Splitting from Split and Croatia and Linda

Well, today (Wednesday) I start the next leg of my vacation.  Linda left early (5:30) for the airport for her flight to Munich and back to Canada.  We had had a great time exploring this country that was new for the both of us.  After over 2 weeks here, we have formed some impressions of Croatia - at least the part we saw.

First off, all of the people we encountered everywhere were friendly and helpful.  Most speak English as they start learning that language in elementary school.  We both thought that the service industry back home could learn a bit from the one here.  Waiters, bartenders, hotel staff (for the limited amount with dealt with them), shopkeepers, taxi drivers, and even people on the street all do their country proud.  Everyone was eager to make our stay here wonderful.  Okay, there were two exceptions - a grocery clerk near our flat in Dubrovnik who was cranky but she did have a cold; and then the guy at the Green Market here in Split who offered me a sample of his cheese and then screamed and yelled at me when I declined to buy any.  Geesh!

Second, the scenery of the parts we saw was stunning - and I know there is so much more to explore.  Istria in the northwest is supposed to be fabulous and a neighbour of mine who is there right now concurs.  I would love to come back here and explore some of the smaller places as well as see Zagreb and more of the coast and islands.  There are over 1200 islands in this country and something like 50 of them are inhabited,

I found the places we visited to be more expensive than I had expected.  Meals in restaurants were not cheap - sometimes about the same as meals back home.  That being said, you could always find cheaper places with decent food.  And, the food!  It was fabulous pretty much everywhere we went.

I did not know that Croatia had such a thriving - and excellent wine industry.  I have been drinking only local wines while I have been here and everything for the whites (I particularly like one called Grassevina) to roses to reds (I only sampled one of those), they were all very tasty.  Last evening, I even tried a red-coloured dessert wine called Prosek.  It was a great way to end my meal - and my wine tasting here in Croatia.

From what we saw in the cities, they were clean and tidy.  Also, we saw no homeless people and little begging.  I am not sure how big a problem homelessness is here but it isn't apparent.  The begging we did see (and it was probably only one or two people) were gypsies.  Now I come to think of it, that was in Mostar in Bosnia so maybe we didn't see any street begging here. 

While there wasn't a strong police presence anywhere we were, you still felt safe.  Talking to some of the local people, they said there isn't too much of a problem although, like anywhere, you need to be cautious and street smart. 

Interestingly enough, the WiFi networks in this country seem to be faster and more stable than in many other places in Europe.  Two of the three apartments we stayed in actually had networks that were at least as fast or faster than mine at home.

In terms of driving - and I only drove on the island of Hvar, the drivers here seem about the same as other parts of southern Europe.  They don't seem to drive crazy and I wouldn't hesitate to do a driving holiday here.

I am still not sure why this country which is in the EU is still in the process of adopting the Euro while Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro which are not in the EU take them although perhaps in the latter two it might only be in the touristy areas. 

Finally, I am still getting used to the fact that the actual native name for this country is Hrvatska - which explains why the currency (the Kuna) is abbreviated HRK and why, when you search for flights to cities in the country, HR is the destination.  It is also the lettering on all the cars.  I probably thought it meant Hungary when I'd seen it on cars before!  

So, with some fabulous memories and the hope that I will get to come back here some day, I am now headed to Frankfurt.   I will stay at the airport this evening and, in the morning, meet my friends (and neighbours) Eileen and Doug along with their granddaughter.  Then, we will head for Alsace where I will be for the next few weeks.  It should be a blast playing tour guide around a region I love so much.