Split, Croatia:
After the walking tour, I hit the town. Here's what I bought:
--shorts
--business skirt
--formal dress
--casual dress
--skinny jeans
All of this for only 120 USD. All of this was on major sale of course, but still!!! I finally have clothes!
Afterward, I went into the local theatre and asked when the next show of whatever would be. The man told me there was a ballet going on right now. It only took seconds before he just told me to go to the second level. That's right, I got in for free. The ballet had began only 15 minutes before I arrived. I saw Zorba. It didn't make sense until the last scene when that famous song came on. You know, the one they play throughout "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". There was no sign of a pointe shoe or tutu anywhere. Only long black dresses for the ladies and black zapato with a low heel and high ankles.
The plot was difficult to follow and there were three encores. Yes, the performers came out three more times to take a bow.
This ballet was unique and not what I was expecting at all, but it lacked a good view of the orchestra and a Franklin friend. For this, I have to say I enjoyed the Serbian ballet more. (This has nothing to do with the fact that the Serbians allign themselves with the Russians...)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Our most beautiful and most navegatable city so far! I tried going in the Adriatic in this seriously remote location but it was so chilly I only went in up to my waiste. Call me extreme.
We stayed at a Hilton. It was very well lit and they had a pianist in the lobby. (It's amazing how many piano's we saw in this country...it was the equivalent to Bosnia's extreme number of cemeteries.) The seabass for dinner the first night was probably the best meal we've eaten together on this trip! Breakfast was always bomb, too. I would never have to buy lunch, that's for sure...(haha, I had all these plastic bags with me so I filled them with figs and hazelnuts from the bar when the waiters weren't looking and took a pear and yogurt for the road!)
Dubrovnik was such a contrast from Bosnia. This is "western" territory so all of the Roman Catholic churches were plentiful. I actually walked into the main cathedral the first evening and found a group of girls singing, each one holding a candle. There was one soloist that stood out above the rest. They giggled as they practiced or worshipped, but I stayed and listened as long as I could to their chants.
Last night Julie, Priscilla, and I went looking for internet and a hat shoppe and found a wine bar in the meantime. Julie and I had a glass of Rose for 20 kuna each and Priscilla had dry red wine for 35 kuna. Besides the fact that Rose was slightly cheaper than red, I chose it because I've never had Rose before. Can you believe that?? Incredible I know. I just love my red. All the wine was locally produced in Dubrovnik so that was comforting. The ambiance was romatically lit with dim lights and had cases of wine in mahogany cases and barrels everywhere. The three of us were the only ones in there...then again, it was 7:15 in the evening.
Fuego, the Latino Club, is apparently closed in the winter from sundays through wednesdays...what kind of an Academic Travel is this?
We stayed at a Hilton. It was very well lit and they had a pianist in the lobby. (It's amazing how many piano's we saw in this country...it was the equivalent to Bosnia's extreme number of cemeteries.) The seabass for dinner the first night was probably the best meal we've eaten together on this trip! Breakfast was always bomb, too. I would never have to buy lunch, that's for sure...(haha, I had all these plastic bags with me so I filled them with figs and hazelnuts from the bar when the waiters weren't looking and took a pear and yogurt for the road!)
Dubrovnik was such a contrast from Bosnia. This is "western" territory so all of the Roman Catholic churches were plentiful. I actually walked into the main cathedral the first evening and found a group of girls singing, each one holding a candle. There was one soloist that stood out above the rest. They giggled as they practiced or worshipped, but I stayed and listened as long as I could to their chants.
Last night Julie, Priscilla, and I went looking for internet and a hat shoppe and found a wine bar in the meantime. Julie and I had a glass of Rose for 20 kuna each and Priscilla had dry red wine for 35 kuna. Besides the fact that Rose was slightly cheaper than red, I chose it because I've never had Rose before. Can you believe that?? Incredible I know. I just love my red. All the wine was locally produced in Dubrovnik so that was comforting. The ambiance was romatically lit with dim lights and had cases of wine in mahogany cases and barrels everywhere. The three of us were the only ones in there...then again, it was 7:15 in the evening.
Fuego, the Latino Club, is apparently closed in the winter from sundays through wednesdays...what kind of an Academic Travel is this?
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Bosnian Food
Okay so I don't remember what they're called. I'll get the name later (It did begin with a "ce"). Whatever it was I ordered, it was pumpkin and it was served warm, mixed with local cheese, and in a bakalava kind of pastry. It was a bit greesey....a little sweet...eastern european food. yumm
For dinner last night, since we never eat traditional meals, we ate at the hotel again. Lauren and I had the vegetarian and we got two different things. There's always cabbage, but this time, they gave me an extremem amount of tomatoes.
