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Monday, September 3rd, Šibenik, Croatia
Exploring a small section of the central
Dalmatian coast of Croatia over the past few weeks has provoked some conflicting
impressions of the country. Stunningly beautiful, markedly different from
Italy, France and Spain, unpredictable in many ways, we haven't yet attained a
comfortable feeling about Croatia. Although most everyone speaks English,
the Croatian language is completely unintelligible to us, making it difficult to
penetrate beyond the most superficial impressions to get a deeper understanding
of what makes the place tick. I have also been less diligent in learning
about the history of the area, which certainly doesn't make it any easier.
Surprisingly, cruising Croatia is more expensive than any other place in Europe
so far. Following years of a devastating civil war, we are sympathetic to
the desire to make up for lost revenue, but some of the methods employed for
raising cash definitely rub us the wrong way.
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The dockside entertainment watching the charter
boat swap on Friday in Split was only slightly more entertaining than the
fearless firefighting spectacle we witnessed in Starigrad last week.
Burning just the other side of the mountain, a brush fire threatened to descend
upon the city. Luckily, the helicopters and planes managed to get the
blaze under control before it encroached upon the city and its inhabitants.
Seemingly a small incident, after reading the recent news full of devastating
fires in Greece and other parts of Croatia, we knew it could turn dangerous at a
moment's notice.
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Further entertainment was provided, in honor of
Rike's birthday, by the four girls. They set up an elaborate stage with a
curtain they could raise and lower, music, card tricks and a couple of skits.
Rike glowed, saying it was her best birthday ever.
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We were anxious to do a little exploring and
took the opportunity to move north with a strong southerly sirocco, on Thursday.
Zia and Cenou made great time and wound up sailing all the way to the entrance
of the Krka River in time to complete the 10 mile trip up the river to the
Krka National Park before
nightfall. Featuring waterfalls, intricate water-powered mills, and
winding wooded paths, the park provided a lovely departure from our normal
cruising environment. The brackish water of the river reminded us of our
home waters of the Chesapeake.
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Making the most of our day exploring, and the
almost forgotten sensation of walking through a densely wooded forest, we also
enjoyed a dip in the waters at the base of the falls.
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We watched a couple of daredevils, obviously
locals who knew the lay of land well, dive from the top of the lowest falls into
the waters below, wishing we could do the same.
We also had some unexpected surprises that left
a bit of a bad taste in our mouths. Knowing in advance that the entrance
to the park wasn't cheap, we paid the daily fee of $16 per person without
complaint. Actually, the price is slightly reduced for the kids so it
totaled $58 for the day for the four of us. Naturally, our first stop
inside the park grounds was the bathrooms. Plastered on the wall, a
sign proclaimed the fee for using the restroom: 4 kuna each, or about 80 cents.
This was not some nice old lady sitting outside the bathroom, offering paper
towels and toilet paper in exchange for a small tip. I hate to sound
cheap, but give me a break. It felt like a real slap in the face.
"We know we can get away with this because you have to use the bathrooms so we
are going to squeeze every last dime out of you that we can." I am sure
that I would not have noticed it if they had charged an extra buck for the entry
fee but there was no way to avoid the unpleasant feeling of being fleeced now.
Along the same lines, Croatia is the only
country we have ever heard of that charges boats to anchor. Twice Eleven
pulled into the nearest harbor after surviving (unscathed) a nasty isolated
thunderstorm with sustained winds between 50 and 60 knots. At about
8pm when it was too dark for them to do anything about it, a boat pulled up to
them and demanded payment for anchoring there: $32 for a 43 foot monohull.
They managed to negotiate a reduction in the price by promising to send an email
to the officials complaining about the fee. The harbormaster wasn't happy
about it either because "nobody comes here anymore." Upon entering the
country, we happily paid our $350 for a yearly cruising permit. If you
pull into a marina or tie up to a mooring ball you expect to pay a fee, but
anchoring along normal coastline, not within national park grounds or protected
areas, should not cost you a dime.
Anxious to overcome some of these negative
feelings, we are keeping an open mind. The country emerged from a
devastating civil war only 15 years ago. The agony of those years is
certainly still a huge influence on the attitudes and feelings of everyone.
Tourism is a wonderful source of income, but it will not continue to thrive
unless officials take a more long term perspective.
Undeterred, Rike and I went back to the Krka
National Park the next afternoon for a long walk. Along with some stunning
views, we found a bathroom with a different notice plastered to the wall.
"This bathroom is free of charge." Boy did I enjoy that pee!
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After three nights at anchor (free of charge)
outside the park, Cenou took off to meet friends arriving in a few days in
Split, and Zia and Twice Eleven cruised together down the river to the town of
Šibenik. Twice Eleven, plagued by engine issues, made for the marina while
Zia scouted around for an anchorage from which we could explore the town.
The cathedral was reputed to be worth the visit. Not finding an anchorage
close enough for the dinghy ride into town, we decided to pull up alongside the
seawall directly beneath the cathedral. We weren't sure what to expect
from the harbormaster but were pleasantly surprised and are happily tied up for
$50 a night, with a free wi-fi signal to boot. It is an unpleasant feeling
to always be wary of the "gotcha" around every corner. It isn't always
there and you can wind up feeling like a real jerk.
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The weather forecasts are calling for a
bora to hit the area starting Tuesday
afternoon. This is the Adriatic's version of the mistral,
a strong and unpredictable northerly wind that can be quite dangerous. We
wanted to spend a little time in the
Kornati National Park
before returning to Split to meet my parents on the ninth, but it will have to
wait. Looking at the weather, given the fact the our current location is
relatively safe in the bora, we'll be able to get on and off the boat easily,
and the town is beautiful with lots of places to explore, we decided to stay put
until the wind dies down. Oh, and did I mention the free wi-fi signal?
We'll take the opportunity over the next few
days to learn a little more about our current country of residence. After
all, ignorance is the root of all evil. There is so much that we are
enjoying about Croatia that it seems worth the effort to come to terms with the
more challenging aspects of being here. The culture, food and even the
stature of the people are quite different from what we have experienced so far,
despite the relatively small distances we have traveled to get here.
Western Europe was an easier adjustment than Croatia. Can we figure it out
in the next few weeks before we leave?
Next Entry>>>>>>>>>
Many thanks to our friend Craig Homenko for his assistance in setting up the website.
We also would like
to thank our buddy Scott Brunner who has been kind
enough to host the website on his server.
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