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Croatia 2024

July 2024
  • Colin Young
Here we are the elderly parents (grandparents) taken on a family holiday. Read more
  • Colin Young

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  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024

    The Getaway

    July 12, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    If you don't pay enough attention you may find yourself having to get to Glasgow airport for 8 o'clock on a weekday morning. It's fair to say that the amount of time I spent planning last year's cycling adventure is diametrically opposed to my attention span when this year's summer holiday was discussed. The upshot of this is the aforementioned early morning sojourn west to catch an EasyJet flight into the sun. But, If I was being more gracious, I would say that despite my lack of interest, my family have lovingly organised a relaxing week for me in the warm sunshine surrounded by adoring grandchildren.

    We have visited Croatia twice before - in 2018 and  2019, or as I like to think of it, in 1 and 2 BC (before COVID). I have many happy memories of drinking local red wine, running through thunderstorms, teaching grandchildren to swim and watching them singing into hairbrushes. I am guessing that in what will be our first family holiday abroad since the pandemic (you may have heard of it), I will have the opportunity to make many more.

    Back to EasyJet.... I sort of get the principle of budget airlines. Why charge for services that are unnecessary or not applicable to every passenger? But then, if you want to actually pay for your flights with a card, take a suitcase, sit together, eat something, have access to oxygen in case of emergency..... It all adds up to somewhere a lot more than when you first thought "that's cheap, let's go there". I once won 2 free airline tickets on Ryanair and gave them up because in fact the total cost of each free flight was actually 99p less than the full fare.

    Luggage is a case in point (pun intended). I am comfortable with paying for a hold bag.  It has to be labelled, manhandled, electronically identified, whisked around a complex baggage system and thrown 'carefully' into and out of a plane. But the latest practice of charging for a carry on bag is a tad irksome.  I personally have to lug it through the airport myself and carry it on and off the plane. At no time does it require the input of any airline staff. It seems to me just another cynical act of a pickpocket industry. Granted there is still the option to travel with only a very small carry on bag, provided you can survive for a week with one change of clothes and a toothbrush.

    As it turned out there were no dramas. We stayed overnight with friends who live 30 min and a cheap taxi fare from the airport, the roads were clear, the security was the quietest I have ever seen and the plane boarded on time.    Read more

  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024

    Hello Croatia, Hello Sunshine

    July 12, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Flight EZY 3143 to Pula was timely and uneventful, with the exception of a few minutes of turbulence over the Alps. Enough to lose your latte if you weren't paying attention but not sufficiently wild to lose the contents of your bladder. I thought it was a relatively mild experience but Laura was a bit traumatised and enquired about the possibility of driving home.

    We had sauntered to the end of the boarding queue and stood behind a lady who told us she had forgotten she had paid for speedy boarding. Which brings me to another thing I don't understand about flying - the concept of paying extra to get on first or for a special seat (I am from Lanarkshire after all). Why pay more to get on a plane quicker when you know you have a guaranteed seat and it isn't going without you.  And without asking, the seat assigning algorithm gave the six of us seats all together across a single row. I did however hear an interesting story about seat assigning algorithms. A friend travelling solo to Italy was randomly allocated a seat beside another couple. His surname is Armstrong, not too uncommon (think Pointless or drug cheating Tour de France cyclist) but when he introduced himself, he discovered his fellow travellers were also called Armstrong. Too random to be a coincidence so presumably the algorithm had assumed the shared surname meant they were related and travelling together.

    Our villa is situated on the edge of Krnica, a village about 20 km north east of Pula, population 275 which according to Wikipedia, " is a very peaceful village and even during the summers, there are no traffic jams." We have a 7 seater hire car which feels slightly wider than the narrow roads, so the relatively light traffic is welcomed. I was today's nominated driver and felt quite pleased about how quickly I settled back onto driving on the right (or is it the wrong) side of the road. That was until a major brown trouser moment turning left on a busy, 2-lane roundabout in Pula. I settled for flooring the accelerator to get us out of trouble and prayed that the brakes on the BMW behind us worked better than it's indicators.  All was well and after a few shakey minutes, I got back on the proverbial horse like a true soldier and drove home again without incident.    Read more

  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024
    1

    A Lazy Day in the Sun

    July 13, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Istria is the largest peninsula to border the Adriatic Sea and is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Kvarner Gulf. The region is shared by Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy, with almost 90% of its land mass part of Croatia. The ancient Greeks named the area by mistake, wrongly believing a branch of the Danube river (previous known as the river Istra) flowed into the Adriatic in this area. So an F for geography for the ancient Greeks.

