and not too many bothered to come back. They just left their mosques with their minarets because the Croatians moved in from Bosnia. It was known as an art colony in the summer because of all the artists that visited to paint. They store their beer and grappa outside because it is so cold.
Mostar, Bosnia is a city of bridges. It is at the crossroads of the East and West. Founded and developed by the Turks, it is still a place where all of the cu,tures meet and blend. It is the second largset town in Bosnia. The largest is the capital, Sarajevo. This countrygoes by 2 names: Bosnia and Herzegovina. They use 2 alphabets: the Surrelic and Latin. It is protected from the winds by the hills so it is a little warmer here than where the boat is. It was 35 degrees at the boat, so we are dressed in layers. Plus the sun is shining now since it is later in the day. Now it is 50 degrees.You can see a lot of destroyed houses and the streets have trash blowing all around. They are so depressed they don't have the pride the Croatians have for their towns. Before the war Mostar was a great town, but not now. They had an aluminum factory that was connected to Croatia by train. After the Civil War all industry has halted. During the war all of the factories and infrasucture was destroyed, so the economy is in very bad shape. The people only care about themselves, not about their towns or others. There are lots of graves on the sides of the road just from the Civil War of 1991 - 1999. Before the war 100,000 people lived here, now only 70,000. In all of Bosnia/Herzegovina the population is 4.5 million. Bostnick is Muslim for Bosnia. Bosnia/Herzegovina is 35% Muslim, 30% Roman Catholic and 20% Serbian and a small percentage of Jewish gypsies. We can see a Christian cross up in the hills which is the highest cross in the Balkans. The first people that settled in Bosnia were the Illyrians, then the Romans, then the Baltics, followed by the Turks, then the Austrians. Then it became part of Yugoslavia and now is Bosnia/Herzegovina. The Turks brought the Islam way of life to these people and they just assimilated it. The Austrians brought schools, culture, music and theatre.
They had many Turkish wars. You could tell what faith a person was by the color they wore. The Serbs wore green, the Muslims wore blue and the Roman Catholic Croats wore red. In a Muslim house the women and children never saw the visitors. The man entertained them by himself with food and drink prepared by his wives. She would prepare the food and place it on a shelf that would turn and open up on the other side of the wall where the husband was entertaining. Therefore, the visitors would never see the man's family at all. Today, they can have several wives if they can support them. In most cases they can't afford more than one. The kitchen was in the yard with the fireplace. To keep the house warm they brought the coals inside and placed them in a metal pot with a lid. It served to keep the food and room warm. They drink Turkish coffee very slowly because it is very thick. Their cups have no handles and they are very small. The women always had their faces covered. A man could not see her before he married her. Now they don't practice this anymore. When the Austrians came and they could see the ladies eyes, they changed. When the Communists came the ladies became powerful.
When the Serbs fought the Croats, Bosnia was the land caught in betwee;, so their people were divided in their patriotism depending on where they lived. So many have not come back to where they used to live and their houses are just sitting there destroyed and empty. it is a really depressing city.
We also visited the old town. It has all cobblestone streets and is hard to walk on. it is also very cold outside with a strong wind called the burra. It has forts, towers and gates all built in the 16th century. it is built around the river which is flowing so swiftly today because eof all the rain they recently had. In fact, part of the river is flooding into people's yards and porches. The recent Civil War destroyed the old bridge and it has just recently been reconstructed. This old bridge of the Old Town of Mostar is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. They had to do the reconstruction exactly as if it were being done in the 16th century. When it was reopened the Prince of Wales did the honor in July, 2005. It is amazing to see how high the bridge rises in such a short span, that they could have built something like this in the 16th century!.
The streets are steep and narrow in the Old Town. There are many, many shops and mosques here. At noon bells ring and the Muslims walk towards their mosques for their daily service. This occurs 5 times a day. They definitely seem to be more religious than we do, if mosque attendance is counted. There are also Roman Catholic churches too. We were able to do a lot of souvenir shopping here. I was able to buy some beautiful scarves and of course, I found my thimbles. At one point I got nervous because a young girl was begging for food. she grabbed my arm as if to pull me and get my attention. I just kept on walking. That part is hard to deal with. You know we live in such a nice country with all of the modern conveniences, and here they are in a third world environment.
We are back on the bus going to a restaurant for a very late lunch, like 2:30PM. It has been a rather long ride and in some spots the bus can hardly stay on the roads because they are so narrow. When we went over one bridge I looked out and couldn't even see the road below us. It looked like the bus was literally, driving on top of the river. We weren't sure what food we were eating. The salad was identifiable, but the meat: chicken? Turkey? Beef? Pork? Found out later that day. It was chicken and veal. Some people don't believe that. But it definitely was not pork because the restaurant was a Muslim one.
We arrived back on the boat very late and had to hurry up for the Captain's Farewell Dinner. It was very good and the people somewhat dressed up, but not like you see on the big cruise ships. All of us have been wearing our clothes more than once over here. You just cannot pack enough for this long of a trip into one suitcase.
Thursday, December 9, 2010, Korcula, Montenegro.
Korcula, Montenegro is an old historic town that dates back to 4BC when the Greeks came here, which they called Lombardo. The Greeks and Illyrians drew up a contract in 4 BC as friends not as invaders. Then it was called Korcula Black because of the mountains. The first written document in Korcula was written in the 10th century AD. During the 11th century the Venetians gained control. In the 16th century they built walls around the town. The Austrian-Hungarian Dynasty took control in the mid 19th century. The wall surrounding the town has been broken down at the top several times to be able to use the stones. originally the wall had 12 towers, but now there are only 7. Two of the square towers are of Rabeline construction and have a lion with wings holding a book. the lion represents Venice and the book represents peace. So the Venetians came in peace but not to control them. In 1863 they had a draw bridge in order fomented the town. It was locked p at night and you had to ring a bell and pass inspection in order to enter.The highest point around the town is Mount Elias which is 961 meters high.
The main church is ST. Marks. Inside the museum are souvenirs from wars during the 14th -17th centuries. They have come from Crete. The church ceiling is painted with Biblical scenes. On Good Friday the town has a procession of men from 3 separate brotherhoods that originated from the 3 churches. They are: the Brotherhood of All Saints which represents the shipbuilders, the Brotherhood of ST. Michael which represents the stone carvers, and the Brotherhhod of St. Druggall which represents the tradesmen. ll of these brotherhoods are connected to their respective churches. These brotherhoods were influenced by the Venetians and only men march in the procession. the rights to belong to these guilds passes down from father to son at birth. The shipbuilders guild was started in 1301 and was the largest and
oldest guild. The women perform all of the preparation and clean up at the festival. Each guild has a representative that carries a very large candle in a cup supported by a sash. The ST. Michael candles weighs 160 pounds. It is carried in the procession for 1 hour.
ST. Lucie is the lady patron saint of the blind. She is celebrated on December 13th. ST. Katherine is celebrated on November 25th. ST. Nicholas is celebrated on December 6th. Officially, there are o gifts given on Christmas.The gifts are given by Santa in the New Year. Christmas is for the celebration of Jesus only. The Chapel of the Lady of now is on an island and it has protected the town from the Turks. This island controls the channel and all ship traffic. When the Turks attacked Korcula the Bishop sent all of the people outside the walls with weapons. The Turks figured they had just as many soldiers inside. plus a very strong north wind came and the Turks ran away.
The town hall was built on the 16 th century behind the palace for the Venetian rulers. Now the town offices are there because it is the political center of the town. The first example of a public servant in the 17th century was a doctor that was paid by the government.The town is laid out in an unusual way. There is 1 main street with all the other streets crossing this main street. All of the streets on the east of Main Street are curves to slow the wind and cool off the town with it's very hot summers. The streets to the west of Main Street all end at the water and are straight so the wind from the water can flow straight into the town. This is their form of air conditioning and it was built this way thousands of years ago.
The palaces then had the door and window built as one. The kitchen is always on the top floor for safety reasons because fires always burn up. Up at the top of the house they have 2 more hours of light to see to cook. In addition, food smells rise to the roof instead of going into the bedrooms. Last, but not least, they have privacy and a great view from the top floor. One of the stores had a sign that said " OLD IS NICE". They still need stonemason skills today because they need to constantly fix their homes and walls. They keep olive oil in huge stone jugs with a stone on top to keep animals out.
ST. Mark is the patron saint of the town from the 14 th to the 16 th century. The church was built with Roman, Gothic and Venetian influences. It has been built in 4 part; the last part in the 16th century was the bell tower. children and people who had not been baptized had to enter the bell tower to become baptized before they could enter the church. This cathedral was built on top of the Roman castle, so it isn't symmetrical like most. There are carvings showing lions coming down from the heavens with Adam and Eve below them. The columns have a knot in the center representing a connection between the heavens and earth. the remains of ST. Theodore are behind a drape on the altar. Swords are on the walls inside the church because they protected the town against invaders. instead of an organ , they have a piano becaus sit has great acoustics.
In 1254 Marco Polo was born here in Korcula a citizen of the Venetian Kingdom. His family was known for their travels all over the world, so he was just following in their footsteps. He came back and told stories of things he had seen. Europeans did not believe him about the silk, ice cream and fireworks from China. They thought he was making it all up.
We have tasted cappuccinos in every town we have been in. Their coffee is very small and without cream. A cappuccino has steamed milk, not cream. I don't think they even make cream.
The main church is ST. Marks. Inside the museum are souvenirs from wars during the 14th -17th centuries. They have come from Crete. The church ceiling is painted with Biblical scenes. On Good Friday the town has a procession of men from 3 separate brotherhoods that originated from the 3 churches. They are: the Brotherhood of All Saints which represents the shipbuilders, the Brotherhood of ST. Michael which represents the stone carvers, and the Brotherhhod of St. Druggall which represents the tradesmen. ll of these brotherhoods are connected to their respective churches. These brotherhoods were influenced by the Venetians and only men march in the procession. the rights to belong to these guilds passes down from father to son at birth. The shipbuilders guild was started in 1301 and was the largest and
oldest guild. The women perform all of the preparation and clean up at the festival. Each guild has a representative that carries a very large candle in a cup supported by a sash. The ST. Michael candles weighs 160 pounds. It is carried in the procession for 1 hour.
ST. Lucie is the lady patron saint of the blind. She is celebrated on December 13th. ST. Katherine is celebrated on November 25th. ST. Nicholas is celebrated on December 6th. Officially, there are o gifts given on Christmas.The gifts are given by Santa in the New Year. Christmas is for the celebration of Jesus only. The Chapel of the Lady of now is on an island and it has protected the town from the Turks. This island controls the channel and all ship traffic. When the Turks attacked Korcula the Bishop sent all of the people outside the walls with weapons. The Turks figured they had just as many soldiers inside. plus a very strong north wind came and the Turks ran away.
The town hall was built on the 16 th century behind the palace for the Venetian rulers. Now the town offices are there because it is the political center of the town. The first example of a public servant in the 17th century was a doctor that was paid by the government.The town is laid out in an unusual way. There is 1 main street with all the other streets crossing this main street. All of the streets on the east of Main Street are curves to slow the wind and cool off the town with it's very hot summers. The streets to the west of Main Street all end at the water and are straight so the wind from the water can flow straight into the town. This is their form of air conditioning and it was built this way thousands of years ago.
The palaces then had the door and window built as one. The kitchen is always on the top floor for safety reasons because fires always burn up. Up at the top of the house they have 2 more hours of light to see to cook. In addition, food smells rise to the roof instead of going into the bedrooms. Last, but not least, they have privacy and a great view from the top floor. One of the stores had a sign that said " OLD IS NICE". They still need stonemason skills today because they need to constantly fix their homes and walls. They keep olive oil in huge stone jugs with a stone on top to keep animals out.
ST. Mark is the patron saint of the town from the 14 th to the 16 th century. The church was built with Roman, Gothic and Venetian influences. It has been built in 4 part; the last part in the 16th century was the bell tower. children and people who had not been baptized had to enter the bell tower to become baptized before they could enter the church. This cathedral was built on top of the Roman castle, so it isn't symmetrical like most. There are carvings showing lions coming down from the heavens with Adam and Eve below them. The columns have a knot in the center representing a connection between the heavens and earth. the remains of ST. Theodore are behind a drape on the altar. Swords are on the walls inside the church because they protected the town against invaders. instead of an organ , they have a piano becaus sit has great acoustics.
In 1254 Marco Polo was born here in Korcula a citizen of the Venetian Kingdom. His family was known for their travels all over the world, so he was just following in their footsteps. He came back and told stories of things he had seen. Europeans did not believe him about the silk, ice cream and fireworks from China. They thought he was making it all up.
We have tasted cappuccinos in every town we have been in. Their coffee is very small and without cream. A cappuccino has steamed milk, not cream. I don't think they even make cream.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010, Cetinje
Cetinje was the former capital of Montenegro. Here single story cottages share the street with mansions. In 1452 the town was founded by Ivan Crnojevic, ruler of the Zeta State. The Monastery was built in 1785. We had to ride on a bus from the docks thru a tunnel in the mountains and out into the country to this historic capital. The Gothic medieval castle became the monastery. The peasants hid here when the Ottomans and Muslims attacked the town. The first books were printed here in 1494. The church books were made with gold, silver and pearl ornamentation and were protected for 400 years. It is the soul and spirit of these people. The 12 most important ambassadors of Europe came here at the end of the 19th century.
Prince Nicholas was chosen to be educated in Europe. He learned German when very young and attended a primary school in Vienna. He was at the Cadet Academy of Paris at 19 when he was sent a message to come home to takeover the throne. He was coronated from Prince to King. His marriage was arranged in 1860. She was only 15 and he was 19 years old. They were married for 50 years and had 9 daughters. One died at 1 year old, another died at 11 years. Being all girls and out in the country with no nobility around the girls' marriages were also arranged. One, Regina, became Queen of Italy. One married Serbian royalty, 2 married Prussian royalty and one married Russian royalty. One was a tomboy and one remained unmarried. In 1918 the commission decided to join together Montenegeo, Serbs, Croats and Bosnians. During WWI King Nicholas and his queen had to evacuate through Italy to Dieppe, France. They died there in poverty in 1921. When Communism was in control their coffins were not allowed back home. After Communism fell, the coffins were returned to Montenegro.
