Susie's Report No 46

Well !!!!!! Hello to All - It’s been a while since the last report, so here we go.  Greetings from Croatia…..the land of rocks and Rosemary!

 

I started to write this on ANZAC Day, the writers block didn’t know where to start. So I went for a walk - all the locals must of thought what a nutter - she’s walking around with a good size sprig of Rosemary attached to her shirt.( It grows wild everywhere here) We are proud old Australians and, we raised a few glasses to the Diggers that night in their honour…. 

 

Now I digress………

 

March 5th, and our stay in Carnac (France) has come to an end.  Max has returned to reclaim his apartment, he wouldn’t accept that after 4 months we had squatters rights, he said we couldn’t possibly claim that as we had been paying him rent……… Oh well- nice try….

 

So we said our Merci Beaucoup’s and Au Revoir’s to Max, Robin and Sheila, sad to leave Carnac, such a beautiful place.

 

We’ll miss the sunsets from Max’s balcony.

 

 

Robin and Sheila had just purchased an apartment downstairs and have been happily renovating. They hope to buy a van and hit the road for a couple of months a year. So we had many laughs telling them about our mis-adventures and also the really good bits so they didn’t think we’re really silly/nuts lots of the time ?!?…and also Mairie Pierre who lived downstairs, who  was a good friend and helped us with language barriers and advice on medical stuff. Terry's also picked up a terrible cold and cough and is starting to feel wheezy and shortness of breath (especially with the stairs) all 8 levels of them!

 

I digress again…..We also had a lovely Christmas and we even had presents to open from Rosemary, Matt and family, Catherine and family, lots of Australian goodies and stickers for H.H. 

 

New Years was fun with the  downstairs mob. Terry’s birthday another lovely gathering. 

 

 

Australia Day, we dressed Max’s apartment with every Australian item we had (flags flying and looking very colourful) and we feasted on homemade meat pies, sausage rolls and pavlova….Yum….

 

Now back to departing - H.H. was looking particularly good inside and out, he was gleaming and tyres eager to hit the road, his batteries needed a thorough rev up and a good run…. so off we toddle. 

 

We end up at an “Aire” that can take 150 camping cars and as usual, we are the only ones there. Next day “Montlucon” by a lake then onto “Le Puy en Velay. 

 

The next morning when we wake up we have SNOW all over H.H. It’s a bit chilly, there was a snow plough parked behind us that had just finished clearing the roads. Thank God we had bought H.H. four new tyres last year so we put him and the driver T.L to the test and off we go. 

 

We are fast tracking our way to Italy to catch up with John and Maddy Morgan in Treviso before they go back to Oz. It’s also John’s birthday.

They came to visit us in Carnac but John had caught a severe bacterial lung infection and spent most of his time in Hospital before returning to Treviso. It was a nightmare for them, but he’s fighting fit now thank heavens.

 

Terry and I have also made the decision that something has to be done for him, the antibiotics are not doing what we thought - he’s getting worse. Maddy has organised a Doctor for him to see as she speaks fluent Italian - so she can translate  - so he battles on. 

 

Our first hiccup for 2016 was of course……….the TOLLWAY on the border of France/Italy.  We end up at a wrong gate…..on go the hazard lights and we have to reverse…..so does everybody else behind us….we recover well and negotiate the RIGHT gate and off we go again…. Yeah…

 

Our little workhorse H.H. pulls his weight up and down the mountains extremely well  to “San Remo” in Italy via some snow covered roads.

We are back in the land of long tunnels, 2 kms etc, and you know how much I dread these inevitable necessities of the road. 

 

It’s just I don’t like seeing the water seepage creeping down the walls, it doesn’t give me great confidence - that’s all!!!! hum…

 

At least our arms get a bit of exercise negotiating the tunnels - sunglasses on sunglasses off - on - off - I lost count …….I did stop counting at well over 110 tunnels. At “Genova” we lost the GPS for a moment and I lost focus!

 

On the 14th of March we arrive in Treviso, Terry deteriorating, not able to walk very far. Doctors prognosis …off to the Hospital - he has Acute Bronchitis with a touch of Asthma……… Hospital it is then…..he is admitted with help from Maddy’s translations for 3 1/2 days - all we have to do is show his Passport and Aust Medicare Card.The Doctors and Staff are fantastic.

 

I dare not take a photo of Terry in the wheelchair (not good etiquette) but they MADE HIM sit in it to be wheeled away into emergency for all his tests.,  He was admitted at 9.30am and taken upstairs at 2.30pm.

