Istanbul-Croatia (Dubrovnik/Zagreb)-Venice

Istanbul-Dubrovnik-Montenegro-Zagreb-Plitvice Lakes-Venice

Day 1

It’s been a long while since I’ve done one of these. Much more complicated these days. Looking forward to unplugging from work and the usual routine and replugging in to something that always really feeds my soul. And meet friends and eat great food and learn about an area of the world that is new to me. I’ve already learned so much just in the research and planning for this. I had actually planned to do a similar trip 2 years ago but well you know what happened. I ended up driving out to Colorado to meet a friend and do some hiking, instead, which was also cool. Haven’t been outside the country since I was in Chile and Peru. All right, see you from the other side of the pond…

Day 2

Having a beer at 7am at the Amsterdam airport. Because it’s not 7:00 for me! I actually saw a whole gob of people having beers and thought it too hilarious to not partake.

Day 3 – street music

One of the many things I love about this area of the world is the music. Here are some street performances I heard while roaming around with my friend Arif this evening as well as a great dancey song I was grooving to at lunch. Unfortunately Shazam didn’t work on it 

Day 3

What an amazing city Istanbul is. It’s been a dream of mine to come here for as long as I can remember. I started planning a big trip for a big birthday only to have it thwarted. Now I’m finally doing it while I can still afford the airfare and have the time to get away from work. The trek over here was long. I mean loooong. Honestly though, it was the five-hour layover in Amsterdam that killed me. When I was booking the trip I had a choice between a 50 minute layover (the simple thought of which threw me into an immediate panic attack) and the five-hour one I picked. I assumed there was no way possible except for through quantum physics to get across the airport that fast. I remember going through it years ago and having to pass through a security check, which I didn’t understand as I had just came from another flight and never left the airport security area. Naturally this time I flew through the airport like a bat out of hell and ended up crossing it in 30 minutes, no security checkpoint or nothing. Hmmf. Hence my 7am beer… By the time I flew to Istanbul and then figured out and took the hour-long shuttle bus trek, then figured out how to walk to my Airbnb, I was pretty much zonked. Still ended up getting together with a friend I know from online for a bit so that was fun. But ended up sleeping til 11:30 this morning! Way later than I planned but I did feel better rested, even if I still could have used another hour. Headed out to figure out the transit system. I always forget how that can take a while. Went into the station. Seemingly the only one wearing a mask. Thank goodness transmission rates are uber low here. The machines were only in Turkish, which I’m finding to be a harder than normal language to just kind of “figure out”. Almost nothing in it is similar to English. It’s beautiful to listen to but I’ll be damned if i have the slightest clue what anyone is saying beyond the tone of their voices. I have managed to master quite a few of the standard terms – hello, thanks, yes, no, good night, etc – with a lot of repetition and help from my friend. I first wrote “hope” instead of “help” in that sentence but I’m not sure that “hope” is applicable to me and this language! I’ll have to say that if there is a thing called language privilege, we English speakers have it. I kind of feel bad in a way but I admittedly have totally taken advantage of it on this trip. And the Turks are the friendliest and have gone out of their way to be helpful. Super nice. I couldn’t figure out how to buy a ticket and totally went to my usual go-to: anxious worry (my dear friend…). Why do I do that? It never helps and instead can completely paralyze me and render me unable to even think. It’s like I need a reboot or something. The guy at the turnstile was so helpful and he helped me and a few other English speakers out with the machines only in Turkish because we are in, well, Turkey! Then went to lunch. Really just landed at a spot that looked fun and different than places in the US. And had the hottest wait staff. The guys over here are some of the best looking I’ve ever seen. Totally serious. I chatted it up with an older couple from Alabama who sat across from me. It was his birthday. It was the first time in Istanbul for all of us. There was cool Arabic music playing interspersed with dance tunes we’re all familiar with. That one about falling in love of finding love in a hopeless place or something. I looked at the woman across and said that it sounded like a club. Her husband and I cajoled her to get up and dance but she demurred. “I don’t even dance in my own home so I’m not going to do it here,” she said laughing. They moved on and I soaked up the rest of my delicious dish that had oil and yogurt and lemon in it. Wow. Had it with a sage tea. Took a tram to the touristy must-do sights. I realized that I could have actually taken the tram that goes by where I’m staying and it would have been a lot easier. But genius me took this circuitous route using a subway line that I then used to connect to the tramway from the other side. But you know, had I taken the quicker route, I wouldn’t have been helped by the guy at the subway station who helped me buy the transit card, nor would I have had lunch with the Alabaman couple and I wouldn’t have known the route to take to head towards my friend’s work where I was going to meet him when he got off. Also, I wouldn’t have seen this cool vantage point when the subway line resurfaced and crossed a bridge. I want to get back to it and take a picture at some point. The touristy part was pretty much just that. Cool and beautiful must-see places. It’s very interesting to be in a part of the world with many women, maybe half even, wearing hijabs. In fact they are required to wear them in the mosques and one can buy them at the entrances. One thing that is also interesting is that people are not allowed to wear shoes inside the mosques and other places considered holy. It was the same in the Bangkok temples. Some people hold onto and carry their shoes but many put them on shelves. I did both. I tell ya, talk about feeling vulnerable. I mean the thought of doing all that walking without shoes! But I’ve never had an issue. The shoes have always been there when I’ve returned. I got chastised by some guy because I had admittedly not made the smartest decision and was tying my shoes on the ground next to where all the shoes were because there was nowhere to sit to do it. The guy said something I couldn’t understand but I knew he meant for me to go elsewhere to do that. Met my friend who took me to a restaurant where a friend worked and had a really delicious spread. Then journeyed bank to this part of town and listened to some great street music. Meant to go to bed an hour ago but started writing this and the thoughts started flowing. One of my favorite parts of traveling. 

