Meat Platters and Mountain Climbing...
Author: Brandon (Dad)
Time for a little catch up. Following the high of Croatia’s win over Denmark on Sunday night, we took it easy for a couple days. Hung around the house for the most part with brief excursions – to a shopping mall in Srebreno, to Luka for an afternoon swim… stuff like that.
On Wednesday, it was back to our usual hangout, Cavtat. We got to town around lunchtime, grabbed a quick bite to eat and found a nice spot to sit on the rocks and swim. Our swim gave way to another meander along the waterfront, highlighted by a drink or two at some great seaside cafes.
There is one spot in Cavtat, before you get to the billion dollar yachts, where a water polo court sits off the shore. We decided that was a great place to share a glass of wine and watch the local kids play water polo. Before long, a group of 30 or more teenagers showed up and it was obvious they were from the U.S. As a nation, we seem to have a way of making that apparent very quickly. Turns out they were a club team from Southern California and were in town to scrimmage the local club. I talked for a moment to one of the parent chaperones and it turned out they were staying across the border in Herceg Novi. I asked him where they were headed next and he shrugged and said he had no idea. Sounds kind of like our trip.
We ended up for dinner again at Rokotin, our new favorite restaurant. It sits beneath a canopy of trees and gives you an amazing view of the north end of Cavtat and the surrounding mountains. The waiter recognized us and gave us a nod of approval when we ordered the meat platter for two, which was incredibly good.
On Thursday we hopped on an 11:00 am ferry from Cavtat to the island of Lokrum. While it sits just off the shore of Dubrovnik, this place feels a world away. There’s a great history on the island with ancient ruins scattered amongst olive groves, a very nice outdoor restaurant, about 6,000 peacocks, and some great swimming spots (some of which we are told are “for naturalists”). Since I forgot my swimsuit, I thought I’d head to that naturalist beach. Tiffany advised against it. Whatever.
I was also left very impressed by a museum they had dedicated to Richard the Lionheart (England) and the Crusades. Apparently on his way back from one of his trips raising hell in the holy land, Richard’s ship was destroyed in the Adriatic and he washed up on Lokrum. As a thank you to the fine people who received him, he commissioned a church to be built in the area. About 800 years later, Dubrovnik repaid the gift with a museum in his honor.
There was also a big Game of Thrones exhibit on the island, but we haven’t seen that show, so it wasn’t of much interest to me. But give me a museum dedicated to a 12th century English monarch and I AM IN.
Upon our return to Cavtat on the ferry, we grabbed a cappuccino before a return engagement at just about the only eating establishment in Čilipi, the Tata Mata Pizzeria. The server at Tata Mata is very friendly, but deep down I know she’d love to know why we keep showing up. Same goes at the Pemo Supermarket in Čilipi. These Americans just aren’t leaving….
After dinner, I had the privilege to meet with a Konavle legend, Mr. Niko Kapetanić. I reached out to Mr. Kapetanić several years ago when I was getting started on my expansive family tree project. He is the author of about 30 books on genealogy and the history of this region. If you ask anyone around here a question about the area, they will probably know the answer. If they don’t, they’ll tell you Mr. Kapetanić does.
While his English was poor (though much better than my Croatian!), we were able to spend over an hour together. I learned a few things about my family history that I look forward to sharing soon. Additionally, I learned much about this little valley that has certainly tugged on the heart strings of Tiffany and I. Turns out he is the president of the organization that has been in charge of the restoration of Sokol Tower and the walls of Ston. In fact, while we were together he took a call from a minister of Croatia who was working with him to register Sokol (I think it’s Sokol…) as a UNESCO heritage site.
I’ve typed a lot and have only gotten through 2 days. On we go.
We had a nice lunch, wandered around a bit more and stumbled upon the “Cat Museum”. Or as Luke keeps telling us it should be called “Cat Meowseum”. Dude's hilarious. I wish you could have all been there for this one. While the cost was very low (I think 3 euros for all of us), it was simply three small rooms crammed from floor to ceiling with strange pictures and trinkets with cats on them. I took photos of my favorites that I’ll be sure to share somewhere. Probably Facebook. Yeah, that seems like a Facebook post.
Upon our departure from Kotor, we thought we’d visit Perast, a town about 10 miles north. Unfortunately, the hot weather along with almost no shade, made this a quick trip. We grabbed an ice cream and headed back to the friendly confines of Croatia.
Pretty nice day.
Thought about going back in to Cavtat to watch the Belgium/Brazil match, but I think we’re going to lay low tonight in preparation for tomorrow’s clash between Croatia and Russia.