The Monastery was destroyed and rebuilt many times by the Ottomans and Serbs. Every spring these countries attacked Cetinje. All the embassies that were here have been turned into cultural centers for music, art, theatre and academy. Now there are many people living here concerned with improving the town. The museum was built with parquet floors. Inside are the decorations given to King Nick by the Prussians, Germans, Turkish, Japanese, Serbs, Greeks, Bulgarians, French, English, Croatians, Spanish, Illyrians, Romanians and the Pope. They had the formal clothing of the King and Queen and even some of their children. They didn't wear boots, but leather shoes.
Our Lady of the Rocks Island was built by dumping rocks on a reef in the bay. Some fishermen found a painting of Mary and Jesus in 1450 on the reef and thought it was a miracle. So they started to build the island. The bay was 22 meters deep and they started building the island with rocks in 1550. In 1630 they built a small Baroque church with 68 paintings from Paris. The ceiling is painted with Old Testament scenes, Mary's Assumption and Jesus. One hundred services a year are performed here in the form of weddings and baptisms. The bride must leave a present for Mary when they use this church. There are pictures of ships in storms at sea and sailors with maimed arms and legs and they are asking for protection when at sea. The pipe organ is the oldest working organ in all of Yugoslavia. The altar is made from 4 types of marble: white from Italy, most expensive is the green from Italy, yellow marble from sienna and rose colored marble from Egypt. The compass in the courtyard is made of roseand white marble. Buried underneath the church are the first two priests of this church.
A lady from Kotor whose husband was a sailor and away at sea more than at home embroidered a replica of Mary and Jesus above the altar. She used 8 different thread forms including gold, silver, cotton, silk, and even used her own hair for the angels' hair. it took 25 years to complete.
At 2:30 today we took a tender out to the Our Lady of the Rocks Island and the historic Roman Catholic church with each of us carrying a rock. Once there we all tossed our rocks into the sea just around the church and it's courtyard; thereby adding to it's size. That was the cost of admission to the island. When we arrived back on board one of our passengers who is an artist drew a cartoon of fish under the water as we toss in the rocks. The fish has a band aid on his head and throbbing marks above his head to show it was painful when the rock struck him. The caption read, " Those OAT people are here again!"
Prince Nicholas was chosen to be educated in Europe. He learned German when very young and attended a primary school in Vienna. He was at the Cadet Academy of Paris at 19 when he was sent a message to come home to takeover the throne. He was coronated from Prince to King. His marriage was arranged in 1860. She was only 15 and he was 19 years old. They were married for 50 years and had 9 daughters. One died at 1 year old, another died at 11 years. Being all girls and out in the country with no nobility around the girls' marriages were also arranged. One, Regina, became Queen of Italy. One married Serbian royalty, 2 married Prussian royalty and one married Russian royalty. One was a tomboy and one remained unmarried. In 1918 the commission decided to join together Montenegeo, Serbs, Croats and Bosnians. During WWI King Nicholas and his queen had to evacuate through Italy to Dieppe, France. They died there in poverty in 1921. When Communism was in control their coffins were not allowed back home. After Communism fell, the coffins were returned to Montenegro.
The Monastery was destroyed and rebuilt many times by the Ottomans and Serbs. Every spring these countries attacked Cetinje. All the embassies that were here have been turned into cultural centers for music, art, theatre and academy. Now there are many people living here concerned with improving the town. The museum was built with parquet floors. Inside are the decorations given to King Nick by the Prussians, Germans, Turkish, Japanese, Serbs, Greeks, Bulgarians, French, English, Croatians, Spanish, Illyrians, Romanians and the Pope. They had the formal clothing of the King and Queen and even some of their children. They didn't wear boots, but leather shoes.
Our Lady of the Rocks Island was built by dumping rocks on a reef in the bay. Some fishermen found a painting of Mary and Jesus in 1450 on the reef and thought it was a miracle. So they started to build the island. The bay was 22 meters deep and they started building the island with rocks in 1550. In 1630 they built a small Baroque church with 68 paintings from Paris. The ceiling is painted with Old Testament scenes, Mary's Assumption and Jesus. One hundred services a year are performed here in the form of weddings and baptisms. The bride must leave a present for Mary when they use this church. There are pictures of ships in storms at sea and sailors with maimed arms and legs and they are asking for protection when at sea. The pipe organ is the oldest working organ in all of Yugoslavia. The altar is made from 4 types of marble: white from Italy, most expensive is the green from Italy, yellow marble from sienna and rose colored marble from Egypt. The compass in the courtyard is made of roseand white marble. Buried underneath the church are the first two priests of this church.
A lady from Kotor whose husband was a sailor and away at sea more than at home embroidered a replica of Mary and Jesus above the altar. She used 8 different thread forms including gold, silver, cotton, silk, and even used her own hair for the angels' hair. it took 25 years to complete.
At 2:30 today we took a tender out to the Our Lady of the Rocks Island and the historic Roman Catholic church with each of us carrying a rock. Once there we all tossed our rocks into the sea just around the church and it's courtyard; thereby adding to it's size. That was the cost of admission to the island. When we arrived back on board one of our passengers who is an artist drew a cartoon of fish under the water as we toss in the rocks. The fish has a band aid on his head and throbbing marks above his head to show it was painful when the rock struck him. The caption read, " Those OAT people are here again!"
Tuesday, December 7, 2010, Kotor, Montenegro
Montenegro is a small nation, 13,812 square kilometers (size of Conneticut) that has a great position in the Balkan Peninsula. They have a strong army and are extremely tall people, population -680,000; but are considered lazy.They have 10% unemployment. It's name means black mountains because from a distance that's how they look. The mountains are covered with dense dark green forests. From the boat you see black mountains, aquamarine water and red tiled roofed limestone villas and rocky, steep hillsides. Their people were originally Roman Catholic, but after Yugoslavai fell, the Serbs moved in in large numbers. Now they are mostly Orthodox. Boka Bay that leads to the town of Kotor is an UNESCO site because it is considered to be the most beautiful bay in the world. They are poor in natural minerals, just have limestone; but have natural beauty. The inner part of the bay resembles a fjord. Boka Bay means "out from". In the past ships would come into Boka Bay for trade, rest and repair. The shipyard was built in the 14th century by the bay because the water is always calm. The town in so far up the bay that the rough waters of the Adriatic Sea does not reach them. The coastline is gorgeous because it has pebbly beaches. Lots of people spend their summers here and it is extremely crowded. Last week in Vienna, Austria, the red wine Montenegro produces won the gold medal over a1300 other wines.
It was a little difficult to eat breakfast as we were sailing to Montenegro. The captain said it'll be very rough because the south winds were blowing very hard. He said anyone with a sensitive stomach needed to take some Dramamine. Daddy and I were fine.
For 500 years the Kingdom of Montenegro was able to protect itself against invaders because the have very high mountains.The walls around the city of Kotor were built from the 9-19 centuries. They have a seagate that holds the seawater back.. At the top of the mountain is the Our Lady of Herbed Remedy which in 1667 was the largest in Europe. It was built into the hillside and is only open now for the holidays because you need to climb 600 steps to reach it. These people are extremely tall and their steps have very tall risers. When the Black Plaque hit here in the 16th century they took the sick up to the church.
After WWII, Montenegro's borders were fixed by Tito, but they were basically the same as they were previous. As Yugoslavia they had plenty of industy. Plus, they had an industry based on organized crime. Their main industry was smuggling tobacco. After Yugoslavia folded, all of their industry was destroyed. Montenegro was liberated on November 21, 1944. Now, they only have tourism. The Serbs living in Montenegro did not want their independence in the civil war of 1991-1999, so they held out to the end. They were the last to receive independence, June, 2006. In 1998 they changed their currency to the German Marc. Then it was changed to the Euro; but it is not in the European Union.
Montenegro today is 70% Orthodox; but the southern half is Roman Catholic. They have learned how to harmonize together and there is a lot of intermarriages. They do whatever they have to to survive. One week ago today they had a huge rainstorm which flooded the town up to the bench seats. Today, there are still lots of big puddles. The mayor of the town is a lady and she requires they wash their stone squares every day. Inside the town the main square is called Weapons Square because this was where they made beautiful swords out of gold, silver and bronze. The clock tower was built in the 17th century and they continue the tradition of oiling the clock daily. The pillory in front of the clock was where they tied the criminals tom the building. The Pima family were the aristocrats that started education for all the people. Their castle is now the Grammar School and is 4 stories tall. The Roman Catholic Cathedral was built in 1166 with a clock tower dedicated to ST. Triphon, the patron saint of the town. From 809AD to 2009AD they carried his body through the town every February. This is part of their heritage.
The Maritime Museum has the 98 Coats of Arms from all over Boka Bay of the aristocratic families inside it's walls. There was elegant furniture made from the wood of the lemon trees. On display were many items that sailors brought back from foreign countries: elephant tusks, hair pins from the 18th century, fan from China, English dishes, guns decorated with gold, sliver, ivory and pearl, ornate gunpowder boxes with huge silver tassels. Ladies of that time carried carved blades inside their sleeves for protection when they were alone on the streets.
The Orthodox Square is called ST. Nick and was built in the 19th century. The ST. Luca Church was built in the 12th century and it is Roman Catholic. Their squares have restaurants with tables outside under huge umbrellas. These umbrellas curve up (looking upside down to us) because it forces the hot air to flow up, out and away, instead of staying under the umbrella. Neat idea! I ordered a cappuccino and a water while I people watched. The ladies wore a lot of leggings, patent leather boots that come above the knees, short skirts, wool coats, scarves and umbrellas. Most of the people have dark hair and eyes. Daddy went to walk the wall. I can't after re-injuring my knee in Dubrovnik. There are very few cars within the town walls. Instead the people drive bicycles with baskets on the front the size and shape of a coffee table to carry their wares. They could carry a month's groceries in these.
We were supposed to have a group of performers tonight on the boat performing local native folk dances, but the winds are so bad they cannot get onto the boat. The winds are called burras and are 55 to 70 mile per hour winds but no rain. it whips up the sea into very high waves and the boat has to anchor down with several anchors to try to level it out. These winds come down from the north and usuallys last for at least 8 hours. It'll be hard to sleep tonight with the boat pitching around. But at least when we sail away tomorrow, the winds'll be gone.
It was a little difficult to eat breakfast as we were sailing to Montenegro. The captain said it'll be very rough because the south winds were blowing very hard. He said anyone with a sensitive stomach needed to take some Dramamine. Daddy and I were fine.
For 500 years the Kingdom of Montenegro was able to protect itself against invaders because the have very high mountains.The walls around the city of Kotor were built from the 9-19 centuries. They have a seagate that holds the seawater back.. At the top of the mountain is the Our Lady of Herbed Remedy which in 1667 was the largest in Europe. It was built into the hillside and is only open now for the holidays because you need to climb 600 steps to reach it. These people are extremely tall and their steps have very tall risers. When the Black Plaque hit here in the 16th century they took the sick up to the church.
After WWII, Montenegro's borders were fixed by Tito, but they were basically the same as they were previous. As Yugoslavia they had plenty of industy. Plus, they had an industry based on organized crime. Their main industry was smuggling tobacco. After Yugoslavia folded, all of their industry was destroyed. Montenegro was liberated on November 21, 1944. Now, they only have tourism. The Serbs living in Montenegro did not want their independence in the civil war of 1991-1999, so they held out to the end. They were the last to receive independence, June, 2006. In 1998 they changed their currency to the German Marc. Then it was changed to the Euro; but it is not in the European Union.
Montenegro today is 70% Orthodox; but the southern half is Roman Catholic. They have learned how to harmonize together and there is a lot of intermarriages. They do whatever they have to to survive. One week ago today they had a huge rainstorm which flooded the town up to the bench seats. Today, there are still lots of big puddles. The mayor of the town is a lady and she requires they wash their stone squares every day. Inside the town the main square is called Weapons Square because this was where they made beautiful swords out of gold, silver and bronze. The clock tower was built in the 17th century and they continue the tradition of oiling the clock daily. The pillory in front of the clock was where they tied the criminals tom the building. The Pima family were the aristocrats that started education for all the people. Their castle is now the Grammar School and is 4 stories tall. The Roman Catholic Cathedral was built in 1166 with a clock tower dedicated to ST. Triphon, the patron saint of the town. From 809AD to 2009AD they carried his body through the town every February. This is part of their heritage.
The Maritime Museum has the 98 Coats of Arms from all over Boka Bay of the aristocratic families inside it's walls. There was elegant furniture made from the wood of the lemon trees. On display were many items that sailors brought back from foreign countries: elephant tusks, hair pins from the 18th century, fan from China, English dishes, guns decorated with gold, sliver, ivory and pearl, ornate gunpowder boxes with huge silver tassels. Ladies of that time carried carved blades inside their sleeves for protection when they were alone on the streets.
The Orthodox Square is called ST. Nick and was built in the 19th century. The ST. Luca Church was built in the 12th century and it is Roman Catholic. Their squares have restaurants with tables outside under huge umbrellas. These umbrellas curve up (looking upside down to us) because it forces the hot air to flow up, out and away, instead of staying under the umbrella. Neat idea! I ordered a cappuccino and a water while I people watched. The ladies wore a lot of leggings, patent leather boots that come above the knees, short skirts, wool coats, scarves and umbrellas. Most of the people have dark hair and eyes. Daddy went to walk the wall. I can't after re-injuring my knee in Dubrovnik. There are very few cars within the town walls. Instead the people drive bicycles with baskets on the front the size and shape of a coffee table to carry their wares. They could carry a month's groceries in these.