Day 4 – picture post

One of the things I always try to incorporate into my travels is meeting friends, either old or new. I’ve been fortunate to meet a new friend on this trip. One I’ve been linked to on Instagram for a while but whom I had not met in person. These pictures represent quite a few of the adventures and mealtimes I’ve had with my friend Arif (beware – a fair amount of selfies or pics of me, which is not the yoozh). We explored the Balat area where he lives and took a boat ride on the Bosphorous, among other things. The Bosphorous, by the way, is what separates Europe from Asia here!

Day 4

Itineraries and travel plans are always interesting. What I’ve learned is that at some point you just have to let go and let the vacation be what it’s going to be. You may do all of it and then some, part of it, or none of it. I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with my friend who has had a couple days off so we’ve been able to hang out all day. My first full day here was more what I had envisioned but the next couple of days I’ve been more open to his suggestions and he has in some ways given me a window into the world of a person who actually lives here. We’ve been taking public transportation all over the place, including bus lines I could have never in a million years figured out. Or I could have but it would have likely taken me half a day and even then I’d still end up heading a dozen stops in the wrong direction. I’ve listened to and even witnessed some of his struggles with employment woes and opportunities among other life things. By and large, what I’m reminded of time and time again is that with all of our differences, the things we all grapple with worldwide are largely the same – connection, work satisfaction, enjoying life as much as one is able, etc. But meeting individual people on these trips has been a particular joy to me. Much like with an Airbnb host I had in Morocco, who played guitar for me on my last day and caused me to keep postponing my train ride to the next town by yet another hour, I have been deeply touched by listening to Arif share about his life. Hilariously, I speak next to no Turkish and he speaks little English (but obviously way more than my practically nonexistent Turkish). But with the assistance of things like Google Translate and software where you can talk into a mike and have the conversation translated, we’ve been able to pretty much fully converse (while occasionally making adjustments when we hand the phone back for the other to read and the other either looks confused, shakes his head, or stares at the screen blankly, perhaps with a furrowed brow). At one point, much like my Morocco experience, Arif started singing Persian chants and chants from Afghanistan and I was so moved by them that tears actually started streaming from my eyes! I didn’t understand a word but I sensed that Arif was truly revealing something special about himself when he sang them as he seemed hesitant at first. I feel so honored to have shared that moment. I’ll never forget it. The thing I loved about the Balat area where he lives is how so many people are out and about having a tea or little snack or just walking through the streets talking with everyone. It feels like everyone knows each other and I love it. Arif got a quick haircut and people kept popping in to the little place with an open door and chatting it up with the barbers while they worked. I’ve always kind of wished that I lived in a place like that. Minus the insane, chaotic traffic, though. Jeez you never know what direction it’s coming from. You just instinctively move when you hear a car, truck, or motorcycle approaching. And crossing major streets… Arif has a sixth sense about it while I’ve almost had about half a dozen heart attacks trying to follow his lead. It’s not quite as bad as it was in Bangkok where you just hoped for the best when you set foot in the road but it’s not far from it. All in all this trip has not been what I envisioned but I don’t have a problem with that at all. It’s been different. And that’s ok. Tomorrow my friend goes back to work so my hunch is it will be a more traditional day. And I don’t know anyone in my following destinations so it might be a more “traditional” (for me) vacation from here on out. We’ll see…

