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Gabrielle Ingram
Gabrielle Ingram

Gabrielle Ingram

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Sun spotlight
    Motorcycle santasArtwork by Josip Škerlj. Walls plus two churches withinWashing hanging from balconies plus Catholicism1City walls, not sure what else this depictsThe cats of DubrovnikSea chicken?Fishing heritageIntense enrolment activitiesCompleted stupid puzzle

    Boxing Day

    26 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Quiet one today in that we literally did not step outside our door, except for Kate whose turn it was to take the rubbish out 🙂

    We accomplished completion of the painful butterfly jigsaw minus two missing pieces and I have donated the puzzle to the accommodation place.

    And bought tickets to walk the wall tomorrow - can't wait!

    Other notable events included me saying "is that a plane taking off over the top of us" just as we started to then hear lots of honking in the street below, so we hurried outside to see a great many Santas on motorcycles going down the street.

    We have also seen a few times now where a little break in the cloud makes a spotlight of sun on the water, and I managed to get a photo this time.

    Finn worked on his university enrolment for next year for the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Master of Engineering which UQ hasn't seemed to make easy. So now that he has set up a spreadsheet he is writing some code to do his proposed program plan taking into account prerequisites and corequesites.

    Ari, the apartment owner dropped by this afternoon to see if we needed anything, so we chatted to him for a bit and then got some new paper towel and loo rolls. There is a person in the apartment complex who plays the piano for hours a day. On the first day some of those hours included a lot of scales and arpeggios, but since then it has been piece after piece of classical music. Ari asked if it was bothering us (no!) because he has had some guests leave bad reviews of his accommodation as a result of the piano playing. He said she is one of the most notable pianists in Croatia... No way to verify this of course, but we have free live music so why would we complain?

    And I haven't yet posted about the original artwork in our apartment. Seven pieces by a Dubrovnik artist named Josip Škerlj. I think in our conversation we have deduced he is Ari's brother. Most of the pieces in our apartment are depictions of life around Dubrovnik with the walls featuring heavily.

    https://hr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_Škerlj    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Still sewing
    Walking into town for lunchThe family being happy at ChristmasWaiting for lunchChristmas feastChildren getting alongEnjoying fritule / prickleViews walking home from lunchJigsaw progress

    Christmas Day

    25 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Sretan Božić!

    Casual day for us today as no presents, no big breakfast, casual doing of jigsaw, a glass of bubbles and then we toddled into town to find a restaurant.

    There was not much open but we found one (all you need) and you could tell it was full of tourists. So we had a pleasant lunch, then went back down into the main square for dessert which are called prickle here but went by the name fritule in northern Croatia. Like a dense doughnut ball and AMAZING. Now I feel sad we haven't been eating them sooner. We washed that down with a mulled gin.

    On the way home we bumped into a Croatian we knew! Robert was out walking his dog.

    Back home, more jigsaw puzzling continued and we had beef massaman curry for dinner. Craig also spent an inordinate amount of time finishing off sewing his jeans back together.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The path up
    The first station of the crossOne of the switchbacksViews over DubrovnikThe last station of the cross. Nearly there!The old town in the backgroundThe kids found an unusual spot to wait for us at the topMe in the distance way behind the others on the way downFootpaths Dubrovnik style. You gotta be ok with stairs around here.A footpath downTrying to keep up with Kate and he ripped the knee of his jeans

    Christmas Eve

    24 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    This morning we did a steep descent hike up to the mountain and fort which look down over Dubrovnik. At the end of each of the 14 switchbacks on the track was a plaque for the Stations of the Cross, which was a very convenient way of knowing how far we had left to go!

    Unfortunately a bit of cloud cover came in over the horizon out to sea during our climb, but the views were great anyway.

    Christmas Eve is a big deal, and there was a cacophony of sound reaching us as we hoked. We could hear music coming from a concert in the old town, canons being intermittently fired, with one round having 20 shots fired, intermingled with church bells. We could also see loads of people in the main square.