    There is a significant cultural and architectural Italian influence in the region, unsurprising, as Istria was part of the holy Roman Empire for centuries and more recently annexed by Italy for the period between the 1st and 2nd World Wars. While we have welcomed the abundance of pizzerias and trattorias for dining out, I have not found much use for my recently gained basic knowledge of the Italian language. Thankfully Google translate is on hand to assist and by combining my badly pronounced Croatian with some pointing and holding up of fingers, my cheery "dobro jutro, šest kroasana molim" did result in the requisite number of croissants for breakfast.

    Today has been designated a down day by the troops, so I have revelled in the delights of an air conditioned apartment and even found time to consult with Wikipedia over a coffee or two. I did venture out earlier to a shady spot for a game of cards and some lunch and I am now picking up some undercurrents of "get in the pool Bampa". It's hot out there but at least it's only in the low thirties....

    One problem with a lazy day in the sun is that nothing much of note happens, which becomes problematic for a fledgeling blogger. So, for your sanity (and in a selfish attempt to try to retain your interest for another day) we can fast forward a pleasant walk through the village in the cool of the early evening and an excellent, Italian themed dinner in one of the local restaurants. The rest of evening passed pleasantly playing games around the outside dining table and debating which of the 3 grasshoppers creeping (or is it crawling) around our feet would chase Laura inside first.    Read more

  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024

    A Day of Near Misses

    July 14, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    In a way, waking up to the breaking news from America puts the triviality of lazing about in the sun and thinking it's worth writing about into perspective. Regardless of your views on American politics, it is a dark day for democracy. I was never a fan of Mr Trump - his debacle with environmental groups and the local population over the establishment of the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire gave us a preview of the type of president that he would make. And the thought that we may be in for Trump 2, the sequel flies in the face of the old proverb "once bitten, twice shy". In the interests of impartiality, my favourite news story of the current presidential election is about the US math teacher who legally changed his name to Literally Anybody Else and announced his intention to run for president. He would get my vote.

    Today's plans involve a post fierce-heat journey into Pula in mid to late afternoon for sightseeing and dinner.  In preparation, Kev and I have been out for a quiet half hour drive so he can get used to driving a big automatic car on the right (wrong) side of the road without the added distraction of Jackie chatting away in the back seat. If talking were an olympic sport, she could have been a contender. Despite today's title there were no dramas on our trial run and we returned home unscathed.

    Pula is known for its protected harbor, beach-lined coast and Roman ruins. Settled in the prehistoric era and valued for its strategic location, it has been occupied, destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. The Arena constructed between 27 BC and AD 68, dominates the port area. It is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers entirely preserved and is among the world's six largest surviving Roman arenas. As I stand looking up at the massive, 2000 year old and 30 meter high limestone wall, I can't help but compare it to the newspaper article I read last week about the couple who had so many major defects arising in the 6 years since their £350,000 home was built that it's current value has been estimated by independent chartered surveyors at  £1.

    Returning to the theme of near misses, we arrived home in time to watch the second half of the football final. I am not particularly knowledgeable about football (I once had to ask a friend in the pub which team were Scotland) and it is a rare occasion for me to watch it. However there is enough English blood in my veins (thanks Dad) and I have  enough close relatives south of the border for me to show some interest. Despite my ignorance of the nuances of the game, I did feel that the Spanish players were more opportunistic on the ball and I thought the winning goal was worthy of the title.