Day 5

I think I’ve spoken of this before but it bears repeating… So much of travel anywhere entails much more than what the imagery one posts can possibly convey. I’ve shared some of the sounds and it’s not possible to share all the fragrances and odors one comes upon. But what is fun to me are the moments and experiences. Like the guy I had a conversation with when buying some roasted nuts I keep seeing street vendors selling. In an effort to be nice and probably to facilitate a quicker transaction, he was speaking to me in English while I was trying out my lame-ass Turkish on him and at one point he started laughing and said, I’m speaking to you in English and you are speaking to me in Turkish and I laughed, too at the absurdity of it. I’d be shocked if I ever saw this man again and I would likely not even recognize him if I did. But we still shared this beautiful moment of connection that I will always remember. Another moment today was getting on a train and trying to sneak a trek to the Galata Tower before some evening plans. I was so excited because I realized that the light rail train would take me right there. Or so I thought… We got to literally the stop right before I had to get off. There was a long pause, some announcement in Turkish that I couldn’t understand and wouldn’t have heard even if I could (why do they have the volume so low on those announcements?? Is there literally anyone who can hear them??). And then the train started moving /backwards/. I was like, huh? So I had to get off the train and get on another going the correct way. We got back to that stop and I debated getting off the train because I was going to totally freak out if it went backwards again. But fewer people got off this time so I hedged my bets. The suspense was getting to me as I teetered between advancing one step forward or slipping back into insanity. And then the train moved forward. Got to the stop and then was met with about the worst intersection for crossing I’ve yet to encounter here. Went in the general direction but couldn’t see the tower. It’s funny how you can sometimes be closer but actually less able to see something tall. I looked at my phone, whose battery was starting to run low (of course). I could see it on the map but couldn’t figure out how to get to it. I ended up on the other side of this horribly busy street again and started going up this hill when I spotted it again – on the other side of the damn busy street I had just harrowingly crossed! I found a “crosswalk” which was more a sick imitation of one. I lunged in and managed to scurry to the half way point. The traffic was fully backed up on the other side but moving in fits and starts, just enough for there to still be a possibility for catastrophe. I held my breath and darted between cars. Either I’m getting good at this or I’ve lost enough sanity to no longer care. It’s like bending reality in a way. Anyhow, I made it and climbed the largest hill I’ve climbed in years. Got to the top, and then couldn’t see the damn tower again. Got out my phone with the ever diminishing battery reserve and it somehow looked like I was /further/ from the tower. Wtf?? The directions sent me all the way down, almost to where I was originally and then back up again. I can’t tell you how close I was to screaming. Good exercise, though!! I think it comes from that map feature always looking for the shortest route given a number of variables/“rules”. When I first arrived in Istanbul, the map app sent me on this insane adventure that had me zig zagging all over the place. I was like, “oh my god I’m never going to be able to find this without my phone” and would be terrified of my phone going dead. But after a few times of venturing up to Taksim Square, where my public transit connections are, I found this super easy way that involves literally just two turns. So I finally make my way up to this tower, huffing and puffing and looking like something the cat dragged in. And when I finally saw the tower, I was like, oh. It’s not that the tower is particularly tall. It’s just on high ground, which makes it look tall. There’s an outdoor area on the seventh and highest floor where you can go outside and take pictures. I laughed because I think 90% of the people out there were French. Leave it to me and the French to be interested in checking that out. I always love interacting with French speakers while in a place where English is not officially spoken because it was the first language I learned and it’s always the first one I feel inspired to speak whenever /any/ foreign (to me) language is required. It’s like a foreign language default that can be distracting. When I exited the tower a woman said something to me in Turkish. I said, “I’m sorry. I don’t speak Turkish. Do you speak English? français? español? She told me that she thought I was Turkish, which is the second time I’ve heard this the few days I’ve been on this trip. When I was in Morocco, I was told that I looked like I was from there and when I lived in France after college, I was often guessed/assumed to be French. Add to that the multitude of uncanny situations I’ve experienced in life with people who have said that I totally remind them of someone they know. I’m hoping that’s a cool thing in their eyes. It is really weird though. My friends have not spoken regularly of having experienced this. Maybe once or twice but not dozens like I have. I attempted to find this square where I believed a light rail would be that would take me right back to Taksim Square. I found some tracks that I was thinking was a good sign. Then I saw this very cute but very impractical tiny trolley heading the wrong way. Hmmf. I figured if nothing else, I knew that the tracks ended at Taksim Square so I just walked the whole way. On a map it seems like I was walking for miles but it only took maybe a half an hour. After I got back and rested a bit and charged up my phone, I went outside on the stoop to wait for a friend. While sitting there a foghorn went off from a port not far from where I’m staying. A couple was walking down the street and the woman looked at me and started speaking Turkish. I told her I don’t speak Turkish but asked “English? français? español?” Then she started speaking French and I was so stunned that someone was actually running with my default second language that I just stared back at first before it kicked in and I was able to answer. They wanted to know if the street we were on led down to the port. And I of course did not know the answer but I told them “je crois que oui” (I believe/think so).

