Catching Up On The Journey Between Mattinata and Mostar!!

I think Pam and I might have a bit of "post-Mostar-depression" or else we're just getting to the end of the line on our travel timeline! We made it to Dubrovnik last night after another perilous bus ride (where the only options were to pretend to sleep, stare out the window, or watch the bus driver like a hawk to see if he's going to try to pass the car in front of us and make it in time to miss the oncoming traffic)!! I always choose the "look out the window and obsessively take pictures - even if they are all blurry and don't turn out because he's going too fast!!" option if at all possible!! I just assume all will be well (it's gotta be, right?!?!?), so I might as well relax as much as possible and enjoy the journey!! I learned this lesson the first time I went to Guatemala and rode on the crazy Chicken buses! I made sure I had life/health insurance and a Will written out "just in case" and figured that was all I could do to control the outcome! But I digress....

Dubrovnik is lovely, and we have a nice little apartment inside the medieval walls of the city, but it's a bit touristy and doesn't seem to have the charm of Mostar (but then again, maybe we're just biased because we had such a phenomenal experience with the people there)!! We DID have a lovely lunch today looking out at the water and the boats (surrounded by 700-year-old walls and buildings), and it was the perfect lunch! A lovely piano and sax player combo crooned as we ate yummy food - fresh fish from the Adriatic Sea and a SALAD for the first time in DAYS!!! (followed, of course, by coffee and gelato....with a smattering of sunshine for Pam and a lot of shade for me)!! 

It was a wonderful, relaxing lunch, but I just couldn't get into looking around much at the sights because it feels a bit too commercialized for my taste. It probably doesn't help that I've come down with a cold or some sort of allergies, so I'm not up-to-par, but it's more of a FEELING we get here that isn't quite as special as how it felt in Mostar. We're moving to a different apartment tomorrow (the one I stayed in just prior to Pam's arrival with LOVELY and very interesting hosts!), and we plan on doing a bit of sight-seeing (maybe taking a tour down to Montenegro for the day) once we catch our second (or third, fourth or fifth) wind!!

So let me catch you up on the days I missed posting about between Mattinata and Mostar (mostly because I have some amazing pictures I want to share)!! We left Mattina and drove along the Adriatic Sea (more steep, winding roads for Pam to drive - and more SPECTACULAR views for me to look at and photograph)! We drove, stopped, took pictures....drove, stopped, took pictures, had coffee, drove, stopped, etc. for 9 hours!! We were both ready to settle into our AirBnb in Jesi by the time we arrived - a nice little place inside the city walls where we could experience the ambiance of living in a walled, medieval city (with all the noises, conveniences AND inconveniences of staying in a place with VERY skinny roads and lots of stairs - or steep, cobble-stone alleys - to get anywhere outside the city walls)!!

So here's a little trick we learned....if you're following the GPS and it says "pull over here, find a parking spot and walk from here" (up a steep, stony road into the walled city with our suitcases) - BELIEVE IT!! Being the "expert" at navigating Jesi, I told Pam to ignore those instructions and go on up that hill - through the arch and into the walled city because I knew from previous experience (and pictures) that our apartment was very near one of the buildings I had photographed when I was there before! What I DIDN'T know was that (apparently) if you don't have the right kind of sticker on your car, you can get a $70 fine for just driving through that arch (even if you don't park your car there)!!  

I figured we would unload our luggage and find the "official parking" outside the walls that the guy who owns the apartment had mentioned, but I had no idea we would get fined for just driving through the arch!! Well - the "parking ticket camera gods" were with us as we found out later from a VERY nice lady at the tea shop who called the "ticket police" for us!! Luckily, the cameras were down for a week receiving maintenance or upgrading (or something), so we didn't get a ticket.... whew!! But we DID have to drag our suitcases bumping over the wobbly stones down a bunch of hilly, tiny streets when we left to get to our car (which we had parked and just left there because we were too tired to deal with it after all the chaos of finding out from the AirBnb lady that we might get a HUGE fine)! 

Ahhhh....the joys of travel when you don't speak the language (or can't read the sign in Italian that says "do not enter without the right permit or you will get a fine" (or something along those lines)!! Pam told me at one point, "No Judi, I WON'T 'whip a U-ee'....I'm not Paul Puckett you know!!" - and I was reminded that my style of driving/navigating is definitely inherited from my dear old dad who perceived the lines in the road as "just guidelines to be navigated!!" It was a bit stressful and exhausting to drag our bags up the 300-year-old stairs that dipped in the middle....then follow the lady to the parking area after a long day of travel, but we made it safely and survived the "parking debacle" just fine (and just in time to meet my "Jesi family" for dinner)!