    On our descent we headed into the main square, but since we were in our walking gear and all the locals looked dressed as though they were attending the fanciest wedding they'd ever been invited to, we felt very out of place and as Craig put it "like we turned up at a party we hadn't been invited to". The square was packed, so we grabbed some food from the bakery and headed towards home.

    We have cracked open the butterfly jigsaw and the edge is almost impossible. As we were doing that we had a knock at the door and Robert, the son of Ari the owner dropped by with a plate of various homemade cakes his mother had made. Robbie, who is only 19 and just started uni 3 months ago, was up for a chat and stayed for ages. I think I forgot to mention that Ari had dropped in the night before with two bottles of wine for us too.

    To get to the start of the track up to the lookout we had to walk along the edge of a road which is the main highway going south through Dubrovnik. We moved to the other side of the guard rail favouring falling down the hill over being run over by a car. Unfortunately this caused Craig to snag his jeans on the guardrail and rip a 30cm hole down the side seam. So he spent several hours tonight starting sewing them back together, necessary because he only has two pairs of jeans with him.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Fake Freddie
    Fake BrianThe back stage view

    Queen Sensation

    24 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    I saw a poster on a wall today for a concert which was on this evening from 9.00-11.00pm in Stradum which is the main square in the old town, as part of Winterfest, with a band called Queen Sensation.

    At 8.45pm I asked the husband if he was going, we put on our boots and coats and walked the 1.3km back in to watch the show. The setting was pretty spectacular.

    I googled the band when I got home. They are Croatian and formed in 2007 and are now one of the most popular Queen tribute bands in Europe.

    As we were leaving we had to go out the main gate of the wall, which was behind the stage, so now I can kinda say we've been back stage at a Queen concert.

    Fun night out!    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    It is a bit sunny
    View of old town from our apartmentPerfect dayOur pizza caveThe biggest kebab Finn has ever had1Pizza caveThe clouds moved in over the mountain1Kings Landing for GOT fansPile Gate entrance (there are drawbridges at the gates)Friendly catSunset at a bar outside the wallWith friendly cat lap warmerSolitudeA nativity scene popped up since yesterdayThe entrance to the library❤️

    Christmas preparations

    23 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    This morning consisted of meal planning for the next three days of shops being closed, and gathering of the items which are cookable in the apartment kitchen with supplied appliances. In the space of about one hour, we are ready for Christmas!

    Craig did a 10km round trip walk to the far side of town search of Sim cards.

    Once he was back, we set off for a pizza lunch on the way back into the old town at a pizzeria I had found on Google which had excellent reviews. We ended up in their only remaining inside table in our own little stone cave. We had originally asked for an outside table up on their terrace, but we thought the cave was better when he eventually came back and said they would be willing to clean the outdoor furniture for us. Google reviews were correct!

    After lunch, the kids did a bit of strolling with us and found some more cats, including a very friendly one which jumped on their laps when they stopped to pat them.

    A bit further on we went through a doorway which went through the actual wall to a balcony on the outside of the wall. We decided we'd stop for a drink at the makeshift bar there, the kids ditched us, so we stayed there to watch the sunset. The friendly cat then reappeared and jumped up on to Craig and then my lap and contentedly sat there keeping my legs warm whilst we had a beer. Quite welcomed as the breeze cooled right down as soon as the sun went down.

    I have also started a new jigsaw puzzle, so have a few days to finish a 1,000 piece puzzle in the shape of a butterfly.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The ferry
    Streets of stepsLunch in old townApartment viewsHi Katie up thereApartment viewsSunset as we walked into townThe mountains are REALLY closeBeautiful streetsNarrow street views to the mountainsUmmm, they seem to be declaring 2024 earlyOutside the walls, with a half moonKings Landing1The passing paradeWise menHot ginLots of these streets with a lot of stairs

    Brac to Dubrovnik

    22 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We woke up super early (like 5.00am early) in order to get down to the ferry by 6.45 for a 7.45am ferry. Turns out we arrived in time for the 6.30am ferry with minutes to spare, which made the ferryman a little bit grumpy at us.

