Stairway to Heaven

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Rovinj, Istra, Croatia

We spent 2 days in Rovinj, Croatia. Nice place. Small and peaceful. Cobblestone streets and a beautiful little harbour. The first night we stayed in a hotel about a mile out of town. I am beginning to see a pattern here in the unwired world. The only hotels online in a place like Rovinj are big monstrous modern aberrations or old world palaces catering to people who are happy spending 250 Euros per night for a place that has no relation to or flavour of the land they are visiting. These hotels might as well be in Miami Beach or in London. There is almost nothing both quaint and close-in for under 200 Euros per night. Since you need to be on the ground to find the unwired places, the pattern works like this. You rent whatever you can online for the first night. Then you walk the old town upon arrival and find a local place with local flair.

The charm of being in such a place is being in the thick of things. So we walked the old town and found a place right in the middle of old town for the second night. We rented a room from an old lady who seemed quite pleased with herself. She thought she was cleaning out the tourists for 65 Euros a night for a room with a ceiling so low that I couldn't stand up. Kim even bumped her head once. It reminded me of a playhouse we had in the backyard when I was a kid. The place was a wreck but the location was unbelievable, and the views from the balcony were storybook. It was as if we were sleeping in the bell tower in the center of town with a 360 degree view. The stairs were so steep that you had to hold on for your life as you climbed five stories of circular stairs. Plus, the stairs were wrapped with vinyl flooring so they were as slippery as can be. Hold on tight as you climb. There is no concept of everyone else being responsible for your well being here.

We pulled the mattress off the bed and dragged it outside onto the balcony. We slept under the stars. In the end, it was us who took the old lady to the cleaners. With this view, she sold us the world for a pittance.

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