We were supposed to have a group of performers tonight on the boat performing local native folk dances, but the winds are so bad they cannot get onto the boat. The winds are called burras and are 55 to 70 mile per hour winds but no rain. it whips up the sea into very high waves and the boat has to anchor down with several anchors to try to level it out. These winds come down from the north and usuallys last for at least 8 hours. It'll be hard to sleep tonight with the boat pitching around. But at least when we sail away tomorrow, the winds'll be gone.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Dubrovnik, Home Visit, Monday , December 6, 2010.
The country of Croatia being 90% Roman Catholic celebrates Xmas and decorates their towns with Nativity scenes and lots of ornaments. They were very strong people to have been able to keep their culture in tact even though they were invaded many, many times. Under Communism the only place they were allowed to speak their native tongue was in church. Therefore, they attended church everyday to be able to socialize with their friends. Their religion allowed them to be able to stay connected with others of their own nationality but only inside their churches. The children were able to attend school in the church also. This formed very strong bonds.
In Hvar, (pronounced without the "h"), we ate Hvarti cheese in cubes but it was served in olive oil. it was delicious. We need to try it that way at home. They serve it on a wooden board. we also ordered seafood risotto with muscles, squid and shrimp. They cooked the seafood with the shells and legs in the risotto. Therefore, we had to pull the legs, heads and shells off before we would eat them. But it was tasty. We also had bread with olive oil. They make the best bread done inside a dome that is covered with ashes to bake for about 3 hours. The dessert was called Rosata which is a caramel cream. It is more like our flan.
We visited a local family that lives outside of Dubrovnik on a farm. With OAT, you always have a home visit with the locals. In 1991, during the Civil War, he was inscripted into the Crotian Army for 4-5 years as a MP. They had to rebuild their home after the Civil War. Most of their house was destroyed; but between them, their extended family and friends, they were able to rebuild it by themselves. The man did all of his own woodwork and stonework. Their walls are of stone on the inside as well as the outside of the house. The two children they have were born after the Civil War. They are 6 and 9. When we arrived they took us into their wine cellar. They had several oaken barrels full of homemade wine and homemade olive oil. They have a farm; therefore, in the wine cellar were huge baskets full of white potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbages, turnips, beets, peppers, almonds, black walnuts, figs, grapes and citrus. Their main citrus they call clementines but it looks like our tangerines. They make their own black walnut schnapps. It was delicious. I had 3 shots of it. They also make their own grappa. This one had herbs in it. When Bill next to me asked which herbs were fermented in it, she pulled out her Croatian/ English dictionary and pointed to the word. It ended up being weeds, instead of some fancy herb!!! And we had already had several shots of it!!! But nobody got sick. I guess it is like the older farmers in America making dandelion wine.
The lady of the house kept stressing that everything they eat is natural. Everything they eat at supper is grown in their gardens. They buy baby pigs at 6 weeks of age and raise them till butchering time. They raise pigs and butcher them and hang the hams up in the wine cellar to cure after they have been placed in salt. Then they slice them very thin into proschuitto which they serve as an appetizer along with cheese, bread and olive oil. They have a special slicer to be able to cut the ham so thin you can almost see through it.
The main course was stuffed cabbage rolls. The rolls were stuffed with rice, carrots, potatoes and ham and then boiled. This is served with a side of mashed potatoes. They eat a lot of starches, but they work really hard outside in the fields all day. They obtain their beef from his parents. His parents raise the calves and butcher while they are young. Therefore they eat a lot of veal. They also raise chickens for the eggs. His wife made Rosata which was so much better than what we ate in the restaurant today. She has a special caramel liquer she pours over it. It just melted in your mouth. After the meal he played a 3 stringed lute and the girls danced their native folk dance to the music.
We were a group of 4 couples and Darko spent some time with us as well. Bill's wife, Karen, said the wife related to me more than the others. I didn't notice it, but I was able to ask her questions and make comments because of the dictionary. She had items for sale after the dinner : homemade crocheted scarves , homemade black walnut liquer, homemade caramel liquer with the recipe for the flan. I wanted to buy that too, but didn't. she had homemade dolls dressed in their native folk costumes; but they weren't dolls to play with. When we left she gave everybody a stocking full of walnuts, almonds, carob sticks and a Clementine.
It was very chilly out tonight because it rained. During the winter they receive a lot of rain. They have no snow and in the summer it can reach 120 degrees Farenheit which is 44 degrees Celcius. The wife came from the town of Dubrovnik where her parents still live. She remembers being able to watch TV a lot as a kid. Her kids do that now. The husband came from the rural area where they now live. He remembers helping out on the farm as a kid. Now the wife works in town as a bookkeeper, but she has even more work to do when she comes home. She has to help in the fields and she has to help with the olive oil, wine, hams, nuts, citrus, figs and putting up of all the veggies.
Tomorrow morning we sail to Montenegro at 6:30AM while we are eating breakfast.
In Hvar, (pronounced without the "h"), we ate Hvarti cheese in cubes but it was served in olive oil. it was delicious. We need to try it that way at home. They serve it on a wooden board. we also ordered seafood risotto with muscles, squid and shrimp. They cooked the seafood with the shells and legs in the risotto. Therefore, we had to pull the legs, heads and shells off before we would eat them. But it was tasty. We also had bread with olive oil. They make the best bread done inside a dome that is covered with ashes to bake for about 3 hours. The dessert was called Rosata which is a caramel cream. It is more like our flan.
We visited a local family that lives outside of Dubrovnik on a farm. With OAT, you always have a home visit with the locals. In 1991, during the Civil War, he was inscripted into the Crotian Army for 4-5 years as a MP. They had to rebuild their home after the Civil War. Most of their house was destroyed; but between them, their extended family and friends, they were able to rebuild it by themselves. The man did all of his own woodwork and stonework. Their walls are of stone on the inside as well as the outside of the house. The two children they have were born after the Civil War. They are 6 and 9. When we arrived they took us into their wine cellar. They had several oaken barrels full of homemade wine and homemade olive oil. They have a farm; therefore, in the wine cellar were huge baskets full of white potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbages, turnips, beets, peppers, almonds, black walnuts, figs, grapes and citrus. Their main citrus they call clementines but it looks like our tangerines. They make their own black walnut schnapps. It was delicious. I had 3 shots of it. They also make their own grappa. This one had herbs in it. When Bill next to me asked which herbs were fermented in it, she pulled out her Croatian/ English dictionary and pointed to the word. It ended up being weeds, instead of some fancy herb!!! And we had already had several shots of it!!! But nobody got sick. I guess it is like the older farmers in America making dandelion wine.
The lady of the house kept stressing that everything they eat is natural. Everything they eat at supper is grown in their gardens. They buy baby pigs at 6 weeks of age and raise them till butchering time. They raise pigs and butcher them and hang the hams up in the wine cellar to cure after they have been placed in salt. Then they slice them very thin into proschuitto which they serve as an appetizer along with cheese, bread and olive oil. They have a special slicer to be able to cut the ham so thin you can almost see through it.
The main course was stuffed cabbage rolls. The rolls were stuffed with rice, carrots, potatoes and ham and then boiled. This is served with a side of mashed potatoes. They eat a lot of starches, but they work really hard outside in the fields all day. They obtain their beef from his parents. His parents raise the calves and butcher while they are young. Therefore they eat a lot of veal. They also raise chickens for the eggs. His wife made Rosata which was so much better than what we ate in the restaurant today. She has a special caramel liquer she pours over it. It just melted in your mouth. After the meal he played a 3 stringed lute and the girls danced their native folk dance to the music.
We were a group of 4 couples and Darko spent some time with us as well. Bill's wife, Karen, said the wife related to me more than the others. I didn't notice it, but I was able to ask her questions and make comments because of the dictionary. She had items for sale after the dinner : homemade crocheted scarves , homemade black walnut liquer, homemade caramel liquer with the recipe for the flan. I wanted to buy that too, but didn't. she had homemade dolls dressed in their native folk costumes; but they weren't dolls to play with. When we left she gave everybody a stocking full of walnuts, almonds, carob sticks and a Clementine.
It was very chilly out tonight because it rained. During the winter they receive a lot of rain. They have no snow and in the summer it can reach 120 degrees Farenheit which is 44 degrees Celcius. The wife came from the town of Dubrovnik where her parents still live. She remembers being able to watch TV a lot as a kid. Her kids do that now. The husband came from the rural area where they now live. He remembers helping out on the farm as a kid. Now the wife works in town as a bookkeeper, but she has even more work to do when she comes home. She has to help in the fields and she has to help with the olive oil, wine, hams, nuts, citrus, figs and putting up of all the veggies.
Tomorrow morning we sail to Montenegro at 6:30AM while we are eating breakfast.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Dubrovnik, Monday, December 6, 2010.
Dubrovnik is an old city that was very wealthy during Mediaval times. This fortress was built from the 12th - 18th centuries. The main part of the town is called the Gruz which is the section closest to the Sea. It was in the center of all the trade routes and did very well also, having the third strongest fleet in the world. It was also powerful. The patricians built summer homes along the seashore. They are known for their long, hot, dry summers from April to November, and their cool winters from November to April. A couple of years ago it snowed in the winter and it stayed on the ground for 3 days. They had to ski down the streets. It's known for it's coral which it harvests from the sea.
It's economy is based on commerce. In the 7th - 13th century they began their commercial center. During the Byzantine Empire they acquired their autonomy then Venice took over from the 13th - 14 1/2 centuries. It became a city-state from the 14th- 19th century. During this time they had 50 consulates all around the Mediterranean Sea as spies. They had good relations with everyone and avoided wars. They were able to keep their freedom because they were wealthy from the salt trade and very strong with their fleets of ships. Their salt was exported everywhere. For only 1000 square kilometers in size they were a power. They emphasized brains over braun and were at the height of their diplomacy during this time. In the 16th century it had one of the largest fleets in the world, 280 ships. They developed excellent shipbuilding skills and have been known worldwide for their " Argusy" high quality ships and the Academy of Sea Faring. They have a population of 50,000, terra cotta roofs and walls one mile long. It took 500 years to build the wall in the 12th century.
In 1667, they had a large earthquake where 6000 people were killed. They never fully recovered. Plus at that time the new world was discovered and their importance in shipping declined. In the beginning of the 19th century Dubrovnik was captured by Napoleon and in 1808 it's republic was abolished.Then Austria gained control and from there on it has been downhill.
Yugo means south and slavia means land of Slavs. So Yugoslavia means land of southern Slavs. Saint Ursula is the patron saint of young girls and she is evident here. There are many statues erected in her honor. She overlooks a botanical island with a deserted
Benedictine Monastery. Mount Search is the highest point and that is where Napoleon built his fortress. There is a cable car that will take
you up there to see all of the surrounding land, but it was destroyed during the civil wars of 1991 - 1999. They have just reopened it. In fact, many of the roofs still show destruction of the war. UNESCO financed the reconstruction.
All around Dubrovnik are city walls and when they were built they were surrounded by a moat for protection. The ST. Lawrence port was built in the 13th century. The Venetians were going to attack so they had to protect themselves. The wooden draw bridge was closed at night and locked, and anyone entering the city had to have proof of who they were to gain admittance. Saint Blaze was the patron saint since the 10th century and on every February 3rd he blesses the city. The Peelee gate is Greek and is decorated with bay leaves which is a symbol of victory. Bay leaves are resistant to insects so they are placed on their houses to show they are healthy. Every person that gained admittance to this city had to bring a stone with them in order to be admitted. These stones were used to build their city. This area was called Rosara when the Illyrians lived here. Then it was called Dubrov when it was populated by Serbs. The main street now used to be a canal originally. The aqueduct is from Roman times with a huge dome with fresh running water from the spring of the Ombria River miles up in the mountains. Next to it is the Curch of Our Saviour from the 16th century. During the civil wars of 1991-1999, the Serbs cut off their water supply and their electric. Then they had to use the wells in order to survive.
Saint Francis stopped in Dubrovnik on his trip from the Holy Land to Rome. He started the Franciscan Monastery here. Originally it was outside the city walls and had vineyards. But Dubrovnik eliminated all of the large buildings outside of their walls, so the monks moved
inside. The monks couldn't work the vineyards so they started making wax candles and making medicines from herbs. This is the oldest working pharmacy in Europe. They still make the rose cream they made in the 14th century from the same prescription. You can smell the roses when you pass by. I bought a jar to bring home.
When the Black Plaque hit Europe from the 14th-16th centuries they established a quarantine building where people entering the town needed to stay for 40 days outside the city walls to be sure they were healthy. It could house 3000-5000 people at a time. Five women had survived the plaque so they were the nurses in the quarantine building and they cleaned it with vinegar. They even provided a church for the quarantine people called Church of Saint Rock.
In the monastery Cloisters, which are decorated in Baroque and Gothic styles, they grow citrus trees, olives and roses. Originally it
housed 30 nuns who never saw society. Now there are only 6, but they still segregate themselves from the outside world. They learned to spin lace from the agave plant. This lace is very expensive and labor intensive; therefore when it is completed it is hidden under glass. Surrounding the Cloisters are very colorful frescoes from the 15th century, which they are repairing and preserving. During the 13th century there was an orphanage, called ST. Claire convent, inside the city walls but connected to the Cloisters. Here a mother could place a child she couldn't feed on this window sill that had a wheel attached. When the nuns turned the wheel they were able to pick up the child, but not see the mother. The mother would break a coin in half and give half to the infant and keep the other half. If in a few years she had enough t be able to raise her child, she could come back and claim him/her by matching the coin halves together. If not, the child would be raised in the orphanage until they were 6 years old. Then they would be sent to the countryside to work. This ensured the children were fed and taught a trade.