    Still, it was smooth sailing as the sun rose. The drive was quite spectacular both inland between the mountain range and then along the coastline as we approached Dubrovnik.

    As a result of the early start and lack of timely communication from the apartment owner, parking was a painful issue (tip: if you live in Dubrovnik, ditch the idea of a car). Once we managed to secure one though, we headed into the old town for lunch.

    After we checked in, Craig and I walked back into the old town to get some steps up, just as the sun was setting. The Christmas markets were coming to life and there are a lot more tourists here than anywhere else we have seen in Croatia so far. We bought our first ever mulled gin and it was delicious!

    Whilst we were in the main square some musicians in a parade of three wise men, Jesus, Mary and Joseph and some angels walked down the main street. We asked "gin guy" if it was a traditional Croatian Christmas carol as lots of people were singing along. He reckons he had never heard it in his life 🙂

    The guy at the stall told us about 85% of restaurants closed down for the season in early November through to about April. But the good news is that the rest stay open for tourists, which means we should be able to get a restaurant for lunch on Christmas day.

    There are a L.O.T. of steps in Dubrovnik. And a lot of beautiful streets. Can't wait to explore!    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The missing spot for the additional piece
    Sutivan beachGirl pointing (at church)Don't you just want to walk in there?Church on the waterfrontChurch of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin MaryMeandering through lanesThe kids running races on the other side of the marinaCoffee viewsOur incredible mixed grillBBQ boysKate wasn't waitingPastries for dessert

    Sutivan & mixed grill BBQ

    21 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Edit from yesterday: we had obviously had too much to drink because when I got out of bed this morning, the parents had found the space where our jigsaw puzzle piece went, so puzzle had the right number of pieces, we were just blind (either literally or figuratively, hard to say🤭).

    We all took a short road trip east to a village called Sutivan today which seemed a lot more "Italian" to me than other villages so far. It had a lovely palm tree lined boulevard, and a lot of very old but charming buildings. We had a coffee looking out over the marina whilst local school kids were having some sort of PE lesson doing races in pairs along the length of the marina.

    We decided we'd use our BBQ grill again, so Craig and I stopped at the supermarket for supplies whilst the kids came home with Glen and Jeff to get the BBQ charcoal going.

    I also stocked up on a new jigsaw for Dubrovnik since we have lots of public holidays and... well it is my tradition to do jigsaws at Christmas.

    Back home, we got some roasted potatoes in the oven and meats such as pork rolled up things, rib things, and two different types of sausages going on the BBQ (including Craig racing off into the village to buy more briquettes). Salad on the table and we were feasting on the deck, with beautiful views.

    And right on cue, just as we finished eating our spectacular meal, Finn spied a pod of dolphins jumping out of the water, a magical way to end our meal. We didn't get photos, so we've borrowed a line from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and decided to "enjoy the moment without the camera getting in the way" (code for it is too hard to capture a picture at the right time they jump).

    An early night tonight because we have to wake up significantly earlier than our usual 8.30-9.00am to be down at the ferry by 6.45am. Off to Dubrovnik tomorrow!    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Piles of rocks, or little rock walls, on every property
    Lunch at the only open restaurantNearly homeNearly homeViews on our hike to SupetarWalking the street back to our AirbnbIt's finished!

    Hiking to Supetar

    20 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    All members of the Ingram Junior family did a 17km round trip hike to Supetar today as a means of getting a bit of exercise and this resulted in a 20,000+ step day. Still short of a Camino 20-25km day, so will see how we pull up tomorrow. Kate went to bed before 8pm.

    This was Finn's first walk into any of the villages which is a bit weird given we've been here for 6 days.

    We pretty much followed the coast line heading west. Passed lots of olive farms, and got to see up close the phenomena where the owners have made little retaining walls of rocks all over their property.

    In Supetar there was only one restaurant open, so decision making was easy on what to do for lunch!

