Sailing the Adriatic - Part One

S and I just returned from an amazing holiday in Croatia with our good friends from Australia - Erin, Chris, Liz and Megan.  We were so lucky to be able to meet up with our friends who arrived from both Australia and Saudi Arabia and that we hadn't seen for months.

This was a long awaited holiday.  We had been talking about it since mid way through last year.  It finally happened...we sailed the Dalmatian Coast and the Adriatic Sea in Croatia!!!

Our journey began very early a few Fridays ago when we arrived in the very tropical port town of Split.  Split is the second largest city in Croatia and the people of Split think of themselves as very trend conscious and glam.  E had been incredibly sick the week before so we took it easy on Friday strolling around the Old Town.  Believe it or not, Split was founded by the Roman emperor Diocletian in AD295.  It had a very Italian and roman feel.  The most impressive site was Diocletian's Palace which is now made up of cafes and shops.  We also found the giant statute of Gregory of Nin (a 10th century bishop).  Tradition claims that if you rub the statues toe, a wish will be granted. 

On Saturday, we boarded our boat for our week long sailing trip down the Dalmatian Coast.  We were lucky enough to only have 20 people on a boat with a capacity of 40.  We were also delighted to find that we had a double bed, private shower and toilet, a huge sun deck on which to laze and a bar with staff that made yummy cocktails (Sex on the Beach and Pina Colada were the best). 
Every day we would wake to find that we had left our last port and were sailing to our next unknown destination.  It was such a great feeling being in the middle of the sea not knowing exactly where you are or where you are going next.  It was also so peaceful - often we would not see another boat for hours.

We would sun bake on the top deck for hours, watching the amazing scenery go by, reading and chatting.  Captain would drop anchor in an isolated cove and we would swim and float in the most crystal clear water we have ever seen.  Then the crew would ring the bell to signal lunch.  Lunch comprised of three courses and the food was absolutely delicious.

After lunch we would arrive into a new port and spend the afternoons exploring the towns.  Each one was different but each had the same common calm and relaxed feel.

We would then have cocktails and delicious dinners followed by some serious partying and dancing.  The beach towns of Croatia are known to be heaven for the party animal. 

This was our typical day for seven days - what bliss.

There are a number of things which stood out for us about this country.  We didn't have too many expectations about Croatia itself but we were blown away.  Here are some things that we loved about Croatia:

1. The food.  The Croatians are serious about their food.  We ate so much fresh seafood.  Usually a whole grilled fish or fresh grilled calamari.  The food also had a rather Italian influence and the pastas and risottos were also great.  We also loved a Croatian desert which consisted of rolled crepes with marmalade in the middle - yum.
2. The crystal clear blue water.  The Dalmatian Coast has some of the clearest blue sea in the Mediterranean.  By clear we mean that you could see the bottom of the ocean.
3. The attractive towns and rich culture.  Croatia has an amazing history and a very turbulent one at that.  In fact, Croatia has only been a free state three times in its history. 

So what else did we do....

Split to Makarska

Our first stop was to go white water rafting in-land from the beach town of Makarska.  What an experience this was.  The river was fairly calm but we did experience some great white water runs (and some pretty narrow ones too).  Safety was definitely not a concern.  Teddy (our instructor) sat at the back of the raft directing us, telling us to row faster, while sipping on a tin of beer!  S failed to follow instruction down one particularly tight run and we ended up getting stuck on a rock - Teddy was not happy.  At one stage, we floated down the icy river looking at the cliffs on either side (outside of the raft).

That evening we had a beautiful dinner (grilled whole fish) and Teddy told us a little bit about the Yugoslav War.  Only 15 years ago, it is still very clear in the minds of the Croats.

After dinner we went to two bars.  One was inside a cave on the water front.

Makarska to Mljet

Day 2 saw us sailing past some beautiful scenery to Mljet.  At Mljet we visited the Mljet National Park which had two large lakes with aqua blue water.  The National Park was beautiful and relaxing.  It was clearly a place that the Croatians came to visit on the weekends.
That evening we had a party on deck as we watched the first of the amazing sunsets we would see that week.

As the sun was setting the boys decided that they would jump off the front of the boat we were moored next to (it was roughly 8 metres high).  S, not wanting to miss out, jumped but ended up standing on a sea urchin as he got out. At the time of writing this post, he still has 3 barbs stuck in his foot.  Apparently they make their own way out of your system...here's hoping!

