Lots of cucumbers in Croatia (plus Italy and Slovenia)

We apologise for the long space since our last post. We thought our computer was broken. Luke sat on it, and it now looks like a banana (J/k, but it is bent). It wouldn’t turn on, so we couldn’t use it for several days. We took it into a computer repair shop in Zadar, Croatia, where we pressed the “on” button and it turned on and worked. We thanked the computer man for “fixing” the computer (he said it was the “positivity” in the shop), and now I can write the blog.

This was not the first time we have looked like idiots in Croatia. We realized one day that we had not seen one of our credit cards in a couple days (horrible sinking feeling, right?). We traced back our steps to a petrol station we had stopped at two days before. We drove 20 minutes back to it. The moment we entered, the fellow at the front counter threw his hands in the air and dove into a drawer under his front counter, retrieving our card. We had left it in the freaking card machine. (I say “we” so as not to implicate any individuals in this mistake.) This fellow was so relieved to see us. He said he had called after us, whistling. He had called his friend at the next petrol station down the road, who came out to the street and flagged us down with waving arms. (Clearly we did not see him.) He even called the frickin police, and told them to stop any blue Mitsubishi Shoguns they saw. Clearly they didn’t. We like to laugh at what we would have done if the Croatian police had pulled us over, said something about a credit card, and made us follow them 20 minutes back down the road. We would have found the first available hiding space in the forest. Anyway, hooray for this super upstanding and law-abiding Croatian petrol station worker.

Croatia is insanely overrun with tourists in most places. Example: Plitvice Lakes National Park. Just look at the photos, it is actually the prettiest place in the history of ever. What I didn’t take pictures of was the tourists, clogging the paths and stopping abruptly for photos (like the ones here on this blog). Luke and I were weaving through the hordes, jumping over puddles and squeezing through tight spaces between tourists, because we like to MOVE IT MOVE IT. There was a duo of young French guys who we enjoyed competing with to see who could dodge other tourists the fastest. At one point one of them yelled “WE DID IT!!” after passing a particularly sluggish group. Of course, as you’ll see from the photos, it was well worth the tourist-dodging.

As much as our last blog post showed contrasts in the natural settings we visited, this blog post shows incredible contrast in the touristiness of the places we’ve visited. Examples:

10/10 on the touristy scale: Pompeii

I have been to Pompeii twice before this, and I was thrilled to go back. Luke was unsure. Because I was aware that Pompeii itself would be heaving with our fellow sight-seers, I decided to start with Herculaneum, a smaller town about 20 km away from Pompeii. Herculaneum was destroyed more quickly than Pompeii. The culprit was the pyroclastic flow – hot and dry ash, gasses, and bits of rock. It’s actually way better preserved because of how it was covered. There is an intact 2nd floor wooden balcony over a street, for example. And – bonus – way, way, way fewer visitors. All the photos we have are from Herculaneum.

We did also go to Pompeii, which I loved despite the 10 bajillion people. I listened to ALL OF THE THINGS on the audioguide, including the extra information sections not attached to sites. Did you know that they washed clothes in a process involving urine and clay? I was an annoying student in grade school, yes. However, one thing to note about Pompeii, if you haven’t been there, is that it is a full city. There are busy streets (like the one with the brothel, of course), and there are empty streets where you can just go into empty restaurants and pretend you are a Roman craftsperson taking a break from your day of doing mosaics in the atrium of a house belonging to a local person of prominence, while in a country not far away the apostle Paul was writing some of his letters. That’s what I did.

0/10 on the touristy scale: Salvatore’s place

We did a lot of extra driving to get down to Pompeii, and we had to stop somewhere easy over night on the way to Venice. We found, on google maps, a campground in the countryside in Campania. When we pulled up past a small farm into the campground, it was seemingly empty. A young guy (19, it turns out) came out to meet our car. He said we could camp, and asked where we were from. When we said Australia/America, he got so excited. “WOW! WOW! AUSTRALIA!”. After paying for the night and talking about us having Kangaroos as indoor pets (jokes), Luke went to the car to get him one of the Australia-themed tea towels we brought. He, in turn, held the tea towel with two hands as if he was holding a gold medal from the Olympics, he seemed blown away. What a nice guy.

We got to talking with him. Through some sort of language-related misunderstanding, he thought, at one point, that I had asked to see his horse. He cheerfully said, “OK! 5 minutes!” and ran away. 5 minutes, here comes Salvatore and horse Marta up to our car. We gave her a pat – calmest, sweetest horse ever.

Luke, Marta and Salvatore.

Me, Marta, and Salvatore

Next, after we started discussing chickens, he asks if we want to go to his Grandma’s house to meet her and the animals. Um, YES!!! So over we go, down the country lane, to Grandma’s house, who is a delightful old Italian lady. Uncle is there too. They take us around the house, introducing us to:

• the chickens: there are dozens, roaming free around the farm, eating fresh wheat grains harvested meters away
• the free-range pig: Uncle throws a melon from a wheelbarrow to the sow. She shows off her powerful jaws by splitting it open in one bite and chomps blissfully.
• the kitten: Grandma disappears around the corner of the house and comes back with a tiny kitten, whose eyes had just opened, and handing it to Luke for a cuddle.

