Have Peanut Butter, Will Travel - Zadar and Šibenik

Well guys, I'm in Dubrovnik, Croatia.  Which means I am three cities behind.  Typical.

First let me say I was sad to hear that we lost our beloved Pooka yesterday, I picked up the email from mom this morning.  He's been sick for quite some time and it sounded like he decided he was ready to go, and started refusing food, water, and meds.  I knew when I left home that it would most likely be the last time I saw him, and I'm sorry I couldn't be there at the end.  Go with peace and light, my boy, we love you.

It's strange being so far away - I'm sad but I feel so removed from normal life and, to an extent, normal feelings.  I'm not sure there's a way to describe the mindset that this kind of traveling puts you in.  In order to make it you have to press pause on any hyper emotional responses.  You can't let things get to you; believe me, there will be times when the bus doesn't come, or there's nobody at the hostel when you arrive, or your bag is stolen, or your drunk room mates wake you up at 4am, or you get lost in a city where you don't know a single word of the language, or a million other things.  If you panic, or get upset, you make it worse on yourself.  As my best friend once said, "it's not a noodle, it's a backbone.  Use it."  Traveling like this means you're constantly moving and changing, and boy do you find out quickly what exactly you're made of.  Today I was talking to someone and he asked me if I every get lonely traveling by myself, and he was really surprised when I said I don't.  But honestly, I truly don't.  I miss friends and family, but overall I actually quite like being alone out here in the world.  

And speaking of the world, let me get back from this digression to Croatia.

We will start again with Zadar, where I finally remedied the sad state of my hair with a box of cheap hair dye, instructions in Croatian only.

Thankfully this was not my first rodeo and despite the unnerving color of the dye itself (I kid you not, bright orange) both myself and my hair survived the experience.  My hair, according to the box, is now "chocolate red."  

So, let's talk about what else I did in Zadar.

First thing the morning after arriving I woke up to the unfortunate discovery that my watch battery had died.  Considering I'm without a cell phone, my watch is the only means I have to tell what time it is aside from my iPad, which is a wonderful device but, let's be real here, too bulky to carry around everywhere.  So I was in a pretty pouty mood right off.  (Oh, woe is me, I'm traveling the world and I don't know what time it is...  Yes, I know, #firstworldproblems).  As fortune would have it, I stopped in a random shop to buy a new hat (having lost my Dublin beanie) and while the wonderful gentleman behind the counter didn't have the proper battery, he did point me in the direction of an honest to God watch store.  There I made the acquaintance of a lovely old man who replaced the battery and reset my beloved timepiece, so I am happy to report I am once again amongst the ranks of people who know what the fuck time it is.  Serendipity, you are wonderful.

I spent the day wandering around old town Zadar, including a visit to the "sea organ," called Morske Orgulje, which contains a series of underwater tubes that, with the help of wind and water, makes this hauntingly beautiful music.  It sounds like whales singing.  I'm blown away that somebody came up with this.

This nondescript looking set of steps contains the organ.  I have a video of the sound but it doesn't appear to want to upload, so you can look it up online if you're curious.

Here are some shots from Old Town.

The Forum square.

I found a pizza place for late lunch (fun fact, Croatian food involves a lot of Italian influences.  If you look at a map, this makes perfect sense) and enjoyed a ham and cheese pizza with olives with a nice sized beer to wash it down.  

Heaven.

I then took a trip to the grocery store for some laundry detergent, shampoo, red wine, and dinner fixings.  All the essentials.  And by dinner fixings I mean a loaf of bread, jam, and peanut butter.

So, in explanation, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are one of those totally random things I really, really miss from back home.  And wouldn't you know it, peanut butter is next to impossible to find anywhere in Europe, being a strictly American thing (or actually Canadian, according to my friend Daf).  I'm pretty sure I found the only tub of peanut butter in the entire supermarket, and it will be accompanying me on the remainder of my journey.

Therefore, have peanut butter, will travel.

That late night sandwich, by the way, was excellent.

The last full day in Zadar I slept in a bit, then made my way back to old town (it's about a 30 minute walk from my hostel along the coast) where I located the hair dye and then sat by the forum for a half liter beer at a cafe.  By this point I was ready for some lunch, so I located a restaurant that tripadvisor recommended and treated myself to something other than kebab and pizza.  

First thing I noticed on walking in - they're playing Etta James.  Good start.

I ordered myself a glass of the house red, then decided to go big and ordered an appetizer of cheese with olive oil and tomatoes to start.  Imagine, creamy sheep cheese, local olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and a sprinkling of peppercorns.  