    The UK hasn't been the happiest of places to live in recent times and I do feel sorry that our near neighbours were denied the joy of victory in such a prestigious tournament.  I also feel sorry for the England fan who had Gareth Southgate's face tattooed on his bum in 2018 above the words "It's coming home" as it is going to be another few years before he can moon triumphantly out the car window while his friend circles round and round Trafalgar Square frantically tooting his horn.    Read more

  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024

    Bidet As It May

    July 15, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Our apartment is a modern, spacious 3-bedroom detached villa. It has been designed to meet the higher end of vacationing expectations. All the bedrooms have an ensuite with shower or bath and a private balcony. It is solidly built, although unlikely to outlast the aforementioned amphitheatre in Pula. Each bathroom has that feature commonly used in continental toilet etiquette but rarely seen in domestic dwellings back home - the bidet. In Japan, where living spaces are more densely packed, the bidet function has been incorporated into high tech, electronic push button toilets by way of a motorised wand that can spray water in preprogrammed directions as required. I suspect that I am drifting off at a tangent, so returning to the bidet in my suite...

    Try to picture the layout of our relatively spacious ensuite facilities, with a WC, a bidet and a bath occupying 2 walls and the sink making the third side of a U shape. The remaining wall is taken up by the door which when opened hides the WC. Now imagine you are a male of advancing years (you may already be one) whose sleep pattern is often interrupted by a trip to use the facilities. Arriving sleepily through the open door in an unfamiliar apartment you see some white porcelain of approximately the correct height and shape, then as your level of consciousness increases, you may find, as I did, the need to make some quick, mid-stream changes to the direction of the current activity. Up until this week, the only time I ever made use of what seems to be a superfluous sanitary item was for the nightly washing of my lycra during a cycling holiday through the Dolomites. Now I am beginning to wonder if that had been a sensible use of the porcelain.

    You are correct is the assumption that today is another down day with nothing much happening.  Our merry band has naturally divided into 2 groups - the sun worshippers and those who occasionally venture outside to spend 15 minutes in the pool before returning to the sanctuary of the air-conditioned apartment. Ben spends his time programming or playing games on his laptop, and I while away the hours reading or trying to write some brief and sometimes (hopefully) amusing observations about our experiences here. Its mostly for my own amusement but if you are also entertained, I won't be offended.

    In closing, I should report that tonight's dinner ended with 5 complimentary shots. They were small measures but everyone else seemed reluctant to embrace the local culture so I felt I had to step up to the plate.  Now everyone else is in the pool, but I'm not sure I would be able to find the pool, far less join them.    Read more

  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024

    Rovinj is Best Served Cold

    July 16, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Today wasn't just hot, it was hot, hot. If thermometers still had needles, they would have been spinning into the red zone. I doubt there was much difference between the temperature in the shade and the temperature in my veins. As a ginger haired, freckled weegie, my resistance to the sun's power is almost non-existent and even factor 50 doesn't prevent me from crisping up, so I normally use factor stay indoors. When I do venture out, I have to chose my moments wisely in order to get away with both minimal exposure and minimal criticism for staying indoors on such a lovely day.

    I did however manage a brief dip in the pool in the morning and also inexplicably found myself volunteering to do the lunchtime takeaway pizza run just after the sun reached it's zenith. There is very little shade offered during the 350 meter hike to the restaurant but I hugged every last bit of it. By about 3 pm, collective boredom won the day and we decided to drive to the nearest beach. In any other climate there would be no hesitation in stepping out and covering the 3 km distance on foot, but today Kev was sent out to get the aircon going for a few minutes before we left the house. It is a rocky beach with an easy route into the refreshingly cool water and enough shade to park me under before going in. It will be worth another visit, perhaps in the relative cool of the late evening when the temperature falls to a chilly 28 degrees.

    Our evening destination is Rovinj, a fishing port on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula about 25 miles from krnica. The old town stands on a headland, with houses tightly crowded down to the seafront. A tangle of cobbled streets leads to the hilltop church of St. Euphemia, whose towering steeple dominates the skyline. To be honest I wasn't looking forward to the 40 min drive but it turned out to be well worth the effort. It was by far the busiest place we have been to - I believe the correct term is teeming!