 

 

 

While waiting to go up to his room - this lovely old gentleman came in - started chatting - only Maddy could answer - he was 81 yrs old - he said he was here because his heart was tired ( I nearly cried when this was translated) BUT….. he would really like a plate of spaghetti and a litre of Red Wine to keep him going as he missed out on his lunch. Many laughs after and with translation he said he has been making Gelato for the last 50 yrs and he would like to make it to 100 y.o. - we wished him well and  we hope he gets there…..

 

Terry ended up with 2 room mates, they ended up occupying their time, in between having tests, by teaching each other English and Italian. I also think the Licorice I took up to the Hospital also kept them occupied as of course the Hospital food was a bit so so. Ordering the meals was a pot luck deal as the little old Nanna taking the menu couldn’t speak English. One night he ended up with a plate of mash potato and a chunk of cheese, never mind…….another night he ended up with a Pork Curry which he said was very good, next night a boiled meat hamburger with sauce and mash. Hey, one is not there for the food …..just to feel better ….

Meanwhile we are parked in an “Aire” in Treviso, the only bonus for me is I could walk to the Hospital - 20 mins a fast walk - 25 mins if you stop to feed the ducks and swans.  

I made a point of letting the Polizia that patrol the park area, that we would be staying longer than the 48hrs allowed (which isn’t enforced) that my Husband is in Hospital so we will be here for extra days (10 days in total) as he had to recuperate also. 

 

Thanks to Mathew and our Christmas presents, I was able to hand over some Koala Bears, which they loved. The Police got to know me well and would stop and ask me how he was, and thanks to Maddy’s cousin Caterina, who knows somebody, who knows somebody  etc. etc.in the force we ended up with a letter typed by Caterina to put on the windscreen letting anyone know we had Police approval, the owner in Hospital and permission to stay there. Everyone was so helpful.

 

March 19th - Escape day - Terry promised and begged the Doctor that he would be well looked after if he let him out today.  Maddy and I took a cab to the hospital and with translation she took notes of his tablets dosage and the hospital gave him a lovely green mask to use with an atomiser. Thankfully Maddy had a machine we could borrow. And thankfully we still had the Inverter that Terry had wanted to throw out but I had hidden in H.H. We did not have 240 volts at the car park. so we needed it to run the atomiser mask.

 

Still on this day, we celebrate John Morgan’s 74th Birthday with a beaut lunch at a lovely restaurant that John and Maddy knew well, followed by birthday cake at their apartment.

We even had the people sitting at outside tables singing him Happy Birthday, it was a lovely lunch, on a lovely Treviso day.

With the old bloke out of hospital, supposed to be resting up. HuH…

 

Our last night is Pizza and Beers with John and Maddy, but the night before we totally mucked up. I cooked a huge Roast Chicken dinner, with lots of Red wine and lots of laughs, with a slow walk back to H.H.

We take our leave and bid  Arrivederci on the Thursday - Terry is now fighting fit, and is ready to battle on, and a couple of hours later we are in SLOVENIA.

 

The campsite in Slovenia was excellent with fabulous facilities (Hot Water) in the showers - bloody marvelous invention !!!!!!!!! We sat and watched Paragliders jumping off the mountains behind us for 2 days. Slovenia is very mountainous, so perfect for this mad sport ( who in their right mind would jump of cliffs)

 

Talking to the young family who owns this site, he said it has taken him 11 yrs to get approval from the government to build his dream - and being the second born son he was given a tiny bit portion of the family land (that old tradition still stands) after his Father died. He hasn’t spoken to his brother in 8 years, no such thing as 50/50 or sharing, anyway I hope he gets to build on his Reception room and Restaurant and sell local produce. He speaks 5 languages, but when you see all the countries surrounding Slovenia, it’s understandable - that’s just how it is -  It makes us feel very inadequate - because we are changing countries so often, our old brains can only absorb so much, and then poof…its gone and then onto the next one to try and learn some more.

 

We leave and wind our way up and down the mountains then onto a view of the Adriatic Sea. It’s Easter so we stay 2 days at “Portoroz”/Piran” a marina with views looking toward Trieste around the corner. There was a rather large sailing comp with hundreds of little boats with little kids/teenagers sailing them, it looked spectacular (organised chaos ).

So after the chocolate Easter Eggs, it is bums on bikes and off we peddle. Drinks at sunset with a bottle of sparkling Rosato overlooking the ocean, chairs out the front of H.H. very civilised and gorgeous

 

 

Easter Monday we pass through Passport checks leaving Slovenia and then 100 mtrs later a Passport check entering Croatia. We are at “Rovinj” on the Istrian Peninsula, a picturesque coastal town. 

