Sunday, October 30, 2011

Joining In with the locals

It is great day: 18C, about 66F.

We rented a pedal boat at the Maestral resort. The bay was calm (one foot swells) so we pedaled across and back to town in an hour. It was a good workout...probably 3 miles. It was a very nice boat and fun to be out on the Adriatic. The water is very clear and aqua color. Some kids were swimming and we talked with their Dad. They are from Ireland and own an apartment in Novigrad.

Had another great pizza for lunch with ham and artichokes .

In the evening, we went to the Italian Club for the 7th annual cake contest. We were Paola's guests, although we were noticed as Americans. There were at least 40 homemade items from local bakers and as far away as Umag. I was in heaven...lots of sweets. We earned it after all the pedaling. Good free white Istrian wine, too.

Met Paola's husband - he looks like Kevin Spacy. Our neighbor, another Ticijana, the one I wave to when opening the shutters, came up to me and we struggled through a fun conversation.

Several women said they wanted to come to our little class, so we'll see who shows up Tuesday. One picture is of the winner of the contest and one with Paola, who is in our class and director of the Italian center. Also met the woman who did all the neat decorations and flower arrangements.

We made a big mistake...removed the last of pictures from the camera instead of importing them. Will just have to remember the paddle boat ride and the cake contest ! Hopefully, we reenacted the paddle boat picture today, but the cake contest ones have gone to picture heaven.

Sunday afternoon 4pm, we watched the championship soccer game between Croatia and Belgium. The players were in their 20s, so probably semi-pro teams. Most likely a regional finals. The final score: Belgium 4, Croatia 3; but, With less than 20 minutes remaining, Croatia came back from down 3-0. Unfortunately, Belgium slipped in another score with less than two minutes to win.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Around Town

Today we explored more of Novigrad...the lapidarium and one of two resorts.

The Lapidarium, if you've never been to one, is a museum of antiquity, lots of old stonework. In this case, going back as far as the first century through 18th c, including church altar pilasters, decorative wall objects, parts of tablets, and window lattice work.

There is also work of current local artists, one in particular that Mom liked..."a gorgeous hunk" named Mujo Androvic. His artwork is unusual, but he's a "work of art" himself. The Lapidarium was built in 2006 and the people of Novigrad are very proud of it.

In the afternoon, we walked to the Maestral (warm southern wind) Hotel **** just outside of the old town. (The other hotel, Laguna (clear blue waters), is ***.) They have 25 clay tennis courts, all in great condition. Only a few were in use for a round-robin tournament, as it's late in the season. Obviously, tennis is a big draw along with the beautiful Adriatic steps away.

They also have 6 outdoor ping pong tables. Yes, we played, and Mom won 6 out of 7 games...some weren't even close. There's a large outdoor swimming pool, biking, paddle boating, volleyball, soccer, miniature golf, and a trampoline, all pretty much for summer use.

The hotel itself is quite new, but austere, with a health club and spa, restaurant and bars. If we read it correctly, the spa offers Botox treatments. The typical hotel/resort stuff, but I'm impressed because it's in a country that was in civil war only 20 years ago in 1991. Of course, tourism is a major industry here now and most things have been cleaned up and repaired.

Novigrad faces west across the Adriatic and enjoys beautiful sunsets, and so do we!

Dinner at Tabasco was a great pasta dish with truffles. We didn't have any fish due to a language misunderstanding with the owner/chef, and we were completely full anyway.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Walking the winding streets October 28,2011

Falling into bit of a daily routine, but still finding some unexplored streets in the old town. Opening the big old shutters on our windows to start the day. Several "neighbors" lean out of their windows and rest on pillows to watch the people on the street. Cute.

Had a great pizza for lunch the other day sitting right by the Adriatic along a street called Riverella, like Riviera. There are some very nice homes on this street. Quite a setting. Hoping for a few more sunny, nice days before gloom sets in.

Only Ticijana, aka "Tilly", came to our class last night. (The letter "j" is pronounced like a "y", so Jana is said as Yana.) She is the least adept in English, so we were able to hopefully help her two on one ! Lots of laughs when she would say the Croatian words for us.

I think I'm going to call Dick the Croatian words for husband, which is "bracni drug". Just so you know, the Croat word for wife is "supruga" or "zena", like super or Catherine Zena Jones. One of the parks in town is named after a woman soldier, Irma Bencic. She died in 1943 in WW II, a respected hero of the town.