    I had read that Lidl-brand Cornetto icecreams had won a taste test as being better, so since we needed to walk past a giant Lidl on the walk home, we bought some for dessert. Inconclusive results since Kate and I had pistachio flavour and it was not pleasant. We may need to submit ourselves for further testing 😄

    The kids saw a Dalmatian dog today, so our first sighting of a Dalmatian in Dalmatia! Makes it more authentic 😁

    This afternoon we also completed the impossible puzzle, and there was a spare piece which means some poor bugger out there in the world is spending the better part of a week doing a 2,000 piece puzzle and will be one piece short.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    1Cooking the fish, which is from the shop
    Our new favourite dessert3Myrtle berries

    Lazy day

    19 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    A lazy day of doing not much at home, other than the impossible puzzle and lots of Christmas movies. Pretty sure we've exhausted the entire Netflix range of Christmas movies now!

    Craig and Jeff did some fishing. Craig grilled some fish in the BBQ for lunch. Those sentences are totally unrelated. 🙂

    Craig went for a walk to get his 10,000 steps and came across a crop of myrtle berries.

    Hot tip if you get a chance, try Milka Choco and Biscuit Chocolate bar!    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The easy section of the first path we had to retreat from
    Feeling jubilant too soon as we had to turn back not far from herePart of the steep section of the 1.7km trackThe last bit before we got to the cemeteryThe road from the cemetery in Scrip through to the supermarketFantastic stonework in the buildings15th century castle, museum downstairs, ruins at the topOur lunch viewsThe sheep were just below usViews back to Postira where we are staying, and the mainland in the distanceHeading back down and thankful for the hiking poles1Impossible puzzle update

    Scrip

    18 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Craig and I decided we would do a hike which offered a bit of road and a bit trail to a nearby village called Scrip, about a 7km round trip. It was an opportunity to try out our hiking poles with an elevation gain of about 250m. The kids decided to stay at home (Kate went in for a dip in the sea out the front of our house), the parents went to Supetar.

    We followed an off road trail according to Suunto but after quite a bit of elevation gain we got to a temporary fence, went through that and came across two more blocking the trail where there had been a bit of land slippage, so we turned around and went all the way back down to the road.

    After then following a footpath on a back road we came to a sign which was for walkers to follow and said 1.7 km to Scrip. That would be 1.7km of steady and at times quite steep descent. Pretty sure most of our 250m elevation gain happened in that 1.7 km.

    But, beautiful views and we popped out at the top at a lovely cemetery. After walking down a boulevard of sorts past an old church, a 15th century castle and a variety of buildings which looked of similar vintage, we bought some baguette, cheese, salami, beer and chocolate and walked back to the cemetery as it had a park bench with fabulous views (the deceased really do get prime real estate in Europe).

    It was a great stop. A flock of sheep just below us had bells attached which provided a lovely background sound! I feel like this was a bit of Camino-in-training... Although of course we only walked about 8.4 km and the Camino will call for 20 km/day minimums.

    Back home, the boys tried a bit of fishing and the impossible puzzle quest continued.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The front of our house this morning
    This is "the beach"How clear is this water???Zlatni Rat beachSculpture on the beachDeconstructed burgers, deliciousWaterfront at BolBol marinaA small 16th century chapel in BolBolShetland pony in a Christmas jumper and a llama with a Christmas tinsel wreath on its neckPuzzle update1Winter European sunbathingKids skipping stonesLunch viewsZlatni Rat Beach1I'm going in!

    Bol

    17 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We went on a day trip to Bol which is a village on the other side of the island which was a hairy drive with lots of switchbacks but spectacular views. There is a famous Croatian beach called Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn Beach) in Bol. In summer it is packed, today we had it all to ourselves. Today was also the day to put the tootsies in the sea. Not as cold as expected. The sea is so clear it really is not surprising why it is such a popular place to come.

    We had to stop to descale the car of salt after days of windy, was getting a bit hard to see. The servo was closed (being Sunday again) but the owner was there hosting down his building, so kindly gave the car a once over to get the salt off it

    Lunch was a traditional Balkan pljeakavica burger and beer at a great cafe, except for the complaints from the kids because we were surrounded by smokers. We are really discovering that obeying laws are kinda optional here in Croatia.

