Arriverderci and Dobro Jutro

Warraki
Jun 2, 2023
8 min read

For one glorious month we enjoyed all the various flavors and colorful shades of Italy.

Italian language, just as pasta, varied from region to region but it was still Italian and always pasta.

We had one last Italian destination to imbibe before heading East.

Cerfalu - Sicily

We planned our escape to a local destination favorite among Palermitanis and tried to blend in. Palermo's southern beaches offered us the chance to go native.

Cinema Paradiso was shot in Cefalu as well as the latest Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, parts of White Lotus II and From Scratch. It is best known for its Arab/Norman church, white glittering sandy beaches but we most benefited from the vivid stories and daily events of the locals.

UNESCO Arab/Norman church, scrub a dub dub-the medieval wash tub.

Youssef's new barber/dentist, Maximillan, whose cabinet contains the evidence of the dual professions his father and grandfather dispensed to the population. Shears and dental pliers.
The common 3 wheeled mode of transportation called APE( bee), a fisherman's boat and artwork he created to share his love of the sea.
The cactus plant is everywhere, imported to Europe by Christopher Columbus then to Sicily by the North Africans or Spanish, depends on whom you ask.

Old time customer service: Bespoke grocery delivery weighing the produce and hoisting the purchase up to the customer's balcony via a basket.

Sant Ambrogio - Sicily

Just outside Palermo, via a tiny bus that winds past breathtaking beaches and olive orchards up hills via a narrow path to a little village, we found Giovanna.

Youssef's family were olive oil producers and later supplied the olive oil press for local growers. Visiting an oil press was one of his dreams. Giovanna in Sant Ambrogio invited us to spend an afternoon seeing the old presses, learning the process, tasting and enjoying her quintessential Sicilian village. Sant Ambrogio was an undiscovered gem akin to an Italian Brigadoon, blissfully sealed in time.

The residents were all out in force preparing for an upcoming village feast featuring a photography and embroidery contest, children's races, the best painting contest and gelato tasting. We were second-in-line (after a family member) to taste the first gelato of the 2023 season made by Giovanna's mother.

It was fun to meet the mayor who had secured a few acting roles in the recent movies filmed here. These are the golden moments when we know our joy guides are looking out for us.

Sant Ambrogio Mayor and Giovanna

Arriverderci to Italy!

Yugoslavia

Slovenia and Croatia, previously part of Yugoslavia, were 2 of the countries we passed through.

The history of Yugoslavia is complicated to explain. I can’t even give you the short version. The 1990 War for Independence, the start of WWI was a small part of a longer history touching on ethnic tensions, a feeling of being denied a place at the table discussions or for some leading the discussions. It's a constant fireworks simmering beneath the surface for centuries. The current Kosovo/Serbia tensions are part of the continuing story.

How do you properly mediate the right to lands that are based on the historical context of ancestry placement, beliefs in legends, promises and the resentments still felt?

Croatia

Dobro Jutro (Good Morning) Croatia.

Catching a ride to the Dalmatian Coast.

Split - Croatia

Dalmations and Cravats originated in Croatia.

Any of my language skills were useless in Croatia other than to memorize a few phrases. Youssef's 6 years in Poland came in handy with language similarities. He has an amazing ability to fool Polish speakers with his 4 carefully memorized phrases.

Split is a lovely place, preferable to Dubrovnik which already at this time of year was pushing our patience with its tourist influx.

Dubrovnik - Croatia

Game of Thrones - Kings Landing, aka Dubrovnik.

Korcula - Croatia

While some islands are volcanic and appear uninhabitable except for a few goats and an occasional church, Korcula rises green and verdant to add new shades of green to our crayon color packs. The Greeks who colonized the island called it black Korčula because the contours look nearly black with the dense oak and pine.

Red roof tiled houses with limestone bricked walls interspersed with olive trees give way to vineyards growing the next grape for the local mild white wine.

Aleppo pine, Dalmatian black pine, Phoenician juniper, Portuguese heath, Holm oak, cypress, myrtle and beautiful Sea fig form the canvas with the obstinate dead pine trunks that refuse to give up their dominance and wayward branches.

The pale green, light blue turquoise to darker blue clear waters make a perfect frame to surround the island.

The combination of pines and ocean inlets is stunning like the secret charm hidden inside the almond as if the almond weren’t gift enough. And the Moon, oh that Moon!

Quirky art and the blue fire hydrants create dots of creativity to make us smile.

Old town Korcula is a small secret paradise only I know about, except for those other people who know about it.

The cats surely know about it commanding important positions first introduced by the lion of Venice who ruled for some 370 years. There is also the occasional cabbage that pretends to be a cat in someone's lap.

The rugged coastlines don’t allow for easy access to the seas delights. Without beach shoes even the waters edge is full of sharp rocks to slice your feet. The occasional sandy beaches enticed us to venture into the icy Adriatic Sea to play and build on-shore castles.

Stone quarries, olive oil and ship building were the trade of this island. But the real secret is Marco Polo's visit.

There's a rumor about town that this is Marco Polo's birthplace. Such is the legend of this island and everyone you ask says I don’t know, could be. It’s like the church relic everyone comes to see, a sure-fire marketing strategy enticing the faithful to make a pilgrimage.

