First up on Our Big Adventure - Croatia
Croatia had been on the top of our wish list for several years, ever since I’d seen a picture and small write up in Oprah magazine (yes, I used to subscribe back in the day) of Plitvice Lakes National Park. As a big nature girl, and lover boardwalks, I knew I’d have to get myself there to see the multiple layers of lakes, waterfalls, and beautiful turquoise water. It looked like heaven!
So we planned Croatia as our first country and timed it so that we’d be at Plitvice when, hopefully, the waterfalls would be full, and before the biggest hoards of tourists would arrive. But we had some cities to explore before then, and we started with Dubrovnik.
Our first taste of Dubrovnik
By the time we landed in Croatia, got our bags, and our shuttle driver dropped us off at the Ploce gate entrance to Old Town, it was after 10:30 pm. It had been a long day of travel, with a healthy layover in Frankfurt, but as we walked through the Ploce Gate, as tired as we were, we immediately got re-energized.
The restaurants were still abuzz with people chatting and laughing while eating al fresco. The air smelled like pizza and garlic on one corner and fried seafood on the next, all mixed with the smell of wet cobblestones from the rain earlier in the day.
Our first (small) hitch
We found our way to our cozy studio apartment, the gate to which was on a somewhat hidden wall mostly covered in Ivy. A little gravel path wound through a small garden and up a few steps to the front door. The steps were covered in snails who apparently were out in force after the rain.
We were really pleased with the room. It had a little kitchenette with all of the basics, a sunken bedroom area, and sound-proof windows with shutters. There were only a couple of things missing – toilet paper and soap. Ugh. We sent a What’s App message to the owner asking where we could buy some since the little market close by was closed. He apologized and said he’d bring some right over. By now, it was at about 11:30pm.
The happy turnabout
When he arrived a few minutes later, Roberto apologized and wondered if maybe his maid was in love and that’s why she had forgotten these necessities. Although we were completely pooped by this point, and normally staying up talking to a stranger after about 22 hours of travel when it was close to midnight, would be the last thing I’d want to do, the three of us got to talking and ended up chatting for an hour!
Roberto was so interesting that we not only didn’t mind, we were totally engaged. Trained as a lawyer, and now fluent in 8 languages, including Chinese, he’s been working in tourism for most of his career. He told us that the building that our apartment was in was handed down to him and it originally belonged to an aristocrat back in the 15th century.
He shared that giving tours (including for Rick Steves groups), he makes more money than his wife who is a judge. But it’s not about the money for him. He loves being a tour guide. “In what other profession,” he asked, “do people applaud, thank you, and tell you how much they enjoyed your work every two hours?” He said he feels very privileged to be a guide, and he’s obviously well suited for it.
We talked about history, culture and world views, travel and politics. It was really the perfect welcome for us and exactly the type of connection we’re hoping to have a lot more of on our adventure. Because we didn’t have enough cash to pay him for our full stay, he asked us to let him know when we’d have time the next day for us to meet and settle up. When we met up with him the next afternoon, we sat in our little garden and continued our conversation for yet another hour!
We’ve made our first friend!
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