Life in a year full of Saturdays

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Zadar-Sukosan-Sibenek (CROATIA) - Sailing the Croatian Adriatic - via the ancestral travel division

Zadar-Sukosan-Sibenek (Croatia)
20 August - 27 August 2016

The Croatia that inhabits my mind has no alignment with the stunning country that it actually is, or to be more specific, how unbelievable the Croatian Adriatic is. There’s quite a complex and crudely formulated kill machine in my head that for most of my life has cut down in haste anything associated with the red & white chequers of Croatia. Unfairly treated and harshly judged, for you, I’ve always admitted that. Never did I have one good word to say about Croatia or its people, there’s history and angst with me. Where this story takes a severe turn is however is where my DNA joins the party.

70% that’s my ‘highly probable’ association to North-eastern Italy, Croatia & Bosnia.

That says enough, 70% with a focus on Northeast Italy, Croatia and Bosnia

This shows the main areas that contributed to the DNA mix

The yellow areas are coincide exactly with the areas we sailed in

This result of course is of no real surprise to me, anecdotal evidence for most of my life has suggested (or should I just call it evidence because it’s known), that I have strong ties to this part of the world. My mother, aunt, uncle and grandmother are all from Split (Croatia), the link therefore is not tenuous. And additionally, for all those that cast aspersions on DNA tests and the integrity of those tests, well I respond right back, how is it that the scientific evidence matches the anecdotal evidence so thoroughly? I rest my case, go talk to somebody else about your conspiracies and oddly constructed arguments.

Somewhere in Croatia - on the road to Zadar (Croatia)

I’ll not discuss my near hatred of Croatia here but I will say that when Inga & I were seconded to join a crew of Latvian yachting enthusiasts for a week of sailing in Croatia my excitement levels never bubbled to anything more than lukewarm. My consideration and response was along the lines of tolerance, it was going to be something that I’d allow myself to tolerate.

I ask you now, join me in in transgressing through the art of seven days of overt persuasion, Croatian style.

Onboarding in Zadar

Our rally point was the town of Zadar, the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. In total we were a group of eight, all vaguely known to one another in a Kevin Bacon few degrees of separation kind of way. Our Captain, Valts Butans & his partner, Veronika Butane, were known to us via a connections through Inga’s mother. When the call went from them, through their own network that they were on the hunt for crew members to join them for a week of sailing in Croatia, well we thought, why the hell not? Actually that was more Inga, I was more, ‘freakin’ Croatia, well, at least I’ll be able to swear at them in their own language’.

All other members of the crew were known to Valts & Veronika, but not to us, so it was like blind-date travelling – look out for the reality show coming to a late night time-slot near you soon.

Adriatic Coast - Croatia

Adriatic Coast flyer

Day one of our program on How to live a life like a millionaire, for all of 2 minutes, was a stunningly beautiful sail down ‘the channel’. Pulling out of Zadar we headed south under sail, baked under some gorgeous sky, cutting across deep blue water and skittling the channel with ease. I call it the channel as this part of the Adriatic is bounded by islands of Ugljan and Pasman on the leeward side and the Croatian coastline on the windward. The sailing was calm, peaceful, cathartic. How could you not enjoy the sound of the boat cutting through the water, the sight of other sail boats zig-zaging (tacking) down the coast and stretching out on deck, catching all the rays of the day. It was the epitome of the leisure lifestyle and it was an absolute joy. No hassles at all, only the coastal breeze hitting you in the face and the blue sky above you, as blissful as it could be.

Adriatic Coast - Croatia

Your reality check – don’t get cocky

On our first night we made anchor at a little bay around 6-8kms south of Biograd Na Moru, almost directly across the channel from the southern tip of Pasman island. After a movie star type of day out on the water I think we were all feeling a little too comfortable for our own good. Obviously we’d taken the art of sailing for granted because that night Mother Nature came out with an unequivocal statement that made us all take note of our environment and the requirements of managing a boat under pressure.

From nowhere, or so it seemed, a violent storm struck the coastline and we had positioned ourselves smack in the middle of it. Even though we were in anchored in a relatively sheltered bay the ferocity of the wind, and then the lightning and driving rain made it night of madness. We’d been one of a few yachts that had sought to anchor in the bay but with the advent of the storm we all found ourselves drifting into the path of one another. There was potential for carnage. All the crew spent the night trying to manoeuvre the yacht out of trouble and hoping to all hell that our mast wasn’t the one to be struck by lightning as these ‘bombs’ were being dropped all around us.