Records confirm that Marco Polo was captain of the Venetian fleet, defeated by Genoa in 1298, captured and imprisoned in Korcula. Pillow talk with a fellow prisoner Rustichello da Pisa resulted in Polo's adventure book “II Milione” or "Travels of Marco Polo" recounting his time as a 17 year old traveling with his father and uncle to China meeting The Kublai Khan.

Without Rustichello da Pisa's possibly embellished book we would never have heard of Marco Polo or the game children play in the swimming pool.

Entry to the city, Marco Polo gift shop and the building where he served his prison time with his ghost writer, Rusti.

Korcula was under the rule of the Doge of Venice and Marco Polo was Venetian so he could be from Korcula, our guide Tony tells us.

Tony is a local variety of the big Dalmatian puppy, according to one of the other guides. Born right here, father was the mayor with a family lineage on Korcula for 400 - 600 years. The real deal.

Tony tells us that Korcula could also have been the destination for another Trojan hero, Antandros, to escape after the disastrous gifted horse episode, to set up a colony.

Unfulfilled dreams or optimist?

Zagreb - Croatia

We didn't meet the pope. but we had a chance encounter with ex-Bishop of Zagreb, Juraj Jezerinac. From one friendly fellow to another, Youssef asked the cassock dressed stranger we passed on the sidewalk what he knew about the church we were passing. Bishop Juraj offered to give us a private tour of the Cathedral which was closed due to construction repairs. Zagreb's older buildings suffered a devastating 6.4 magnitude earthquake in 2020 and massive repair work are ongoing.

Slovenia

The train that showed up late, due to delays on the track, must have had a bit part in an old Yugoslavian mystery murder. Even the regular train passengers shook their heads to see the poor old girl struggling to keep her dignity as she chugged into the station with her skirt drooping and bonnet askew.

The scenery changed dramatically as we crossed into Slovenia switching from a countryside view to dramatic old world vistas, slicing rivers and streams gliding through the steep rock river beds surrounded by impenetrable green forests, farm houses and all of god's lush gifts and creatures unabashedly taking center stage.

Ljubliana - Slovenia

We had hoped this was one of the few cities that didn't kill the dragon but no, they were killed and 4 of them were mounted on bridges. The fresh egg dispenser was a hit with a visiting tourist who had no way to cook them.

The capital Ljubljana proudly emphasizes their heritage and their goal of sustainability by adding additional biking lanes, wider paths, more street lighting, reducing traffic in the city, free wireless networks, circular economy and numerous mobility options giving it the title of one of the greenest cities in Europe.

20 kilometers south of here the oldest wheel was found, estimated between 5,100 and 5,400 years old. To put it into perspective your lives would all be VERY different without this invention. Without the wheel and connecting axle we would be racking up massive steps on our iphone apps each day.

Oldest wooden wheel displayed in the City Museum of Ljubljana

We found alternative explorations to stump the rainy weather on our first visit to Slovenia: caves, lakes, and Adriatic coastlines.

Taking a hint from a Lake Bled local when it rains head to the Postojna Cave, stop by Lipica or Piran a former Venetian coastal town halfway between Italy and Croatia.

Postojna - Slovenia

The Postojna karst cave system is made up of a multitude of formations from fine threads of spaghetti, fabric formations called curtains, pillars, and normal stalactites and stalagmites.

The cave opened up in 1819 hosting numerous balls, concerts and events. Nowadays you can take a tour of the 1.5 mile Postojna Cave partly by train and partly walking. I never imagined a stalactite/stalagmite looking so ethereal lit by gorgeous Murano glass Chandeliers and light fixtures giving this underground terrain a sense of heaven inverted. It’s like a beauty and the beast ball in a cave.

Lipica - Slovenia

Driving down a country road we pass a field full of black foals and grey mares. Pinching myself I realize these beautiful creatures are future Lipizzaner foals frolicking in the fields.

We had come across Lipica, Slovenia the original stud farm developed during the Hapsburg Empire. The original gang of 8 stallions were made up of 4 different breeds: Arab, Berbère, Napolitano, Spanish. All Lipizanners trace their lineage back to the Magnificent 8.

Foals are born black and each year lighten to gray taking 6-10 years to reach the true Lipizzaner gray. Vienna's visit gave us a view of the real deal.

Piran - Solvenia

Suddenly we emerged from a rainy overcast Slovenia to the sunny Adriatic Coast of Slovenia.

It’s not a coincidence that we ran into Zeus again, in guise of a Jack Russell terrier named Zeus, who exhibited all the qualities of a deity expecting us to keep scratching his back. His person let us know about the dolphins that come close to the shore at Sunset. They suddenly appeared 10 - 20 - 30 dipping in and out performing for all who happened to be idly watching the ocean waves. We thanked Poseidon for that gift.

Another place I won’t share with anyone so I can return in peace. Another place I am keeping a secret.

Lake Bled - Slovenia

Walt Disney must have taken inspiration from this make believe magical kingdom. As we were leaving Lake Bled, the sun poked out her head to give us a sunny glimpse. What a country.