Before we left, we bought a few eggs from them, and they gave us some cucumbers growing by the side of the house. We kissed Grandma and said goodbye, obviously gushing about how we love this place SO MUCH.

Later, as we were munching on our delicious cucumbers at our campsite (just olive oil and salt, as Uncle said), who walked up, but Salvatore and Grandma. She’s brought more cucumbers for us. She grasped my face with both hands and told us we are beautiful. She came back the next morning too, with our final batch of cucumbers, to say goodbye. We ate every one of those cucumbers.

At this same campground, there was a couple who were setting up for a group of scouts to arrive the next day. They were staying in a cabin not far from our site. We said hello to them, and they smiled. They didn’t have any English, I don’t think. But they brought us dinner! Out of nowhere, the guy just walked over with a plate of spaghetti with fresh tomatoes, smiled, and left. No word. It was the best pasta we had in Italy, too.

Honourable mention: Pitigliano

I should also give an honourable mention in the non-touristy category to our farmstay near Pitigliano, in Tuscany. We were the only campers here, too. Upon arrival, the owner took us inside and made us 20 minutes of photo montages of the local area on his TV, while explaining the history and sites to us in Italian, broken French, and a few words of English. His pride was justified. Look at the pictures of Pitiliagno (AKA Little Jerusalem) and the nearby natural, public hot springs. I’ll save the descriptions for the captions. Suffice to say, it’s spectacular and it’s locals only. Cheers to a Florentine fellow at a campground in France who told us to go there.

Somewhere in the middle: The Sea Organ

This is a neat thing. In Zadar, a coastal city in northern Croatia, there is a thing called the Sea Organ. It’s stairs, which lead into the crystal clear Adriatic at the foot of the town. There are holes in the stairs, and pipes underneath. The waves pump through the pipes, creating ethereal, ever-changing music. Locals jump off the stairs into the water and dangle their feet in the waves, while a few tourists sit and listen. It’s beautiful.

And just a really good place: Slovenia

Slovenia was a hit. We only spent two nights, sadly, but we’ll be going back with my parents in a week or so. The campground was the first that was so fabulous, it inspired me to write a TripAdvisor review (Dujcevi Domaciji). For the first time on this trip, we got to have a fire, which was excellent in and of itself. Not to mention the Slovenian (read: potato-based) meal cooked up by the owner’s mother for dinner.

Skocjan Caves: If you are ever in Slovenia, go there. If you would like to see a real-life Balrog habitat, go there. If you are terrified of heights and/or not seeing the sunlight, don’t go there. It’s an underground river, which includes an underground bridge perched 60 metres above the river. No photos are allowed inside, so if you’re curious you’ll just have to look on the internets.

A final word: Yugoslavia’s war

Because I love to end things on a depressing note, let’s talk about war. Not long after crossing the surprisingly easy Croatian border, we drove through a small town with a bit of a town hall in the middle. It was boarded up, with roof collapsed in and the walls completed riddled on 3 sides with bullet holes. I didn’t take pictures because something inside me says that might not be respectful.

We read a short history of each country we enter as we drive. We have had to read about the Yugoslavian war, about which we knew shamefully little. (Despite my social justice-conscious mother giving me a book about a girl trapped in Sarajevo under siege – Zlata’s Diary, it’s fantastic). I just remember joining in on joking around “with” two kids in my high school, one Bosnian and one Serbian, about their hatred for each other. I realise now there were probably no jokes there at all.

It’s odd to think, as we float on our backs in the salty Adriatic surrounded by European kids jumping around on plastic inflatables, that this country was immersed in a war only a couple of decades ago. I’m guessing I’ll have more to say on this as we enter Bosnia and Hercegovina, Serbia, and the Eastern parts of Croatia and Slovenia in the coming days.

Until next time!

Florence and Siena

At Florence’s town hall, of course with heavy Medici influence. A tiny angel sculpture.

A very different sculpture in Florence.

And again, an even more different one. (This one is contemporary, of course). We really only stayed in Florence long enough for a sculpture tour – we were feeling touristed-out.

On to Siena. The famous Piazza del Campo.

The bravest bird in Siena

Siena’s cathedral

Laundry – a telltale sign that a place is actually lived in.

We headed to a large garden area near the Piazza for some respite and recreation.

There was no one else there.

And there were gladiolas! Photo for you, Dad!

We ate some delicious takeaway tortellini

And explored the gardens

There was a peacock!

And a weird sculpture. Can you see me being a creepster?

Generally, I would say that Siena’s light fixtures are downright inspirational. I don’t know why this little guy hasn’t been reproduced for every McMansion in America.

Country Tuscany: Pitigliano and surrounds

Tuscan countryside. It’s exactly what you’d imagine, right?

This is what I’d call golden hour, brought to you by Tuscany.