They were known for their gold and they had certain standards which they had to meet. If the goldsmith did not meet their high standards, his hand would be chopped off . That practice ensured the quality. They also became rich on their harvesting of the coral from the sea. After the civil war in order to rebuild they used old stones from an old railroad station to replace the damaged houses. It blended beautifully.
Now inside the city walls the ground floors are all commercial shops. One street from the beginning extends up from the port into the town. It is called the Jewish Street. It began as the street where the merchants sold their wares. Now it has become the center for bankers and shippers. The upper floors are used as residential homes. At the very top are the kitchens because they need light to cook and the top floors keep the sunlight the longest. In addition, placing the kitchen at the top was a safety issue. Fires always go up, so the rest of their house would be somewhat protected for a while. During the 17th century they had 10,000 people; now they only have 1000. It is very expensive to live within the city. Most people live outside the city and rent out their houses in the city to tourists. The main square has the church of Saint Blais(Blaze), who is their patron saint; but he never visited this city. The Archbishop of this church had a dream in which he was warned about an attack from the Venetians. He alerted the town and they were able to defeat the Venetians.
At the East gate, Bloche, there is a bell tower with a clock that has two figures( Mato and Botto) that strike the bell on the hour and the half hour. The Rectors Palace was built in the 15th century. Each month a different person is elected to be the rector for 1 month only. That person must be a nobleman over 30 years of age. He is to live upstairs of the Rectory for that 1 month. The Rector wears a red gown with a black sash. Inside the Rectory is a Music room with very old instruments. It has a Venetian chandelier with grape shaped teardrop crystals. They had notary services, a fountain to wash clothes in, and a dragon dungeon for bad crimes against the state which led to death. If a nobleman was doomed, he had to walk the 12 stations of the cross then he was beheaded. If it was a poor peasant, he was hanged outside of the town. In the 17th century, they had carriages with sit down chairs for the royalty only. The servants carried the women and the soldiers carried the men. But the curtains had to remain open because they were so afraid of spies coming into the city and hiding. The upper middle class were usually merchants and the common people were craftsmen. The lowest level was the slaves, but they were not indentured, but free. Slavery was abolished in the 14th century.
We walked on our own in the town and found an Internet store and many shops. I was able to find a jewelry store that sold locally made items. In Medieval times the buttons on the noblemen's clothing were made out of filigreed balls of sliver and gold. These have been turned into earrings and necklaces. I was able to buy some. We also hiked up to the top of the huge wall that surrounds the town. These people have extremely long legs, even the women. They are at least a head taller than I am and that is the short ones. Therefore their steps have very high rises. I had trouble climbing up them and pulled my knee. The view from the top was awesome. you can see forever!
It's economy is based on commerce. In the 7th - 13th century they began their commercial center. During the Byzantine Empire they acquired their autonomy then Venice took over from the 13th - 14 1/2 centuries. It became a city-state from the 14th- 19th century. During this time they had 50 consulates all around the Mediterranean Sea as spies. They had good relations with everyone and avoided wars. They were able to keep their freedom because they were wealthy from the salt trade and very strong with their fleets of ships. Their salt was exported everywhere. For only 1000 square kilometers in size they were a power. They emphasized brains over braun and were at the height of their diplomacy during this time. In the 16th century it had one of the largest fleets in the world, 280 ships. They developed excellent shipbuilding skills and have been known worldwide for their " Argusy" high quality ships and the Academy of Sea Faring. They have a population of 50,000, terra cotta roofs and walls one mile long. It took 500 years to build the wall in the 12th century.
In 1667, they had a large earthquake where 6000 people were killed. They never fully recovered. Plus at that time the new world was discovered and their importance in shipping declined. In the beginning of the 19th century Dubrovnik was captured by Napoleon and in 1808 it's republic was abolished.Then Austria gained control and from there on it has been downhill.
Yugo means south and slavia means land of Slavs. So Yugoslavia means land of southern Slavs. Saint Ursula is the patron saint of young girls and she is evident here. There are many statues erected in her honor. She overlooks a botanical island with a deserted
Benedictine Monastery. Mount Search is the highest point and that is where Napoleon built his fortress. There is a cable car that will take
you up there to see all of the surrounding land, but it was destroyed during the civil wars of 1991 - 1999. They have just reopened it. In fact, many of the roofs still show destruction of the war. UNESCO financed the reconstruction.
All around Dubrovnik are city walls and when they were built they were surrounded by a moat for protection. The ST. Lawrence port was built in the 13th century. The Venetians were going to attack so they had to protect themselves. The wooden draw bridge was closed at night and locked, and anyone entering the city had to have proof of who they were to gain admittance. Saint Blaze was the patron saint since the 10th century and on every February 3rd he blesses the city. The Peelee gate is Greek and is decorated with bay leaves which is a symbol of victory. Bay leaves are resistant to insects so they are placed on their houses to show they are healthy. Every person that gained admittance to this city had to bring a stone with them in order to be admitted. These stones were used to build their city. This area was called Rosara when the Illyrians lived here. Then it was called Dubrov when it was populated by Serbs. The main street now used to be a canal originally. The aqueduct is from Roman times with a huge dome with fresh running water from the spring of the Ombria River miles up in the mountains. Next to it is the Curch of Our Saviour from the 16th century. During the civil wars of 1991-1999, the Serbs cut off their water supply and their electric. Then they had to use the wells in order to survive.
Saint Francis stopped in Dubrovnik on his trip from the Holy Land to Rome. He started the Franciscan Monastery here. Originally it was outside the city walls and had vineyards. But Dubrovnik eliminated all of the large buildings outside of their walls, so the monks moved
inside. The monks couldn't work the vineyards so they started making wax candles and making medicines from herbs. This is the oldest working pharmacy in Europe. They still make the rose cream they made in the 14th century from the same prescription. You can smell the roses when you pass by. I bought a jar to bring home.
When the Black Plaque hit Europe from the 14th-16th centuries they established a quarantine building where people entering the town needed to stay for 40 days outside the city walls to be sure they were healthy. It could house 3000-5000 people at a time. Five women had survived the plaque so they were the nurses in the quarantine building and they cleaned it with vinegar. They even provided a church for the quarantine people called Church of Saint Rock.
In the monastery Cloisters, which are decorated in Baroque and Gothic styles, they grow citrus trees, olives and roses. Originally it
housed 30 nuns who never saw society. Now there are only 6, but they still segregate themselves from the outside world. They learned to spin lace from the agave plant. This lace is very expensive and labor intensive; therefore when it is completed it is hidden under glass. Surrounding the Cloisters are very colorful frescoes from the 15th century, which they are repairing and preserving. During the 13th century there was an orphanage, called ST. Claire convent, inside the city walls but connected to the Cloisters. Here a mother could place a child she couldn't feed on this window sill that had a wheel attached. When the nuns turned the wheel they were able to pick up the child, but not see the mother. The mother would break a coin in half and give half to the infant and keep the other half. If in a few years she had enough t be able to raise her child, she could come back and claim him/her by matching the coin halves together. If not, the child would be raised in the orphanage until they were 6 years old. Then they would be sent to the countryside to work. This ensured the children were fed and taught a trade.
They were known for their gold and they had certain standards which they had to meet. If the goldsmith did not meet their high standards, his hand would be chopped off . That practice ensured the quality. They also became rich on their harvesting of the coral from the sea. After the civil war in order to rebuild they used old stones from an old railroad station to replace the damaged houses. It blended beautifully.
Now inside the city walls the ground floors are all commercial shops. One street from the beginning extends up from the port into the town. It is called the Jewish Street. It began as the street where the merchants sold their wares. Now it has become the center for bankers and shippers. The upper floors are used as residential homes. At the very top are the kitchens because they need light to cook and the top floors keep the sunlight the longest. In addition, placing the kitchen at the top was a safety issue. Fires always go up, so the rest of their house would be somewhat protected for a while. During the 17th century they had 10,000 people; now they only have 1000. It is very expensive to live within the city. Most people live outside the city and rent out their houses in the city to tourists. The main square has the church of Saint Blais(Blaze), who is their patron saint; but he never visited this city. The Archbishop of this church had a dream in which he was warned about an attack from the Venetians. He alerted the town and they were able to defeat the Venetians.
At the East gate, Bloche, there is a bell tower with a clock that has two figures( Mato and Botto) that strike the bell on the hour and the half hour. The Rectors Palace was built in the 15th century. Each month a different person is elected to be the rector for 1 month only. That person must be a nobleman over 30 years of age. He is to live upstairs of the Rectory for that 1 month. The Rector wears a red gown with a black sash. Inside the Rectory is a Music room with very old instruments. It has a Venetian chandelier with grape shaped teardrop crystals. They had notary services, a fountain to wash clothes in, and a dragon dungeon for bad crimes against the state which led to death. If a nobleman was doomed, he had to walk the 12 stations of the cross then he was beheaded. If it was a poor peasant, he was hanged outside of the town. In the 17th century, they had carriages with sit down chairs for the royalty only. The servants carried the women and the soldiers carried the men. But the curtains had to remain open because they were so afraid of spies coming into the city and hiding. The upper middle class were usually merchants and the common people were craftsmen. The lowest level was the slaves, but they were not indentured, but free. Slavery was abolished in the 14th century.
We walked on our own in the town and found an Internet store and many shops. I was able to find a jewelry store that sold locally made items. In Medieval times the buttons on the noblemen's clothing were made out of filigreed balls of sliver and gold. These have been turned into earrings and necklaces. I was able to buy some. We also hiked up to the top of the huge wall that surrounds the town. These people have extremely long legs, even the women. They are at least a head taller than I am and that is the short ones. Therefore their steps have very high rises. I had trouble climbing up them and pulled my knee. The view from the top was awesome. you can see forever!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Dubrovnik, Sunday, December 5, 2010.
We arrived in Dubrovnik at 7 PM and are going on a tour tonight. They have the best preserved Medieval wall in Europe, which is 1940 meters long, and they also are credited with having the oldest hospital in the world. it was started in the 1400s because they needed a quarantine section during the Black Plaque. The ST. Lawrence Fortress was built to the west to protect them from the Venetians from the 12 th - 18th centuries. They would do anything to be free. They are known for their quote " We will not sell our freedom for all the gold of this world". This was a very rich area from the 15th to 16th centuries because they were in the middle of the trade routes. They had the third strongest fleet in the world,; Spain- 1st and Venice- 2nd. They exported Adriatic salt which is the best salt found in the world. At that time salt was needed to preserve meat. One kg of salt equaled one kg of gold then. There are 2 entrances inside the walled city: the east gate which is called Bloche and the west gate which is called Pella. Inside these walls is a Franciscan Monastery that was built in 1370 and has a Rector's Palace. We will visit that tomorrow as it is Sunday and they are closed. This area of Croatia is very narrow and Bosnia is just a few miles across the hills from here. The old town inside the walls is built 2 miles above the port so they could readily see anyone coming to attack them by sea. We must go by bus from the boat to the walled city because it is so far and so steep a walk.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Hvar, Croatia, December 5, 2010.
Yesterday in Split I stopped at a ladies room on the way to the boat right next to the police station. I didn't have the 3 kunas in my hand when I entered so the lady allowed me to use the toilet and then pay her. When I counted out the change I didn't have enough so I added American money to make up for it. I walked out and handed her the change and then placed my coin purse on top of the towel dispenser so it wouldn't get wet. There was nobody else here except the lady and I. My other choice was to place it in my mouth. So I placed it on the towel dispenser and turned to wash my hands. When I turned around to get a towel the dispenser was empty. She handed me a towel to dry my hands and I reached for my coin purse; only, it wasn't there anymore. Of course, the lady couldn't speak any English or pretended not to be able. Daddy and I searched all over the stall and sinks. It just wasn't there. I don't know how she did it because I never saw anything; but I know I had it in the stall. So it had to be somewhere in there; probably on her. So I lost $360 kunas which is about $150 of our money. There goes my souvenir money. It didn't do any good to go to the police because the people are not afraid of them; so it would be a waste of time.
It started raining so we went to a mall by taxi. There was a McDonalds and maybe we could get the Internet. They didn't have it and they had no milk or cream for their coffees. We have been in McDonalds all over this world and never found one that didn't have cream or milk. Till now!!! We finally found an Internet cafe on the fourth floor and they had coffee with cream. YES!!! The mall was called JOKER but pronounced as a Y. At least I was able to catch up on the first couple days of our trip because the hour I spent at the library in Sibenik was lost. How Disappointing!!!!!
We sail out to Hvar tomorrow morning at 9 AM. In the middle of the night strong winds came up and started pushing the boat. They had to unhook from the dock and go out into the harbor and anchor. If they didn't, we would have been sitting on top of the dock by the morning. The winds were supposed to be 50 mph, Our sister ship, the Artremis, is in the harbor also. In the middle of the night the anchor chain
sounded like a very loud vacuum cleaner. They had to pull it up and turn the boat around in the middle of the night. At least we are on the third floor and in the middle so the anchor noise was less. The anchor noise was called a bow thruster.
Hvar is basically a touristic island that promises no snow or ice or they will refund your money. they have only had snow or ice 33 times in 140 years. The town began when they built the fortress high on the hill for protection. The arsenal was the most important part of the town. the Galleon sailed right inside the walls. Now a 100 foot sidewalk has been built outside of the sea wall. The clock tower built in 2012 has an unique sundial on the outside.. In 1571 all of the locals hid within the fortress when the Turks attacked. During the Renaissance the Benedictine Nuns moved into the fortress and never came out. They have learned how to make lace out of the agave plant leaves. Several
are in residence now. It is a very laborious job and the lace is stored under glass for protection. The first Renaissance theatre in Europe was here. The Austrians in 1903 built the first hotel. Hvar was known to be the largest town, 4500 square meters, had the oldest well in Europe and the oldest church built in the 5th century dedicated to Mary. Outside the church is a statue of St. Stephen the Pope with the left hand holding the Bible and the right hand blessing the people. The Roman Catholics built the church in 1571 after the Turks left, taking two centuries to complete it.