It was SO LOVELY to reconnect with this kind, loving family, and I was reminded in an instant why I had such a great time with them! Even though our communication doesn't always flow quickly due to a lack of mutually-understood words, their hearts are so open, loving and warm that it makes being together very special! I realized once again when I was with them that even if we had no words to communicate (which we DO, thank goodness, because they at least know some English - even if I don't know much Italian), I would still feel deeply connected to them at a heart level because of their kindness, warmth, sincerity and hospitality!! I feel so blessed to have met some really wonderful heart-centered people on this trip who I will plan on staying in touch with - and hope to see again some day!!

Pam and I had planned on going to Assisi on our second day in Jesi, but we were both just "plumb tuckered out" and tired of being in the car (and really didn't want to worry about finding another parking place in case we chose the wrong spot and our car disappeared or something)!! So we explored Jesi a bit on foot, found a couple of cafes to sit and watch people, and (our favorite) spent an hour talking to the wonderful lady from the tea shop who not only helped us resolve our parking issue, but let us smell all sorts of tea combinations she had created! It was almost as good as the "coffee lesson" - kindness, delicious aromas, and meeting another open-hearted person who loves to chat (AND spoke English so we could explain our dilemma)!!

After our time in Jesi, we set off for Ancona to catch the ferry back to Croatia. We had all day before the ferry left, so we decided to drive a bit along the coast. We took a few pictures, had a couple coffees and found ourselves just wanting to head to Ancona to get checked in and ready for our ferry. (Plus it was quite windy and cloudy, so being at the beach wasn't as much fun as if it had been a warm, sunny day!!) We decided to check out one of the sights in Ancona that Maria Cristina had suggested - the Cathedral-Basilica of San Ciriaco that sits high upon the hill above the Ancona harbor with incredible views!! 

We figured we'd just pass some time looking at the Basilica and taking a few pictures, but what we DIDN'T expect was the "I-don't-know-how-many-but-it-was-WILD!!"-mile-an-hour winds that were blowing on the hill! I jumped out to take a few pictures, found out there was no way to get into the church, and we were heading back down the narrow, winding street back to the harbor within 15 minutes! 

It was CRAZY windy, and I had to lean over into the wind just to keep from being blown down!! (Pam was not about to get near the edge to take pictures - which, in hindsight, might have been a good idea!! But, I got a few good pictures of Ancona and the harbor - and was surprised to see that the Sea was the same emerald color as we had seen all the way from Mattinata - even with the dark, heavy clouds! (The Sea had been gray and uninspiring further north, which was part of why we were "done" sooner than planned!)

So.....once we caught our breath from the wild, windy (and winding) drive, we gave up on sight-seeing and focused on getting checked in for the ferry. I thought navigating the "ferry process" on the bus was a challenge, but it was just as challenging with a car (and previous experience)!! There is one TINY turn that we missed (I mean literally - it was like a crosswalk), so we had to drive around and around to get back to the same place to make that turn! In the meantime, we decided to gas up the rental car, and that was a whole debacle of trying to get my card to work - then trying to figure out how many Euros to put in since the machine didn't seem to want to accept my card - but put a hold on all the money in my account - yikes!! BUT - we did it!! We prevailed over the gas machine, we found the tiny driveway and eventually found our way to the ferry terminal to leave our luggage, then BACK to the check-in place to wait until the window opened so we could check in, drop off our rental car, then FINALLY catch the bus from the train station back to the ferry terminal. Whew!!! Just writing about it makes me feel exhausted - no wonder we were so tired by the time we got seated to wait for our turn in the Customs line to board! 

Thanks to my quick and aggressive move to DASH to get in line when I saw a tour bus with at least 100 people heading our way, we were able to get through the line and onto the ferry quite quickly once the Customs Office opened! Later, as we were standing on the deck watching the line move as slowly as a snail, I was feeling VERY happy I wasn't in that line!! 

I know that everyone eventually got on, but I just have this THING about not wanting to wait in line - it makes me feel anxious (unless I can find some fun people to talk with along the way)!! But following a HUGE tour group seems a bit excessive for waiting - even with fun people to talk to...ALTHOUGH, in the line getting OFF the ferry, we "randomly" ran into an American girl who - get this - had been an English teacher's assistant in Fano - with MY Ketty - the woman I lived with for 5 weeks!! How random is that?!?! It was just a little reminder for me to keep my eyes open for those synchronistic connections - a reminder that I'm always being cared for as I travel by Something-Greater-Than-Me who can see the whole journey!! 