Oh, and Livi’s foot is doing much better. Doesn’t complain about it at all. Wish the same could be said for Luke’s bug bites. Poor little bugger tastes really good to insects.
Until next time…
On Wednesday, it was back to our usual hangout, Cavtat. We got to town around lunchtime, grabbed a quick bite to eat and found a nice spot to sit on the rocks and swim. Our swim gave way to another meander along the waterfront, highlighted by a drink or two at some great seaside cafes.
 |
| Sea urchin free swimming. It's the best. |
There is one spot in Cavtat, before you get to the billion dollar yachts, where a water polo court sits off the shore. We decided that was a great place to share a glass of wine and watch the local kids play water polo. Before long, a group of 30 or more teenagers showed up and it was obvious they were from the U.S. As a nation, we seem to have a way of making that apparent very quickly. Turns out they were a club team from Southern California and were in town to scrimmage the local club. I talked for a moment to one of the parent chaperones and it turned out they were staying across the border in Herceg Novi. I asked him where they were headed next and he shrugged and said he had no idea. Sounds kind of like our trip.
We ended up for dinner again at Rokotin, our new favorite restaurant. It sits beneath a canopy of trees and gives you an amazing view of the north end of Cavtat and the surrounding mountains. The waiter recognized us and gave us a nod of approval when we ordered the meat platter for two, which was incredibly good.
 |
| We ate almost the entire thing. |
On Thursday we hopped on an 11:00 am ferry from Cavtat to the island of Lokrum. While it sits just off the shore of Dubrovnik, this place feels a world away. There’s a great history on the island with ancient ruins scattered amongst olive groves, a very nice outdoor restaurant, about 6,000 peacocks, and some great swimming spots (some of which we are told are “for naturalists”). Since I forgot my swimsuit, I thought I’d head to that naturalist beach. Tiffany advised against it. Whatever.
 |
| The island of Lokrum. |
I was also left very impressed by a museum they had dedicated to Richard the Lionheart (England) and the Crusades. Apparently on his way back from one of his trips raising hell in the holy land, Richard’s ship was destroyed in the Adriatic and he washed up on Lokrum. As a thank you to the fine people who received him, he commissioned a church to be built in the area. About 800 years later, Dubrovnik repaid the gift with a museum in his honor.
There was also a big Game of Thrones exhibit on the island, but we haven’t seen that show, so it wasn’t of much interest to me. But give me a museum dedicated to a 12th century English monarch and I AM IN.
Upon our return to Cavtat on the ferry, we grabbed a cappuccino before a return engagement at just about the only eating establishment in Čilipi, the Tata Mata Pizzeria. The server at Tata Mata is very friendly, but deep down I know she’d love to know why we keep showing up. Same goes at the Pemo Supermarket in Čilipi. These Americans just aren’t leaving….
After dinner, I had the privilege to meet with a Konavle legend, Mr. Niko Kapetanić. I reached out to Mr. Kapetanić several years ago when I was getting started on my expansive family tree project. He is the author of about 30 books on genealogy and the history of this region. If you ask anyone around here a question about the area, they will probably know the answer. If they don’t, they’ll tell you Mr. Kapetanić does.
While his English was poor (though much better than my Croatian!), we were able to spend over an hour together. I learned a few things about my family history that I look forward to sharing soon. Additionally, I learned much about this little valley that has certainly tugged on the heart strings of Tiffany and I. Turns out he is the president of the organization that has been in charge of the restoration of Sokol Tower and the walls of Ston. In fact, while we were together he took a call from a minister of Croatia who was working with him to register Sokol (I think it’s Sokol…) as a UNESCO heritage site.
I’ve typed a lot and have only gotten through 2 days. On we go.
Today we drove to another country and back. You wouldn’t really know it, but the Montenegro border is only about 15 miles or so away from our house in Čilipi, so we decided to drive down to Kotor, an historic tourist destination about 90 minutes away. We got an early start and made it through the border crossing very quickly.
As soon as we hit Montenegro, the scenery seemed to change. Where Croatia feels somewhat polished and proud, Montenegro was a bit rough around the edges. The war felt much closer in Montenegro.
Our drive wound us around the Bay of Kotor, an absolutely breathtaking stretch of highway that swings you through the “southern-most fjord in Europe”. At least, I think that’s the claim I saw. If there’s another fjord in Europe, farther south than Kotor, I do hope someone will let me know.
Upon arrival in Kotor, we were blown away by the beauty of this little walled city. It was like Dubrovnik, but smaller and with far less people. Score one for Kotor!