    Dinner was served by the most enthusiastic and attentive waiting staff. There were 3 of them getting the table turned over after the previous customer and we had barely been seated when our drinks order was taken. The food arrived quickly for such a busy kitchen and the plates were cleared within seconds of the final mouthful. The cynic would say that the quicker we left, the quicker they got the table back for the next customers and there may have been a bit of that, but I genuinely think they were just really happy to serve us.

    We had a nice after dinner stroll through the narrow streets of the old town, accompanied by an unnecessary ice cream and watched the sun set behind church of St. Euphemia before walking back to the car for the long drive home in the dark. And just in passing , I'd like to mention Google maps - isn't it just the bee's knees! (I'm now spending too long wondering about the apostrophe placement as it could be a reference to a single bee with six knees or lots of bees each with sets of six knees, in which case it would be bees' knees).    Read more

  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024

    Wake, Fry, Repeat

    July 17, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    That man Chaucer knew what he was talking about when he penned "Time and tide waits for no man", and it seems especially true when on holiday. It was a surprise to discover this morning that we had reached the penultimate full day of our time here, or if you prefer, the antepenultimate day of the overall holiday. Time certainly flies when you are having fun.

    Today's weather is......hot, going on hot. The same as yesterday, the same as the day before and in all honestly the same as every day we've been here. Consistency in the weather is not something I am used to and although the above may sound negative, no one is complaining. I am normally only interested in the weather forecast when planning a cycle ride and this summer's most frequent announcement has been "good it's going to be above 12°C so we won't need long trousers", but I still take my waterproof jacket just in case it rains (and it usually does).

    If you plot a graph of the learning and subsequent loss of driving skills, with increasing age along the x-axis, you may not get a perfect bell curve but the general principles of one will be held. This has become particularly clear on this holiday. On our last visit to Croatia together (in 1 BC), I was the main driver and Kev the backup. I sat nervously beside him as he experienced his first time in control of a left-hand drive vehicle. Fast forward 5 years and with neither of us having had any further practice, the roles have clearly been reversed. Although I drove (quite adequately I might add) on the first day, Kev has picked up all the remaining driving duties and I feel everyone in the car, including me, is happy with that arrangement. It may just come down to a difference in confidence rather than actual skill but, to quote Darth Vader, "the student has become the master".

    There are a number of ways to enter a swimming pool, from the dramatic cannon ball to the slow progress that starts with a tentatively dipped toe. Mostly for the benefit of the grandchildren, but also because it imvolves quite a big temperature change, I go for the slowly, slowly approach whilst loudly commenting on how cold it is. With the right response from the audience, I can make this last for more than 10 minutes. Today I decided on a plan to create maximum amusement by walking right in and achieving full immersion quicker than a repentant Baptist. No one noticed.....

    In another first, I decided to stick my headphones in my ears and dry off while lying on a lounger beside the pool - in the shade naturally. It felt very comfortable and inclusive (despite the headphones), with a gentle breeze making the 34°C temperature feel more like a warm hug. Shame I only discovered this option so late on the week.    Read more

  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024

    New York, New York

    July 18, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    If a tradition is not upheld, it will fade away until it is no longer a tradition. So this morning started with a rousing rendition of the opening lines of Sinatra's New York, New York. 🎵Start spreading the news, we're leaving tomorrow....🎵, closely followed by "shut up Cocs", spoken with passion by an already sunbathing Laura. Don't get me wrong, it's never meant to be a complaint about not having had a great holiday. Admittedly, it may have had its origins in a desire to return to normal life in the distant past, but it has morphed into a joyous celebration of precious family time.

    In the short time we have been here, I have grown to love this quiet little village. There is something uplifting about an early morning walk to the bakery for fresh bread. The local population is relaxed and friendly and the restaurants are of good quality and not overly expensive. There is a lovely little church in the centre of the village (with the requisite graveyard) which we have so far not found the time to visit, but occasionally we hear the church bells ringing from our patio. Perhaps we came at just the right time as we are staying in one of a group of 6 new villas and there is evidence of building projects around us.