The whole night and morning was spent flashing torches at other boats, yelling at other crews and generally having a sense of hyper vigilance about all things. We only really got to settle and feel comfortable about our situation at close to 5am but at that time the lesson had been learned. On the water there’s no such thing as comfort, you can rest on your laurels, you just need to be prepared. We later discovered, when we returned to Zadar, that the night caused significant damage out on the water, ripping sails, running yachts aground and lightening striking masts.

Adriatic Coast - Croatia

Southern tip of Pasman island - Adriatic Coast - Croatia

ACI Marina Piskera - Adriatic Coast - Croatia

ACI Marina Piskera – ACI Marina Zut – Sukosan

Drained from the prior night we still for some reason attempted to cross the channel with high wind gusts and made our way to the southern tip of Pasman island. I wouldn’t say that it was blowing a gale but the wind was certainly quite high and tacking across the channel to the island, on reflection was either brave or foolhardy. Still, even though Valts, I believe, was confident enough to take us across there were times when I think the wind even caught him off guard and did see moments of concern on his face.

After a couple of hours work we had made our way across for the greater part and the wind had also thankfully died down. We pulled into a bay at on the southern tip of the island, made anchor and we all ‘dropped off the face of the planet’ for a few hours. It was as close to a zombie boat as you could have imagined.

Recharged and rejuvenated after a few hours sleep, a relatively relaxing afternoon sail brought us to the outer islands on the coastline and we docked at the tranquil & sedate Adriatic Croatia International Club (ACI Marina Piskera in the Kornati National Park) – it was about this time that I was started ‘to figure out ’ the concept of what it was that people loved about sailing. Because not only is it the act of being out on the water but also there’s a sailing fraternity and camaraderie when you pulled into a marina that was obvious. I liked that, it was kinda cool. There were bottles of wine being opened, people chatting about their experiences, general banter, it was the type of event that I’d never experienced before.

ACI Marina Piskera - Adriatic Coast - Croatia

ACI Marina Zut - Adriatic Coast - Croatia

The following day we spent sailing in the Kornati National Park. Having made our way to the island of Zut we anchored for the afternoon and explored a little before gliding effortlessly to the ACI Zut Marina where we stayed overnight.

Our first real stop in ‘port’ or a town outside of Zadar was in Sukosan. Having sailed from the island of Zut and after navigating the small channel between the islands of Ugljan & Pasman we spent the day under beautiful skies and were lucky enough to havbe immaculate sailing weather once again. Our stop on shore at the end of a great day of sailing was a pleasure, and to my surprise, a real treat in the sense that Sukosan was my first contact with a Dalmatian town, (since encountering Split as kid), and hey, surprises to all, I found it to be quite the attractive spot. Whether it was my deliberate ignorance, or even my blatant ignorance to all things Croatian, but here we were, on the Croatian coast, in a very attractive town, and it didn’t suck. Not at all in fact. A small, quaint and quite charming small town, it just had a nice calm, breezy feel about it, the type that you generally associate with small coastal towns (just not in Croatia, or so I thought), and I liked that. More surprising still is that we went onto discover more of the Croatian coastal towns to be of the same elk, which automatically put me in the position where I needed to re-evaluate my whole Croatian proposition. Did I really do them just a disservice in my mind.

Kornati National Park - Adriatic Coast - Croatia

ACI Marina Zut - Adriatic Coast - Croatia

Entrance to Sibenek - Adriatic Coast - Croatia

Adriatic Coast - Croatia

Now, let me outline here THE ISSUE I’ve had with CROATIA for most of my life, or more pointedly, the issue I’ve had with the dumb, half-witted, overtly nationalistic nimrods that have infested parts of Australia with their ludicrous patriotism and exported hatred. It’s their unsubstantiated hatred that manifested itself into the dislike of me personally, like I was some beacon that was built to absorb their stupidity. As a half Serbian- half Croatian I went to a Catholic school whose Yugoslav occupiers came from the Croatian side of the divide. Their stupidity and dislike of who I was came directly from the fucked up outlook of their parents and hence, anything with a Serbian smell, no matter in what form it was presented, was something to be derided. I spent years negating their stupidity, taunts and dumb ass name calling. If not for them then certainly I’d have a different feeling towards Croatia, maybe even at some point I would have felt Croatian in part. Certainly my ancestry suggests that I have a right to do so, but obviously I don’t, and in some ways that’s a shame, but hey, at least I can learn to appreciate it for what it is rather than disregard it out of hand.