    As we were leaving the village, families were starting to gather for a Christmas market, so we passed a Shetland pony in a Christmas jumper and a llama with a tinsel wreath, being followed by a lot of children.

    Work on the impossible puzzle continued in the afternoon, which concluded with the annual watching of Love Actually.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The furniture moved a fair bit during the night
    These trees were growing sidewaysView walking into SplitskaDon't be fooled, it was windyCaffe stopBeautifulKate's cat encounter for the dayCreative pavingProgress on the impossible puzzle

    Splitska

    16 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    We survived the night but various members of the household found it difficult to sleep next to a noisy sea.

    Craig, Kate and I walked a 6km round trip to the next village of Splitska this morning. It was so windy at times I felt like my legs were being pushed along. When we got to Splitska we stopped for a coffee. Although today we may have preferred sitting inside, all the locals were inside and smoking, so we demonstrated our crazy tourist nature and sat outside in the sun (and wind) with beautiful bay views. The owner obviously thought we were a little bit nuts.

    To be fair, walking in these conditions would have looked like the residents of the local asylum were let out for an excursion for the day. Still, we did reach 10,000 steps today 😄

    The rest of the day was spent doing the impossible jigsaw puzzle in the warmth.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    1Not the most glamorous of celebrations, but there you go...
    It was quite windy and cold out on the deck...This looks much more serene than it isMuch better inside!Coffee, in the sun, in a nice peaceful bayThe village of Supetar is lovelyThe island is famous for its white limestone, so there is a lot of it!The view from one supermarket showing you the view from the other supermarket.1The sea was rough that day my friends.Ooohhhh, the kids are playing together...The sunset turned our mountain view redRoman ruinsPostira at dusk

    Supetar

    15 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    A fairly relaxed day today although it did carry on after the very late night excitement at the release of ATAR rankings. Our very unassuming son walked into the bathroom where Craig and I were cleaning our teeth, put toothpaste on his brush and said "99.8". Kate jumped out of bed and came into the tiny little bathroom too, so we did our best to congratulate him through mouthfuls of toothbrush and toothpaste.

    So proud of his absolute and unwavering dedication.

    Craig, Kate and I drove to Supetar to stock up on groceries and look for fishing gear. There were three gigantic supermarkets within metres of each other with the most amazing views. Hard to see how such prime real estate was bought for a grocery shop! We stopped for a coffee on the waterfront in a small bay.

    Although we had brilliant blue skies, it was VERY windy today and got worse as the day progressed. Glen and I cracked on with the world's hardest jigsaw puzzle. Craig and Kate walked to some nearby Roman ruins.

    EDIT: It is 10.30pm and we quite literally just had to batten down the hatches. Gail force winds. Just went outside to rescue a sun lounge from the rocks about to disappear into the sea, chairs on the patio being blown around etc, so decided to close the shutters. The sound of the wind is really loud!    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Saying bye to Hannah
    Our ferryLooking back.at our new house from the sea, and Katie in the top windowA room with a viewA lovely view from the dining roomKate loves a window seatThere are a lot of tiny windy stairs up to level two where our bedrooms and bathroom isThis very large resort is closed for the winterBeautiful bays and incredibly clear waterView from the town church on the hill"Sunset" is nowhere near as spectacular when you face east!5pm, and it's already darkOur beautiful stone cottagePostiraThe twinkling lights on the mainlandThis jigsaw might need massage therapy to complete

    Split to Brac

    14 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    This morning we said goodbye to Hannah after a week of hanging out in Split. She is heading to Zagreb for a few days before going back to Germany.

    We packed up our three little stone apartments and drove down to the ferry to come across to the island of Brac. It was all very smooth even though you can't do a reservation for vehicles. Whilst we do appreciate all the safety aspects Australian regulations offer, it always amazes us how "rule abiding" we are in comparison. In Australia we would have had announcementa on the car ferry about not remaining in your vehicle, not returning to your vehicle until there was an announcement etc. Still, without these it was the quickest and most orderly ferry process I've ever seen! Apparently you don't die if you stay in your car on the big ferry when it is moving across water 😱.