Golden hour on haybales at our farmstay

Our farmstay. That’s our campsite in the background

The pool at our farmstay host’s house

And our dinner-cooking area

A short drive from our farmstay were these man-made canyons, which lead to the town of Pitigliano. These were dug out by the Etruscans THREE THOUSAND years ago. Probably for religious reasons (but archeologists always say things were for religious reasons, so.)

And in the canyons, there are man-made caves, also over 3,000 years old. They were probably tombs. Many seem to be in use as storage facilities by locals.

One of the Etruscan canyons

A mushroom

And, the first glorious view of Pitigliano. Can you see how it was dug into the rock, and the stones from the holes were used to construct up from there?

This demonstrates that better – dig in, and build up with the rubble.

Pitigliano

Pitigliano has a long, interesting Jewish history. Here’s the Synagogue. (I covered with a towel, I didn’t have anything else)

There were large underground rooms under the synagogue, built in the 1400’s so that Jews could continue their religious activities while hiding from the persecution of the day. This tunnel leads to the kosher cellar.

Here I am, reading about the kosher butcher.

A list of Jewish Pitigliano residents who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis. This is one reason that a town with ancient Jewish history only has two Jewish people living in it today.

Pitigliano

Pitigliano. Luke’s happy pictures are always with cats.

Pitigliano

Relaxing at our campsite

Oh you, silly Tuscan tomato!

Our Tuscan campsite

These baths are 100% natural, nicely warm, and totally free. These are all Italians in there, from what we could here.

Can you spot me?

This was just a cute little guy.

Herculaneum, Vesuvius, and Salvatore’s place (WARNING: Real skeletons)

A view of Herculaneum. All following photos are in Herculaneum.

A street.

In the women’s baths, where there are benches they sat on, and shelves to store their clothes.

Tiles in the baths.

I don’t know what’s going on with me, but there’s the bath back there. Looks like I could use a dip, to be honest.

An incredible mosaic.

Someone’s house

Totally original painting

It was so. goshdarn. hot.

The town isn’t fully excavated at all – there are heaps of spots with hard rock still needing to be chipped away.

I’m not sure why Luke wanted to include this picture. Any guesses?

Original wine urns in a wine shop.

And the worst part: Skeletons of people who fled to boathouses on the seashore to escape the eruption. It really is heartbreaking, and odd to take photos. I wouldn’t have taken photos if they died 20 years ago, why does 2,000 years make it ok?

A view after an intense slog up Mt Vesuvius.

The crater. Can you see the smoke still coming out?

Luke and the crater. He’s so excited.

Luke guessed that this whole flat area used to be ocean, and was filled in with volcanic material over many many millenia. Turns out, he was right! He’s so smart.

On the top of Vesuvius.

Plaques nailed to the rock on the top, literally praying for safety from the mountain.

Grandma’s farm.

Luke and kitten.

Salvatore and Uncle show us the farm.

Venice

We camped across the water from Venice proper. On the way over now.

First view of venice.

The Grand Canal, where we had a massively overpriced and under-delicious pasta meal.

Golden hour on the city.

There was a university graduation, and the Piazza was packed!

How many times am I going to have to write “super-yacht” in my photo captions??

Sunset over Venice. We only spent a few hours in the city, just dinner and an evening stroll.

Leaving Venice – is this the Netherlands or the Veneto??

Slovenia and Croatia

Skocjan, Slovenia: Walking across a dam over a creek at our campsite, to the firepit.

Our campsite in Slovenia.

Building a fire.

I used a saw, you guys!

A view at the disused wheat mill on our campsite.

Fire!

We hiked from our campsite to Skocjan Caves. There were ruins of a castle on the way.

Pretending I’m in The Secret Garden.

Taking a pumpkin seed break on the way to the caves, in the village of Skocjan.

Lovely Skocjan.

The only place where photos were allowed in the cave – gives you an idea of the walkways inside. See the people?

Exiting the caves

About to attack the hike out (It was very cold in the caves)

Outside of Skocjan. This is the river that flows through the cave

We did not attempt to jump, abseil, or otherwise adventure-sport in this waterfall.

Near the caves.

We found an enormous friend at the caves!

Into Croatia. They love unbagged (unrendered) houses here, we think it’s a fashion thing.

Luke freaked out about the woodwork.

Croatians give proper respect to cheese here. (Jokes – Sir means cheese)

Plitvice Lakes

Getting ready to dodge them tourists in Plitvice

Look at the fishies!

Captions probably aren’t even needed. It’s just puuuurty

Love the flooring.

Waiting for a boat to take us across this lake.

On the boat.

Little known fact: Plitvice Lakes National Park is the only known habitat of hobbits in Croatia.

A last view of Plitvice. In all, we hiked about 12 km through the park.

A view of where we are now – on an island near Trogir, Croatia.

Trogir, Croatia – speed boats and medieval buildings. Tourist hordes, ATMs, and crappy restaurants not included in photos.

Where we wrote this blog post.

Honestly, just a shameless plug for fading haircolour.