Up next....Part 2 of Sailing the Adriatic.

Some photos of our first few days sailing Croatia below.

E&S
xoxo

Split - Old Town - Walls of Diocletians Palace

Setting sail from Split

First beers

  

Jumping off the boat

Mljet National Park

Mljet Port

Shaney jumping off the Liberty boat

Sunsets in Mljet

Cruising the Adriatic

Relaxing with a book - what a life!

La Dolce Vita....our adventures in Cinque Terre!

In August, S and I took a hard earned break and went to Cinque Terre (on the Italian Riveria) with good friends Bridge and Mark and Evan and Pip.  Evan and Pip are travelling around the world for 6 months and met us in Italy.  It was so wonderful catching up.
This had to be one of our favourite holiday locations ever.  I would rate it in my top 5!

Cinque Terre is absolutely amazing!  It is made up of five seaside villages which you can walk/hike between.  Those being - Montorosso, Venezza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.  We stayed in the largest village - Montorosso.

Cinque Terre is where the Italian's spend their summer vacations.  It was bliss being surrounded by the sound of Italian (and not that of an English/Australian/American tourists!).

We arrived into Montorosso on Sunday afternoon to a balmy 40 degrees.  It was damn hot.  Usually we would be able to handle the heat but having spent almost six months in London, it was a rude shock.

We found our apartment and immediately located a restaurant where we had beers and fresh bruchetta while we waited for Pip and Evan to arrive on their train. Once the guys had arrived, we decided that the crystal clear blue water was too inviting so we headed for the beach.  Italian beaches are much the same as French beaches - they hardly have sand. Their equivalent is pebbles or even sharp rocks.  But the water was amazing and so relaxing.

The villages in Cinque Terre are made up of colourful worn buildings down alley ways designed to escape the heat.  The colours were amazing especially against a stark blue sky.

For dinner on Sunday we ventured into the Old Town of Montorroso and feasted on traditional Italian pastas and pizzas and carafes of red wine. On our stroll back to the hotel we found everyone letting lanterns drift into the water. We also stumbled across some samba/tango dancers which were amazing to watch.  Couples of all ages were dancing passionately in the cool summer breeze.  We will never forget that night.

We rose early the next day, had a quick espresso and headed for the first hike.  We have since learnt that this walk is the one that shouldn't be done in the order in which we did it.  It was steep, narrow, consisted of about 600 stairs and it was stinking hot with no breeze.  Not to mention the fact that it took 2.5 hours.  But the views were incredible especially when we entered Vernazza - the next village.  We treated ourselves with another swim and another awesome lunch.  This time we tried a traditional Cinque Terre pasta made with Pesto.  Cinque Terre is actually the home of pesto and it was amazing!!!

We then feasted on gorgeous gelati (apple, hazelnut, pistachio - our favourites) and decided to catch the train to the next town (Manorola) to have a look around and you guessed it another drink. After that we walked to Riomaggiore which was a very flat, easy 30 minute walk.  The walk is actually called the Lovers Walk and all the way along are messages to lovers and locked padlocks.  Riomaggiore was just stunning and we found another secluded "beach" to have a swim.  We stayed in Riomaggiore for dinner and it was incredible! I had a Lobster Pasta and S had a seafood risotto and we shared the most amazing tiramasu.  This was our standout dinner for sure - we laughed because we were so hot and sweaty in our hiking clothes sitting in a fancy restaurant having the most amazing meal.

On Tuesday we decided to have a relaxing day and stayed in Montorosso for a swim (it had the best beach), daiquiris and another delicious lunch.  S and I decided to check out the Old Town some more while the others had siestas.  We then met everyone in Manarola for a swim.  Manorala had to be the best place to swim as you looked up at the village high on the cliff and swam around large rocks and sapphire blue water.

We had a very interesting evening on Tuesday night. We thought it would be good to have dinner at Corniglia.  Little did we know that Corniglia was one of the only villages that sat high on top of a cliff.  A massive 365 stair climb high (one for each day of the year). We arrived at about 9pm and realised that the hike up in the dark was only going to leave us an hour before we had to catch the last train.  So we trudged back to the station where we had to wait for our train that got delayed and then delayed again. The station was deserted except for a crazy drunk man that kept bashing the walls until the alarms went off.  This really wasn't necessary considering the train stations let out an annoying bell without provocation everytime a train arrives or is on its way.  We played games in the cool air and ended up eating at a beach side restaurant in Montorroso.

