Happy Fourth of July! Wooo-hooo!!! We have not been home in the US for the Fourth for three years now.
Trip half over, heading onto the home stretch now.
I just let Gail sleep in as we have had some early days catching ferries or busses. (People travel when it is cool, and before the day starts. Often on the islands there is one ferry out a day so you have to catch it.)
Besides, yesterday we walked the streets, toured the little town, hiked to the fortress, walked a couple KM to the beach... So I am out roaming the crooked streets, the residential areas, looking for the one, hidden café open early for the locals (they have to get their coffee somewhere before they open to serve all of us tourists, right?) and I am taken by all the purple flowers (bougainvillea? I think), grape vines draped as shade covers everywhere, the old stone buildings and just the warm, beautiful glow of the entire island.
Out of all the options available to us, the big question to answer is: which beach today? Or… We could go do the organized island tour, wineries and a donkey farm. Nope. We haven't walked the harbor yet, or we could take a ferry for a day trip to another island, but why travel? We decide to stay right here, eat a slow breakfast and then hike 2KM to Falko Bar Beach.
So we walked to the corner bakery and got two giant fresh rolls covered in sugar, and took them back to our patio for an ocean view breakfast. We stopped off in town for a cappuccino and a little people watching on the square before heading out to Falco beach.
Gail asked me if I did quit working, do I have an idea of a place to go to next? Without even hesitating I rattled off a three year plan of where I would go, basically in what order, next. There is just so much. I mean here in Croatia alone we are just dipping our little toe in the Adriatic.
I think she was sorry she asked.
We wandered out past "Aloha" beach and found a little pocket of pebbly sand with some beds and umbrellas. The coastline winds in and out, like fingers sticking out, and where the fingers stick out are the rocky platforms and large sunning rocks with ladders out of the surf. On the insides of the fingers are the little pebbly pocket beaches, and this is where we ended up today; three fingers south of Hvar.
Nice beach again, great swimming. Mostly filled with Croats, one loud Italian family (and Antonio is a lot of trouble, let me tell you!) one group of people from the UK and us. Once in a while a rogue wave would crash in and soak us right on our beds (that is how close to the water we are) the ocean is extra salty it seems, every day I have like a dried white salty crust along my suit. One little girl behind us was learning to sing, "habby birday do you" some boys chasing girls who were throwing rocks at them, but mostly we napped, read and listened to my iPod.
We came back to the room to wash up and have a cold glass of white wine. We have a table reserved for us right on the harbor for 21:30. So we waste time watching people, sitting in the town square and smoking as the sun sets.
We get seated, and I order scampi cocktail and chicken cordon blue, and Gail orders the Bounty Salad. Of course, a litre of the House wine and sparkling water. A young assistant waiter brings Gail's salad... huh. Look like a plate of Prosciutto, octopus and cheese with one, just one leaf of lettuce and a tomato slice. Gail looks at it forlornly... This is the “Bounty” Salad? I try the octopus (Yummy. I am surprised.) and tell her to just order something else, when our real waiter swoops in and takes the plate... wrong thing, sorry... soon Gail has a real salad in front of her.
Somewhere, someone is missing a chunk of marinated octopus.
Funny thing, we have noticed there are no beggars or Roma here on the islands, so we eat in peace.
Tomorrow we leave Croatia for a couple days, to head into Bosnia. Have to catch the early ferry to Split then a bus. Some of the names here are funny: Split, Grk, Krk, Puke (in Albania).
So, our Fourth of July "fireworks" are the lights on the boats, bobbing in the harbour. The “celebration” is the bar next to us, cranking out the American tunes at 100 decibels.
Bosnia. What is there? Places to go, things to see. Time is running out....