Um, wow.

I followed this up with a cuttlefish stew with peas and broad beans, accompanied by fried polenta.  I wanted to bathe in the sauce, it was that good.  The only minor critique I had was that a little touch of lemon would have hit the spot.  But the cuttlefish was absolutely melt in your mouth tender, and the whole thing was warm and filling and tasty as all get out.

At this point, and I'm not sure if they just really are that nice or if I made them nervous by taking notes in my little journal, the owner sent over a shot of (cherry?) rakia to finish off the meal.  "The boss wanted to treat you," was what the waiter informed me.  Whatever prompted it, I will take it, as it was the perfect finale to lunch.

Five stars for you guys.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon walking around the Ancient Glass Museum, which was a sweet little museum with lots of interesting and pretty glass to admire.

I noticed a sign that appeared to indicate no photos after I took all these, so it doesn't count, right?

I took my time walking home, pausing on several occasions to check out the not-sucky view of the Croatian coast.  I would love to come back here in the summer sometime, I bet it's gorgeous.

Leaving old town.

The gate to Old Town.

Which brings us pretty much up to Šibenik, my next stop.  Which I honestly don't have many photos of so I'm going to include it in here.

I stayed in Šibenik for two nights, and, once again, found myself the only person in the hostel.  Three hostels in a row before I broke the pattern in Split.  

First thing upon arrival; there's nobody at the hostel and the doors are bolted.  Hm, interesting.

An angel of mercy in the form of a random Croatian man passing by, however, seeing my confusion, handed me his cell phone to call and the owner appeared within about 10 minutes.

A shot of peach brandy later and I got myself settled in and, as an added bonus, wrangled the owner into doing my laundry for a few Kunes since I was quite literally down to the wire.  I then went off in search of lunch, and following the recommendations I had gotten I went to a place right on the water and had myself a beer, a bowl of simple beef soup, and some green pasta with creamy scampi.  

Absolutely wonderful.

Now, the good side to not going during the high season and therefore not having other tourists around is that you get a real chance to hang out with the locals.  After my lunch, as I was getting ready to leave, I heard the magic words, "have a drink with us!"  Enter Marcos and two of his fellow restaurant employees who, bored nearly out of their minds during the slow season, were happy to hang out with me and talk about everything under the sun.  It is from experiences like these that I have learned an unbelievable amount of info about Croatian political and social opinions, history, and general daily life.  I had a great time and got to enjoy some local red wine, which was outstanding.  This is the real Croatia.  And I have to tell you they are some truly lovely people.  

I spent that evening at the hostel with a bottle of red wine and some cookies, being lazy and watching old Conan clips on YouTube.  I also chatted with my parents on Skype, which was wonderful.  It was nice to see their faces and laugh and plan.

The next day I considered going to the nearby national park, but opted out because, to be quite honest, I wanted a break from the public transport system for just one day.  So I decided I would just walk around town and relax.

Enter, the door from hell.

In my entire life I have never, ever, been so thwarted by a door.  But this heavy wooden thing nearly got me.  To the point where I was thinking, oh my god, I'm going to have to use skype to call the mobile of the owner and admit I can't get the front door to open.  As it turns out, I did eventually get it open, which involved some serious superhuman strength and stubborn determination.

A freaking door.

Then I went off in search of food, having sapped my energy in the quest to leave the hostel.  The local pizzeria was actually not serving pizza because it was Sunday (really guys?) and several other places were closed as well.  At this point I was wondering just where the hell people eat on Sundays.

Then I walked back to the waterfront and, happily, found myself a real restaurant serving real, honest to god food.  And holy moly was it good.

Pork grilled over a wood fire served with "scampi" (in this case something that looked to be between a shrimp and a lobster), fries, and some sort of sundried tomato spread.  

I was much happier by this point than I had been earlier in the day.

Here are the only other shots I got of Šibenik during my quick visit.

This swan was hysterical; there was this little yappy dog barking at the swan while the swan just looked at him like, "oh bring it the fuck on," and hissed at him.

Some random notes about Croatia to finish this post off:

Free homemade red wine served out of a plastic jug is actually better than the stuff you buy at the store.

Rakia tastes like lighter fluid unless you order one of the following favors: cherry, walnut, or honey.  In which case it tastes like alcoholic candy.

During the off season most hostels will not have someone at reception all the time, which makes it very important to give them a window of arrival so they will be there.  This is challenging when faced with public transportation.