Day 6 – beer post

Greetings from Dubrovnik! Shout out to my Friday night beer drinking group back home! Very interesting place. This is the first tap room ever here. Just opened relatively recently ago. Actually this location seems more like a bar but there is an actual tap room just outside of the old city. I was trying to compliment the guy who took my order and explain that we have a lot of these back home and that this could be just the beginning but I think he misunderstood and thought I was asking why they didn’t have more. Oh well. I tried! 

Day 6

My first clue that I had crossed from a Muslim country into an Eastern European one was how people looked. Mostly gone was the beautiful olive skin of various hues I had become so accustomed to without even thinking of it. I was back in the land of the Caucasians. Secondly, that infamous Eastern European accent, which is so distinct and instantly noticeable when speaking English. But it didn’t /really/ hit me until i got out of the bus at the final destination, which was a strange bus station that had what I think was a bar in it that was playing that godawful Eastern European rock. Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s like harder edged without any soul. Very 4/4 with no eighth notes. That’s when it really sank in. Got to the bus station literally a minute late to catch this other bus and the next one wasn’t for another 40 minutes. I couldn’t be bothered so I ordered an Uber. I was a little perplexed as to why the Airbnb host had me go to this place, anyway. There was another stop that seemed way closer. Maybe it’s because there were a ton of stairs. This place is a city of stairs, similar to Lisbon but I want to say more. The town is sandwiched between the Adriatic Sea and a mountain. So really that’s the only way to get around save for the few levels of roads that run parallel to the sea and mountain, outside of the walled old city. The Uber driver was a nice guy. I think we talked about languages or something because I was curious what Croatian is similar to (seems similar to Slavic languages that use Cyrillic). He mentioned that he didn’t like when French men spoke but that he did when French girls did. I’m not sure if he was looking for camaraderie but I instead was like, “oh do you not like the tone of their voices?” May have seemed clueless but it was actually an artful dodge. It’s something that people of my persuasion have oftentimes had to do in our lives. I still liked the chap overall. Also largely gone is the usual tea (çay) that I had become so accustomed to and actually came to expect at a meal. Beer is back so that is good. I missed that a little but not totally, actually. There doesn’t seem to be any particular Croatian dish that I’ve noticed. Turkish food has its kebabs and donners and baklava, etc. But when I looked at restaurants here, what I see is seafood, pizza, MEXICAN! What on earth is Mexican food doing over here?? I always like to stick mostly to the cuisine of the place I’m visiting unless I want something cheap (thinking of middle eastern street food in Paris, which kinda makes sense given its large Arab population), or I’m just sick of eating the same things like I was in Morocco (I got Chinese on one of my last nights there, which was kind of interesting, actually), or I have a particular strong craving for something else but that’s rare when I’m traveling. I first wanted to take the cable car up the mountain to get the great view from way up. I walked around as I found the vegetation and rocks quite beautiful as well. I stumbled, totally by accident, into some war museum. I wasn’t particularly enthused but I paid the fee and looked around. It was in some abandoned block house or something. Then I started reading and listening to news clips. I had no idea, like I mentioned in a comment on another post, that Dubrovnik was also embroiled in the conflicts of the 1990s when Yugoslavia ceased and the various provinces asserted their independence. At one point according to all that was presented, the Federalist Serbs had control of a mountain position and ships in the Adriatic firing onto the town. You could see the news clip of a ship in front of one of the islands that is in a lot of my pictures firing onto shore. I couldn’t even imagine living through something like that. It was kind of interesting but I can only take in so much of that information before I get overwhelmed and start to zone out. The great part was that there were stairs to the roof that offered what I believe to be the best views. Came down and started my tour of the old city. I guess Game of Thrones was filmed here. I’ve never seen the show but I have for whatever reason seen a snippet of the “shame” scene so I knew about that. It’s funny. It just looks like a regular old set of stairs in real life. There is a business that has capitalized and is selling “shamejitos” as drinks. At first I thought it was funny. And then I found it cheesy the more I thought of it. Walked around the wall, which was great. These four beautiful young women dressed to kill in front of me were something else. Lots of selfies with kissy faces. One of them said that they were on a time schedule and another said “only five selfies per scenic spot…” They asked if I would take their picture and I said sure so I took a half a dozen at different angles, zooming in and panning out. They asked if I wanted mine taken and I said I was fine but thanks. I think that threw them for a loop. And I swear I overheard one of them say the way I rushed off that I must be gay. Not in a mean way – just their way, being the way they are. I would have been so tempted to turn around and say something that started like “Honey…” if I knew for sure that’s what they had said. After that I went into old town and walked. Had lunch there. It’s a beautiful place but it’s definitely a tourist trap on some level. I’ve learned to eat all my meals /outside/ the walls. Things like ice cream or a beer or coffee are ok but not meals. Unless you plan to take out a loan. And the majority of the people walking around are precisely the type of people I usually seek to avoid. There are more Americans there than what I’m used to. I’m deducing quite a few gay folk as well. It’s a bit of an admittedly unpleasant culture shock after being in Turkey. But the scenery and water and fragrant scents from flowers and easy going vibe make it worth it. One of my favorite moments is sitting in my Airbnb room, which has a view of the sea, and listening to the chimes of the clock bells, especially at night when it’s quiet. It’s very relaxing.