On our last day, we decided to have a relaxing breakfast and then give Corniglia (our last town) another chance.  It did not disappoint.  It was the quaintest by far and the least touristy.  The views over the coast were unbelievable.  We could see miles of mountainous vineyards and crystal clear blue water.  After walking the narrow, cool streets we retired for our last lunch together - I had yet another local pesto.

Bridge, Mark, S and I decided to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa before we boarded our flight back home.  Pisa was a massive town but had a very dodgy strange feeling about it.  It seemed like a ghost town until you got to the tourist area around the tower.  Seeing the Tower itself was amazing and surreal.  It really is on a large angle.

Something that always strikes me about Italy is how much it lives up to its Italian stereotypes - the accents, the culture, the food, the people. What an amazing treasure of a place it is and what an absolutely amazing sun and food filled holiday we had.  

A few pictures, which do not give it justice, below.

E&S
xoxo

Liquid Gold...


This little coffee shop, my friends, is a life saver in a big City filled with rubbish coffee.

I never realised how much Australians were coffee snobs.  It seems to be a goal of many Australians living in London to find the best coffee in the city.  In fact, most of the cafes you find a good coffee at is probably owned or ran by Aussies.

Whenever you meet an Australian you inevitably enter into discussions about where you had a great coffee.

Monmouth Coffee has to be the BEST coffee I have had in this city.  It has a shop in Covent Garden and one in Borough Markets.  The milk is velvety soft and the coffee tastes like proper strong coffee instead of burnt to the shitter airy milk and weak as crap coffee shots.

Argh for the love of Monmouth Coffee Co!

This weekend we are going to try a cafe named Brill which my Melbourne friends tell me is pretty damn good.

E&S

xoxox

Am-stellar-Dam

Last weekend we went to Amsterdam!!!

It really is one of the best places to visit - so unique and different, relaxed and quaint.  E has a dutch colleague at work who gave us lots of tips about the best places to visit.

We left work early on Friday and arrived in Amsterdam at about 7pm (it was only a 50 min flight from London Gatwick). We had made a reservation at a trendy European restaurant called Brasserie Harkema (which had amazing bread and olive oil) and had a lovely romantic dinner.  We then had a nice beverage in the Leidesplein - a square filled with cafes and restaurants which was full of life.
On Saturday, we decided to rise early to make the most of the best weather we were going to have that weekend.  We were surprised to find that the streets were relatively empty at 9.30am.  We were able to have the most relaxing stroll through the canals of Amsterdam...admiring the house boats and the wonky gorgeous buildings.  We then recalled why the streets were so empty.  Amsterdam goes off at night time and the town is lit up in neon lights.  Everyone was still too hung over or tripped out still to be up and about.

We spent most of Saturday exploring the area known as the Naarden Straats (or nine streets).  The area is made up of nine streets joint by little bridges over the canals.  We drank coffee, shopped in the cute boutiques and quirky stores and ate and drank some more.  E then found her heaven when we located the Flower Market - a long stretch of stalls selling the most colourful, fresh, full flowers.

On Saturday afternoon, as the weather turned bleak, windy and rainy we took an enclosed cruise on the canals.  We learnt an awful lot about some of the history of the buildings and the area (including the fact that Amsterdam was originally known as Amstelladam after one of its canals and that the city is inhabited by 50% foreigners).  We braved the wind and the rain on Saturday night for S's first experience of the Red Light District (which lasted a mere 15 minutes and we got lost in the process). After dinner we decided to have a relaxing night in the hotel.  The weather was nowhere near as welcoming as our cosy hotel room.

On Sunday we woke (as expected) to gale force wind and rain so we decided to hit the Van Gough Museum. Apparently everyone else had the same idea but sneakily we managed to buy pre-paid tickets up the road and bypassed the massive line waiting in the rain.  The museum did not disappoint.  We both love Van Gough's artwork - every single one.

We spent the rest of the afternoon snuggled up in a cafe eating frites and mayonnaise, drinking beer and coffee.

We love Amsterdam for its uniqueness - the laid back feel, the trendiness, the millions of bikes left on the side walks, the wafts of weed you smell as you walk past a cafe or even a person, its wonky unique buildings and its frites with mayonnaise. Despite the horrific weather we managed to have a pretty stellar time!