We have an iPad app that translates English to Croatian, and vice versa. Sometimes the translation results in some unusual words both ways. It's easy to use and gives us a way to discuss different words.

Saturday night we have been invited to music and a cake contest at the Italian Center, where we conduct our English classes . Big night out !

This morning Mom gave me my first European haircut, a little longer than usual. I'm beginning to feel like an Italian Croat.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Our First Bus Trip...to Pula

Wednesday, October 26

Got up early today to take bus to Rovinj at 9:10am. Discovered bus doesn't stop in Rovinj, so we rode all the way to Pula, about 1-1/2 hours. Passed by the Limpski Canal, aka a fjord by some (photo).

Pula is a coastal city, a major port. It is best known for it's intact 1st century amphitheater/coliseum (photos). It is said to be more intact than the one in Rome. We surmised where the lions, gladiators and poor victims entered the arena. There are a few other Early Roman structures as well (photo) including the Temple of Augustus Ceasar.

We are caught in a downpour and have to slosh to a family restaurant where it's dry and warm. The food is quite good, too. It is part of a very nice hotel. We gave a boost to American honesty when we pointed out they had not charged us for some seafood risotto .

Rain has stopped. Only a few other places to see. The Cathedral and the Roman
Theater (photos). Of course had some gelato on the way back to the bus. Back home by 8:00pm. Very nice bus.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Biking Istria October 23rd

The bells called us to church and then we packed a lunch and went off biking. Another great day. A very beautiful town where we stopped for a cappuccino was Brtonigia. Rode through many olive orchards and vineyards. Enjoyed another great sunset near our home.
Took another morning ride on Monday,October 24th before returning the bikes. Checked out the bus station and ready for another mode of transportation.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

On the "Road" Again

Saturday, October 23

Another good biking day. We left Novigrad around 1:00pm and didn't get back until 6pm. We biked about 30km (18.5 miles) and returned pretty tired. The "road" covered quite a variety of conditions. Everything from paved highways, gravel roads along the river Mirna which empties into the Adriatic, steep one- lane roads, and tractor paths.

Istria has set up a pretty sophisticated biking (mountain bike and road bike) program with three levels of difficulty. We have taken the green or easiest routes for mountain bikes. Even so, we at one point climbed 150m (over 450 feet) within a mile distance. Admittedly, we walked most of that distance pushing the bikes. At the end of the climb, we were greeted by a small church and a goat farm.

We passed through numerous small villages, and past olive groves, vineyards. we saw a bride and groom coming out of a church in Nova Vas (or Villanova or New Village). It cooled down around 4pm, but we continued along Trail #7 all the way to Fiorini, then followed a highway back to Novigrad. On the side of the road we saw what look like lots of tennis balls. They are actually some kind of fruit fallen from branches.

Most towns here have the Croatian name and the Italian equivalent; so, Novigrad and Cittanova, Nova Vas or Villanova. The Italian version sounds more romantic, doesn't it?

After a pretty strenuous day, we treated ourselves to dinner at Tobasco kornoba, just a few doors down Bolnicki, our street. We had eaten sea bass here last November, 2010.

Beletic is the owner/chef. This time we had sole (no sea bass was available) with potatoes and spinach. It was fried in the fireplace. The konoba (Taverna) is closed during week at this time of year so Beletic can help his father harvest olives.

We had a friendly neighbor at the table next to us who came to visit us, Lily, a spaniel, with her Italian parents.

Really a great day! Dick was a super map reader. We saw some beautiful large birds when we were riding near the river. It is so stimulating to see different sights and try to figure out sayings and signs. Dinner was special and quite reasonable. After next week-end, Beletic may close so we will have to go back for sea bass and truffle noodles.

We received our first phone - not counting Fidelity - and it was Matt ! So great to hear his voice. I told him, like "Mission Impossible", his next assignment,u if he chooses to accept it, is dealing with Community Bank in Chicago, since that checkbook is missing, too. He takes it all in stride and just says to enjoy.

Think we figured out the time for church tomorrow is 11am, so we plan on attending before another biking day.

Relaxing for the night, when we began to read our ibook (In the 'Garden of the Beasts' by Erik Larsen) we both developed cramps in our legs, the kind you have to walk out. I guess we biked too much today. We'll cut back tomorrow.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Biking Today

Friday, October 21

We have learned that 'Croatia' is actually spelled Hrvatska in their language, thus the country code is HR. Also, the patron saint of Novigrad is St. Pelagius. The town tower has a statue of him on the top next to the church of St Pelagius and St Maximillian.

