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Published: November 9th 2008
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Zule
great food and lights by the Adriatic THURSDAY
After arriving in Croatia, just a short 2 hour flight from our Dutch home, we checked into our hotel which overlooked the Adriatic and the small town of Trogir in the distance. After dropping our bags off, we ate dinner on the shore at a place called Zule. It was mid October and we were eating dinner in t-shirts beside the shore. To add to the enjoyment, the exchange rate was very favorable. One Euro was equal to 7 Kuna; for instance, a huge pizza was equivalent to about 2 or 3 US Dollars.
FRIDAY
The next day we did a day trip to Trogir where we climbed a bell tower, visited a fortress and a monastery (with a monk in all white clothing contemplating in peaceful solitude) all in sunny, 80 degree weather. Throughout the day, and the duration of our stay in Croatia, we studied the differences between Gothic and Renaissance architecture, of which were noticeable in the many restorations that were made to the churches, buildings, towers, and walls.
That night back at the hotel we went down to the shore and went swimming under the stars. Although the temperature was comfortable during
Atop Fortress in Trogir
Our hotel is situated on the hill in the distance the day, at night the light blue water felt like typical ocean water: brisk and refreshing. We met three Polish kids about our age and talked to one of them, Kuba, for a while. He was from the same part of Poland that I spent a month in four years ago. I kept repeating the same 10 or so phrases that I know in Polish, much to his entertainment. After wading around for a while, we realized that there was a nearby pier. So the six of us ran down the pier as fast as we could and jumped in the Adriatic under the bright moonlight. It was brilliant!
SATURDAY
Before leaving for our 4 hour trek to Dubrovnik, we went to the Solin Archaeological Park in Split. Our tour guide told us that 80% of Split's ancient ruins have yet to be unearthed because of both a lack of funds and a lack of space to store the thousands of artifacts. The dichotomy between the 3rd Century AD ruins in front of us, the Roman town of Salona, and the bustling, modern city of Split in the distance was quite mind blowing.
As our bus winded
the cliff-hugging Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik, a native of Croatia and a newly hired Emerson professor named Jasenka Gudelij chimed in over the bus loud speakers to explain Croatia's volatile history. She explained the six former Yugolavian territories--Croaita, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Montenegro--and the war in the early 1990s that resulted in Croatia gaining independence.
After our four hour bus ride we arrive in Dubrovnik and, as usual, wasted no time in exploring. The entire "Old Town" Dubrovnik is fortified by city walls; entering it is like having been invited to a large party. We wandered around a bit and were beckoned by a cat to enter a bar called "Cold Drinks" which sounded like too obvious a name to be interesting. But how wrong we were! The entire bar was anchored on cliffs overlooking the sparkling Adriatic. The sun had long been set and the ambiance of the area was phenomenal; candles, Frank Sinatra, and moonlight. So we order champagne to elevate the classiness of the environment. We just sat and relaxed for a while looking at the ocean. It was surreal.
SUNDAY
We walked along the city walls overlooking all of Dubrovnik, the ocean,
Cliff Jumping
Me, taking the plunge and the hilly coastal terrain winding in the distance. After visiting the Rhector's Palace and the Cathedral, we found another bar situated on a cliff that had access to the ocean where a bunch of Emerson kids were hanging out already. We jumped in the water and swam over to the cliffs, where a bunch of people were jumping off. We made our way up, clutching slippery, narrow rocks. As soon as I got up there two boats full of spectators with cameras approached each other from opposite directions, in clear sight of the cliff. Without even thinking about it, I just jumped. I felt like I was falling for a while probably because the cliff was about 50 feet or so. I plunged into the water with my adrenaline pumping. It was so exhilarating! I swam around for a while and watched a bunch of other kids jump. Lots of fun.
After getting out, we watched the sun set which was especially colorful in near-tropical Dubrovnik. What an exciting day!
MONDAY
After our academic activity ended for the afternoon, we went straight back to the same cliff bar and jumped off again. And then once more. This
time I gravitated towards a smoother pencil dive, cutting the water like glass, which was more seamless (and less painful). We then layed in the warm sun; it never really set it that it was still mid-October, which added to our inexistent sense of time and reality.
We then all met up again for the last group activity for the day, a tour of the Dubrovnik Palace. There were lots of old armor and artillery, including some of the first types of cannons and rifles.
It was our last night in Croatia, so we partied. It started off with a shot of Absinthe, which was way less charming than the kind we had in Lyon, France. Since Croatia has less strict standards for alcohol content, the absinthe we had was 86 alcohol content by volume, which is 172 Proof! To say it was extremely unenjoyable would be an understatement. For hours its fiery essence remained lurking and raging in the back of your throat.
We went to a few different places in Dubrovnik, but the highlight of the night was definitely the following story: As we were heading back to the hotel, a group of Aussies (who
seem to be everywhere we go throughout Europe) were playing catch with a football. We joined in on the fun, a group of about a dozen total. Then a woman in her mid-thirties in a hot pink vest, shirt, hat, and purse took the football and ran away with it. My first instinct, along with a few other disgruntled Aussies, was to chase her down. We sprinted after her towards an exit at the city walls and cornered her in a playground. To guys managed to get it away from her, tossed it to me, and then I sprinted up the platform, out of the city walls to freedom where most of the group was waiting. In sheer jubilation, I greeted the Aussies with much praise and excitement. The game resumed and we continued up to the hotel. Good night indeed.
TUESDAY
The next day we had a tour of a Synagogue with Chester Lee, a Chinese Professor who teaches at Emerson. He is barely five feet tall, bald, and sort of shuffles around with this sense of uncontrollable enthusiasm and energy. His pulsating veins combined with his urgent tone of voice is just icing on the cake
A Night on the Town
Having a drink in Dubrovnik that make him the odd, wonderful creature that he is. We people watched in the main square once we were finished, and then headed on the next leg of our adventure: to Vienna, Austria!
Warm, amazing views, winding coasts, incredibly dynamic history, unique geo-political elements. Overall Croatia was, in one word, brilliant.
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