Once we watched them loading semi trucks and buses BACKWARDS onto the ferry (impressive!!) and figured out it was going to be awhile before we took off (and because it was VERY cold and windy on the outside deck), we enjoyed a lovely dinner in the dining area by the window while we waited for the ferry to depart (almost 2 hours late)!! We headed straight back to our cabin to look out our window at the rough seas and then right to bed! The water was a bit rough at the beginning (Yaaaaay for me!!), but fortunately (for Pam) it settled down after a couple hours and we both slept like babies all the way to Split!

We only had one day in Split, but I felt like since I'd been there a couple times before I really didn't want to hang out there much longer, and Pam agreed.... It's a nice enough place, but not someplace to hang out for days unless you're really into partying or planning on using it as a home-base for day tours!! We enjoyed some time on the Riva looking out at the water and the ships (the usual ferries plus a LOT of yachts that weren't there when I was in Split a few weeks ago!!), and we did a bit of sight-seeing in the historical area nearby. 

Mostly, we enjoyed wandering around the market that was just outside Diocletian's Palace walls (and some inside the walls) - fresh fruits and veggies, homemade "rounds" of bread and cheese, and cured Croatian ham (similar to Italian prosciutto, but not quite as good (we decided)....or maybe it was just the batch we got that tasted a bit too much like raw meat.....ewwww)!! Overall, wandering around the market and sitting on the Riva (once for coffee and pastries - then once again in the evening to enjoy the beautiful sunset and a glass of wine) were the highlights of our time in Split.

We weren't sure how long we'd want in Split prior to arriving there (Pam wanted to "get a feel" for the place and we wanted to see how we felt after the ferry ride before deciding), so we booked our next destination once we felt we'd seen what there was to see!! Overall, I've enjoyed the "let's figure out our next step as we go" process of our journey, but it sometimes means spending extra time booking the next step....bus, AirBnb, etc. This one was made a BIT more challenging because for some reason (still not sure why), Pam's iPad would pick up the WiFi signal, but my tablet wouldn't even pull it up for me to sign in!! Fortunately, I DID find an unsecure WiFi signal I was able to use - but only if leaned up against the kitchen window (and sometimes I had to stick my tablet outside the window to get it to "catch" so I could continue using it)!! But, it all worked and we got our trip to Mostar booked - which I've already told you about and am happily remembering even as I type!!

We made it to the bus station with plenty of time to spare (enough time for a couple "white coffees" - aka American lattes) then endured a VERY long and somewhat frightening journey on the bus (sitting in the front seat so Pam could keep an eye on the overly-zealous bus driver who insisted on driving WAY above the speed limit and passing random cars in order to make up time)!! 

At one point (unbeknownst to us until it happened), we had to switch buses - baggage and all!! I grabbed my backpack and headed for the other bus to make sure we got good seats (which didn't happen, but oh well - it wasn't that much further to Mostar) when all of a sudden Pam hollered at me about my bag in the luggage compartment! I had loaded both our bags in Split while she got us seats, and I guess she wasn't sure which one was mine (and the luggage/name tag had fallen off) - so my luggage almost went with the other bus....yikes!! Thank goodness she was watching because the "overly-zealous bus driver" had already closed the luggage door and was about ready to leave!! But we got it all resolved and finally settled into the MUCH smoother (and cooler) bus ride the rest of the way.

At one point, we had to go through border control from Croatia to Bosnia, and I dared Pam to take a picture of the sign that said "no picture taking" - she was the one who pointed it out and wanted to take the picture....I just goaded her into doing it and told her I'd take the blame if we got caught!! Fortunately, we didn't get arrested or caught on camera or anything (although we DID get our luggage "randomly searched" on the way back so who knows?!?!) I told her that if this kind of thing keeps happening (aka UK Border issue last time), nobody's going to want to travel with me!!

It seems like that part of our journey was AGES ago, but it's only been a bit more than a week since we left Mattinata! I've said it before and I'll say it again - time seems so different when we travel - in some ways it flies by and in other ways it seems like every day is a week (but in a good way)!! I had originally booked my ticket to return in June, but I think I've reached my limit on travel - for now!! I'll be heading back to South Bend to see that sweet new great-niece of mine that was born a couple weeks ago, celebrate her big sister's third birthday and see how much my darling great-nephews have grown, then head back to Portland to hang with my mom and sisters until I go housesitting in Newport, Oregon for the month of June! 

It just all seems to come together when the time is right, and this journey has shown me time and time again that the right people, places and events show up when I need them - even if the experiences are challenging sometimes, they are always growth-producing and wonderful in the long-run!! I'm sure we'll have more experiences and adventures to write about before we leave next week, and I'll keep ya posted!! (Thanks for "listening" to my overly-rambling dialogue this time.... I might be a bit more uninhibited with my chattiness this time due to the cold medicine I took earlier!!) Until next time....