Day 8

Sometimes weather teases and interferes with your plans although I’ll have to say that I’ve been so very fortunate in my travels to not be completely derailed or not have other options. I think there was one day in Paris once when it rained all day long. And not just a drizzle, either. I think I went to a museum, a coffee shop, and went and bought some cheeses that I sampled in my Airbnb, while looking through the owner’s book collection. You just have to make do. You can either accept what is and work from that or simply be annoyed and resentful. That’s the real choice. I changed around my initial plans. I had intended to go to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina. But the weather showed thunderstorms, even the likelihood of severe storms there. So I switched over to Montenegro, which actually had scenery that seemed more striking to me. And it included a little boat ride to a tiny island en route to the final destination, which I thought sounded nice. Also, the little day tour I was going to take to Mostar included a trek to a lake with some interesting waterfalls. I am planning to go visit something similar but on a much grander scale when I go to Zagreb so I wasn’t feeling I needed that. For me, scenery tends to come first and then history and ruins and things comes right after that along with all the sensory experiences that fill in like sand in a jar of pebbles. All that gets shifted around if I’m visiting a city but increasingly, only cities in locales that are exotic to me in some way or where I know people hold my interest. A city can be just a city after you’ve been to enough of them. Although I have always enjoyed figuring out transit systems and getting to places that way. It’s like solving a puzzle or something for me. Maybe it comes from always dreaming of living in such a city, myself. I had wanted to move to a place like Paris for many years. For today I had considered checking into a last minute day trek to Mostar today but if anything the forecast looked even worse. So I decided to check out the sizable island that one can see just off shore from Dubrovnik’s old town. They were calling for rain here as well but not until the late afternoon. It was really quite a lovely day with great hiking and interesting views. One thing I noticed while on my adventure today was how many times I went to take a picture of nature and there would be some annoying human-made thing in the way. Ugh. Why do humans feel the need to leave markings of various kinds all over the place? I guess that’s our version of markings animals leave on trees or droppings left in various places. We’re really no different in many ways. It’s Sunday today at 8pm as I type this. The church bells are really going to town. I wonder if that is usual here or if something special is going on. And now I hear thunder. It’s humans vs nature! We all know which of those always prevails in the end… I depart from Dubrovnik tomorrow and can say that I’ve done all I wanted to do here and am ready to head out. I love the landscape here and the old buildings and walled city are really great and interesting. I’ve not really loved the food I’ve had here (and it’s so expensive!) with the exception of the ice cream. Oh my god it’s some of the most amazing ice cream I’ve ever had. I’ve had wild berry and the best – some concoction that has cherries and dark chocolate mixed in. I’ve had it twice and each time it has briefly sent me into another dimension. I haven’t jived as well with the people here as I did in Istanbul, either. People seemed nicer there. And more genuine or something. Although I like my Airbnb host. She seems really cool. I’ve had my own bathroom both times and it sounds like I’ll have the place to myself in Zagreb as well so I’ve really been lucky this time around. It’s nice to have a comfortable place to come back to and recharge.