Jana, the young woman in the ESL class, works for Simpa phone, a mobile carrier. She meets us at Duska's office where her sister works to give us a free phone. After we buy a SIM card she is able to show how to use the phone and it's number.

We rented a couple of bikes today for three days, 420 HR kuna (HRkn). The weather today is clear and sunny and we hope Saturday and Sunday will also be great for more biking. My bike is a super duper model called "MATT 400" (I'm pointing to the name in the photo.)

We biked out of town heading north along the coast toward the next village of Dajla which is actually a part of Novigrad. It's about 7 km (4 miles) of trails directly along the Adriatc Sea. The water is clear, calm and beautiful blue, but not very warm (maybe 60 degrees) with a few fishing and sail boats on the horizon.

The trail passes through many vineyards and olive tree groves. The grapes have already been harvested, but their are still people picking the olives.

Also, we passed by several "camp sites" with many well maintained, small summer rental cabins. There is a newer resort village, too. It's an interesting mix of old and new tourism styles.

By the time we reach Dajla it has gotten cool and we are tired and my seat hurts. Rather than return via the coast bike trail, we take a paved highway back which is easier terrain and faster. back in town by 3:30, just in time to make a phone call to Fidelity with our new mobile phone.



Thursday, October 20, 2011

Nautical History of Croatia

Wednesday, October 17

Today's learning was a stop in the Nautical Museum. We met Sergio and Nino, the owner and his white Scottie dog. Sergio is quite a guy...an Italian Jew, part Croatian. He's dedicated to his love of history and Croatia's sea adventures. He is a professional photographer, graphic designer and former owner of a toy factory.

His privately-owned museum is quite small, but packed with models of ships, photos, and memorabilia covering several centuries of sea history. The models are works of art made by skill artisans. Sergio spent over an hour telling us stories about Croatia's struggles with various empires...Austro-Hungarian, Italian, Russian.

Even though the museum is closed for the season, he spends some days there on political issues regarding nautical history. We will return another day to see the upstairs displays.

As we walked through the park in the early afternoon, we noticed there were a lot more fishing boats tied up in the harbor. One boat was named 'Chicago'. There were several men on board cleaning the nets. We hard to ask 'why the name?' The owner said he had bought it with name on it. He was very engaging, speaking pretty good English. We asked if we could go out fishing with them some day, to which said 'okay, be here at 2am when we head out'. That's not very likely based on our schedule.

Another Day Living in Novigrad

Wednesday, October 19

Each day we try to learn something about our new home. Some times we are forced to learn like yesterday.

Yesterday's learning experience was how to run the clothes washer/dryer. To start with we didn't know it would dry clothes as well as wash. After lengthy reading and interpreting the manual (in five languages), we figured it out. What a relief! It eliminates needing to air-dry clothes which we were dreading.

Also, I am slowly figuring out how to use the TV and satellite. We can get BBC and World News in English, but nothing else so far. There are no instructions, it's trial and error.

And, We're still trying to figure out how to run the heater. There hasn't been much need so far, but it won't be too long.

Electricity is quite expensive, so knowing how to operate each of these appliances efficiently is important.

And, we seek out a way to get some exercise. Yesterday we took a walk around to the other side of the harbor late in the afternoon. Its about a mile each way. There's a nice park with clay tennis courts and paved trail for biking and jogging. (We hope to rent bikes for a couple of days to take a 35km path along the coast.)

Along the walking path, we found a small area where some archeological digging has taken place, exposing an ancient stone embankment. The town has replicated this as a barrier to the sea on this side.

Tomorrow, Mom will teach ESL at the library...a very nice new building. We met the librarians yesterday. They're excited about the class and have provided a room for us. Duska has arranged for 4-8 students, twice a week.

We downloaded some ESL lesson material from the Internet that will be helpful. Mom has a lesson plan all prepared. We hope to keep the class very informal.

Rainy Day Brings Inside Activity

Today is our first day of rain, but it is warm. Even the fisherman are not going out because of the wind.

After breakfast we headed to the local bank to receive a money transfer from Matt. This will keep us liquid for some time, hopefully until we get a new debit card. A big thanks to Matt for all the time and effort he has put into helping us resolve our financial predicament.

Sandy has her lesson plan for leading tonight's ESL class. I will act as assistant at the whiteboard. We're at the library right now retreating from the rain. Looking around the shelves, they have a small collection of the same books we do.