 

 

The camp site is full of ancient Olive trees, Woodpeckers, and for the first time in forever, a good variety of singing birds. The water is so very blue and so very clear.

 

You can see loads of those black spiky, sea urchins (obviously no asians around), the water is too cold.  I remember the chef  Maggie Beer demonstrating on TV, just cut them open and suck the contents out…raw….YUK….pass….no thanks.

 

Croatian is a Language I can’t possible fathom or attempt to copy, the pronunciation is a no go. Luckily most people here understand/speak English, we try to learn the basic’s ( manners) it’s impossible. I was reading the Lonely Planet phrasebook also for Hungarian and I have to give up on that one also, its to hard on our old brains

 

Moving along to Pula, the campsite has 900 pitches - rather large. Here you have the Naval port of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and the old gladiator haunt built between 27BC - 68AD which is  the 6th largest surviving Roman Amphitheatre in the World, and still used today not for gristly things but music concerts and functions.

 

 

There is a concert soon with Robert Plant. it seats about 20,000 and it’s an amazing structure with fascinating history. Whats left of the walls could tell some extraordinary tales. No more feeding Christians to the Lions.

 

T.Lee had a great haircut from the local Barber, 50 Kuna or 7 euros ( a bargain) then we caught the bus back to the campsite. My arithmetic has improved again by having to divide everything by 7 for euros. Hungary is going to do my head in as you have to divide by 300….

 

We have moved down the West coast, rounded the bottom and up the East coast to a town called SV.Marina near “Labin” It’s a bit isolated so we take advantage for some “domestics”!

We both end up with head colds AGAIN !!!!!!  It’s the French and  Italians fault.  We have to stop kissing cheek to cheek and cheek again !! The germs floating around just love it……or it could be a delay from the hospital stay. 

 

Anyway…. we move on to “Brestova - Porozina” we have to drag poor H.H. back up these hills again, but he does it in his stride and off we go to the Ferry terminal and across to the Island of “Cres”. We miss the car ferry and wait 1st in line for 2hrs for the next - so I’m sitting here trying to compose our log..while watching some workers paint new yellow lines  on the road, and YES “It’s watching paint dry time” AND also cause I’m an idiot ??- I am picking prickly pear prickles out of my fingers with some not so good tweezers, I knew I shouldn’t have touched them - they looked pretty…..!!!!!!!

 

The Island of “Cres” has remarkable rock formations, with rock walls as land and property dividers in mind boggling structures and these are so ancient and hard to explain.

  It is very dry to the eye, the vegetation - not much. Also this area is very protective of the endangered Griffon Vulture.

 

 And also….it was ruled by the Roman empire in the 1st Century B.C - then everybody has had a crack at ruling it. Romans, Greeks, Venetians, Croats. Everybody known to man has been here, conquered and moved on or out…. its very beautiful. 

 

So Croatia wins on the bird singing and chirps, swallows are protected here. The local saying is “No Stress on Cres” and I’d believe it……

 

Still pottering around Cres and there is a huge Sea fog that envelopes everywhere, even the locals are impressed.  Our ride around part of the island was interesting today, even more so when my bike peddle fell off  in the middle of the road, do you know how hard it is to peddle with only one peddle left.?????? we couldn’t fix it on the spot as it had cross threaded. dammmm..

 

Next car ferry is to the Island of KRK its a 25 minute ride and equally beautiful.

I can’t keep banging on about the water and scenery, the diversity is something else, the huge contrast between the rugged rocks, limestone, dry barren landscapes and the oceans and lakes. Croatia wins  - it is a very beautiful country the coastlines visually stunning. 

We passed through 45 degrees Nth of the equator which puts us half way between the equator and the North Pole.

 

Moving onto “Seline/Starigrad” which is famous for its Gorge in the National Park. Our Autocamp was right on the waters edge and we stayed 4 days.

 

A lovely spot indeed.

 

 

 NOW.. if you had mountain bikes (we don’t) or if you have walking sticks (we don’t) you can have a lovely day getting up to the Gorge (we didn’t) we looked from afar, we just rode along and around the foreshore of the town. The Island of “Pag” was across the waters from us - its famous for its Sheep milk cheese,good wine and excellent food, and that’s another thing, the wine vines grow out of rubble rock here and poor looking soil, which is amazing.

To be continued….  Croatia is such a wild and diverse place.

Susie, Terry and HH.

XXXX

 

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