Operation: “The World” is a Go

(8/1 - 8/31)

Reading and learning about Dubrovnik is what inspired us to come to Croatia in the first place and now we are finally here at our “home sweet home” for the month of August. Our apartment is named “Apartment Leona” and is about a 10 min scooter ride from Old Town situated on a hill between two neighborhoods, Lapad and Gruz. Mira, who owns the apartment, was on vacation when we arrived so were graciously picked up by one of her friends who gave us a ride to our new place. The apartment is spectacular with a small kitchen, living and dining room, bedroom, and a bathroom with our favorite a washing machine! (no more hand-washing our clothes)

After walking all the way to old town, we decided that having a scooter would be nice. So, we rented a Vespa for the month. It has been great for exploring the town and helps with carrying groceries as well.

We have felt so much at home here that we slacked off a little and did not do a very good job of journaling every day. So we thought we would do this post a little differently and list some “Random Thought and Observations” that we have made during our stay and expand with stories of where they came from.

Randomness….

1. We have made home-made chocolate chip cookies at least three times, which is more than we made at home all last year.

**Buying the ingredients in Croatia and not having a proper measuring cup lead to some very interesting yet tasty cookies. We are glad to report though that they all were edible and the third batch was by far the best batch. We even brought some to our neighbors. We thought it was a good American gesture.

2. Fortunately and unfortunately, our apt has a TV. Surprisingly, Croatia TV plays American movies steadily and our favorite sitcoms/dramas. CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, and Full house  to name a few.

3. If your scooter falls over, turn it off before you pick it up.

**You will have to inquire personally for further explanation.

4. In Croatia, scooters “Rule the Roads”.

5. You can find a connection with someone anywhere in the world.

**We went on a boat cruise of the Elaphiti Island the second week we were here. Coincidently, we ended up sitting next to two Norwegian ladies from the Bergen area. After hearing the words Minnesota and Wisconsin, Sarah decided to strike up a conversation with them. We found out that one of them had a son who graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield in 1999. She came to visit him and stayed with a professor from the school. Her son married a girl from Wisconsin so she has been all around MN, WI, and even Iowa. It was fun to talk with her about home.

6. Our best meal of the trip included a fish with its head still on!

**Again on the Elaphiti Island boat cruise… we had an awesome lunch! It was grilled fish that was seasoned perfectly and tasted a hundred times better than it actually looked. Cucumber and tomato salad accompanied the fish. Sarah loved it but Brian decided to leave it untouched. This in turn suggested to the skipper of the boat that he was still hungry and he made him his own personal smoked ham and pork sandwich. We saw several jealous stares coming from the other boaters.

7. When in doubt drink some grappa!

**On the boat cruise we were sitting across from a couple who was from Slovenia and a father and daughter from Russia. In attempt to make new friends and socialize the couple from Slovenia kept offering us some of the grappa that was served on the boat. Since we could not speak Slovenian or Russian the easiest thing for us to do was agree and join in on the fun. We had a great time and made some new friends. We met up with Julia, who speaks English very well, and her father a couple times after the boat cruise for drinks and to socialize. We hope that someday we can take them up on their offer to visit them in Moscow, Russia.

8. Croatia is like Disneyland for Italians.

9. Fresh figs are tasty!

**We were invited by Mira to join her and her family for lunch. We had grilled fish, potato and green bean mixture, tomatoes filled with cheese, all sorts of fruits and apple dessert. They picked grapes from the vines above us and gave us fresh figs which were a first for both of us.

10. Terraces are a must!

11. Sarah’s favorite place is “Fresh”.

**They serve smoothies and wraps which are a “fresh” alternative to our usual pizza or pasta meals. They also have a book exchange which has come in handy since she’s gone through at least ten books on the trip thus far.

12. No matter how little stuff you have, it’s still easy for it to make a mess.

13. Everyday is a beach day in Croatia.

14. There is still nothing better than a home cooked meal, especially on by our moms! mmm….mmm… can’t wait till October!

15. The Old Town of Dubrovnik is not all the area has to offer.

**We decided to take a side trip to a town called Cavtat near Dubrovnik. Instead of the bus, we though it would be fun to take the scooter.

The town was gorgeous. It looked like what would think a small town in the Italian or French Riviera looks like. We stayed the entire afternoon exploring the small peninsula it sits on. It is a very nice, well-kept secret in Croatia.