Day 10 – Zagreb

So I flew to Zagreb. I had admittedly become a tad disillusioned with the trip in Dubrovnik. Don’t get me wrong the place is gorgeous and interesting in its own way and I believe that every place is on some level what you make it. I know tons of people who go to Puerto Vaillarta, for example. The contrarian in me rolls my eyes every time I hear of yet another gay man jumping off that lemming’s cliff but I know if I were to go, I’d likely have a much different experience that is more “me”. Not better, necessarily depending on one’s point of view. Just more suitable to my admittedly very different tastes and I guess better suited for me. Dubrovnik was everything I hoped it would be – and feared it would be. It was gorgeous. Breathtaking for this Midwestern boy accustomed to flat, dull landscapes. I’ve spent my entire life finding beauty in vistas that would probably put others to sleep. In places like Dubrovnik, I don’t have to exert that effort. There it is. A mountain next to the sea with a little city between. Bam! I’m almost overwhelmed. And the old city is something of a fairy tale to me, a child of the new world, with all of its conveniences and tedious monotony. In some ways Dubrovnik reminded me of Montpellier, France. Only personally, I find Montpellier to be the real deal whereas Dubrovnik lends its appeal to a wildly popular show that put it on the map. And there is the sea and the mountain and the recent tumultuous history. Ok, Dubrovnik is its own real deal and its own thing. I guess the difference is that Dubrovnik has been “discovered” or “found out” whereas Montpellier has evaded such notoriety. Both places are cool in different ways. Dubrovnik has just been more hyped and therefore discovered and way more pricey with all the kinds of people that I tend not to be drawn to. Still, even in the midst of that, I found interesting excursions and haunts not overtaken by the marauding masses. But all trip segments have to come to an end and this one had run its course and it was time to move on. Enter Zagreb. I really had no idea what to think of this city. It was more an afterthought. A place I was planning to stay in to have easy access to the Plitvice Lakes. I thought, “what the hell?” I might as well stay an evening and a day to check it out. When I first arrived it was dreary and spitting rain. And chilly! I needed my jacket, which I had long since tucked away in the warmth of Dubrovnik. Taking the Uber into town, I was struck with how dull the landscape was. In fact it reminded me of Minnesota! I started questioning my decision to stay an extra day, which I could have applied to my final destination. The area where I am staying is close to bus stops I need to access but is otherwise nondescript and forgettable. The place itself is immaculate. The owner of this place is organized in a way that I never ever ever will be. I’m envious but not jealous. I could never live like this. It reminds me of muscle types I have interacted with on dating sites. My experience is that muscle types always want other muscle types, even if they act as if they don’t. And I ain’t got that kind of time to be spending in the gym. I have too many other things I want to do in life. So after resting a while I decided to venture out and if nothing else, just find a few places. Once I got into the heart of downtown, I fell in love with the place. Fascinating Eastern European architecture and pleasant parks and interesting, quirky drinking establishments. In Dubrovnik all the beer was crap but here it’s actually good – and it’s less than half the price!! The places are decorated really interestingly and have an interesting feel. I stumbled upon a little gay bar that was playing the absolute best music from the 70s and 80s. Alternative stuff. They were playing Blondie, for Zeus’s sake. I wanted to say to the 20-something bartender that he was way too young to know about Blondie but I just kept a lid on it and took it all in. It was so great. I came back and fixed myself a chai. I’ve not had one coffee drink since starting this vacation and have only had tea, instead. I’m considering making that a more permanent shift. As is always the case, being in a different setting has caused me to think of many areas of my life I’d like to make major shifts in.

Day 12 – Museum of Broken Relationships – Zagreb

I found the exhibits in this museum to be extremely moving. It has a series of items long-kept and finally donated that represent the hurt, elation, anger, bewilderment, sadness, liberation, etc involved with ending a relationship, being dumped, never really connecting, being cheated on, losing someone to debilitating illness, death, war, falling for someone who cannot love back. All ages, lengths of relationships, even a desired relationship never realized. It moved me to tears a few times. One entry had the door to a room of a boy who died with writings from his friends on it. Or the basketball shoes of a man who played basketball with a heterosexual male friend he had fallen for and how it killed him inside to hear his friend talk about girls he was dating. It seemed so vulnerable and real. There was even a book where one could write their own confessions, which were also moving.