Hvar has olive trees, orange groves, vineyards, fig trees, rosemary and lavendar everywhere. They plant these wherever they have some
dirt. Just outside of the wall they have a community garden where each plot is separated by low stone walls in terraces because their land is
very hilly. These terraces are all over the hills and they represent a lot of work. In 1999 they had a forest fire for 7 days and lost most of their
crops. They are regrowing them, but olives, grapes and figs take time to mature enough to produce. Before the fire they produced 20 tons of
lavender, now only 2 tons. This lavender hybrid was actually brought to the island by Russian soldiers. It is used as a pain killer for muscles,
essential oils for the skin, a repellant for mosquitoes and it calms the body. Lavender was the base of the local economy. They grow other
herbs: Rosemary-to stimulate, ST. Johns wort for digestion, Myrtle, chamomile and sage. They actually drink a Rosemary tea instead of
coffee in the morning. They pick the ST. John wort's yellow flowers before noon, put them in a jar until it's full, then add extra virgin olive oil, let it sit for 6 weeks. It turns red, they strain out the flowers and use the oil.
Hvar has a population of 4000 people. It is on an island of 11,200 people called Island of the Sun because it receives 2750 hours of sun
in a year. The town of Starigrad,founded by Illyrian Greeks, is an UNESCO site due to it's fertile fields which can only be used for agriculture. In 1868 a local doctor founded the first Wellness Clinic here. the town of Vrboskn was built. In 1468.
We visited a winery fallen Vina Pinjata which was down in a cellar near the water owned by the Garbaleich family , 5 generations of this family with this winery. they make their wines the old fashioned traditional way of their ancestors. the white grapes they use in this wine only grow on this island called Bogbanjuilar. We tasted a1-Vanuscha-a light green clear white, 2-Pare with 14% alcohol so you need really good food with it; both white wines are fermented in steel casks, 3-a red Sang grape in oak, 4-grappa with 45% alcohol, 90 proof, no smell, no color, Travaleita with anise, and 5- red grappa with wild bush berries. they pick them in January when they are dark blue and place in a cellar for 42 months. it turns a red color. they use it for stomach troubles. they also had a dessert wine called Provance which was sweet, with 17% alcohol and 35 proof. The Hvarti cheese was served sitting in olive oil.
In 400 BC the Illyrians from Pathos, Greece settled on the island of Btaches in caves. They moved inland to more fertile land and named it Pharos which meant the light house. It became the political, religious and social center. In 200 BC the Romans arrived and brought mosaics and money. Now it is Slavic with an Italien influence. From the 13th to the 18th century when under the rule of Venice was the most productive time and they moved the capital from Starigrad to Hvar because it was easier to protect Hvar from the many outer islands. Now Hvar is the most important harbor on the Adriatic Sea. During the Renaissance in Hvar interesting laws were developed that are used world wide now. they developed equal rights and health care. Even the poor have free medical care and free school.
The buildings date back to the 15th- 16th centuries. In 1510 - 1516 there was a public rebellion of local fisherman against the nobility who wouldn't allow them to sell fish on the mainland. They burned most of the Venetian nobles' houses. You can still see some of the fire scars. The main leader escaped to Rome and became an important person there.
In the 16th century the plaque came and they lost a large part of their population. In the 18th century the Venetain republic dissolved. Many of their words are Italien, due to their long rein. The island just outside their harbor is called Vis, an Italien word. After the Venetians, Napoleon came, then the Austrians. The Austrians used Hvar as a resort 150 years ago. The first hotel was built here by the Austrians in 1903. Tourism started 150 years ago and 70% of their people work in tourism today. Everything costs more on the island because everything has to come from Split on the mainland, which is 2 hours by ferry. Because fire is a major problem on the island everyone is a volunter firefighter. They have elementary and high schools but no university. They need to go to Split on the mainland for college. But they often return here after college because jobs are easier to find here than on the mainland.
During WWI they were occupied by the Italiens. During WWII they were occupied by the Germans then became the federal republic of Yugoslavia. Then they were under Communism.
It started raining so we went to a mall by taxi. There was a McDonalds and maybe we could get the Internet. They didn't have it and they had no milk or cream for their coffees. We have been in McDonalds all over this world and never found one that didn't have cream or milk. Till now!!! We finally found an Internet cafe on the fourth floor and they had coffee with cream. YES!!! The mall was called JOKER but pronounced as a Y. At least I was able to catch up on the first couple days of our trip because the hour I spent at the library in Sibenik was lost. How Disappointing!!!!!
We sail out to Hvar tomorrow morning at 9 AM. In the middle of the night strong winds came up and started pushing the boat. They had to unhook from the dock and go out into the harbor and anchor. If they didn't, we would have been sitting on top of the dock by the morning. The winds were supposed to be 50 mph, Our sister ship, the Artremis, is in the harbor also. In the middle of the night the anchor chain
sounded like a very loud vacuum cleaner. They had to pull it up and turn the boat around in the middle of the night. At least we are on the third floor and in the middle so the anchor noise was less. The anchor noise was called a bow thruster.
Hvar is basically a touristic island that promises no snow or ice or they will refund your money. they have only had snow or ice 33 times in 140 years. The town began when they built the fortress high on the hill for protection. The arsenal was the most important part of the town. the Galleon sailed right inside the walls. Now a 100 foot sidewalk has been built outside of the sea wall. The clock tower built in 2012 has an unique sundial on the outside.. In 1571 all of the locals hid within the fortress when the Turks attacked. During the Renaissance the Benedictine Nuns moved into the fortress and never came out. They have learned how to make lace out of the agave plant leaves. Several
are in residence now. It is a very laborious job and the lace is stored under glass for protection. The first Renaissance theatre in Europe was here. The Austrians in 1903 built the first hotel. Hvar was known to be the largest town, 4500 square meters, had the oldest well in Europe and the oldest church built in the 5th century dedicated to Mary. Outside the church is a statue of St. Stephen the Pope with the left hand holding the Bible and the right hand blessing the people. The Roman Catholics built the church in 1571 after the Turks left, taking two centuries to complete it.
Hvar has olive trees, orange groves, vineyards, fig trees, rosemary and lavendar everywhere. They plant these wherever they have some
dirt. Just outside of the wall they have a community garden where each plot is separated by low stone walls in terraces because their land is
very hilly. These terraces are all over the hills and they represent a lot of work. In 1999 they had a forest fire for 7 days and lost most of their
crops. They are regrowing them, but olives, grapes and figs take time to mature enough to produce. Before the fire they produced 20 tons of
lavender, now only 2 tons. This lavender hybrid was actually brought to the island by Russian soldiers. It is used as a pain killer for muscles,
essential oils for the skin, a repellant for mosquitoes and it calms the body. Lavender was the base of the local economy. They grow other
herbs: Rosemary-to stimulate, ST. Johns wort for digestion, Myrtle, chamomile and sage. They actually drink a Rosemary tea instead of
coffee in the morning. They pick the ST. John wort's yellow flowers before noon, put them in a jar until it's full, then add extra virgin olive oil, let it sit for 6 weeks. It turns red, they strain out the flowers and use the oil.
Hvar has a population of 4000 people. It is on an island of 11,200 people called Island of the Sun because it receives 2750 hours of sun
in a year. The town of Starigrad,founded by Illyrian Greeks, is an UNESCO site due to it's fertile fields which can only be used for agriculture. In 1868 a local doctor founded the first Wellness Clinic here. the town of Vrboskn was built. In 1468.
We visited a winery fallen Vina Pinjata which was down in a cellar near the water owned by the Garbaleich family , 5 generations of this family with this winery. they make their wines the old fashioned traditional way of their ancestors. the white grapes they use in this wine only grow on this island called Bogbanjuilar. We tasted a1-Vanuscha-a light green clear white, 2-Pare with 14% alcohol so you need really good food with it; both white wines are fermented in steel casks, 3-a red Sang grape in oak, 4-grappa with 45% alcohol, 90 proof, no smell, no color, Travaleita with anise, and 5- red grappa with wild bush berries. they pick them in January when they are dark blue and place in a cellar for 42 months. it turns a red color. they use it for stomach troubles. they also had a dessert wine called Provance which was sweet, with 17% alcohol and 35 proof. The Hvarti cheese was served sitting in olive oil.
In 400 BC the Illyrians from Pathos, Greece settled on the island of Btaches in caves. They moved inland to more fertile land and named it Pharos which meant the light house. It became the political, religious and social center. In 200 BC the Romans arrived and brought mosaics and money. Now it is Slavic with an Italien influence. From the 13th to the 18th century when under the rule of Venice was the most productive time and they moved the capital from Starigrad to Hvar because it was easier to protect Hvar from the many outer islands. Now Hvar is the most important harbor on the Adriatic Sea. During the Renaissance in Hvar interesting laws were developed that are used world wide now. they developed equal rights and health care. Even the poor have free medical care and free school.
The buildings date back to the 15th- 16th centuries. In 1510 - 1516 there was a public rebellion of local fisherman against the nobility who wouldn't allow them to sell fish on the mainland. They burned most of the Venetian nobles' houses. You can still see some of the fire scars. The main leader escaped to Rome and became an important person there.
In the 16th century the plaque came and they lost a large part of their population. In the 18th century the Venetain republic dissolved. Many of their words are Italien, due to their long rein. The island just outside their harbor is called Vis, an Italien word. After the Venetians, Napoleon came, then the Austrians. The Austrians used Hvar as a resort 150 years ago. The first hotel was built here by the Austrians in 1903. Tourism started 150 years ago and 70% of their people work in tourism today. Everything costs more on the island because everything has to come from Split on the mainland, which is 2 hours by ferry. Because fire is a major problem on the island everyone is a volunter firefighter. They have elementary and high schools but no university. They need to go to Split on the mainland for college. But they often return here after college because jobs are easier to find here than on the mainland.
During WWI they were occupied by the Italiens. During WWII they were occupied by the Germans then became the federal republic of Yugoslavia. Then they were under Communism.
Split, Croatia, December 4, 2010
Split is the second largest city in Croatia and was originally called Salona by the Romans and Spalato by the Italiens in 1700. It is named after the yellow plant called broom that blooms all over the countryside in spring. It has 250,000 people and the Diocletian Palace which is a UNESCO site was built in 300AD and for 1700 years has been occupied by citizens living within it's walls. Diocletian was born in Salona from two freed slaves, entered the military and became famous for his abilities. He killed any Christian that he found. When he found his daughter, Vitalia, and his wife, Brisca, had secretly converted to Christianity, he had them executed 6 years before he died. He bought the land near the Adriatic Sea for his retirement home. It was built against the sea for a quick getaway if needed. It took 20,000 slaves to build it, of which 5,000 died. The limestone from Brach Island required 4,000 stonemasons to complete it. The Roman bricks were molded clay that were burned into bricks and held together by egg whites. The brown stone is raw travertine that has been cut into flat slats. Diocletian had it under filled so his apartment would be at the same level as the interior of the town. Originally the cellars were full of water from the Adriatic Sea. They threw their garbage and rubble down in the cellar. Surprisingly, this act saved the supports of the walls and floors; otherwise the currents of the Adriatic Sea would eventually have undermined the supports.. The shape of the Palace is a rectangle with Diocletian's apartments across the front half against the sea. He had 3 large bathrooms. and choose this site because he needed the sulphur springs for his rhuematism. Next to his apartments was Jupiter's temple where he worshipped his pagan gods. He actually felt he was a god himself. It was originally empty inside, but when Christianity took over, they adapted it to their needs and added the cross shaped tub to be used as a Baptistry. The bell tower was built in the 15- 16th century and is located outside the north Gold gate. This is the tower Napoleon turned into stables .The towers are square on the outside but circular on the inside and this is called a Roman vestibule; a word still used today. Outside the north gate is a statue of Gregory from Niem near Zadar. He hated the Italiens so you can rub his toe and be granted a wish. The first Medieval homes were built 1500 years ago. The back of the palace were for the military and their families. The
courtyard square called the Peristyle divides the palace in half. It is open to both sides. There are 54 red columns Diocletian had shipped from Aswan, Egypt which took 10 months to arrive. Now the people have enclosed those columns to make homes. Diocletian brought 6 black granite sphinxs from Aswan to his Palace to help in the underworld. He died at 73 years of age. When the Christians came they destroyed the heads of the sphinxs because they represented a pagan religion. But one was hidden and is still in tact. Since the mausoleum was designed and used by a Roman pagan emperor, the Christians turned it into a temple in the 15th- 16th century to hold a mass. They removed all the pagan frescoes, added 5 windows and got rid of Diocletian's urn of ashes. All that is left is the Roman structure. The outside is octagonal, but the inside is circular. There are 23,198 bricks in the domed roof. It is ironic that the patron saint of this town is now Saint Dominick who Diocletian had originally beheaded. The door is of carved walnut but resembles the bronze door in Florence. The first mass ever held in the world was here in 428 AD in this small cathedral. There is an eagle perched on top of the pulpit and a pipe organ that is regularly used. It has 3 altars, but only one has been used for the last 300 years. It contains the bones and skull of a saint which is displayed once a year for 7 days only. At Jupiter's Temple there is a 15 foot hollow bronze sculpture of John the Baptist holding up 4 fingers representing N, S, E, and W. He holds a bowl in his left hand which is closest to his heart.
We sat in the open square outside the palace drinking cappuccinos. This was actually, during the days of Diocletian, inside the sea. They have added a large square out into the sea and it is where they all socialize. When the weather permits the people are always outside. The idea is to see or to be seen. Lots of leggings in all colors-purple, black, white, striped; plenty of boots and coats, strollers, dogs, cats all unleashed; boots going over the knees and extremely high heeled boots. This enormous palace has been altered very little to facilitate it's usage. The mausoleum, Jupiter's temple, colonnades along the Roman
streets, early Croatian churches and Romanesque houses are still preserved. There are many cafes and shops here now.The people have built their houses up against the walls leaving the original walls intact. They just incorporate the original wall into their homes and restaurants.