Onto Sibenik

The entrance to Sibenek was a bit of an unexpected highlight. There’s a long inlet before you get into the harbour proper but residing at the entrance of the inlet is one of the best preserved fortresses along the Croatian coastline.

St Nicholas fortress was built in the 16^th century and served as the first line of defence to protect the port from Turkish attacks. This place was built to look ‘serious’, as in a deterrent first and a real fort second. These days it serves quite rightfully as an historical feature and tourist attraction.

Sibenek - Croatia

Adriatic- Croatia

Cruising into the marina on placid calm waters we docked and made plans to head off as a group to investigate the Krka falls. A highly popular National Park in Croatia, the park affronts the Krka River and there is a series of 7 waterfalls in total. In addition to the cascades is also the Krka Monastery, built above what are known to be Roman catacombs.

All in all in was quite a relaxed afternoon and kind of nice to get off the boat for a little while and do a bit of exploring.

Krka National Park - Croatia

That evening we were all left to our own devices so Inga and I went exploring the town itself. What we found was a style of place that I really love. It was a stone labyrinth of steep backstreets and alleys, odd twists and turns that could bring you to a new view or totally different offering in a matter of a few short steps. A medieval style town that is both mysterious and intriguing, it’s not hard to figure out the appeal of Sibenek itself and why it acts as the perfect start point for excursions out into the Adriatic and around the Kornati Islands.

Wondering around this town was an absolute delight, and now, looking at the DNA chart supplied by Ancestry.com, it appears that I may indeed have been both walking (and sailing) in the footsteps of my ancestors. In fact, later that night, Inga and I were at a bar in town putting back some cocktails (known as Zombies….they were good), and there was a group of Croatians looking at me directly, commenting amongst themselves. After listening in a little and making eye contact with them occasionally I discovered that there conversation was about me and I looked ‘exactly’ like a friend of there’s, in fact the line was ‘On je isti, potpuno isti’, which translates as, ‘he’s the same, exactly the same’. Which now, knowing what I do, probably isn’t a surprise at all considering ties that I may very well have in this town.

Sibenek - Croatia

Return to Zadar

Our final day was another lesson in what the Croatian coastline can offer. A beautifully blue sky, deep blue Adriatic waters, the sound of the sails fluttering in the wind and a cook below deck (aka, yours truly) making his finest chilli con carne for the troops. Sometimes you just have to give a little bit more of yourself.

Adriatic Coast - Croatia

Zadar - Adriatic Coast - Croatia

It was a great way to finish the week, one which I’m sure we’ll leave long lasting impressions on us. Croatia was unexpectedly fun, along with being beautiful and engaging. I wouldn’t have admitted that at the start of the week, but certainly, I’m happy to admit it now.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Cesky Krumlov (CZECHIA) - Graz (AUSTRIA) - on the road to the Adriatic

Cesky Krumlov (Czechia) - Graz (Austria)
19 August - 20 August 2016

For years the town of Cesky Krumlov had somehow in my mind become interchangeable with Moravsky Krumlov. The reason, aside for them containing the same name component 'Krumlov', which Wikipedia also portends to by saying that Cesky (Bohemian) was a deliberate addition to distinguish is from Moravian Krumlov, is because my father at one point in his life lived in Moravsky Krumlov for several months during WWII. Hence every time I'd hear the name Cesky Krumlov I'd consider it to be one in the same with Moravsky - apologies to Cesky Krumlov, you are special for a reason, even though you’re only a short 200km drive away.

Cesky Krumlov - Bohemia - Czech Republic

Our stop in Cesky Krumlov was only a drive through, a few hours dedicated to seeing a town that has been called a mini Prague, and since 1982, has been a World Heritage listed site. Meaning simply that it is a town of cultural, historical or scientific significance, legally protected by international treaties. A funny thing UNESCO World Heritage listing. A few studies have in fact targeted the World Heritage convention as being somewhat of a toothless tiger, having little or no legitimacy under international law. For me and the little I know about international law I agree, World Heritage listing simply acts as a ‘rubber stamp’, it’s a type of honour bestowed on a place more as an identification credit or marketing tool for significance or importance. Great from a touristic perspective though, it assists in identifying places that you should see over others, so I guess that’s a bonus.