Day 13 – Plitivice Lakes

Plitvice Lakes. This is definitely one of those “the pictures only tell about 1/10th of the story” posts. The lake system includes about 16 lakes that cascade down through a series of what seemed like hundreds of waterfalls that culminate in a large canyon. Despite being so close to the Adriatic Sea, the watershed sends this water running through Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania to end up in the Black Sea a bit south of Odessa, Ukraine. There is a raised pathway of wooden planks mostly throughout that takes you over the water and in some cases over the gushing, 100% clear water. Interesting and strangely relaxing.

Day 14 – Venice

Greetings from Venice! I meant to write a bit last night while lying in bed but decided I’d close my eyes for a few seconds… And then the next thing I knew it was 7:30 am. So many thoughts in my mind so forgive me if I pinball this a bit… First things first, I love love loved Zagreb. Who knew that the place that I was probably the least excited about would end up being such a treat? And also who knew that my favorite meal thus far, including everything I’ve had here in Venice, would be a vegan falafel salad at some divey joint in Zagreb. Literally the tastiest. I was thinking while wandering around one last time that Zagreb seems very live-able to me. I was sad to leave it in a way. I wish I had learned more Croatian. It’s in many ways similar to Russian, which I studied in college. Having been to places where I can on some level speak the language, I know how much that can add a fun and interesting layer to a vacation experience that most travelers totally miss out on. I’ll confess, I’ve been more of a typical American in that regard, even here in Italy. That’s so unlike me. These past couple of years have I think done a number on me – both Covid and an interesting yet very stressful job that I’ve held for about the same amount of time. They’ve really diverted my focus, methinks and I need to probably reconsider a few things going forward. Buddhism teaches to always practice being in the moment. I struggle with that when the moment is saying, “change things!” How does one balance that, I wonder. Traveling is the thing that normally centers me and brings me to the now. Not later today or even in a half an hour but now. But I confess, I’ve struggled a little more than usual this time getting to that place. Luckily, these awesome destinations have given me respite from the crazy monkey mind, however temporarily. So now Venice. It’s been a really interesting journey for me with this place. I took a bus here instead of a plane. It was a long bus ride but no longer than getting to an airport, going through security, having a layover in Germany (exasperatingly, there is no direct flight from Zagreb to Venice. Look on a map and you’ll understand why I say “exasperatingly”), and then getting in and getting to town. And the bus ride was $100 cheaper! All went well although I was a little terrified when I first got on the bus and thought there was no bathroom (WC in Eurospeak) on it, given that my commute was hours and hours long. I at first wouldn’t eat or drink anything until I realized that there was in fact a WC on the bus tucked under the seats by the back stairs. Whew. What a relief just to know that. And the bus drivers took a couple breaks. It was so cute in a way watching them drink their little espressos and smoke their cigarettes while sitting on the lawn across the parking lot from a little convenience mart on the side of the highway. Funny moment: we approached the Slovenian border and were stopped for passport control. I knew about this beforehand and had looked into what all was required (passport: yes, visa – even if just passing though: no, Covid test: no, Covid vaccine proof: yes, although they never asked me for it). The bus drivers told everyone in Croatian what was going on and I just looked at them. Many times they will follow up in English as it is a catch-all language that most speak, which makes things easier for us Americans but saddens me a bit. Anyhow, the driver looked at my blank face while everyone else got up and said, “You speak English,” to which I nodded my head and then he said, “Passports…” and indicated for me to get off the bus. I said, “Hvala” (thanks in Croatian). When I arrived in Italy and then Venice, I never had to present my passport, which I was surprised by. I totally kept my bus ticket confirmation if there happens to be any issues with me leaving a country that I’m not sure they have any record of me being in. Arrived in Venice and was so completely baffled by literally everything. Wow, what a different way of doing things! No signs, no one to talk to. My misterbnb (gay Airbnb) host was corresponding with me via WhatsApp and told me to take some water bus to the Rialto bridge stop but I wasn’t seeing that. I saw two Rialto stops. I asked some woman if she spoke English (I hate just assuming so I always ask even though most do) and she said “leetle”. I asked how to pay and she told me to just walk on the side that said “do not enter” and get on the boat. So I did… And then the boat took off. I had no idea if I was going the right way or anything although the number matched the number my host mentioned. His responses to me were of course delayed so I was always like two steps ahead of his instructions. I found a place to buy a ticket and then got on another water bus. I don’t know how but somehow I ended up making it the right place. I swear it was the universe and not me. Met my host and he guided me to my place. I have so lucked out on this trip. Each place has been perfectly located. I mean perfectly. I