Our hop around Croatian islands

Until this year, Croatia was the top holiday destination for Czechs - it's now been trumped by Slovakia. After the eighth or ninth Czech friend told us how much they loved Croatia in summertime, we figured we'd better make our way to the Dalmatian Coast. 

With our severe lack of melanin and inability to lay prone for more than an hour without sleeping, we are not particularly beach types. Yet, Roman ruins and fresh fish sounded enticing, so off we went on an island-hopping adventure posted on Chasing the Donkey, a Croatian travel blog.

Split, our first stop, was stunning. We only had a day and a half, so we spent a lot of time wandering around the old town, purchasing a ticket to see Roman Emporer Diocletian's Palace and hitting up a local beach.

Per BW’s request, we took a gander through the Fish Market and the Green Market. I get a kick out of how eager he is to see local food culture everywhere we travel. I do not get a kick out of a fruit peddler trying to sell me overripe figs for ridiculous prices because I am a tourist.

The first spot off the mainland was the island of Vis, which served as a Yugoslav naval base and was cut off to foreigners from 1950 to 1989. I'd found an AirBnB in a former palace (!) that was being renovated painstakingly by hand by the elderly gentleman owner (?!). We happily slept among piles of dusty old antiques.

Our main activity on Vis was renting a motorbike and finding a hidden beach that we had to scale about a kilometer of rock face to get to. (Smarter people took boats.) We also indulged in marinated sardines, shrimp and cuttlefish brodetto at Pojoda, a fresh fish restaurant.

Whereas Vis was cozy and sleepy, our next destination was high-octane decadence. We boated to Hvar Island with a huge Californian family who was in Croatia on holiday with their 80-year-old patriarch, who had been born on Vis. Hvar was a sight to see - all luxury yachts and party bars and modelesque figures stretched out on cabana chairs.

 

Calling Hvar expensive is an understatement; a bottle of sunscreen was over 20 US dollars. So we enjoyed the views, ate in and fell asleep to the sounds of the Adriatic Sea and the incessant "dns dns dns" beats of the beach clubs in the distance.

Our third and final island - Korcula - was our favorite, largely because our friend the Serbian and his daughter spend their summer holidays there and they showed us around. We swam and were gluttonous to our hearts' content, and we got to explore an old church and visit with locals.

The night before we were set to go back to Split, I saw on Facebook that my sister's sister-in-law and her husband were in the city, on their way to new jobs in Poland! We were lucky enough to enjoy a walk on the Split Riva and then meet them and an aunt who had been travelling with them for a fish dinner. A serendipitous event!

We'd hop on Croatia again any time.

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Transitions - big ones!

I saw this quote on a Twitter #edchat recently and it resonated with me:

This Summer has been one of transition on a grand scale. We've traveled as usual, but bigger things have been brewing, things that have made our hearts full but also required a fair amount of emotional and spiritual hardiness.

We've said goodbye to dear friends, as is typical for teaching in an international school environment. It's difficult saying adieu, but we feel incredibly blessed to have met such marvelous personalities, even if only for a short time. (Sorry to those I didn't nab photos of!)

We've moved flats, as our former landlady decided to move back to Prague. It's a shame because we assumed we'd reside in it longer than a year, but we've secured a bigger, brighter one nearby and have nested nicely. There are huge green spaces across the road, good tram connections and loads of cafes - our own little Mayberry in Praha. 

I've changed jobs. Whilst our former school is a special place that does fantastic work with kids, I've been offered a post at another international school that is a significant promotion - it will allow me to use my Ed.S. degree and Administrative license, and to work specifically with staff on Approaches to Teaching and Learning, which is my passion. My students and colleagues were so lovely with send-off notes and well-wishes, and a particular Y12 group even brought a special gift: 

We didn't go home this Summer like we usually do. Instead, we stayed close to our European home (reason below), visiting a couple of within-driving-distance destinations and relaxing at cool Prague spots like the Stalin Cafe/Pub pop-up at Letna Park, at the base of where a statue of Joseph Stalin stood from 1955 to 1962. 

And finally, our biggest transition of the year is... we hope to become parents through adoption! I've hesitated to write about it on the blog because it's so deeply personal and I guess I haven't wanted to to jinx anything as it's a bit precarious undergoing a domestic adoption in the Czech Republic, in a foreign language with unfamiliar legalities. With the help of a supportive translator, a compassionate social worker, helpful friends who've also adopted here, and now a government-appointed adoption advocate, we are on the way. The road has not been without bumps (and paper cuts - the paperwork is massive), but all signs point to an early Spring match at the moment. BW is going to assume the role of full-time dad, which I am grateful that we're able to swing. He is an exceptional nurturer and will be an amazing father. We are so, so blessed to have this opportunity.

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Five-sense Saturday: New nephew edition

The shift from Spring to Summer was packed with enough things to knock our senses right out. Here are some of our oblíbené (favorites):

HEARD:

...Don Giovanni, Mozart's masterpiece, at the Estates Theatre. I'm not one to run the opera - and this one is 3 hours long - but I enjoyed it with girlfriends. The costumes and visuals were stunning; they very much complemented the music.

-from Narodni Divadlo

...a very charismatic (and very pregnant) gal belting out Edith Piaf at Prague's annual French Market. She had a simply incredible voice.

TASTED:

...a lavender crepe from the Dejvické farmers' market. It's laced with lavender syrup, sprinkled with crushed lavender and topped with lavender merengue. 

...the stellar steak tartar at Lokal Stromovka, a Czech chain perched on the edge of our favorite park. BW swears it's the best in Prague. Like all good Czechs, you eat it piled on a piece of fried bread that's been rubbed with a garlic bulb.

SMELLED:

...lots of musty vintage things on board the floating flea market parked at Naplavka on Saturday mornings. No purchases this time, but I did once score an epic leather fanny pack.

...the many bonfires of Čarodějnice, the holiday that burns the winter witches (i.e. piles of wood) to usher in Spring every April 30. On Kampa Island, the burnings were accompanied by fire-dancers.

TOUCHED:

...a generous helping of hail - I'm glad we don't have a car here in Prague, because I imagine dealing with car insurance would've been a nightmare.

...an awful lot of Prague pavement with the pup; we are usually back in the U.S. in the summertime, but not this year. This has given us the chance to play Magellan and explore many corners of the city we love.

SAW:

... The new Viggo Mortensen film "Captain Fantastic" at our favorite movie theatre, the retro Bio Oko - it allows dogs. And has beach chairs. And if you're lucky, you'll run into a block party outside, like the one below.

...our brand-new nephew! Ok, so it has been over FaceTime, but we are thankful for this mode of communication and have logged many sessions trying to get the little guy from Tacoma, WA, to smile. We are so thrilled about this little man and the health and happiness of his mom and dad, too. Definitely the best part of this year :) 

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