Cesky Krumlov - Bohemia - Czech Republic

Cesky Krumlov is an impressive place though. Without question, one of the most picturesque small towns in Europe, commonly mentioned in the same breath as Hallstat (Austria), Colmar (France), Bruges (Belgium), Dubrovnik (Croatia) or Sintra (Portugal), it would certainly challenge any of those places as being the headline on the list.

Charming and fairytale like, this town in Southern Bohemia has all the things that you look for in a place like this. The lovely Vltavy river bounding the town in an S-shape, providing an element of both fun and frivolity in the Summer months. Then of course there are the cobble stoned road, endless bridges, architecture and typical artisanal fair that always appears to make its way to the heart of places like this,

Cesky Krumlov - Bohemia - Czech Republic

As I mentioned earlier, our time here was only very short. It’s the type of place that you could easily dedicate a few days to and wind back your ‘speed of life’ to a 2 on the dial.

Cesky Krumlov - Bohemia - Czech Republic

Later that evening we made our way into Graz. Unfortunately we had absolutely no time to explore this town and somehow I’ve often found myself in the position, both before this day and after it, whereby Graz has become a transition city. It has never made it to ‘end-point’ destination status and it irks me a little as it’s the birthplace of one of my grandparents. For the record, the grandparent birthplace mix goes Vienna (Austria), Split (Croatia), Belgrade (Serbia) and Graz (Austria).

Apologies Graz, I only saw a few of your desolate streets through the lens of a weary late evening arrival and equally bleary eyed morning departure.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Prague (CZECHIA) - Kasparov says 'check mates'

Prague (Czechia)

18 August - 19 August 2016

Prague didn't really align with our 'attack vector' down to the Croatian coastline, but really, why would you dare to miss the opportunity to stop in a town of such wonder and beauty?

It was the 1989 Velvet Revolution that gave the world the grace and elegance of such a magnificent capital. When I say us I refer to all those from the other side of the Iron Curtain, the Western side, and with that said, most of my family knew what Prague had to offer already! In fact, there's two members of our family that were actually born there. So we were WAY AHEAD of the curve guys, decades in fact.

Our stay was only for one evening but that's enough to realise in a hurry that there's so much more to this city that needs to be seen and experienced at a later time and date. Prague it seems is tailor made for aimless wandering, a city built to be discovered at the leisurely pace of bliss or ignorance. The pace of ignorance is what we adopted. Admittedly we knew nothing of Prague other than the 'word on the street' which was high praise enough.

Prague - Czech Republic

The only error in judgement that we made was that we stayed outside of the centre of the Old Town and the accommodation we selected was crap .Prague Studios Andel is not worth what we paid for it, and with that said we didn't pay that much. For the budget conscious it might be an option but really, do some homework, go somewhere else.

I have to say that my initial perception of Prague was flavoured by my cousin Vladimir who for some reason has had it in in his head that Prague is an enduring black hole on his existence. Obviously this stems from sort of bad experience that he had when he was younger, either that or maybe he just has a vendetta against the Czech population. Simple fact of the matter is that Prague is stunning, end of story. I wish we had allowed ourselves to dedicate more time here than just one paltry night.

Prague - Czech Republic

We were fortunate to arrive on a balmy evening. There was a great energy about, people were obviously partaking in some good 'ole fashioned drinking, and with some of the best beer in the world at the prices they were going for its not difficult to see why the popularity of the city has skyrocketed. I'd probably add that discounted airfares from nearby countries would also be serving Prague very well.

Prague - Czech Republic

With a beautiful hilltop castle overlooking the city, the gorgeous stone bridge that is the Charles bridge, the Baroque, Gothic & Renaissance period architecture, music, movement, people and great energy, this city is a joy to wander through aimlessly. Having had the good fortune of avoiding destruction through the countless number of wars that have taken place around it, Prague can also be your own time machine, taking you to a number of eras with just a simple stroll.

Prague - Czech Republic

No doubt, Prague is a gem and is rightly purported to be one of the highlights of Europe. I'll certainly not make an argument against it.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Warsaw (POLAND) - in transit

Warsaw (Poland)
17 August - 18 August 2016

The drive from Riga, Latvia to Belgrade, Serbia is in the vicinity of 1800 kms and takes approximately 21hrs if you choose to do it without stopping. This stop in Poland was to be one of many that we made either on our way to Riga or on our way to Serbia.