Tomatoes in the salad. Lauren didn't want her tomatoes (grape or cherry served cooked, still on the vine). Extra, random tomato salad that came halfway through the meal. Don't forget the tomatoes that came as a garnish with my meal of grilled vegetables, rice, and steamed broccoli and cauliflour.
Desert was this fantastic mound of candied pear filled with crushed nuts and topped with a cherry! Uh, I'm salvatating.
Lunch was similar to the day before. I ordered another baklava-looking thing but this one was cut in strips of about 10cm. For 2KM (like, 1euro) and 250kilos, I got them filled with spinich and cheese.
I love food prices here because it allows me to buy more stuff that matters, like turkish scarves and honey. hehehe
For dinner last night, since we never eat traditional meals, we ate at the hotel again. Lauren and I had the vegetarian and we got two different things. There's always cabbage, but this time, they gave me an extremem amount of tomatoes.
Tomatoes in the salad. Lauren didn't want her tomatoes (grape or cherry served cooked, still on the vine). Extra, random tomato salad that came halfway through the meal. Don't forget the tomatoes that came as a garnish with my meal of grilled vegetables, rice, and steamed broccoli and cauliflour.
Desert was this fantastic mound of candied pear filled with crushed nuts and topped with a cherry! Uh, I'm salvatating.
Lunch was similar to the day before. I ordered another baklava-looking thing but this one was cut in strips of about 10cm. For 2KM (like, 1euro) and 250kilos, I got them filled with spinich and cheese.
I love food prices here because it allows me to buy more stuff that matters, like turkish scarves and honey. hehehe
Bosnia, baby! day 2
Ended up going to bed around 1:00 last night and woke up before 7.
Opened the window and listened to some more Turkish music from a taxi.
Worked out then ate this delicious breakfast! Have to be honest, wasn't a fan of the yogurt, but the scrambled are the best in the Balkins, I'm convinced.
For the next three hours we went on the best walking/bus tour so far. Maybe it's because I'm in the city I wanted to visit the most. We visited the tunnel that took 4 months and 4 days to build. It was 800m and it's the path the Bosnians used to escape or bring supplies in starting from 1993. We also visited the bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip. YES!! cool stuff, man.
Along the way, I bought some Bosnian-made slippers (19KM), dried plums (NOT prunes, 2KM for 1.5kilos), a Turkish scarf (15KM), and local honey (6KM). Score. Oh, I also bought a pillow for 5KM. The one I have at home is who knows how old...
I still need pants. You know, the loose kind like Aladin wears. more or less.
Time is running out and I have more Serbian Dinars than hairs on my head. Something like 2000. They are really hard to convert outside of Serbia. I knew I should have bought those boots yesterday...
We leave again tomorrow morning for Dubrovnik.
Opened the window and listened to some more Turkish music from a taxi.
Worked out then ate this delicious breakfast! Have to be honest, wasn't a fan of the yogurt, but the scrambled are the best in the Balkins, I'm convinced.
For the next three hours we went on the best walking/bus tour so far. Maybe it's because I'm in the city I wanted to visit the most. We visited the tunnel that took 4 months and 4 days to build. It was 800m and it's the path the Bosnians used to escape or bring supplies in starting from 1993. We also visited the bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip. YES!! cool stuff, man.
Along the way, I bought some Bosnian-made slippers (19KM), dried plums (NOT prunes, 2KM for 1.5kilos), a Turkish scarf (15KM), and local honey (6KM). Score. Oh, I also bought a pillow for 5KM. The one I have at home is who knows how old...
I still need pants. You know, the loose kind like Aladin wears. more or less.
Time is running out and I have more Serbian Dinars than hairs on my head. Something like 2000. They are really hard to convert outside of Serbia. I knew I should have bought those boots yesterday...
We leave again tomorrow morning for Dubrovnik.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
After seven hours on our favorite bus, I. went. out.
I walked into an herb shop. The lady was Turkish and all her products were from Turkey, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania. I had to buy something. So for 2KM (Convertible Marka), I bought half a kilo of cinnamon sticks. The scents that hit me when I entered the shop were phenomenal. She had every herb in drawers in the wall. This place was tight. It was uncomfortable with five customers in there.
I went back to the hotel to get a massage. They were having a super special (turkish bath, exfoliant, and massage for the price of one. ) Never again. He loved my upper legs. Neverrrr again.
By the time I left that intrusive situation, it was midnight and I was just bored. So I went out. again. A British pub, Cheers, caught my eye so I stopped in for a glass of red wine. Dry, a bit tart, but to my liking. (I prefer Maltese wine, though). There was this live, local band playing and they were a jam.