In all, Dubrovnik was a wonderful place that we will always have a connection to. Our only hope is that Croatia and Dubrovnik retain the warmth and heritage we were able to experience.

(7/28 - 8/1)

Each place is getting better and better as Korčula is our favorite so far. The island seems to be a little more laid back (if that’s possible) and a little more cultural. Many say it’s like a mini Dubrovnik since the old town (Stari Grad) is a small walled city as well. Old town holds the house of Marco Polo.

We found a super cheap private room in an apartment that we share with a Slovenian family. It is in the center of old town, has a kitchen, two beautiful terraces, and wireless internet. YAY!

We keep hearing Croatia is good for diving and snorkeling so we decided to book a snorkeling trip through an adventure travel company.

We boarded the boat around 9am with five other people and ventured out to some very small island to snorkel around. Snorkeling was fun but it didn’t really live up to the reputation we had heard as there wasn’t much to see, but Brian did find an octopus! We met two girls on the boat who were teachers from London on their summer holiday. Their names were Emily, originally from Chicago, and Virginia (sorry hun, if we spelt it wrong), originally from France. They were great! Afterwards, we went out for drinks and dinner and had a blast.

Korčula has a millennia old tradition called Moreška, where local dancers come to reproduce the story of the White Prince and Black Prince fighting over a kidnapped princess. The real (not touristy) one was on July 29^th while we were there. They did not sell tickets to the tourists but it took place outside and we were able to watch it over the heads of other onlookers. A very cool tradition! We wish we had our video camera with us at the time. We have seemed to notice that we only have it when we are doing boring things. We will have to get better at that. Come to think of it we didn’t really get any pictures from Korčula either! Oops! On to our next paradise spot, Dubrovnik!

(7/23 - 7/27)

Hvar was beautiful! We heard it was the new “hot spot” for tourists attracting the most affluent of visitors. The harbors boasted all kinds of yachts and boats letting us use our imaginations of who was on board.

We arranged a room for three nights before we left Split that was just a 10-15 min walk from the harbor. As we walked to our new home, for the next couple days, we had the mountains to our right and the ocean to our left with little kiosk and cafes crammed in between. The island is known for its lavender and it leaves a great scent in the air.

We arrived at our room dripping in sweat since it took us a little while to find it. Our host greeted us with a traditional lemonade made with cherry juice and we chatted for a bit about the island. We were excited to find that our room had a terrace! This was the view:

Day:

Night:

Each place seemed to be getting better and better! Hvar’s beaches/rock cliffs seemed to be a little nicer and just a short walk down the hill from our room. We started to realize that the Dalmatian Coast is a great spot for beach vacations and spend most our time doing just that.

With a suggestion from our guide book, we went to a place called Luna for dinner one night. It was spectacular. We both had salmon fettuccini. The seating area of the restaurant was on the top floor and the ceiling was cut out so you could see the sky above.

We have found that the food in Croatia is a great mix of Mediterranean and good ole home cooking. From pizza and pasta to grilled fish and chicken, Croatia has great food prepared with care. Hvar was especially a great spot for our bellies!

Hvar is also known for its nightlife. Most of it is laid back in local Konobar (outdoor cafe that serves drinks), but we decided to venture into our second nightclub. It was packed with great music. It was half indoor and half outdoor and had a very chic feel to it. Not usually our scene, but fun to try here and there. Here’s what it looked like during the day:

It’s a bit more impressive at night.

Then we caught a 280kg tuna!

Just kidding! We didn’t catch it, but as we were catching the ferry for Korcula, a proud fisherman brought this to a local restaurant near the ferry port and put out a sign that read: “Tuna Party Tonight!” If we hadn’t bought tickets for the ferry we probably would have eaten some of it!

Next we hop to Korcula!

(7/15 - 7/23)

It’s time for “Fun in the Sun”. We became a little anxious and decided to travel to Croatia a little earlier than planned, eager for some warm and dry weather. We arrived in Split, Croatia on the morning of the 15^th and followed the crowds to a bus that took us into the old town. We found a private room for the night and took a well needed nap after the bus, train, and plane rides.

We woke up realizing that we definitely found the sun. It’s been about 95-100 degrees everyday and no rain. The couple that owned one of the internet cafes we frequented, found us an apartment to stay in for the rest of our time in Split. It was sort of like a cave with air-conditioning so it served us well.

We spent about a week in Split going to the beaches and exploring Diocletian’s Palace. The beaches are more like rock shelves, but nonetheless the water was clear and beautiful.