    Fifteen minutes after the ferry landed we were at our new house right next to the water.

    Last night I was texting with the Airbnb owner. She said she is at a loss on what to tell us to do because in the four years she has had here Airbnb we are the first guests to ever stay in winter, and pretty much everything on the island is closed down. Pretty funny.

    Craig and I did a walk into our little town Postira. She was right, most things are shut. A local came down to start fishing on the jetty we were standing on and started to chat to us. He owns a restaurant on the island and works 7 days a week for seven months straight during high season, and for the remaining five months tends to his olives and wine venture and has a holiday (off to Vienna and Dublin he said). But this arvo, he was squid fishing off the jetty.

    We made rice paper rolls for dinner and Glen and I started a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Luckily we are here for 8 days because it is H.A.R.D.

    ATAR results are released at midnight our time. Finn just went to bed at 10.40pm even though we threatened to come and wake him up.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Water bubbling up
    We walked the purple route today and the blue one a few days agoAn amphitheatre in the forestDoing our log exercisesWalking the route and trying to pretend I am a youtuber. It is quite tricky.Views on our trekOn the home stretchAnother pussycat which appeared out of nowhereCaffe with a view1The streets of SplitWe just bought roasted chestnutsA peeled chestnut1My last look in Split old town1I'm loving the street lamps2Christmas time in one of the squaresCraig cooking dinner in Maki Stone HouseDinner in Glen and Jeff's apartment

    Last day in Split

    13 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We walked the other half of Marjan Forest today. Throughout one part were the suggested stations to stop and do various exercises which included using logs.

    There was a fabulous cafe with views over Split at the end where we stopped to have a cappuccino. Here I looked up the various options for Croatian street food so we could narrow down some options not yet tried

    Walking back into Split Craig and I bought pljeakavica for lunch which is a burger with a special type of bun which had small sausages, a sauce made from roasted capsicum and eggplant and a type of cottage cheese. Really yummy! Are this down on the waterfront

    Next stop was a street stall for our first ever roasted chestnuts... I would say these most resemble a roasted bunya nut on taste and texture, although somewhat easier to come by 🙂.

    Dinner at the parents place again, Craig made a yummy massaman curry again tonight.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    No hiding having a cold sore in Croatia
    Online rummikub is brilliantThe stray cat motherlodeHighly interactive rummikub online

    Split

    12 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Another wet day with little doing. We played online rummikub with each other, an outing to the pizzeria for lunch, shopping at the asian supermarket. I have found plenty of things you could make money on if you could import cost effectively. About €6 for a 5-pack of mi goreng noodles that we buy in bulk because Kate eats them in great quantities. €3.80 for a can of coconut cream. Crazy.

    Craig made a yummy massaman curry for dinner and we kept on playing rummikub. Somewhere in all of that we semi-watched a couple of B-grade Christmas movies.

    EDIT: Our game statistics said we played 5.5 hours of Rummikub today 🫢    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    12

    Split

    11 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Craig, Hannah and Kate did an 11km round trip to The Split Mall for Kate to buy fake Ugg boots from H&M and a pair of Christmas PJ pants she can wear all year round. I will add here we live approximately 2.7km from the H&M at Mt Gravatt! Still, the walk did contribute to Craig hitting 20,000 steps today.

    I took a load of washing to the laundromat and then did some aimless wandering through Diocletian's Palace between washing and drying.

    Finn and I went out to lunch at a great pizzeria.

    Dinner in the upstairs apartment of the Ingram Seniors.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The two gnomes
    Kate impersonating the gnomeHanging around for some foodHello fat cat1Hannah, Kate and me

    Wet day no play

    10 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We had a zero day today (getting in my future hiking terminology right there) because it was raining and when combined with it being a Sunday and all the shops being closed, we stayed in our cosy apartment and watched Christmas movies on Netflix and played card games.