Warsaw - Poland

The old town - overlooking the Vistula River - Warsaw - Poland

Plac Zamkowy - Old Town - Warsaw - Poland

Poland itself is a hard country to drive through. Flat, big and generally boring, from the perspective of a driver its unremarkable. What we also found is that Poland is constantly in the midst of a programme of road works. Major roads are always under major repair, meaning major headaches, delays and difficulties. You're a chore Poland, a tough country to get to like.

Plac Zamkowy - Old Town - Warsaw - Poland

Practising my - 'Whoa, that's a nasty smell' look - Warsaw - Poland

Inga practising her 'Serbian duckface' look - Warsaw - Poland

Warsaw - Poland

A Negroni & Whiskey Sour - Warsaw - Poland

This drive however was out first out of Riga and we were actually on the way to the Croatian coastline to partake in a week of sailing on the Adriatic coast, so this stop was more intriguing. Whilst we only spent an evening on this occasion I can say that the 'old town', which has been immaculately restored, was a surprise and somewhat of a gem. In actual fact I don't want to give a bad impression of Warsaw because there are some good things about it, it's just that the city as a whole is relatively bland and banal. To me it seems to miss vibrancy and soul. It's just my perception, so don't hate on me Poland, you're ok.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Vilnius (LITHUAINIA) - the eyes with which we see reality

Vilnius (Lithuania)
12 August - 14 August 2016

Quite often I'll ask Inga the hypothetical question of what she thinks her reaction would be if someone handed her a photo taken now, in the moment but had handed it to her say a day after we originally met. Basically its a request to ask yourself to gauge your reaction if your current self was able to connect with your past self, and additionally, figure out from the photo a realistic path from then to know.

On the way back from Vilnius Inga asked me the same question. There I was sitting drivers seat, on the 'wrong side of the vehicle', driving Inga, her brother and father part of the way back to Latvia from Vilnius. OK Henry, 'If the day after you met me I handed you this photo what would you think?'.

My response, 'That I suddenly developed an insatiable appetite for piragi and your family were actually on the way to a piragi convention the next day and thankfully you invited me?'....

About as close to the truth we got during our visit to Vilnius was sharing a home grown plate of cepelinai. Unfortunately not piragi and more disappointing still, nowhere near as garsigi as piragi, but hey, I digress onto next observation.

Vilnius - Lithuania

I've found in my experience that of the three Baltic states people tend to remember the name Lithuania, so much more so than Latvia or even Estonia. Why the hell is that? Of all three countries the name is much harder to read, pronounce and remember, but stuff me if Lithuania doesn't become an interchangeable word for all those Baltic countries up there. How hard is it to remember the name Latvia? Really? Not difficult at all.

Vilnius - Lithuania

Anyway, our trip to Vilnius wasn't really for sightseeing purposes, although now that I write that it couldn't do more justice and be more adequate a description as to why we were there. My 'brother-in-law' in waiting was actually going to Vilnius to have laser surgery on both eyes in order to bring back clarity of vision. It's a procedure that Inga had done previously and recommended it to her brother for what it gave back to her. Considering the reasoning then sight seeing is exactly what we were there for.

Vilnius - Lithuania

Vilnius has elements of Riga and Tallinn in the old town. Meaning that there's cobble stoned streets & weather worn period buildings act as perfect facades to much cooler things hiding inside, like secret underground bars and restaurants, boutique clothing stores, nightclubs and other establishments of intrigue. Its cool. From my high rise Australian perspective I find places like this intriguing, and on a lovely Summer's Day you could do no worse than climb to the top of Gediminas Castle Tower, a 15th century tower block, and allow yourself to take in the views of this city.

Vilnius - Lithuania

Just like the rest of the Baltics the town, and the country has an over abundance of green. You see it everywhere. So the perception of vast industrial wastelands are a long way from reality. It's nice. Nice enough to visit and maybe stay a day or two.

Life in a year full of Saturdays

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Sunday, August 21, 2016

Zadar-Sukosan-Sibenek (CROATIA) - Sailing the Croatian Adriatic - via the ancestral travel division

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Cesky Krumlov (CZECHIA) - Graz (AUSTRIA) - on the road to the Adriatic

Friday, August 19, 2016

Prague (CZECHIA) - Kasparov says 'check mates'

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Warsaw (POLAND) - in transit

Friday, August 12, 2016

Vilnius (LITHUAINIA) - the eyes with which we see reality

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A year full of Saturdays