They have internet connection, but not Wi-fi so the iPad doesn't connect there. Mom used a library computer and found that the keyboard layout is different...eg., the 'y' is where the 'z' is on our layout.

We just finished a light dinner at Restaurant Mandrac (small harbor) after the ESL session. There were four women (Luana, Jana, Paola, Ticijana). We all had a good time sharing experiences and trying to explain English phrases. Everyone is looking forward to next Tuesday's session. We will meet at the Italian House. Paola is the president of this local club.

Jana offered a free mobile to us. All we do is supply the SIM card. She also offered to drive us to Pula next week for a day trip. Like many of the Istrians we have met, she is very thoughtful and helpful.

We are learning a few Croatian words from our students and an iPad app. Will we remember anything? I don't know.

It has turned cooler tonight, but predictions are for good weather on the weekend for biking.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Some Photos

These photos show some scenes in Novigrad. The Italian name for the town is Cittanova. Both mean New City. We learned that there are three towns of the same name in Croatia. Ours is in the province of Istria.

These captions describe each respective photo.

This is the street we live on, Bolnicka #2.
Bolnicka means 'hospital' in Croatian.
In fact, there was a hospital here a couple of centuries ago.
The second line is the Italian street name translation.
'Ospedale' looks more like 'hospital', doesn't it?

Sandy waving from arched kitchen windows.
All other windows have old wooden shutters.
There is lots of sun light in the apartment.

Sunset on the Adriatc Sea after a glass of wine, toasting family and friends.
The bar/restaurant overlooks the harbor, serving mostly fresh seafood.
There are several other similar outdoor venues along this plaza.

A view of the old 'NewTown' from the light house across the harbor.
The water is clear and calm and evidently warm.
During the summer there is a large swimming area.
The buildings are freshly painted in Italian style.
Istria was part of Venice's empire in the 17th century.

The Town Hall just around the corner from our home.
We haven't been inside yet.
One of the flags is Croatia's national. Another is Novigrad's.

Sandy walking on the old stone wall that surrounded the town.
There is a promenade along the Sea beside the wall.
We strolled there and had lunch of bread, cheese, and local beer.
It's very sunny and heats up the stone, making it warm this time of year.

Some Photos

These photos show some scenes in Novigrad. The Italian name for the town is Cittanova. Both mean New City. We learned that there are three towns of the same name in Croatia. Ours is in the province of Istria.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Last day tn Milan

This is our last day in Milan. It was really fun and busy. Started by getting day passes on the Metro and trolleys, so we zipped all around, Ending now with a great dinner very near our place . Plan on stopping for gelato on the way home.There are so many gelato places in this city and as Sherri McKenna can attest in the whole country. It is on to Croatia tomorrow.

We started the Saint Ambrose Basilica. San Ambrosia is the patron saint of Milano. Every city in Italy has a patron saint.

Adjacent to the basilica is the Sanctuary of War Dead. And, just beyond, is the catholic university of the Sacred Heart. We enjoyed a free buffet of OJ, espresso, and sweets there as they were hosting a conference. We crashed the buffet.

A short walk to the San Maris Della Grazie church which houses "The Last Supper", a wall fresco by Leonardo di Vinci...the famous one! We couldn't get in to see it. There are crowds of people who have made reservations. But, the "original" has been practically destroyed due to deterioration, defacing, and bombing.

An interesting couple of factoids...Christ's right temple is the center of perspective, drawing your eyes to him. Also, L di V decided to portray the moment just after Jesus announced "one of you will betray me", causing confusion among the 12 apostles. Thad why there is so much discussion and consternation among them.

Then, we walked to the church of San Lorenzo, the martyr, an eight sided structure that was started in 597AD. There is some confusion as to whether it was intended as a church, but Constantine evidently first gave permission for Christians to practice their religion here.

Next door, we found a wedding reception in progress, the bride Sandra, and the groom, Romeo. We took advantage of some candy they were giving to guests.

Within a short walking distance, we found possibly the only canal in Milan. Several canal boats along shore.

Took our first trolley ride using our one-day ATM pass (not a cash machine, but similar to a bus pass) to a de-consecrated 8-sided convent, now an art gallery. Unfortunately, closed for renovation.

Then, onto a park for some more walking, looking unsuccessfully for Bonaparte's villa. Took trolley the Centrale Tren Stationze, where we will catch the train tomorrow to Venice and Trieste.

At the Metro'd to D'Uomo we find a large group of students protesting the banking system. Then, back to our neighborhood for a nice dinner. Home by 9:30 and ready for bed by 10. Tomorrow we leave by 9am to catch our 10:35 train.