    My annual viewing of The Holiday is ticked off, Love Actually still to go, but there is time. We ducked out to see if we could find bread to accompany Glen and Jeff's stew, but no luck with finding an open bakery. About 4.30pm the skies cleared and we found a gelato shop which was open out on the main boulevard. Yum!

    There is a ginger and white cat hanging around the apartment, so we invited it in for a bit of affection.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Going up at the beginning of our walk
    Cats outside the zooOur first viewing platform at the park looking back over SplitView from the ridge running through the parkThis was always going to be a battleOn the trailThe hill we walked the ridge of todayAnother cat on a very interesting stone wallBurek for lunchThis is the replica of where Kate patted the cat yesterday was located 😄A bronze replica of Split old townCoffee in the square, Craig and Hannah1I can't imagine being an electrician is fun in these placesCuttlefish and squid ink risottoGrilled sea breamDinner at Fife Restaurant

    Marjan Forest Park

    9 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    This morning we set off for a walk up the middle and peak of Marjan Forest Park which occupies the peninsula overlooking Split with views out over the islands of the Adriatic Sea and the mainland. Today we nearly broke the 20,000 steps.

    Lunch was another Balkan dish called
    Burek which is a filo pastry layered pie thing. We stumbled across the bakery it happened to be selling them, so we tried them out.

    On the way home, we scouted out how to navigate where we need to go for the car ferry across to an island next week. We then stopped for a coffee in a beautiful square before restocking at the (now favourite) supermarket.

    Given it was a Saturday night we thought we would join the fray at a local Dalmatian restaurant. There was only one other customer. Seafood is big in this region as you'd naturally expect. I had a local dish of cuttlefish and squid ink risotto. Craig had grilled sea bream. Delicious.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Check out the biscuit selection
    Captivating alleysSpontaneous singing broke out just as this photo was taken. A tourist group loved the acoustics.Our kitty kat and a random cat enjoying the sunAll of usUnderneath the palace, where shops where all set up in each nookThis cat had a great view over the RivaAs we admired the cat, we were lured in for a coffee. And free honey liqueur...The unique vistas at every turn. Love the laundry hanging everywhere.Great muralView back over Split with cartoon like mountains in the backgroundThe island of Brac

    Diocletian's Palace, Old town Split

    8 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We picked up Hannah from the bus station last night just after 10pm. She left her home in Saarbrucken Germany at 8am in the morning, and after a train to Paris, a flight to Zagreb and a bus to Split, she came back to our place for a bit.

    Bearing gifts... A beautiful array of Christmas biscuits she had made. We have had to show great restraint to not eat them all in one sitting.

    This morning we plunged into the alleys of the old town, through the labyrinth of old town mixed with Diocletian's Palace shops, and a meander through the farmers' markets.

    We spent some time just following the impossibly narrow streets with beautiful points of interest and general awe as to where over time restaurants, cafes, bars and shops have managed to establish themselves.

    We bought rolls at the pekata (bakery) which we took down to the Riva (waterfront) and ate, for a cheaper, lighter but incredibly yummy lunch.

    Later we started to meander along the marina with views of a very ugly and prominent building being actively demolished, and saw the island of Brac which is where we are heading after we leave Split.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The fruit and veg section, in an old palace, as you do
    Through a 1,700 year old arch to the checkoutAnd a glass floor so you can fully appreciate the base of your Ionic (?) columnDinner in the upstairs apartment courtesy of the Ingram SeniorsA Christmas moose in the apartmentFinn + Poppy + KatieOur apartment immortalized on the complimentary vino

    Amazing supermarket

    8 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    I am in a little bit of awe at the incredible location of this Spar supermarket which was set up in part of Diocletian's Palace. A strange thing, this taking of photos of a supermarket, but it was rather spectacular!