When the Avars and Slavs attacked the town, the citizens fled into the Diocletian Palace to be safe. In 812 AD to 1069 AD the Byzantine
Empire annexed Croatia, Then in 1105 the Hungarians controlled the Croatian Kings. In the 16th century they were threatened by the
Ottomans. In 1797 Venice fell and Dalmatia went under Austrian rule. In 1882 it was under a Croatian administration and was heavily
bombed in WWII due to it's military presence.
courtyard square called the Peristyle divides the palace in half. It is open to both sides. There are 54 red columns Diocletian had shipped from Aswan, Egypt which took 10 months to arrive. Now the people have enclosed those columns to make homes. Diocletian brought 6 black granite sphinxs from Aswan to his Palace to help in the underworld. He died at 73 years of age. When the Christians came they destroyed the heads of the sphinxs because they represented a pagan religion. But one was hidden and is still in tact. Since the mausoleum was designed and used by a Roman pagan emperor, the Christians turned it into a temple in the 15th- 16th century to hold a mass. They removed all the pagan frescoes, added 5 windows and got rid of Diocletian's urn of ashes. All that is left is the Roman structure. The outside is octagonal, but the inside is circular. There are 23,198 bricks in the domed roof. It is ironic that the patron saint of this town is now Saint Dominick who Diocletian had originally beheaded. The door is of carved walnut but resembles the bronze door in Florence. The first mass ever held in the world was here in 428 AD in this small cathedral. There is an eagle perched on top of the pulpit and a pipe organ that is regularly used. It has 3 altars, but only one has been used for the last 300 years. It contains the bones and skull of a saint which is displayed once a year for 7 days only. At Jupiter's Temple there is a 15 foot hollow bronze sculpture of John the Baptist holding up 4 fingers representing N, S, E, and W. He holds a bowl in his left hand which is closest to his heart.
We sat in the open square outside the palace drinking cappuccinos. This was actually, during the days of Diocletian, inside the sea. They have added a large square out into the sea and it is where they all socialize. When the weather permits the people are always outside. The idea is to see or to be seen. Lots of leggings in all colors-purple, black, white, striped; plenty of boots and coats, strollers, dogs, cats all unleashed; boots going over the knees and extremely high heeled boots. This enormous palace has been altered very little to facilitate it's usage. The mausoleum, Jupiter's temple, colonnades along the Roman
streets, early Croatian churches and Romanesque houses are still preserved. There are many cafes and shops here now.The people have built their houses up against the walls leaving the original walls intact. They just incorporate the original wall into their homes and restaurants.
When the Avars and Slavs attacked the town, the citizens fled into the Diocletian Palace to be safe. In 812 AD to 1069 AD the Byzantine
Empire annexed Croatia, Then in 1105 the Hungarians controlled the Croatian Kings. In the 16th century they were threatened by the
Ottomans. In 1797 Venice fell and Dalmatia went under Austrian rule. In 1882 it was under a Croatian administration and was heavily
bombed in WWII due to it's military presence.
Sibenik, December 3 and Krka National Park
Sibenik is not a great town in which to live because all of the factories have been closed since Yugoslavia has disintegrated. There is no job market and the only market available is tourism. Under Yugoslavia they had a TLM factory that produced aluminum and exported it worldwide. It had employed most of the town. Now all of those people are without jobs. After the civil war of 1991, Croatia, Bosnia and it's mountains have been destroyed by the Serbs.
Krkrtina River flows from the mountains to the Adriatic Sea. It is rich with mammals and birds. Krka National Park was founded in 1985. It has a tiny village that is open for business in the summer only. On an island in the river is a San Franciscan Monastery from the 1660s and a 14th century Orthodox church. They are also closed for the winter. It is 53 outside and cloudy. They have had so much rain that much of this park is flooded and we cannot do the hike that was planned. Because of the heavy rains, the falls were awesome!!! It is very rocky and because the water is flowing so rapidly there is a lot of mist. All of the walks were made of flagstones and the walls were of stacked stones. The water is a turquoise green and is surrounded by cedars, evergreens, poplars, oaks, bamboo, junipers. This area is called the Dalmatia Hinderlands. The dry stone walls mark the boundries between properties and also are used to stop the soil from washing or blowing away. The people are mountain people who have to work hard to survive. Mount Dinara is the highest peak at 6000 feet.
A hundred years ago the houses were built of stone with stone floors. They used wooden bowls and buckets of juniper to freshen the house inside. There was no milk to drink so they all drank wine. The houses took a long time to build and they were built in parts, adding on when they need more room. The roofs were assembled in pieces, but they never leaked. There were several layers of rock and a plant called "housekeeper" grew on top. This helped to seal out some of the cold also. This herb had another use: for sore throats and sick stomachs. The women traditionally didn't drink. They couldn't grow very much on this unforgiving soil, but they did raise a small amount of grain(polenta) and tomatoes. Since food was scarce, they didn't talk while they ate. The faster they could eat, the better they would feel.
The first room in a house was the bedroom with 2 single beds. The mother slept with the children so the Father could have a good nights rest to be able to work hard the next day. When the children were fast asleep, the wife would hop into his bed for some hanky-panky. Therefore this was called a working room which didn't show the results for 9 months. The second room contained the loom which was the wife's job to keep her family clothed and enough cloth woven to exchange for food they couldn't grow. When a young girl married, she brought a loom with her to the marriage. The husband had to build the house. The third room was the kitchen where a fire was burning all year. It was called a black kitchen because all of the limestone rocks were darkened from the fires.The eggs were placed up high in a basket so the children couldn't break them. They had a mouse trap made of a huge block of wood on pegs with a wooden spring. The block of wood was so heavy it could probably mash the bones in your hand. In the fire they pushed away the ashes and placed the dough for bread, meat and veggies right on the stones. Then covered it with a big bowl and covered it with ashes so it could bake for 3 to 4 hours. They only ate meat on Sundays and Thursdays because Sunday was the Holy day and Thursday was mid week. The rest of the week they just ate soup, polenta and veggies.
The man worked very hard all day outside because that was his job. When he came in he had a special chair right up against the fire. The wife's job was everything inside; so when he came in she needed to get him a glass of wine and take off his shoes for him. When the first son was old enough he was able to get the wine. The stools they made to sit on only had 3 legs because they were more stable on uneven stones with just 3 legs. Smoke rises up so the stools had short legs therefore, their faces weren't in the smoke. The fourth room was the smoke room for the meat. Hams were hung here for 18 months to cure. A household needed 2 to 3 proschuittos for a year to be able to eat and trade. They placed the 2 back legs in salt, then ashes to cure. The pigs ate corn and acorns. The wine cellar was always under the smoke room and the hams were placed in the wine cellar in the summer so they would remain cool. The hams hung upstairs from November to April. The smoke room was the only room with a wooden floor.
The stones for the roof weighed about 60 tons of flat rock laid in layers. There were always tiny holes for a draft for the smoke house, but they didn't leak because the rocks overlapped each other. But, they needed the winds to be able to get into the smoke house to help cure the hams. These stones were supported by oak beams in the ceiling. When a son married he brought his wife to his family's house and they added a bedroom for just them. The Grandmother passed her loom to her Granddaughter. There were several generations living in one house.
To identify single available women when they met in the villages, the single girls carried small bags made with few colors. The married woman had a large colorful bag. The men wore orange and black hats with a solid black interior. If they were available, they wore the solid black side out. If married, they wore the colored side out. A man looking for a healthy wife looked for a woman who could jump and could jump for a long time and had pink cheeks and some fat on her. She needed to be able to jump into his bed and if she could jump for a long time then her lungs were good. She was then healthy enough for childbearing. The marriages were arranged by the families. They were always looking for girls who could bring a loom along because that would eventually bring in trade for her woven cloths and make their own clothes. Sunday after church all the families danced together. If a man squeezed your hand, it meant he was interested in you. If the girl squeezed back, it meant she was interested too. Then they planned to meet after and discuss the families.
These families raised pigs, chickens, cows, goats and sheep. They traded olive oil with the coast for cork from the fishermen to be able to seal their wine. The wine was in oak casts. They made their dessert wine from white grapes that were allowed to dehydrate with their skins
on to turn slightly reddish. It was drunk in small amounts all year. They drank white wine from Easter until November. Red wine had more
body and warmed the body so they drank it from November until Easter.
We had small glasses of their wines. The first drink was a grappa schnapps made with juniper herbs. The second glass was a white local wine that they drank from Easter to November. The third wine was a red local wine they drank from November until Easter. The last was a red dessert wine made from white grapes that are dried and turn reddish. It was very sweet.
Krkrtina River flows from the mountains to the Adriatic Sea. It is rich with mammals and birds. Krka National Park was founded in 1985. It has a tiny village that is open for business in the summer only. On an island in the river is a San Franciscan Monastery from the 1660s and a 14th century Orthodox church. They are also closed for the winter. It is 53 outside and cloudy. They have had so much rain that much of this park is flooded and we cannot do the hike that was planned. Because of the heavy rains, the falls were awesome!!! It is very rocky and because the water is flowing so rapidly there is a lot of mist. All of the walks were made of flagstones and the walls were of stacked stones. The water is a turquoise green and is surrounded by cedars, evergreens, poplars, oaks, bamboo, junipers. This area is called the Dalmatia Hinderlands. The dry stone walls mark the boundries between properties and also are used to stop the soil from washing or blowing away. The people are mountain people who have to work hard to survive. Mount Dinara is the highest peak at 6000 feet.
A hundred years ago the houses were built of stone with stone floors. They used wooden bowls and buckets of juniper to freshen the house inside. There was no milk to drink so they all drank wine. The houses took a long time to build and they were built in parts, adding on when they need more room. The roofs were assembled in pieces, but they never leaked. There were several layers of rock and a plant called "housekeeper" grew on top. This helped to seal out some of the cold also. This herb had another use: for sore throats and sick stomachs. The women traditionally didn't drink. They couldn't grow very much on this unforgiving soil, but they did raise a small amount of grain(polenta) and tomatoes. Since food was scarce, they didn't talk while they ate. The faster they could eat, the better they would feel.
The first room in a house was the bedroom with 2 single beds. The mother slept with the children so the Father could have a good nights rest to be able to work hard the next day. When the children were fast asleep, the wife would hop into his bed for some hanky-panky. Therefore this was called a working room which didn't show the results for 9 months. The second room contained the loom which was the wife's job to keep her family clothed and enough cloth woven to exchange for food they couldn't grow. When a young girl married, she brought a loom with her to the marriage. The husband had to build the house. The third room was the kitchen where a fire was burning all year. It was called a black kitchen because all of the limestone rocks were darkened from the fires.The eggs were placed up high in a basket so the children couldn't break them. They had a mouse trap made of a huge block of wood on pegs with a wooden spring. The block of wood was so heavy it could probably mash the bones in your hand. In the fire they pushed away the ashes and placed the dough for bread, meat and veggies right on the stones. Then covered it with a big bowl and covered it with ashes so it could bake for 3 to 4 hours. They only ate meat on Sundays and Thursdays because Sunday was the Holy day and Thursday was mid week. The rest of the week they just ate soup, polenta and veggies.
The man worked very hard all day outside because that was his job. When he came in he had a special chair right up against the fire. The wife's job was everything inside; so when he came in she needed to get him a glass of wine and take off his shoes for him. When the first son was old enough he was able to get the wine. The stools they made to sit on only had 3 legs because they were more stable on uneven stones with just 3 legs. Smoke rises up so the stools had short legs therefore, their faces weren't in the smoke. The fourth room was the smoke room for the meat. Hams were hung here for 18 months to cure. A household needed 2 to 3 proschuittos for a year to be able to eat and trade. They placed the 2 back legs in salt, then ashes to cure. The pigs ate corn and acorns. The wine cellar was always under the smoke room and the hams were placed in the wine cellar in the summer so they would remain cool. The hams hung upstairs from November to April. The smoke room was the only room with a wooden floor.
The stones for the roof weighed about 60 tons of flat rock laid in layers. There were always tiny holes for a draft for the smoke house, but they didn't leak because the rocks overlapped each other. But, they needed the winds to be able to get into the smoke house to help cure the hams. These stones were supported by oak beams in the ceiling. When a son married he brought his wife to his family's house and they added a bedroom for just them. The Grandmother passed her loom to her Granddaughter. There were several generations living in one house.
To identify single available women when they met in the villages, the single girls carried small bags made with few colors. The married woman had a large colorful bag. The men wore orange and black hats with a solid black interior. If they were available, they wore the solid black side out. If married, they wore the colored side out. A man looking for a healthy wife looked for a woman who could jump and could jump for a long time and had pink cheeks and some fat on her. She needed to be able to jump into his bed and if she could jump for a long time then her lungs were good. She was then healthy enough for childbearing. The marriages were arranged by the families. They were always looking for girls who could bring a loom along because that would eventually bring in trade for her woven cloths and make their own clothes. Sunday after church all the families danced together. If a man squeezed your hand, it meant he was interested in you. If the girl squeezed back, it meant she was interested too. Then they planned to meet after and discuss the families.
These families raised pigs, chickens, cows, goats and sheep. They traded olive oil with the coast for cork from the fishermen to be able to seal their wine. The wine was in oak casts. They made their dessert wine from white grapes that were allowed to dehydrate with their skins
on to turn slightly reddish. It was drunk in small amounts all year. They drank white wine from Easter until November. Red wine had more
body and warmed the body so they drank it from November until Easter.
We had small glasses of their wines. The first drink was a grappa schnapps made with juniper herbs. The second glass was a white local wine that they drank from Easter to November. The third wine was a red local wine they drank from November until Easter. The last was a red dessert wine made from white grapes that are dried and turn reddish. It was very sweet.