Love to everyone back home, keep on keepin' on!

~Swan

The Quiet Life - Rastoke and Plitvice

Well, I'm still at it!  

Let's catch up first.  The day before yesterday I made it to Slunj, which is a quiet little town in approximately the middle of nowhere, Croatia.  Slunj's claim to fame, however, is that it's right next door to Rastoke, which boasts a crystal clear blue/green series of waterfalls.  I had heard about it from one of my fellow travelers that I met in Zagreb, who also recommended the hostel I stayed at.  Rule number one of traveling; ask for recommendations, they often pan out.

So upon my arrival in Slunj I got myself settled and then proceeded to go a'wandering around town.  At this point the whole novelty of snow had not yet worn off, so I had loads of fun traipsing around in my fuzzy Toms boots taking photos of my neighborhood.  Which looked something like this.

Eat your heart out, America.

Here are some more shots of Slunj and Rastoke.

Slunj, including the old castle.

Slunj from the direction of my hostel.

Rastoke.

Also Rastoke.

I mean, come on, the waterfalls run through town.

Bridge between one side of Slunj and the other.  Also the fastest way into town from the hostel.

Getting my boots nice and soaked.

This is what leggings look like after you decide to climb an almost verticle hill in the mud and snow.

So freaking cool!

At the end of all this mountaineering, I was starving and of course it was right at that awkward "it's not lunchtime anymore but dinner isn't for another two hours" part of the day.  Luckily for me the local pizza place apparently never closes so I demolished an entire "small" (ha!) pizza before holing up in my empty hostel.  Where I subsequently passed out at a really embarrassing hour.

The next morning I was awake early without even trying, so I walked over the river to the bus stop where I caught the 9:10 bus headed in the direction of Plitvice.  Which is definitely one of the most amazing natural wonders you've never heard of.

First thing you see when you enter the park is this:

This is where Swan turns into a five year old and gets childishly giddy with joy and wonder.

Because it was winter parts of the park were closed, but I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Oh, by the way, it was snowing almost the whole time.

Snowy hair glamour shots.

What's the term for "pouring snow?"

Can you imagine what this place must look like in the summer?!

All in all I spent a few hours exploring, and it was definitely worth the bruised knees I got from slipping and crashing on the ice.  Twice.  Remind me to never move somewhere it snows.

Afterwards I did finally manage to catch a bus and get safely home, despite the odds against me.  Here's my crash course in Croatian public transit and driving 101:

- Whatever schedule you found online is probably wrong.  The promised bus may or may not ever arrive, and when you ask the locals they usually don't have any answers either and will just keep directing you to ask other people.

- It will inexplicably cost 3 Kunas more to return from your destination than it did to get there in the first place.

- The bus driver will decide you are going somewhere other than your destination until you persist in correcting him.  "Zagreb."  "Slunj."  "Zagreb."  "No, Slunj."  "Slunj?"  *nods emphatically* "yes, Slunj!"

- While driving a bus it is totally acceptable to not only drive like a bat out of hell on icy roads, but also to answer your cell phone and do assorted paperwork.

- You will drive the bus like you're driving a BMW convertible, not like you're driving something the size of a semi.  This includes cutting people off, passing in no passing zones, and honking with enthusiasm.

If I think of more to add to that list I will, but that gives you an idea for now.

After a peaceful (with the exception of grappling with public transit) two days, I left Slunj this morning to catch the bus to Zadar.  I grudgingly peeled myself out of bed bright and early, then trekked through what Californians would classify as a blizzard (no but seriously, it was really, really snowing) to the bus stop, where I patiently awaited my faithful ride, which was only 12 minutes late.  Another incredulous conversation with the driver about my destination, and I was on my way.  In about 3 hours I went from ice and snow to the ocean, and, thank god, up from 0 to 10 degrees, which is positively balmy after the last several days.  

Upon arrival in Zadar I followed the hostel's directions and... I got lost.  I'm sensing a theme here.  To be fair to the hostel, the directions were good up until the last bit.  To be fair to me, the last bit of their directions absolutely sucked.  So I found myself trekking back to the bus station, which is thankfully nearby, where I found the only restaurant with free wifi and took screenshots of a map while downing kebab.  As it turns out the map was necessary as I never would have found the damn place without it. But eventually, map in hand, I prevailed!  And there was nobody at reception.

Say what?