    Our villa faces east, and by midday the patio dining table is half in the shade and half in the sun, so with us all seated on the shaded side to eat our lunch, we must resemble Da Vinci's depiction of The Last Supper. "Table for 26 please......There are only 13 of you..... I know but we all want to sit at the same side." The pool is to the rear of the villa and is best enjoyed in the afternoon. By then, the 2 poolside umbrellas cast their shadows across the water and the sun has done it's work to raise the temperature after the relative chill of the night - if you can classify an overnight minimum of 22°C as a chill.

    For our last evening out, we are visiting Medulin, a municipality in the southernmost tip of the Istrian peninsula which is renowned for it's campsites and beaches. The eponymously named small town is built up around a natural harbour and the town centre includes the main square and the twin-spired St Agnes Church. According to tradition (and Wikipedia), Agnes was born in 291 into Roman nobility, and raised as a Christian. She suffered martyrdom on 21 January 304, aged 12 or 13, during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Those were certainly dangerous times to have monotheistic beliefs.

    T'internet had taught us earlier that the population of the town more than trebled to 10,000 during July and August and Google maps suggested we were in a busy area, however the town felt almost deserted. I can only assume that more than 9000 were crammed into many restaurants while we were there - they were certainly jumping. So apart from a nice dinner, a fiery sunset and Agnes' spectacular church, it was a bit uninspiring. I pulled driving duties on the way home and on some of the long straights I was reminded of the fact that Mario Andretti grew up in this area.    Read more

  • Colin YoungTravelerCroatia 2024

    Homeward Bound

    July 19, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    08:00 - Simon and Garfunkel may have wished that they were homeward bound, but that is not a sentiment that is evident in our villa this morning. It has been an awesome week and I feel privileged that our children and grandchildren still want to spend time with us old timers. 

    09:00 - Microsoft picked a bad day to make a security update and it seems the head of programming may not do so well in the next performance review. Fortunately, the news updates from easyJet, which started as a  hour or more delay, have been improving as the morning progresses and the latest estimate has the flight departing on time.

    11:00 - The hire car has been returned with no issues and our trousers have been refreshed following a near miss on what has been known all week as the roundabout of doom. We were turning left (so all the way round anticlockwise to 9 o'clock) and as we moved over to make our exit, the driver of a wee red car decided that the instruction to give way at a roundabout was optional.  Fortunately Kev was driving and his younger brain effortlessly assessed the risks and took the appropriate action to the accompaniment of a chorus of "watch out Kev" from his passengers.

    14:30 - The flight home took off more or less on time and the final update just before I turned on aeroplane mode suggested we would land only 10 minutes late. It's not all good news, our easyJet has run out of hot food (or the microwave is broken) and we are flying with someone who has a severe peanut allergy. Managed to get a drink and some pringles but decided opening the chocolate biscuits in my bag was a bit irresponsible, given the circumstances. Also I'm harbouring the uncharitable thought that one of my fellow passengers already knew about the peanut problem before boarding and most likely brought ample alternative provisions.

    15,45 - Noise cancelling headphones actually amplify the noise of eating Pringles. Who knew.....

    16:15 - Announcement from the cabin. We are over Cambridge, heading for Leeds and will start out descent in 15 minutes. We were also informed we were high up and going fast, but I don't remember the numbers. One important number I did catch - it's 21°C in Glasgow. That sounds hot, but not hot, hot. 

    17:00 / 16:00 - Wheels down on schedule and watches adjusted to UK time. After all the complaining I did a few weeks ago about having to fly from Glasgow, we have been really fortunate to be here and not Edinburgh. There was no sign of any IT issues in Glasgow, but it appears that Edinburgh was not so lucky and has major problems. All we need now is our suitcase.

    17:00 - Our suitcase has been collected and we are now standing at the pick up / drop off zone waiting on Scott and Wilma, who have kindly offered to meet us and drive us back to our car, which has been parked on their drive for the last week. Cars and taxis are coming into the drop off almost non stop and at £5.50 a pop to get back out, that's not a bad little earner.

    17:10 - Watching a family being deposited kerbside with their suitcases, I am reminded that in Glasgow the plural of you is yous, as in "I'm going to miss yous guys"

    21:00 - We are home, fed and are now sitting on the couch wondering if we should put the heating on.    Read more

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