Sibenik, Croatia , December 1, 2010.
Our boat set sail from Zadar for Sibenik at 6:30AM. This town started as a military base which added small homes for the soldiers. This town has a lot of commerce because they are on the coast but the water is not rough because there are 1000s of islands to protect it. The city protected it's people inside the walls with the fortresses. Now there are 450,000 people living here. All of the houses and wall are built of limestone because it is cheap and they had an abundance of it. Some of this limestone was exported to be used on our White House. Sibenik has a moderate climate with the winter being about 65 and summer 90 to 100. All of Croatia is 90% Roman Catholic and their lives have been based on the church. Therefore, they go to church everyday. They were only allowed to speak their native language and go to school in the church when they were under a foreign power. they have been under foreign control for most of their history.
Under the main square is a huge cistern from which they store the collected rain for drinking water. All of the water surrounding them is salty or brackish. The Cathedral of St. James was built in the 15 to 16th century out of all handmade stone blocks without cement. It is a UNESCO site.Their patron saint George of Dalmatia has a statue here and there are 73 different heads of the commom folk carved into the outside of the building . Each head is different, including the several heads of children, and all classes of people were included. they also decorated with seashells and fish shapes because they live on food from the sea. The angel statues from the 15th century are presented as young boys with the pubic aa exposed. This was the first time that was ever done. Adam and Eve are also included to represent humanity, but they cover themselves with fig leaves. The bronze door was replaced in 1958 because of the destruction from WWII. The 8 panels represent Biblical scenes. There are pedestals across the front on which the 12 apostles in statue form used to stand. they are removed when winter comes.The limestone has become darkened from age and dirt and cannot be cleaned by pressure washing. limestone is too soft to withstand the pressure. The Gothic Renaissance style of the altar displays comfort between life and death. The cupola built by a famous Italien from Florence was even accomplished without cement. The war in 1991 destroyed it and even though it has been repaired with cement, it still leaks. The 16th century builders apparently knew more than our modern science. The size of the Cathedral depended upon the size of the town? It must be able to hold 1/3 of it's population inside. Since the rosette had to be redone, they inserted colored glass. Originally it was clear. the balconies in the church were built for the ladies because they were not allowed in the main church. they were completely separated from the men. Much later they allowed the Benedictine Nuns admittance only. in Italy the bell tower was built separate because it housed the Baptistry where babies and heathens were baptized before they could enter the church. The Baptistry font was made of limestone supported by 3 statues of boys. One of the boys is a Dalmatia so he is only supporting it with one hand. The walls are decorated with giant seashells which represent the Holy Trinity and the lines coming down are to His children. the leaves on the columns are hollow and make beautiful sounds when tapped. the ornate window faces east so it catches the morning sun and shines on the carving of God in the center of the ceiling. Around God are carved angels. They needed these windows because they needed light. the ornate carvings around the windows resemble lace.There are various hued limestone evident here. the reddish hues are due to boxite found in the earth. This limestone was only used for decorations.
Sibenik has very narrow streets for walking, but nom cars. there are lots of shoe shops and they mostly sell Itali en shoes. Once Yugoslavia was dissolved all of the factories were closed. The only economy they have now is tourism. they do not have the infrastructure to produce things for export. In these old buildings the shops are on the first floor then you enter the kitchen and sitting room and bathroom on the second floor and the bedrooms are on the third floor.Shops are open from 7 SM until 1:30, then they close for a siesta. they all go home for 1 and 1/2 hour eat a large lunch, then return to work until 8PM. the schools are small so the children go in 2 shifts: a morning shift and an afternoon shift. the children start Kindergarten at age 3 and even learn to speak English at that age. they are taught to speak at least 5 languages by the time they graduate from school. Everyone is home by 7:30 or 8PM and they eat a very small dinner.
There is a park built between the Old Town and the New Town which was constructed by the Austrians when they were in control. in this park are pittosporum , live oaks, Dalmatian oaks, lavender, sage; many of the same plants we have. the library shares a wall with the town's old wall. They just build up against the city's wall, so they only need to add 3 more walls. the town is protected from invaders by 4 fortresses: ST Nicholas on an island in the bay,then ST. Michaels just at the top of the town,ST Ann's above the town and a fortress with a long complicated name of some influential citizen of its time. We jiked to the top to ST. Ann's and it was a gorgeous view. there are lots of dogs and cats roaming all around but they are very well behaved and do not approach people. All of these stone houses have red tiled roofs and they stick citrus, fig and olive trees everywhere in their courtyards. they have no grass.
Under the main square is a huge cistern from which they store the collected rain for drinking water. All of the water surrounding them is salty or brackish. The Cathedral of St. James was built in the 15 to 16th century out of all handmade stone blocks without cement. It is a UNESCO site.Their patron saint George of Dalmatia has a statue here and there are 73 different heads of the commom folk carved into the outside of the building . Each head is different, including the several heads of children, and all classes of people were included. they also decorated with seashells and fish shapes because they live on food from the sea. The angel statues from the 15th century are presented as young boys with the pubic aa exposed. This was the first time that was ever done. Adam and Eve are also included to represent humanity, but they cover themselves with fig leaves. The bronze door was replaced in 1958 because of the destruction from WWII. The 8 panels represent Biblical scenes. There are pedestals across the front on which the 12 apostles in statue form used to stand. they are removed when winter comes.The limestone has become darkened from age and dirt and cannot be cleaned by pressure washing. limestone is too soft to withstand the pressure. The Gothic Renaissance style of the altar displays comfort between life and death. The cupola built by a famous Italien from Florence was even accomplished without cement. The war in 1991 destroyed it and even though it has been repaired with cement, it still leaks. The 16th century builders apparently knew more than our modern science. The size of the Cathedral depended upon the size of the town? It must be able to hold 1/3 of it's population inside. Since the rosette had to be redone, they inserted colored glass. Originally it was clear. the balconies in the church were built for the ladies because they were not allowed in the main church. they were completely separated from the men. Much later they allowed the Benedictine Nuns admittance only. in Italy the bell tower was built separate because it housed the Baptistry where babies and heathens were baptized before they could enter the church. The Baptistry font was made of limestone supported by 3 statues of boys. One of the boys is a Dalmatia so he is only supporting it with one hand. The walls are decorated with giant seashells which represent the Holy Trinity and the lines coming down are to His children. the leaves on the columns are hollow and make beautiful sounds when tapped. the ornate window faces east so it catches the morning sun and shines on the carving of God in the center of the ceiling. Around God are carved angels. They needed these windows because they needed light. the ornate carvings around the windows resemble lace.There are various hued limestone evident here. the reddish hues are due to boxite found in the earth. This limestone was only used for decorations.
Sibenik has very narrow streets for walking, but nom cars. there are lots of shoe shops and they mostly sell Itali en shoes. Once Yugoslavia was dissolved all of the factories were closed. The only economy they have now is tourism. they do not have the infrastructure to produce things for export. In these old buildings the shops are on the first floor then you enter the kitchen and sitting room and bathroom on the second floor and the bedrooms are on the third floor.Shops are open from 7 SM until 1:30, then they close for a siesta. they all go home for 1 and 1/2 hour eat a large lunch, then return to work until 8PM. the schools are small so the children go in 2 shifts: a morning shift and an afternoon shift. the children start Kindergarten at age 3 and even learn to speak English at that age. they are taught to speak at least 5 languages by the time they graduate from school. Everyone is home by 7:30 or 8PM and they eat a very small dinner.
There is a park built between the Old Town and the New Town which was constructed by the Austrians when they were in control. in this park are pittosporum , live oaks, Dalmatian oaks, lavender, sage; many of the same plants we have. the library shares a wall with the town's old wall. They just build up against the city's wall, so they only need to add 3 more walls. the town is protected from invaders by 4 fortresses: ST Nicholas on an island in the bay,then ST. Michaels just at the top of the town,ST Ann's above the town and a fortress with a long complicated name of some influential citizen of its time. We jiked to the top to ST. Ann's and it was a gorgeous view. there are lots of dogs and cats roaming all around but they are very well behaved and do not approach people. All of these stone houses have red tiled roofs and they stick citrus, fig and olive trees everywhere in their courtyards. they have no grass.
Zadar, Croatia November 30, 2010.
Diocletian who built a palace in Split was responsible for dividing the empire in half. All of western Europe became the Roman Empire. Eastern Europe became the Byzantine Empire. The eastern empire was subjected to invasions from the Visigoths, Huns and Lombard warriors. When the Romans left, the Croats and Slavs moved south below the Carpathians in the mid 7th century.The Slavs of the Western Balkans were divided into 2 groups: the Croats of Pannonia and Dalmatia, and the Serbs of Central Balkans by the 8th century. They joined together but each had their own dukes. The Croats always had to fight off the Serbs, Huns, Venitians, Ottomans, Haspbergs,and Mongols. At the end of the 11th century, Hungary invaded and ended the Croatian king rule. It was renamed Pannonia- Slavonia. By 1107 they included the Dalmatian coast also. All of this land was coveted by the Hungarians because they were a landlocked country.
For 800 years Venice tried to capture all of the Croatian islands and denuded them of their forests for their shipbuilding. They refused to allow the Croats to build or sell any ships and they took their figs, olives, olive oil, wine and salt to be sold cheaply. Therefore, they made the Croats very poor. Croatia is known to have the best salt in all of the Mediterranean area and their ships were of the finest quality. On the island of Pag they produce the best cheese in the world. They won an award worldwide for this cheese which is made from free range
sheep. The flavor is unusual because of the salt infused herbs the sheep eat. The houses are all stones that are cut to fit together exactly like a puzzle with red tile roofs. Zadar was called Zada in the Roman times. In 1991, the Serbs placed mines all over the town.Q
Zada became a walled town in the 16th century. They are a UNESCO site for their "Greetings to the Sun" and the " Sea Organ". The Greetings to the Sun is a huge solar panel to represent the sun, set in the concrete on their seaside surrounded by the planets and engraved with the saints names all around it's circumference. The Sea Organ is a set of pipes similar to a pipe organ's pipes and placed under water at the seaside. When the tide comes in and goes out, the pipes sing a song. The Romans laid out the streets and they remain the same today. There is a basilica here, a cathedral to Saint Anastasia, with huge concrete or stone cisterns where they stored their olive oil in the past centuries. They do not have a tower but a round building which is empty now because Napoleon used it as a barracks for his gunpowder. When they built the cathedral they saved the Roman forum colums to use as the foundation for the church. In 1203 Zada was destroyed by the Crusaders. Now the church has 2 crosses on top and is a Greek Orthodox church. Only 3 original buildings still stand because the city was bombed by the Allies and British during WWII.
There is a Roman column in the town square that Venice added a winged lion (which was their symbol) at the top. This was where executions and hangings were performed. Also there is an altar in front of the Roman temple for the sacrifice of live animals. It has a drain in front for the blood to run off. On the front of the basilica of Saint Anastasia is a round rosette window from the 13th century which is the Gothic style. It was built on top of the Romanesque temple. Several carvings in the stones depict cows which is was a sign of wealth. Saint Anastasia was a Roman woman who was captured and executed by burning at the stake. Her remains were transported to Constantinople then brought here to Zadar. The paintings in the cathedral were done in the Middle Ages. The apostles and the city's patron saint Chrysogonus are carved into the sides. A Romanesque style church has the church and the bell tower separate. The basilica has the Romanesque style on the first floor. The top is finished by a Victorian architect, Grant Jackson, who also built Oxford University. The clock tower called loggias was built for watch guards and has round holes for the cannons during Medieval times.The town symbol for Zadar is a knight on horseback which is carved into the wall at the land gate on the continental side. During the late 15th century the Venetians added a winged lion at the top to make it theirs. The goldsmiths had a shop here and it is now the Museum which the Benedictine Nuns run. Inside are the bones and hair of several saints. These were hidden from the Italiens during WWII. Saint John the Baptist's bones are in a golden arm that has it's first finger pointing up. These items are called reliquary. In the 14th century Croatia was controlled by the Anjou family of Hungary. Their King and Queen Elizabeth protected the Croats from attacks. Their elaborate crowns with jewels and the King's chalice is also in the Museum.
Our boat is called The Athena, but they don't pronounce the h.It was built here in Croatia. It has a very international crew. They are from Turkey, Egypt, Ukraine, Croatia, Indonesia, Tunisia, England and India. They are constantly trying to please us. The Indonesian waiter says hello to us everytime he sees us and uses our first names. I don't know how they memorize all 50 passenger names. He heard me refuse the onion soup so now at dinner he makes sure I receive a dinner with no onions.There are 4 decks including a sun deck. Our cabin is 306 just below the sun deck and we have a balcony with a table and 2 chairs. Tomorrow we sail at 6:30 AM for Sibenik. The s in Sibenik is pronounced as a sh.
For 800 years Venice tried to capture all of the Croatian islands and denuded them of their forests for their shipbuilding. They refused to allow the Croats to build or sell any ships and they took their figs, olives, olive oil, wine and salt to be sold cheaply. Therefore, they made the Croats very poor. Croatia is known to have the best salt in all of the Mediterranean area and their ships were of the finest quality. On the island of Pag they produce the best cheese in the world. They won an award worldwide for this cheese which is made from free range
sheep. The flavor is unusual because of the salt infused herbs the sheep eat. The houses are all stones that are cut to fit together exactly like a puzzle with red tile roofs. Zadar was called Zada in the Roman times. In 1991, the Serbs placed mines all over the town.Q
Zada became a walled town in the 16th century. They are a UNESCO site for their "Greetings to the Sun" and the " Sea Organ". The Greetings to the Sun is a huge solar panel to represent the sun, set in the concrete on their seaside surrounded by the planets and engraved with the saints names all around it's circumference. The Sea Organ is a set of pipes similar to a pipe organ's pipes and placed under water at the seaside. When the tide comes in and goes out, the pipes sing a song. The Romans laid out the streets and they remain the same today. There is a basilica here, a cathedral to Saint Anastasia, with huge concrete or stone cisterns where they stored their olive oil in the past centuries. They do not have a tower but a round building which is empty now because Napoleon used it as a barracks for his gunpowder. When they built the cathedral they saved the Roman forum colums to use as the foundation for the church. In 1203 Zada was destroyed by the Crusaders. Now the church has 2 crosses on top and is a Greek Orthodox church. Only 3 original buildings still stand because the city was bombed by the Allies and British during WWII.
