The trip comes to an end

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Happy Easter! If there was any doubt that Croatia is one of the most Catholic nations in the world, I confirmed it this morning. My walk down the hill from the hostel to the bus station reminded me of a Friday night in Tiberias--nobody is walking around. Only now I can't find a McDonalds. Come to think of it, I don't think I have seen any fast-food joints in Dubrovnik.

I think it is hard for Americans to grasp how religious other parts of the world are. Statistics will tell you that the US is the most religious but that is simply a result of the strong regional concentration of rednecks in certain parts of the country. I saw a pack of people walking up the street from the station but soon realized they were exiting a church. When you consider that just about everyone in this country is an observant Catholic you can start to understand why the Balkans erupted they way they did during the collapse of Yugoslavia. It is sad to think but perhaps the only way for countries with strong religious divisions to exist peacefully is to split up and form autonomous countries. Croatia is Catholic. Serbia is Orthodox. Bosnia is a mess--Sarajevo is a melting pot of Catholics, Orthodox and Islamic Bosniaks. I contemplated heading home via Sarajevo, and probably would have, had the travel connections made more sense. The Bosnian railroad infrastructure is still reeling from the wars that ravaged their country and trains appear to be the slowest in all of Europe. Sarajevo--Budapest is an eleven hour journey. I'm sorry , that is just ridiculous. I will head back to Split and hopefully catch the 10pm night train to Zagreb. I pray it's still running on Easter.

Back to religion for a moment. With the exception of Israel, I've never been to a country that is so conspicuous about its religious beliefs. There is a shrine in the bus station in Zagreb at the top of the steps that lead to the main platform. I've seen prayer rooms in airports, but this is unique. People were actually kneeling before it and many people crossed themselves after ascending the stairs and first catching a glimpse of it. At first I didn't see the shrine and started to fear that perhaps Croatian rail travel might be a potentially fatal endeavor. Turning around, I felt a sense of relief when I saw the Virgin Mary. Zagreb also has one of the most interesting religious shrines that I have seen. In the hill district, not far from St. Mark's Church and its iconic tiled roof, is the Stone Gate. A modern road still cuts through this underpass at the corner of two buildings. The "7" shaped gate features a shrine that is separated from three rows of pews by a functional road. So basically cars go by as people are praying.

I am now sitting on the bus waiting to head out to Split. The weather is already approaching 20 degrees Celsius at 10:45am and my shades are on as I sit on the left side of the bus--I learned my lesson. The sun is hot on my face. Yesterday was another incredible day--my last true vacation day. I should have plenty of time to lie in the sun today in Split, though. Yesterday was my splurge day. I bought a cappuccino in the main square and topped it off with a pivo. After walking around the old city a bit more, I found my way to the market square for lunch. I ordered squid risotto and a salad to go with a large beer. I watched the table in front of me feed a stray cat. The sun was beating down on my face as I looked up the hill toward the beautiful church and its regal marble staircase. One of my favorite views of the city.