First full day in Novagrad

Monday, October 17, 2011

Nice sunny, rather brisk day. We rearranged furniture in our little place and it is very cute. Lots of laughs just trying to figure out different locks,switches and instructions in a different language.
Spent several hours dealing with card canceling etc. due to Dick's wallet being taken while getting on the Metro in Milan. Thanks to all the positive E-mails from Matt, Sue and Molly we are just forging ahead. It is now up to Fidelity to get money to us !

Novigrad is even better than we remember from last year. The harbor area, the Adriatic and the old part of town (our apt. Bolnicka 2) really are great. There is a beautiful walk right by the water and after taking it we stopped for a drink at an outside cafe, toasted our family and friends and watched a marvelous sunset. Then we came home and had leftovers from last night. Also figured out the hot water heater, so hot showers tonight.

We were quite the sight shopping in the grocery store. Dick kept checking things on a translator app on the IPad, but we still came home with a few strange items.

Listened to Frank Sinatra (on our IPad) and smiled when he said, picked myself up, brushed myself off and joined the race. That is us !

First full day in Novagrad

Monday, October 17, 2011

Nice sunny, rather brisk day. We rearranged furniture in our little place and it is very cute. Lots of laughs just trying to figure out different locks,switches and instructions in a different language.
Spent several hours dealing with card canceling etc. due to Dick's wallet being taken while getting on the Metro in Milan. Thanks to all the positive E-mails from Matt, Sue and Molly we are just forging ahead. It is now up to Fidelity to get money to us !

Novigrad is even better than we remember from last year. The harbor area, the Adriatic and the old part of town (our apt. Bolnicka 2) really are great. There is a beautiful walk right by the water and after taking it we stopped for a drink at an outside cafe, toasted our family and friends and watched a marvelous sunset. Then we came home and had leftovers from last night. Also figured out the hot water heater, so hot showers tonight.

We were quite the sight shopping in the grocery store. Dick kept checking things on a translator app on the IPad, but we still came home with a few strange items.

Listened to Frank Sinatra (on our IPad) and smiled when he said, picked myself up, brushed myself off and joined the race. That is us !

At "Home" in Novigrad

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Yes, we made it to our first home-away-from-home. Everything worked like clockwork (with one exception...the stolen wallet episode). Our apartment is really nice and comfortable, and convenient...of course, Novi is a very small town...everyone knows everyone else.

We had dinner at a good Istrian restaurant...262 Kn (kuna, the local currency) =€37=$46. It was a local mixed meat plate for two. Fish is the specialty of the area as Novigrad is a fishing port. We'll be eating lots of sea food in future days.

I am sitting right now in the town square. The town provides free Wi-Fi outdoors. It's a cool evening and my hands are cold. Mom is making phone calls at Duska's office canceling our Visa and Fidelity cards. We are only able to AmEx because Mom's number is different than mine.





To the D'Uomo

Friday, October 14, 2011

Sleeping last night was easy to start with, but the wind picked up rattling the window "shades" (metal outdoor pull-down used for sun and to keep pigeons from coming in through the window because there are no screens).

We seem to attract early morning trash trucks wherever we travel. They started dumping around 8am (also, some sort of protestors were out on the street), but I managed to sleep until 10am.

Finally got out around 11:30, taking the metro to the D'Uomo in the old town's main piazza. The D'Uomo is a silvery white church with lots of pointed spires. It is currently (probably, always) under renovation. An impressive structure inside and out.

Adjacent is the Galleria, a very large ornate building. It is laid out in a cross shape, 3 or 4 stories high with a translucent glass roof covering the cross. Inside there are many high-end shops and restaurants along the wide walks, kind of a retrofitted shopping plaza.



Sunday, October 16, 2011

On To Croatia

Sunday, October 16

Today was mostly travel...from Milan to Trieste via two train connections, and then onto Novigrad by hired driver...from 10:30am to 5:30pm. It was a lot easier than we thought it would be.

Except that Dick's wallet was stolen as we got on the metro in Milan on our way to the Centrale Tren Statione. We didn't realize it until attempting to buy breakfast at the station. What a surprise and disruption for the start of our adventure. Not only money and credit/debit cards, but online ID's and passwords were in the wallet.

There was a lot of gnashing of teeth during the train rides. We will undoubtedly spend many hours over the next days resolving this situation. This is an unfortunate lesson, but we are okay and determined to continue to have a good time, and to be more cautious.