Where I said Montenegro seems a bit rough around the edges in the little towns just across the border, they definitely put their best foot forward in Kotor. The architecture was incredible and around just about every corner was a musician set up playing music. We were serenaded to an amazing version of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal at breakfast by four guys on violins. They probably weren’t all violins, but at this point, I don’t really care. It was amazing.
We did a little coffee, then Tiffany pretty much looked around for the tallest mountain she could find and said, “let’s go climb that”. It was EXTREMELY hot and at about 30 minutes straight up and 30 back down, I completely sweat through the very handsome plaid shirt I was wearing. So now I’m the owner of a bright green t-shirt that says “Kotor, Montenegro”.
To be fair, the payoff from the climb was absolutely amazing. I’m sure I’ll be posting photos from our trip up to the Fortress in my ongoing attempt to make all my friends and family jealous.
One funny thing about this area, compared to the U.S., is that alcohol rules are much more relaxed. About every five minutes on our walk up, you’d find a scruffy guy sitting next to an ice chest offering to sell you water, soda, or beer. My favorite was near the top where a couple of girls who couldn’t have been more than 15 were selling beers while sitting on a ledge that featured a pretty decent drop down the other side. I resisted the urge to slam a big beer, but I was certainly thirsty when we arrived back at sea level.
As soon as we hit Montenegro, the scenery seemed to change. Where Croatia feels somewhat polished and proud, Montenegro was a bit rough around the edges. The war felt much closer in Montenegro.
Our drive wound us around the Bay of Kotor, an absolutely breathtaking stretch of highway that swings you through the “southern-most fjord in Europe”. At least, I think that’s the claim I saw. If there’s another fjord in Europe, farther south than Kotor, I do hope someone will let me know.
Upon arrival in Kotor, we were blown away by the beauty of this little walled city. It was like Dubrovnik, but smaller and with far less people. Score one for Kotor!
Where I said Montenegro seems a bit rough around the edges in the little towns just across the border, they definitely put their best foot forward in Kotor. The architecture was incredible and around just about every corner was a musician set up playing music. We were serenaded to an amazing version of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal at breakfast by four guys on violins. They probably weren’t all violins, but at this point, I don’t really care. It was amazing.
We did a little coffee, then Tiffany pretty much looked around for the tallest mountain she could find and said, “let’s go climb that”. It was EXTREMELY hot and at about 30 minutes straight up and 30 back down, I completely sweat through the very handsome plaid shirt I was wearing. So now I’m the owner of a bright green t-shirt that says “Kotor, Montenegro”.
To be fair, the payoff from the climb was absolutely amazing. I’m sure I’ll be posting photos from our trip up to the Fortress in my ongoing attempt to make all my friends and family jealous.
One funny thing about this area, compared to the U.S., is that alcohol rules are much more relaxed. About every five minutes on our walk up, you’d find a scruffy guy sitting next to an ice chest offering to sell you water, soda, or beer. My favorite was near the top where a couple of girls who couldn’t have been more than 15 were selling beers while sitting on a ledge that featured a pretty decent drop down the other side. I resisted the urge to slam a big beer, but I was certainly thirsty when we arrived back at sea level.
 |
| I think this guy caught me taking a photo of him. |
We had a nice lunch, wandered around a bit more and stumbled upon the “Cat Museum”. Or as Luke keeps telling us it should be called “Cat Meowseum”. Dude's hilarious. I wish you could have all been there for this one. While the cost was very low (I think 3 euros for all of us), it was simply three small rooms crammed from floor to ceiling with strange pictures and trinkets with cats on them. I took photos of my favorites that I’ll be sure to share somewhere. Probably Facebook. Yeah, that seems like a Facebook post.
Upon our departure from Kotor, we thought we’d visit Perast, a town about 10 miles north. Unfortunately, the hot weather along with almost no shade, made this a quick trip. We grabbed an ice cream and headed back to the friendly confines of Croatia.
 |
| Well done, Montenegro. Well done. |
Pretty nice day.
Thought about going back in to Cavtat to watch the Belgium/Brazil match, but I think we’re going to lay low tonight in preparation for tomorrow’s clash between Croatia and Russia.
Oh, and Livi’s foot is doing much better. Doesn’t complain about it at all. Wish the same could be said for Luke’s bug bites. Poor little bugger tastes really good to insects.
Until next time…
Luke,,so sorry to hear that you are getting so many bug bites. Mosquitoes have arrived in Atascadero, so I can relate. I can't even go outside in the evening or early morning.
ReplyDeleteCat Meowseum, classic!
ReplyDelete