Diocletian’s Palace takes up most of the city and now hosts shops, cafes, restaurants, and several small ice cream parlors (our favorite!). The Roman Palace was surprisingly well preserved for being centuries old.

After a week, we were well adjusted to the sun and enjoying Croatia immensely. For the next week and half we were going to explore some of the islands with our first stop being Hvar.

The short two hour bus ride to London was 100 times better than our last and to Brian’s enjoyment it even had internet access. We rolled into London early Friday afternoon and got off at Notting Hill Gate and then walked to our hotel near Hyde Park. The hotel had been recently remodeled and we thought we had found a pretty good deal as we approached the modern hotel. That was until we found out that we were on the 5^th floor, which in Europe it is actually six stories up and twelve flights of stairs. Conveniently, the lift was broken. We started to realize why we got such a good deal. We found our room to be very tastefully decorated and very small. We rested for a little while we tried to decide how we would fit London into two days!

We decided to take a stroll around Hyde Park and the Kensington Gardens in the afternoon and then went to a comedy show called the “News Review” in the evening. It was a sketch comedy show about current events happening in the world today. It was very entertaining.

We made our way back to the hotel and up our twelve flights of stairs to find our room had turned into a sauna while were gone. After returning down stairs drenched in sweat, the hotel staff immediately found us a new room on the ground floor. This room was much cooler and allowed us to get a good nights sleep, which we would need for the long day ahead of us!

The next day we put our luggage in the hotel storage and set out to see Buckingham Palace. We joined the crowds at the palace gates waiting to get a glimpse of what might be inside, but in the meantime taking several pictures of the guards out side with their funny hats.

We continued to explore London on foot visiting Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abby.

After, feeling a little tired from all the walking we were excited to stumble upon a little park that was hosting a dog show. We sat in the shade and “ooed and ahhed” over the little pups and picked up a couple books for ten pence at one of the local stands. It was the find of the day!

We then went back into the craziness of Piccadilly Circus to find something to eat and wait for our show to start. We thought it would only be right to see some theater while we were in London so we picked up some tickets earlier that day at one of the half-price ticket booths that crowd the streets. We ended up deciding on Chicago, our decision mainly based on price and availability. We enjoyed the up-beat and jazzy style of music and dance the show encompassed. The orchestra was great!

We then headed back to the hotel to get our bags and head to Gatwick Airport. Our flight left at 5:30am so we figured we would just get to the airport really earlier and just chill out while we waited. We had no idea of the escapade to come!

We walked to the nearby train, bus, and metro station and talked to a couple people trying to figure out what the best way to get to Victoria Station was at this hour. Since we were in no hurry, they suggested the bus as it was cheaper and just took a few minutes longer than the metro. After getting the bus number, we walked outside to the nearest stop and then jumped on our bus. We found out about two stops later that it was going the wrong way! OOPS! So, we jumped off crossed the street and tried to pick up the same bus going the right way. Note to future travelers……night bus schedules are not always right. We waited quite some time before boarding the right bus to find out it decided to make an extra 100 stops that weren’t listed on the schedule. What was supposed to be a 20 min. bus ride turned into an hour and a half. We still had plenty of time when we got to the train station and boarded the train to Gatwick. We sat next to a group of young English men that were just returning from a night in London and they entertained us with their jokes for the next hour or two. We started to think that we might actually miss the flight when the train was at a standstill for over 45 min. There had been a fight on board in one of the cars and they were waiting for them to be removed.

We arrived at Gatwick to the longest security line we have ever seen and a surprisingly busy airport for 3:00 in the morning! We could not believe that by the time we actually made it to our gate our flight was scheduled to take off in about 45 min. and we started this trip at about 11:30pm.

The flight gave us a chance to sleep for a few hours and dream of the “fun in the sun’ to come. OFF TO CROATIA!!!!!

On July 11, the Night Bus debacle ended early in the morning as it rolled into Oxford. Oxford is, of course, the higher education Mecca of the United Kingdom, but we fell in love with it because of many other reasons.

After we got off the bus we stumbled around aimlessly looking for either an internet connection or a tourist office. On Oxford’s Cornmarket Street we found a McDonald’s that was, at that time of the morning, the only thing open with an internet connection. We searched for a B&B and found one just up the road about a 10 min. walk.