    Dinner tonight at Glen and Jeff's apartment. The night might have degraded somewhat.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    Snow off to the side of the road
    Service station lunch was a little bit gourmet by Australian standardsThese mountains looked quite dramaticLoads of tunnels today, including one which was 5km longToday's "cat of the day" met us at our front door of the apartment in SplitStairway to his domainFinn's birthday presentLord of his manor for the next 7 daysIce skating on the waterfrontOut buying groceries at 5pmKebabs for dinner

    Poreč to Split

    7 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY TO OUR BOY 🎂

    We spent about 7 hours on the road today driving through many tunnels and the remnants of last night's light snow fall. A couple of service station stops for coffee and later a hot meal for lunch.

    We eventually made it down the narrowest of lane ways to Maki Stone House in Split's old town area, which has three apartments in the one house. Finn's 18th birthday present is one of the apartments all to himself. The owner said her favourite was the one on the top floor so that was the one he got.

    We did a quick scout around the Riva when we went out for a few groceries.

    Finn's birthday dinner wish was kebabs, so takeaway kebabs it was.

    At 10pm tonight we will head back into town to meet au pair #5. Hannah has caught a bus from Germany to come and visit us this week in Split.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The houses are built right up to the water.
    This was a quaint gin and cigar bar with a tiny doorway leading down into the barThe church on the hillLove the paving1I want to know the covenant for choosing building colours2Little alleys down to the water2The familyLunch on the waterfrontLinguineLasagneSeafood including scampiThe marinaOne of many cats. This one got called Moped Cat for obvious reasons.More catsDown where people swim during summerImagine doing the walk to or from the champagne and cocktail bar after one too many!

    Rovinj

    6 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We spent Finn's last day of being 17 and our last day in Istria in the village of Rovinj, also known as "The Venice of Croatia". This fishing port was one of the more bustling places we've experienced since we've been here, but still a sense of having it to ourselves. We were immediately able to plunge ourselves into the narrow cobblestoned alleys, with glimpses out to the ocean. In the centre of the old town up on the hill was a church. It was midday when we were up at the church so got the full church bell experience.

    A lunch of fish and chips and calamari seemed in order since we were in a fishing village. Finn had one of his favourite meals (lasagne), Kate went for linguine... Everything is dual signed in Italian here.

    The kids spent their time befriending the many cats. We also managed to make one local rather grumpy because we didn't buy a tacky souvenir of a goat or turtle magnet made out of tiny local sea shells.    En savoir plus

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  • Gabrielle IngramVienna & CroatiaVoyageur
    The view across the valley to Motovun
    DrivingLove the cobblestone hereThrough the main gateWalking up the main street into MotovunA gate leading up to the main square. Quite steep and gorgeous paving.The main squareWalking along the wallsOur very warm restaurant was a welcome relief to the 3-4°C outsideOlive and truffle tapenadeTagliatelle and black truffle sauce 😋Craig's chicken and homemade gnocchiGO TO THIS RESTAURANT IF YOU ARE EVER IN MOTOVUNKate found another catWorth bottling 😄

    Hilltop village of Motovun

    4 décembre 2023, Croatie ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    About 40 minutes drive inland is the medieval hilltop of Motovun, smack bang in the middle of truffle territory... And olive oil territory... And vineyards...

    We almost had the entire place to ourselves to wander around. There was only one restaurant open from what would have been at least a dozen if not more, so that combined with the fact it had a loo, meant that was where we had lunch.

    And OMG, these places are why I love food so much. We were told later it was the best restaurant in Motovun. I had tagliatelle with truffle sauce, the kids had soup, Craig had a 1/4 chicken with a cheese sauce which unexpectedly came with a side of homemade gnocchi in a crispy cheese basket. The parents had omelette where truffle was shaved by hand over the top at the time of serving.

    We were given olive and truffle tapenade with house made bread as starters on the house, and after the meal complimentary red wine liqueur specific to Motovun. It was like Christmas in a glass, and sent us back up the hill to the distillery shop where we had some tasting of limoncello and orangcello. And then bought a bottle of the limoncello and aforementioned red wine liqueur called teranino.

    And after Jeff made us dinner of poached eggs, a wee limoncello has gone down a treat. We have already looked up where we can restock on our trip 🫢.    En savoir plus

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