Well, as luck would have it, eventually my hostess did show herself, and turns out to be lovely.  So I am warm and cozy in my hostel room where I apparently have one room mate who has yet to show himself.  I only know it's a guy because first question from my hostess was "do you mind if there's a guy in your room?" since I had booked an all-girls setup.  As it turns out I only booked the girls room because it was inexplicably cheaper than the mixed dorm, so I could care less.  Frankly I'm not a big fan of girls only dorms - out of the many room mates I have now had in my travels the girls have without fail been the most difficult (in general - of course I have also met some wonderful gals as well!).  I'll happily take a little snoring over passive aggressive bullshit any day, thank you.

So, onto a new city.  I know nothing about Zadar but I intend to find out what this place is about.

~Swan

Arrival in Croatia

Well, I've abandoned the warmer climes in favor of keeping myself out of immigration woes, and so I find myself in Croatia.  Let me start by saying I knew nothing about Croatia, let alone had it on my list of must-go places up until a couple weeks ago.

Let me tell you how very, very stupid that was.

And if you ever get a chance to come visit, absolutely do it.  I recommend you choose a less frigid time of year, unless you're like me who kind of prefers suffering through inclement weather in favor of not dealing with hordes of tourists.  Although even I admit I would just kill to see this place in the summer.

That being said, where to start...

I landed in Zagreb, which is on the Northern end, to be met with a cheerful announcement by our flight crew that the temperature was 0 degrees C.  (For the record, when it talk temperature, it's usually going to be in celcius, because the rest of the world has figured out that it makes much more sense than fahrenheit).

So, 0.  Perfect.  After spending almost two months in balmy Mediterranean weather freezing was a bit of a blow.  Zagreb has one of the world's tiniest airports, in which I got a new passport stamp and happily collected my bag before getting a crash course in Croatian currency, the kuna, and the public bus system.

$1 is just under 7 Kunas.  All kinds of math my brain isn't used to.  The bus ride from the airport cost me 30 Kunas.  I like the currency because it always sounds like a lot, then when you divide it up you're stoked.

The bus ride was about 30 minutes, then at the main bus station I hopped on a tram which conveniently dumped me out literally outside the front door to the hostel.  Which, by the way, was called the Swanky Mint Hostel.  I might have chosen it partly because it had the word Swanky in the name.

I wound up spending a total of four nights in Zagreb.  The first night I slept something like 14 hours, falling asleep before 8pm without even attempting to go get dinner.  The next morning I did what turned out to be he bulk of my cultural and sightseeing intake for the remainder of my time there, starting with a visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships.

Yes, I'm serious, such a thing does exist.  I heard about it from a couple girls I met in Porto, who described it as "pretty sad but also funny."  I can safely say they hit the nail on the head.  It has to be one of the most bizarre experiences of my life, but totally enjoyable in a mostly depressing but also funny kind of way.  Let me explain: it started off as a temporary exhibition moving around before it had a permanent location.  People send in objects as donations that hold some sort of significance for them as part of a past relationship, and also contribute an explanation about the objects in question.  This was my favorite:

The toaster of vindication: when I moved out, and across the country, I took the toaster.  That'll show you.  How are you going to toast anything now?

Totally quirky.

So then I took a walk around old town in the rain, taking in the city views.

I also finally managed to stumble on a church that wasn't a carbon copy of every other church I've seen in Europe.  For the record, every traveller I've talked to says the same thing, "I honestly can't stand to see any more castles or churches..."  Museums tend to fall in there too.

It does get a bit monotonous, as snobby as that sounds.

So, anyway, after this point the rain started picking up while I scouted a lunch place.  The restaurant I wanted to go to was booked until 4pm (not happening), so in order to just get out of the damn rain I wound up grabbing a (really tasty) slice of pizza.  They put sour cream on pizza in this country.  And it's absolutely delicious.

By that point I was soaked and over it, so I went back to the hostel to dry off and be lazy.

The next couple days can be summed up pretty succinctly.  I hung out with one of my room mates and got into all sorts of fun mischief, ate really tasty (spicy!) Indian food, drank red wine out of the bottle in public (going for the classy awards) as well as a fair amount of local beer and rakia (the local firewater), and wandered around the city after sleeping in.  Also, it snowed, which is really fun for California girls, and I behaved like an excited kid.  I did find this really wonderful outdoor market on one of the sunny days, which made me miss cooking.

I really wanted to buy flowers, but resisted on the principle that they are useless if you're staying somewhere only a few days.

I totally loved these older gals gossiping in their fur coats.

I also had one of the best restaurant experiences I've had to date, at a place called La Štruk.