There is a Roman column in the town square that Venice added a winged lion (which was their symbol) at the top. This was where executions and hangings were performed. Also there is an altar in front of the Roman temple for the sacrifice of live animals. It has a drain in front for the blood to run off. On the front of the basilica of Saint Anastasia is a round rosette window from the 13th century which is the Gothic style. It was built on top of the Romanesque temple. Several carvings in the stones depict cows which is was a sign of wealth. Saint Anastasia was a Roman woman who was captured and executed by burning at the stake. Her remains were transported to Constantinople then brought here to Zadar. The paintings in the cathedral were done in the Middle Ages. The apostles and the city's patron saint Chrysogonus are carved into the sides. A Romanesque style church has the church and the bell tower separate. The basilica has the Romanesque style on the first floor. The top is finished by a Victorian architect, Grant Jackson, who also built Oxford University. The clock tower called loggias was built for watch guards and has round holes for the cannons during Medieval times.The town symbol for Zadar is a knight on horseback which is carved into the wall at the land gate on the continental side. During the late 15th century the Venetians added a winged lion at the top to make it theirs. The goldsmiths had a shop here and it is now the Museum which the Benedictine Nuns run. Inside are the bones and hair of several saints. These were hidden from the Italiens during WWII. Saint John the Baptist's bones are in a golden arm that has it's first finger pointing up. These items are called reliquary. In the 14th century Croatia was controlled by the Anjou family of Hungary. Their King and Queen Elizabeth protected the Croats from attacks. Their elaborate crowns with jewels and the King's chalice is also in the Museum.
Our boat is called The Athena, but they don't pronounce the h.It was built here in Croatia. It has a very international crew. They are from Turkey, Egypt, Ukraine, Croatia, Indonesia, Tunisia, England and India. They are constantly trying to please us. The Indonesian waiter says hello to us everytime he sees us and uses our first names. I don't know how they memorize all 50 passenger names. He heard me refuse the onion soup so now at dinner he makes sure I receive a dinner with no onions.There are 4 decks including a sun deck. Our cabin is 306 just below the sun deck and we have a balcony with a table and 2 chairs. Tomorrow we sail at 6:30 AM for Sibenik. The s in Sibenik is pronounced as a sh.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Zagreb to Zadar, Croatia, 12/1 to 12/2
The airline found Daddy's luggage in Paris and delivered it this morning at the hotel. Good thing too, because he needed his heavy coat here. Wish I had brought some boots, but they weigh so much in your luggage.
Croatia is a socialist country that has been dominated by so many other countries throughout their existence. They were ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, Hungary, the Ottomans from Turkey, the Huns, the Haspbergs, and Venice. From 1945 to1995 it was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which included 6 republics: Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Slovenia. Yugoslavia means Yugo-south and Slavia- Slavic homeland. Croatia gained it's independence in 1991 and covers 57,000 square kilometers and has 4.8 million people who are 90% Roman Catholic. Zagreb has a population of 1 million, is the capital and is on the 48th parallel which is the same latitude as Montana and Canada. The trees around Zagreb are pines and oaks and right now they are covered in snow. We are in the mountains and the highway goes through tunnels that are built as overpasses just for the wildlife; very similar to those we saw in Canada. Split is the second largest city with a population of 250,000. The Sava River is their longest river. The Croatia flag is red and white from the Republic and blue from the Adriatic Sea. The Coat of Arms for Croatia is a crown with 5 old coats of arms from the old countries:: Debrovnik, Zadar, Split, Bosnia and Hvar. HRVATSKA is Croatia spelled in their native language. Their native animal is the brown bear which is also protected.
We are on our way to Zadar on the coast to board the boat. Zadar is a modern yet 3000 year old city. It is a UNESCO site because the 3000 year old buildings were built without the use of cement and are still standing. The area of Croatia that touches the Adriatic Sea is called the Dalmatian Coast. This coast is rocky and has forests and the farmers grow olives and vineyards. They are known for their red wines. they also are the origin of the Dalmatian dog.
Croatian people living here 30,000 years ago were Neanderthal. By 3000BC they were called the Vucedol with an advanced culture. The town of Hvar came with the rise of the Mediterranean culture. In 1000BC the Illyrians from Greece came here. Croatian natives fought the Greeks in 231BC and lost. From there the Romans obtained control and renamed it the Illyrium Province in 11BC. The Dalmatian Roman town called Jadera is now called Zadar. Croatia is related to the Slavic nations and call themselves HRVAT which is actually a Persian word. They were a Slavic tribe that was previously ruled by Persian speaking Arans from Central Asia.
Croatia is a socialist country that has been dominated by so many other countries throughout their existence. They were ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, Hungary, the Ottomans from Turkey, the Huns, the Haspbergs, and Venice. From 1945 to1995 it was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which included 6 republics: Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Slovenia. Yugoslavia means Yugo-south and Slavia- Slavic homeland. Croatia gained it's independence in 1991 and covers 57,000 square kilometers and has 4.8 million people who are 90% Roman Catholic. Zagreb has a population of 1 million, is the capital and is on the 48th parallel which is the same latitude as Montana and Canada. The trees around Zagreb are pines and oaks and right now they are covered in snow. We are in the mountains and the highway goes through tunnels that are built as overpasses just for the wildlife; very similar to those we saw in Canada. Split is the second largest city with a population of 250,000. The Sava River is their longest river. The Croatia flag is red and white from the Republic and blue from the Adriatic Sea. The Coat of Arms for Croatia is a crown with 5 old coats of arms from the old countries:: Debrovnik, Zadar, Split, Bosnia and Hvar. HRVATSKA is Croatia spelled in their native language. Their native animal is the brown bear which is also protected.
We are on our way to Zadar on the coast to board the boat. Zadar is a modern yet 3000 year old city. It is a UNESCO site because the 3000 year old buildings were built without the use of cement and are still standing. The area of Croatia that touches the Adriatic Sea is called the Dalmatian Coast. This coast is rocky and has forests and the farmers grow olives and vineyards. They are known for their red wines. they also are the origin of the Dalmatian dog.
Croatian people living here 30,000 years ago were Neanderthal. By 3000BC they were called the Vucedol with an advanced culture. The town of Hvar came with the rise of the Mediterranean culture. In 1000BC the Illyrians from Greece came here. Croatian natives fought the Greeks in 231BC and lost. From there the Romans obtained control and renamed it the Illyrium Province in 11BC. The Dalmatian Roman town called Jadera is now called Zadar. Croatia is related to the Slavic nations and call themselves HRVAT which is actually a Persian word. They were a Slavic tribe that was previously ruled by Persian speaking Arans from Central Asia.
Croatia and the Dalmatia Coast on Adriatic Sea
Monday, November 29, 2010.
Today we flew out of JIA airport to Atlanta to fly international to Paris, France and then Zagreb, Croatia. It was an extremely packed flight and very warm, but we both had aisle seats. Daddy paid $46.00 online last night for the luggage and then found out all international flights wave that fee. We fly out of Atlanta at 3:45 to Paris for an 8 hour flight. This flight wasn't full, so I had an empty seat beside me. YES!
It was chilly and very cloudy in Atlanta and they call for it to be unseasonably cold in Paris. The dinner was really good with white meat chicken, sweet potato puree, green beans, salad, cheese, crackers and a triple chocolate brownie. The flight seemed really long and we arrived in Paris at 5:30 AM on Tuesday, the 30th. It is dark outside, even at 7:30 AM and snow is laying on the roofs, grass and cars. Our flight to Zagreb, Croatia is at 9:45 AM and is to be 2 hours long. The time difference between Paris and home is 6 hours so it is now 2 AM at home.
The young girls here wear very long shirts or very short shirt dresses with leggings underneath covered with thick knee highs and short boots. What a combination, but it looks okay on them! It's supposed to be snowing in Zagreb now and 80% chance of snow the next 3 days! We are to stay overnight here then board a bus for a 4 hour drive to Zadar, a coastal town on the Adriatic Sea.
Zagreb has snow on the ground and roads, but the city is very clean. Daddy's luggage didn't arrive in Zagreb when we did. They only have 2 flights a day, so hopefully, it'll be here in another 6 hours. The Zagreb Palace Hotel is gorgeous! It must be a 5 star. It has damask drapes, thick inlaid carpet, crystal chandeliers, inlaid wooden tables and walls, even their towels have their names woven into the weave! Our room is a mini suite with a living room separate from the bedroom. Of course, all across Europe the beds are always 2 twin beds pushed together with percale duvets on top. We were able to open the windows to cool off the room. Because of the snow they have heated the room way too much for us. We also had a huge jacuzzi tub which most of the other couples in our group didn't have. It sure felt good after that long plane ride. Our dinner was delicious with a choice of white or red wine, salad with arugula, radicchio in balsalmic vineigrette , carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, a noodle and cheese strudel which is a local speciality( called mlinci) and 5 different desserts from which to
choose. Our bathroom has a radiator to warm the whole room which is covered in a white porcelain substance to be used as a towel warmer also. How about that!!!! This hotel is the oldest in Zagreb (1891) but is so well kept up, it just oozes European charm. The airport-aireaka- is the largest in Croatia and is used mostly by Hungary.
Wednesday,December 1, 2010.
It snowed quite a bit overnight. It's on all the roof tops, streets and trees. They have blue streetcars that ride down both sides of the street right next to the curbs. Our bus picked us up at the hotel and we rode for 4 hours to the coast. The closer we got to the mountains the more snow was falling. The roads were slippery because we saw 3 cars that had overturned on the side of the highway. But our bus.driver did well; we weren't even scared. The trees are so covered with snow they looked flocked! It's absolutely gorgeous ! At one of the gas station stops they had very tiny woven straw Xmas ornaments like angels and bells no more than an inch high. I'll have to see if I can buy some of them. Funny - our bus is called Gulliver Travel. The closer to the coast we go, the snow is now changing to rain because we are over the mountain. Zagreb is in the interior of Croatia. Zadar is on the coast and that is where our boat picks us up.
Today we flew out of JIA airport to Atlanta to fly international to Paris, France and then Zagreb, Croatia. It was an extremely packed flight and very warm, but we both had aisle seats. Daddy paid $46.00 online last night for the luggage and then found out all international flights wave that fee. We fly out of Atlanta at 3:45 to Paris for an 8 hour flight. This flight wasn't full, so I had an empty seat beside me. YES!
It was chilly and very cloudy in Atlanta and they call for it to be unseasonably cold in Paris. The dinner was really good with white meat chicken, sweet potato puree, green beans, salad, cheese, crackers and a triple chocolate brownie. The flight seemed really long and we arrived in Paris at 5:30 AM on Tuesday, the 30th. It is dark outside, even at 7:30 AM and snow is laying on the roofs, grass and cars. Our flight to Zagreb, Croatia is at 9:45 AM and is to be 2 hours long. The time difference between Paris and home is 6 hours so it is now 2 AM at home.
The young girls here wear very long shirts or very short shirt dresses with leggings underneath covered with thick knee highs and short boots. What a combination, but it looks okay on them! It's supposed to be snowing in Zagreb now and 80% chance of snow the next 3 days! We are to stay overnight here then board a bus for a 4 hour drive to Zadar, a coastal town on the Adriatic Sea.
Zagreb has snow on the ground and roads, but the city is very clean. Daddy's luggage didn't arrive in Zagreb when we did. They only have 2 flights a day, so hopefully, it'll be here in another 6 hours. The Zagreb Palace Hotel is gorgeous! It must be a 5 star. It has damask drapes, thick inlaid carpet, crystal chandeliers, inlaid wooden tables and walls, even their towels have their names woven into the weave! Our room is a mini suite with a living room separate from the bedroom. Of course, all across Europe the beds are always 2 twin beds pushed together with percale duvets on top. We were able to open the windows to cool off the room. Because of the snow they have heated the room way too much for us. We also had a huge jacuzzi tub which most of the other couples in our group didn't have. It sure felt good after that long plane ride. Our dinner was delicious with a choice of white or red wine, salad with arugula, radicchio in balsalmic vineigrette , carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, a noodle and cheese strudel which is a local speciality( called mlinci) and 5 different desserts from which to
choose. Our bathroom has a radiator to warm the whole room which is covered in a white porcelain substance to be used as a towel warmer also. How about that!!!! This hotel is the oldest in Zagreb (1891) but is so well kept up, it just oozes European charm. The airport-aireaka- is the largest in Croatia and is used mostly by Hungary.
Wednesday,December 1, 2010.
It snowed quite a bit overnight. It's on all the roof tops, streets and trees. They have blue streetcars that ride down both sides of the street right next to the curbs. Our bus picked us up at the hotel and we rode for 4 hours to the coast. The closer we got to the mountains the more snow was falling. The roads were slippery because we saw 3 cars that had overturned on the side of the highway. But our bus.driver did well; we weren't even scared. The trees are so covered with snow they looked flocked! It's absolutely gorgeous ! At one of the gas station stops they had very tiny woven straw Xmas ornaments like angels and bells no more than an inch high. I'll have to see if I can buy some of them. Funny - our bus is called Gulliver Travel. The closer to the coast we go, the snow is now changing to rain because we are over the mountain. Zagreb is in the interior of Croatia. Zadar is on the coast and that is where our boat picks us up.
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