Hrvatska On The Run

Sunday morning, October 13th dawns over NYC.

My teal American Tourister suitcase sits in a dark silhouette with the attached VIE-JFK luggage tag. The last strains of Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" still ring around the outer edge of the mind after watching the Barbie Movie at the end of the Austrian Airlines flight back home.

I know something wonderful has just happened. I'm not quite ready to let it become just another memory.

I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Going back to last fall after the Greece trip ended, where the next destination would be was a question without an answer. But the first inkling soon appeared.

As the years have gone by, I've been going deeper into continental Europe. I wanted to stay by the sea and it so happened that trips to Croatia were on sale. I hesitated to pull the trigger as I wasn't yet clear of the probation period at my new job. But I couldn't get images of Dubrovnik out of my head. With the after-Thanksgiving sale on, I got over my hesitation and booked the trip for October 2024.

The months went by at a fast clip.

At the same time, getting to October felt like it would take forever to arrive. Even with The Stadium Series, The Rolling Stones, improv, and a visit to Newport and Providence Rhode Island. Let alone all the family health issues that are still ongoing.

October 3rd would finally arrive.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as the doors of the Airtrain opened up at the Terminal 1 stop. With a further sigh of relief after clearing check-in and security and entered the Lufthansa Lounge. A small glimpse of Munich in NYC, right down to the Paulaner Hefeweizen beer and the spread laid out in honor of Oktoberfest. It was a small indulgence in advance of the trip.

Things would begin to get interesting.

The line to board the flight to Munich stretched two gates over. As a result, departure was delayed half an hour. I hoped that I would still be able to make my connecting flight to Zagreb.

Yeah, that would be a moonshot on Friday morning.

I wasn't expecting a long line at passport control or the long trek to reach the gate. After running the gauntlet I had to rebook my flight. I would eventually arrive in Zagreb later in the day.

As is customary on escorted tours, the first evening is the orientation.

I do not know who or how many people will be part of the group until the meeting. Thirty-eight of us are in the room and after brief introductions in comes our guide, Nikoleta. The joy she has for Croatia was evident throughout the orientation. After a frustrating day, it was time for a bottle of pivo and a buffet dinner.

Saturday the 5th of October.

It was a special day for me as 'A Poetic Journey, Staying At Home" was released in paperback. I mentioned it at dinner the night before. But the focus of the day would be spent sightseeing in the capital city of Zagreb.

With a local guide, all of us boarded the number thirteen tram blocks away from the Sheraton Hotel. Three stops later, we arrived at the heart of the city, Ban Jelacic Square. We even took the funicular up from the lower town. Still a thrill ride, even at fifty-six seconds.

Walking through the upper town, Gornji Grad we passed by the Lotarsc Tower with a cannon in the window that gets fired at noon each day, St. Mark's Church with its distinctive roof, the Croatian parliament building, and the Stone Gate. The tour ended at the Zagreb Cathedral, still damaged from an earthquake that struck the city back in 2020.

There was a bit of free time before the first optional tour. I had put it out to a group on Facebook asking for dining suggestions. La Struk came up and we passed by it on the walk. They specialize in one thing, Strukli. A casserole made of cheese that melts in the mouth, especially on a chilly day.

After taking the tram back to the hotel and a short rest, it was back out the door. The first excursion was one added at the last minute, the Croatian Countryside with dinner. Given the tight schedule, I wanted to see as much of the country as possible. So, I joined the bus trip to the outdoor folk park at Kumrovec.

The park gave us a glimpse of life in the 1800's. In each house, a scene was shown, from toy making to blacksmithing and even a wedding party. But the piece de resistance was the childhood home of Josip Broz Tito, the former leader of Yugoslavia. His statue cuts a controversial figure in the post-World War II years. Nikoleta mentioned that we would have to "earn" our dinner. She wasn't kidding, to reach the restaurant a fifteen-minute drive away, it would be a steep climb uphill. I was ready to take it on but knowing my legs, it was decided that I would take a car to the entrance. The view by itself was worth the last-minute addition to the itinerary.

Sunday the 6th was the first move of the trip.

It was Dovidenja to the continental part of the country and Bok to the coast. But we had one big stop to make.

Plitvice Lakes National Park.

This was one of the anticipated moments of the tour. Even if the day drew cloudy and rainy. A 2.5-mile hike was on the cards for the next three hours. I'd get through it one stick tap at a time. Except there was one mishap. One stick wasn't secured and half of it fell into the water. Thankfully, it was fished out. Even without rails, I was confident on two feet in places. And the sun came out at the very end of the hike.

The long day would stretch into the night as traffic welcomed us into the city of Split. So did a legion of ultras from the local football club, Hadjuk Split heading to their match that night. As we'd come to find out, Hadjuk and Dalmatia are inseparable with their logo being seen everywhere. It was decided that we'd go straight to dinner.

A time-honored tradition, the moment when two tour groups become one. And there was a wedding party in the back room. I felt a bit of a flashback with musicians in the room. "Sweet Caroline" and "That's Amore" harkened back to France in 2019 and Italy in 2022 respectively, along with Croatian music.

The scenery had changed.

Sunshine, blue skies, and palm trees replaced clouds and gray urban sprawl. Just in time for a walking tour of the city. The starting point would be the Diocletian Palace. century AD as a residence for the Roman emperor Diocletian. People live in the palace and the grounds are free to enter.

Aside from Hadjuk, there's one other ubiquitous presence in town. The TV show, Game Of Thrones as Split was a base for scenes. This was further reinforced during the afternoon excursion to the Klis fortress aka the City of Mereen. Twisting and turning amongst the cobbles and even coming across a wedding photo shoot on the way back down.

The second part of the excursion went to the pits. Olive pits, that is. A visit to the Olive Museum in Klis led to a fascinating explanation of the olive oil-making process. With dinner under strewn lights for a Tuscan-like feel.

At the halfway point of the trip, we left the mainland for the island of Hvar. An early start, as the ferry took ninety minutes to reach the island. Plenty of time to relax before hitting the ground running with a tour of Hvar town due to a late check-in at the hotel. Idyllic scenes as waves splashed into the harbor.

As much as I could sit out on the balcony of my room and the one outside the bar, there was more sightseeing to do the next day.

A drive to the other side of the island to the town of Stari Grad. Followed by a walking tour through winding streets and a charming harbor. After lunch, a wine tasting. Six of Dubokovic's Wines were tasted and three of them are coming back in a box here to NYC. The day was done, but I still had enough energy left to take a moonlit walk in town to have gelato with some of the group.

One last stop... Dubrovnik.

This is what comes to mind when I think of Croatia. And sure enough, the city didn't disappoint with the walls surrounding it. But first, we had to take a ferry back to the mainland. Half an hour to the town of Drvenik. Its seaside views sparkled as the season was coming to a close.

Through thick fog, we went down the coastal road. As the ships arrived in port, so did we.

One last day.

I was trying to keep the sadness at bay. But I kept being reminded of the trip's conclusion. I had to hold off the noise to enjoy Dubrovnik properly.

The old town was the setting for the walking tour. From the Benedictine monastery to the streets where only six hundred people now live. We ended up harbor side next to the Rector's Palace. I had a bit of free time and walked the city walls, all 1.1 miles of them. It took effort but my bravura saw me through the heat.

After nine days on the run, it was time to close out the tour. From a viewpoint outside Dubrovnik the Konoba Dubrava restaurant. Shots of grappa awaited us at the entrance. After Nikoleta gave her closing remarks, I addressed the room. As we had arranged for me to read from "A Poetic Journey" earlier in the morning. I didn't expect the level of support from the room after doing so.