I had heard about the place, and after passing by, decided to try my luck no see if I couldn't get in to eat.  For the record, everywhere in Zagreb is seriously into reservations.  Just try walking in somewhere and see how it goes.  Even if the place looks half empty they'll frown and say they have no room.  I don't get it, but that's how it is.  So, enter, La Štruk.

First of all, they have a total of four tables.  Four.  They're all full.  But, I ask, and this lovely Croatian woman behind the counter totally makes my day.  They have no tables, and a couple reservations coming in, but would I be ok sitting at the counter and ordering, and moving to a table if one opens up?

I love her already.

She walks me through the menu, which consists entirely of štrukli, a typical Northern Croatian dish.  It's kind of like a creamy lasagne without tomato; layers of pasta, fresh cheese, and cream.  You can choose salty or sweet.  There are also a couple different options for fillings if you want, or you can leave it plain.  On my new friend's recommendation I went for the salty štrukli with Swiss chard.

I title this, heaven.

No tables wound up opening up, but I happily ate at the counter, without wasting a single bite.  It came fresh out of the oven in the dish it was cooked in, and it was truly spectacular.  The meal itself cost under $10 including a beer.  I'm a fan of this country.

So I came, I kind of saw, and I went.  I left Zagreb on the bus yesterday, for a small town called Slunj (don't pronounce the "J" - I'm currently known as "Ulia") about 30km from Plitvice, and right next to Rastoke, both of which I will talk about in the next blog post.  Get ready to see some photos of real snow and lots of gorgeous natural landscapes!  I currently have a 9 bed dorm entirely to myself, which is kind of magnificent after months of zero personal space.  I leave tomorrow for Zadar to continue my exploration of Croatia.  But so far so good, I've had a great time and expect to eat more lovely food and try some of the local wines, which I've heard nothing but good things about.  

Off I go!

~Swan

Schengen - A Backpacker's Worst Enemy

Alright, here's some travel advice for you guys.

Have you heard of Schengen?  Nope, me either.  Now I've finally done my research and been educated as to just how frustrating the travel restrictions for long-term American adventurers can be.

So, what is Schengen?  Well, it's a pact between 26 European countries that makes travel within the EU both less and more of a pain in the ass.

Less because it means you don't have to go through customs across borders within the designated countries.  More because it restricts your ability to stay for the amount of time you really need to do proper exploring.

So, the rules:

My dear Americans, you are only allowed to spend 90 days within a 180 day period within the Schengen countries.  Which means, in a six month period, three months have to be spent outside the Schengen area.  Since I entered the Schengen area on December 2nd, until the end of May I am only allowed 90 days in the following countries:

Austria

Belgium

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Lichtenstein

Here's a map for you as well.

The good news: it doesn't have to be consecutive.  So I could leave and come back as much as I want as long as I don't overstay my welcome.  The other good news: there are quite a few countries that are not included that you wouldn't expect.  Take the UK for example, they're outside of Schengen so theoretically you could spend 90 days there and 90 days in schengen and be totally fine.  Croatia is also one of the lucky candidates, hence, why I'm here.  I'm due to go to the Netherlands in the Spring for at least a couple weeks so I wanted to make sure I left myself plenty of extra time.  Because the repercussions of staying too long in Schengen absolutely suck.

Included possible punishments:

Deportation

A big ugly red stamp in your passport labeling you an "illegal immigrant"

Travel restrictions for up to 5 years

Heavy fines (we're talking thousands of euros)

Basically, not worth it.  All the sources I've talked to and researched say if you overstay by a week, you're probably ok, and if you leave from France, Greece, or Italy you're less likely to get caught.  However, the best way to avoid consequences is to simply play by the rules.  It's really not that hard.  You can apply for a long-term visa in several countries if you want to study or work there, but in my case I simply don't have the patience or desire to put up with jumping through those kinds of hoops.  Particularly since I have a pretty extensive travel list and no strict timeline.  Airfare in Europe is cheap and I have no problem dawdling in the East for a while.  

So, there you have it.  Another tip; wherever you're going, look up visa requirements beforehand.  Basically visas are just a ploy to take your money, but getting to a foreign country and then realizing you're not allowed to enter would not be fun.  For example, I'm looking into visiting Istambul, and Turkey requires you to have a visa before you arrive, which you can apply for online.  It takes five minutes and $20 and voila, you have a Turkish visa.  Some countries make it far more challenging, so don't put it off if you know you want to visit somewhere specific.  

Travel well!

~swan