The layout of the pub was disorienting for me and after the wine I guess I was just lost. I tried walking between these two women that were sitting at two separate tables through this wooden structure, which I thought was a door. Some people were staring and I couldn't find the handle.
"Where's the exit?", I had to ask for clarification. The guys across from her were smiling.
"Oh, honey, it's over there!", she had to yell over the band. Those guys were bustin' out laughin. pff, so was I.
Awkward.....
Balkanisation--problematic situation, unpredictable; negative connotation
I walked into an herb shop. The lady was Turkish and all her products were from Turkey, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania. I had to buy something. So for 2KM (Convertible Marka), I bought half a kilo of cinnamon sticks. The scents that hit me when I entered the shop were phenomenal. She had every herb in drawers in the wall. This place was tight. It was uncomfortable with five customers in there.
I went back to the hotel to get a massage. They were having a super special (turkish bath, exfoliant, and massage for the price of one. ) Never again. He loved my upper legs. Neverrrr again.
By the time I left that intrusive situation, it was midnight and I was just bored. So I went out. again. A British pub, Cheers, caught my eye so I stopped in for a glass of red wine. Dry, a bit tart, but to my liking. (I prefer Maltese wine, though). There was this live, local band playing and they were a jam.
The layout of the pub was disorienting for me and after the wine I guess I was just lost. I tried walking between these two women that were sitting at two separate tables through this wooden structure, which I thought was a door. Some people were staring and I couldn't find the handle.
"Where's the exit?", I had to ask for clarification. The guys across from her were smiling.
"Oh, honey, it's over there!", she had to yell over the band. Those guys were bustin' out laughin. pff, so was I.
Awkward.....
Balkanisation--problematic situation, unpredictable; negative connotation
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Zagreb: Observations
--have not seen a single jogger
--women don't wear bring pinks like they do in slovenia
--both professors we spoke with today wore light blue shirts with a dark red tie
--English language proficiency is higher in Slovenia (but better than Ticino, haleluja)
--streets are smaller, closer together than Slovenia. Buildings are also darker and more Gothic in color/style
--less comercial, less chains
--overall I believe Croatia is poorer than Slovenia
--women don't wear bring pinks like they do in slovenia
--both professors we spoke with today wore light blue shirts with a dark red tie
--English language proficiency is higher in Slovenia (but better than Ticino, haleluja)
--streets are smaller, closer together than Slovenia. Buildings are also darker and more Gothic in color/style
--less comercial, less chains
--overall I believe Croatia is poorer than Slovenia
Zagreb, Croatia muah
Academic Travel continued...
had a haircut this morning in Croatia's capitol at 7:30. The lady didn't speak english; this was something the girls at the salon didn't tell me last night when I made the appointment. but it was fun. I had her chop off 5 centimeters. She washed my hair for an unreasonably long amount of time. She also didn't stop blowdrying my hair until I told her it was dry enough. I mean, I looked like a poodle after she blow-dried my hair!! So I just put it back in my typical bun and bobby pins after I left.
The countertops were clear of any products a typical Spaniard or US salon would have had; the lady brought out her bag of potions in something similar to my travel bag of toiletries. There were three hair-washing stations. The lady took my jacket and scarf to hang it up right after I took it off. She even pushed the chair infor me when I sat down...I can't remember the last time a man did that for me...
The seats don't glide smoothly with the pump of a foot like they do in the States and Western Europe. The ambiance was a bit depressing. The colors were bleak, the furniture and hair driers were shabby, the woman was smiling.
I get cheap haircuts in the States, but I think this is some of the local differences you can see between different governments. I really think this place has seen the worst of socialism.
I paid 150 kunas. I'm very happy with it.
had a haircut this morning in Croatia's capitol at 7:30. The lady didn't speak english; this was something the girls at the salon didn't tell me last night when I made the appointment. but it was fun. I had her chop off 5 centimeters. She washed my hair for an unreasonably long amount of time. She also didn't stop blowdrying my hair until I told her it was dry enough. I mean, I looked like a poodle after she blow-dried my hair!! So I just put it back in my typical bun and bobby pins after I left.
The countertops were clear of any products a typical Spaniard or US salon would have had; the lady brought out her bag of potions in something similar to my travel bag of toiletries. There were three hair-washing stations. The lady took my jacket and scarf to hang it up right after I took it off. She even pushed the chair infor me when I sat down...I can't remember the last time a man did that for me...
The seats don't glide smoothly with the pump of a foot like they do in the States and Western Europe. The ambiance was a bit depressing. The colors were bleak, the furniture and hair driers were shabby, the woman was smiling.
I get cheap haircuts in the States, but I think this is some of the local differences you can see between different governments. I really think this place has seen the worst of socialism.
I paid 150 kunas. I'm very happy with it.
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