We landed at our new temporary home and took a much needed nap. Revitalized, we headed into town. I think the best way to describe Oxford is as a perfect story book town. Most streets were completely taken over during the day by pedestrians. Around every corner is something new and interesting to look at. Like this:

The first night, after a giant feast at Pizza Hut (I know we’re abroad, but ya know what, it sounded good! And it was!!), we headed towards River Thames to a place that rented row boats. Again, like a story book, we rowed down a little river that meandered around an island that was an open field park, home to geese, ducks, and other wildlife.

Our Boat: “Emma”

Geese!

After floating around we went into the center of Oxford University where our travel guide suggested a small pub that doubled as the unofficial student union of Oxford. It was full of students enrolled in summer programs from all over the world. Beer was served traditionally by bartenders pumping a tap like an old time water pump.

The next day we got up and enjoyed a nice homemade English breakfast. Unfortunately, the B&B only had one night of availability so after breakfast we headed to another less charming B&B, but it served its purpose.

Some may ask, like Newcastle, why Oxford? Well, Oxford is next to a small town very dear to all MG owners. The town of Abingdon upon Thames was the birthplace to the MG marque. The Minnesota MG-T Register sent us on a mission to drop off the club badge and official newsletter to one of the many MG landmarks in the town.

Unfortunately when we arrived, we found that the town had little nostalgia towards the brand. The factory, closed in 1980, was now the site of a shopping center and a McDonald’s. We thought that the trip was going to be a waste, but decided to keep searching. Off of Cemetery Road (fitting, I suppose), we found the Kimber House, home of the MG Car Club.

There we met the editor of Safety Fast, the official newsletter of the club, Andy Knott. Andy, as many people have noted, has one of the greatest jobs in the world. It is his full-time job to write about MG’s and design a publication around the fun little cars. Andy was an absolutely great host! While at the Kimber house, he explained how and where the different MG’s were built and tested around town. He showed us around the house and the displays of MG memorabilia. In one of the cases we noticed someone had beat us to our badge dropping mission as an official MMGTR badge sat proudly. Strike one.

He then put us in his new MG X and drove us around town to the different landmarks.

First stop was the Magical Midget Pub.

As you can see, it doesn’t really look like what many would expect. It was recently renovated and contained very little MG related artifacts. It did, however, have a Minnesota MG-T Register badge in it. Strike two.

We then drove over to the Boundary House where Mr. Kimber, creator of the marque, had actually lived in for about three years. To our dwindling surprise, two posters in the back of the bar were the only remaining signs MG had a history in the pub. It was certainly not a fitting place to leave the badge as it would probably never be displayed in the mix of cheap prints of classical paintings that adorned the newly renovated walls. Strike Three.

It was at the Boundary House that Andy left us. Although we couldn’t find a place to leave the badge, we did leave a copy of the Tattler, the newsletter of the MMGTR, and he said if the club ever wanted to submit articles, he would try to include them in Safety Fast. Success!

We took the bus back to Oxford after touring Abingdon. When we got back we remembered that it was the opening day of the new Harry Potter movie! Oxford was certainly a fitting place to see the new movie as the dining hall scenes were filmed at Christ Church, a beautiful church and estate in the center of the town.

We were sure all tickets were sold out when we approached one of the theatres in town, and they were at that particular theatre, but one of the attendants navigated us to a smaller theatre nearby that luckily had plenty left! It was a fun experience. It reminded us when we were kids when people used to clap and react to the movie. Harry’s onscreen kiss made the crowd go crazy!

One funny thing about movie theatres that we have found in Europe is that there are assigned seats. Even some of our flights didn’t have assigned seats, but movie theatres do. Weird huh?

Unfortunately the next day we had to leave the charming town of Oxford but we were excited for the next stop: Old London Towne.

Like it says above… 

On Saturday, July 7, we set out by ferry across the North Sea to Newcastle, UK. The ferry ride was long, but pleasant. We saw a couple of the oil rigs that make Norway such a rich country (think $12 for a cheap draught beer – Norway was expensive!).

Upon arrival in Newcastle we had to fight a bit with customs to get in. It took a bit of convincing that we were only to be in the UK for 1 week, but did not have travel arrangements out of the country. We eventually made it through to the lobby of the ferry port at about 11:00pm as it was closing. Luckily there were two representatives from a taxi company that were eager to find us not only a ride into town, but also accommodations for the night. This is where we found out that people from Newcastle could quite possibly be the friendliest in Europe.