I noticed that the couple next to me were Americans and as my ink-dyed dish arrived on a silver platter they asked me what I was eating and we started up a very pleasant, almost hour long conversation while I enjoyed my meal and they their drinks. Bruce and Annie from Ann Arbor. Incredibly friendly people. He is a retired airline pilot and he and his wife, a retired school teacher, now work as the crew on a private jet carting "old farts" (to use Bruce's words) around Europe. Not bad at all! They had come from Ljubljana and had been to Cyprus, too, I think. They were headed home today and even asked me if I needed anything mailed. We talked a little about everything--my job in Hungary, places we had traveled to, the exceptional hospitality in Croatia and of course the demise of the Maize and Blue. I told them that UConn was opening the season at the Big House and, of course, they both knew. "They must really suck" Bruce remarked about the Huskies. I told him that wasn't the case and about UConn's recent success. By the end of the conversation I think I had convinced him to take the points on UConn. As both of them hate Rich Rod, I told them the game could be a win/win for both of us as a loss could further push Rodriguez out the door. I talked about Eli and his student teaching in Saline. As a former teacher, she knew all about it. She even told me to let Eli know that he could contact her about his job search. She is incredibly polite and dressed in a long, summer dress with a straw hat. He tells it like it is. She spelled out "s--u-c-k-s" when describing Michigan's head coach while he tells you to "stay the hell away from Morocco and Montenegro." I can tell that he embarrasses her quite often. They are overly interested, in my opinion, with letting the waitress know that they appreciate her service. Quite frankly, compared to the other service I've had, she wasn't great. She hardly speaks a word of English but they ask to take her picture and offer her a signed postcard of their jet. She smiles and offers them free schnapps. I guess it paid off. If my parents had done the same thing I would have been mortified. Bruce tells me to look him up if Eli and I head out to the Big House next fall. We shake hands and they head out. I finish my meal and spend the rest of the day taking in the sites. I head to the small beach just to the east of the Old Town harbor and snap a few shots of the famous tower and the view of the port (this is the image you see on all of the postcards). I wander the streets and head up the hill for a picture of the city from above. What a spectacular day. As the evening approaches I decide to eat dinner at the Dubrovnika Restaurant. The view is great--the main entrance and southern tower. I order fried squid and watch the sun slowly dip behind the tower I ascended earlier in the day. I enjoy a beer and a delicious cup of fish soup. A German couple sits in fornt of me, obnoxious from the get go, and orders a dry white wine and seafood hors d'oeuvres. They are very specific. When the wine arrives, the wife inspects the label. Looks fine. It's funny because at that very moment I was thinking to myself what happens if you send back an open bottle of wine? Well, they simply take it back, I learned. "My wife and I ordered a dry white." Terrible, just terrible. You just inspected the label and didn't say anything! Listen, if this is a restaurant that I'm eating at, you better not be sending back a bottle of wine. I should have asked for it. I'm going to be such a nice old man. If I ordered white and they gave me red, I wouldn't say a word. You are in a foreign country. Enjoy life for god's sake.

At least the German couple provided some entertainment while I waited for my meal. About an hour passed before the squid appeared and I was beginning to get chilling in my shorts and sandals. They did apologize and when I turned down a another beer they offered me one on the house and I accepted. By the time it arrived, I had already finished my meal. I chugged it down and retired for the night, catching the sunset from my window.

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I've been enjoying a Ozujsko dark on the Riva for the past half hour. I'm back in Split and it's cool and overcast. It's only five o'clock so I have another five hours to kill. I already purchased my night train ticket so I have nothing to worry about. For the price I paid, I have a feeling I will be sitting in a normal chair as opposed to a bed. Oh well, it saves me money on accommodation. i'm about to order a coffee to warm me up and to kill more time. I should have caught a later bus to Split but how was I to know that the weather would be bad? It was beautiful in Dubrovnik.

...

The rain was on the way in. I finished my drink and walked through the underpass leading to the main square of the Old Town. I stopped to buy a couple of prints. Split will forever be one of my favorite places. Dubrovnik is the gem of Croatia, don't get me wrong. It is almost too much, though. It is a photographers nightmare and dream. Thank god for digital cameras or I would have gone through hundreds of dollars of film. You would be hard pressed to take a bad photo. I even took some upside down and they came out great.

What a thrill it has been to experience a country top to bottom in one week. I realize that I visited the three most touristic cities along the way plus Trogir, but still. This is Croatia and Croatia is not yet on the same level as western Europe. Everything is off the beaten track. I really have found this to be the most amazing country I have visited. Beautiful, historical and friendly, Croatia is an amazing place. I will certainly recommend it to people but, like the rest of central/eastern Europe, I don't want it to change. The great thing about a city like Split is the local presence. They must not let go of this. It is what makes Croatia special. These seven days will always be very special to me. Where I go next? I have no idea. Will I ever get back here? I don't know. I continue to dream. And so my Croatian journey comes to an end.

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Photos

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The Stone Gate

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The School...the Adriatic is on the other side of that wall.

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Irish tourists take on the locals.

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Hey, they have to play somewhere!