We spent the first night in a hostel in the centre of the city. We got up the next morning and looked a while on the internet to find a different place to stay as the hostel, believe it or not, was a bit pricey. We found the deal of the century! We booked a room on the internet in the Travelodge for only 15 pounds!

That night we decided to find out why Newcastle was supposed to be a great town for nightlife. We found a nice place and chatted with a couple of locals about the town. Although we think Newcastle was a very charming town with a lot to offer, the locals we met thought it was a bit odd that we chose to stay there.

After having a few with our new friends, we decided to go to our first European club. It was about what we expected; high energy music, smoke machines, go-go dancers, strange drinks, and sticky floors…we had a great time!

The next morning we trucked our luggage over to the train station to use its storage facility and then walked to the bus station to make the absolute worse decision of the trip and buy overnight bus tickets.

We spent the day exploring the town. We saw the famous Newcastle United football stadium, China town, war monuments, and Oasis outdoor advertising.

(Inside Joke…Anyone see a cross between Doug and Klemz here?)

And then…the worse night ever…As we boarded the full bus for Oxford, bad smells, uncomfortable seats, rude people and a mean spirited bus driver immediately foretold of the night to come. Again, it was a very bad decision that will never be repeated!

Newcastle = Great!

Night Busses = Arg.

On to Oxford!

We arrived in Oslo, Norway on June 29th and took a two hour bus ride from the airport into the city center of Oslo. The bus ride gave us our first glimpse of what we would see in Norway. Lots of red houses and beautiful green landscapes. We just spent one night in Oslo and realized right away that everyone in Norway must be millionaires. The dollar was quite low compared to the Norwegian Kroner which made eating out quite difficult. We cut the train (barely) the next morning to take on the famous “scenic train route” to Bergen. Getting in late the evening before we didn’t realize the hour difference in the time and missed out train by 20 min. but we were able to catch the next one so that worked out great. We lucked out in Bergen and found a place a room at private accommodation and put up house for the week there. We had access to a kitchen and were able to make some of our home favorites like chicken tacos!

We loved Bergen and felt like we were back at home in Viking Village! Some of the architecture reminded us of our own place in Rochester.

We spend the first few days exploring the different areas of Bergen and enjoying the sun, finally! The marina, fish-market, and old town were our favorites. We also took a funicular up the Mt. Foyen and got a great view of the city and did some hiking in the mountains. On Thursday, we did the Royal Fjord Tour and took a ferry through the Sojne Fjord and around Bergen to Flam. It was a bit windy on the ferry, but well worth it.

After having lunch in flam and doing a little shopping we boarded the Flam Railway. (we bought our first souvenir - a cheese cutter- thought it was fitting for us) The railway took us through mountains and around the Fjords and many waterfalls. It was amazing! We stopped off in Dale hoping to find some more information on how to get to Stamnes where my great-grandpa was born and lived till he came to MN in the late 1800’s. We definitely lucked out! We had been having trouble finding anybody that had even heard of the town of Stamnes before. I guess it isn’t really considered a town, maybe a village. Anyways, we met Ivar.

Coincidently, Ivar’s hobby was geneaology. We spent the evening with him and a few of his friends tracking down my family. Brian also got to try homemade “Viking Beer”! He is set on trying to brew some himself when he gets home now. I talked to my 3rd and 4th cousins and we arranged to have Remi, my 4th cousin (I think) come pick us up the next day and bring us to Stamnes. Remi was a great tour guide, translator, and friend to us. We first went to meet Margit who my mom met when she came to Bergen in 1972. We were welcomed with tea/coffee and delicious treats….and just like at home they never stopped! Guri and Bjorn Are also joined us for tea. We then spend the rest of the day driving through the countryside of Stamnes, visiting Guri’s cottage, and taking a short hike to the stone ages. We had a late dinner at the house where my great-grandpa grew up and my 4th cousin Elisabeth lives now. We had a Fiske pudding. Another first for us. Elisabeth brought us some old pictures that had been left in the house and I immediately recognized the one of my great-grandpa and grandma since it was the same on hanging it our basement. After a wonderful day in Stamnes, Remi drove us back to Bergen since we were taking the ferry the next day to New Castle. Before we left on the ferry we got to meet and have coffee with Remi’s family. We had a really nice time!

We now are so excited to have contact again with our family and hope we can see them again either in Norway or in MN sometime!

Hi everyone. Unfortunately we can’t post much right now, but we wanted to let you all know that we are still alive!

Because we have been on the move, we haven’t been able to find good connections. We will update this soon so stay tooned!!!