have enjoyed meeting this host – Roberto – and have enjoyed him telling me a little about his life here as well. He has a cute rabbit named Conan who has free reign of his place and uses some thing like a litter box to go poo and pee and uses that exclusively. Roberto speaks limited English but we have used a combination of Spanish and Google Translate to cover the gaps. I spent the first evening here just wandering around and getting lost. In my experience you have to get lost first to truly understand maps and to get points of reference. And it was through this exploration that I came to realize that the key to Venice lies in using a multi-pronged approach. You need to refer to the water bus schedules, your maps, and your explorations, and the little directions posted on walls that I just today noticed to guide you. Miss any one of these and it may as well be the Riddle of the Sphinx, getting from one place to another but together it all makes sense somehow. Got up today, had tea with Roberto and then hit the cobblestone. I ended up going to Burano. There was a threat of a thunderstorm today but I had managed somehow to find the port so I was going because Zeus knows if I would ever find it again. Went there and it was so beautiful with all the painted buildings. One thing interesting to mention is how the different places are handling Covid these days. By and large the numbers are actually lower in these parts than in the US, save possibly for Italy, where rates are similar. I live in Minneapolis so that is my point of reference. I found mask wearing to be slightly less in Turkey, although not by much when on public transportation. And Turkish Airlines required a mask be worn. I actually have to wear a mask for work every day. I’ve grown used to it so I have just worn one when on a plane, except for one fight… In Dubrovnik, almost no one wore a mask anywhere. Every once in a blue moon you’d see someone. I never wear a mask outdoors unless tightly packed and even indoors I don’t wear one unless it seems like a place is particularly busy. I’m 4x vaxxed and had Covid in January so I guess I feel protected against severe illness and maybe even infection on some level, even though I know it can occur. When I flew from Dubrovnik to Zagreb, it was on some crazy-ass plane that actually had propellers!! I sat next to a Frenchman (A Parisian, no less!) so I wanted to speak French and somehow found the mask inhibiting in that regard. Alors… In Zagreb as well I saw very little mask usage. But then I came to Italy… I know they were hit hard in the beginning days. So masks are largely enforced, particularly on the water buses (boats). Everyone wears one (and the few that have them pulled down are by and large Americans). I don’t have a problem with it. Some of the boats end up being pretty packed. Technically we’re outside with the windows all open but still. A lot of people. Today I went to a pharmacy to make my appt for a Covid test tomorrow. The US still requires one within 24 hours of a flight back, regardless if you are a current US citizen. I have brought my own home tests with me and took one a couple days ago and one tonight. In the clear as of tonight’s test. Not sure why I did that or how that changes things but it makes me feel a bit more at ease. The US requires that one spend ten days outside of the country if one receives a positive result, which I think is ridiculous and nonsensical given current CDC domestic guidelines. After I scheduled that I was trying to find things on the map and having a hard time of it, overshooting and getting lost. So I ultimately decided to just go with the general flow, which is such a great lesson for life, really when you think about it. You can spend all your time with all your plans and in the meantime totally miss the journey of life as it is actually happening. I’m very guilty of this admittedly. And I almost never regret the result of my blind explorations or gut intuitions. I’ve been sitting next to the Rialto Bridge next to a canal having a glass on wine as I type this. At one point a flock of birds flew overhead. It was such a beautiful moment. Caused me to put my phone down and look up and just be for a moment, which is always my goal. Sometimes I’m able to let go and actually accomplish it!

Day 16 – Venice reflections

Venice is such an interesting, strange place. If you are someone who requires order and hates chaos, this is definitely not the place for you. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced so much chaos in my life. At first glance or experience, the place seems horribly disorganized. Confusing with seemingly no signage to be found. The ticket counters for the water taxis, which are literally the only way to get around except for by foot in the labyrinth of twisting, narrow passageways, are always backed up with the agent wanting to be quickly done with your question or transaction to get to the next exasperated person who has no clue what on earth is going on or what to do. And yet, it somehow all works. It’s beautiful and even charming in a way because it all just falls into place and you end up figuring it out. And then you fully get it. It’s like a different mindset or something. You have to be willing to let go and just go with it, which is in a way liberating. To be freed of the same way of doing and being that’s been drilled into one’s head and soul. Even here at the airport, they do things differently. I got here super early as there was some event happening in the waterways (thank goodness the woman whom I got the ticket for the boat told me when I got it yesterday!!) and they were closing all of the ways that one would use to get to the airport. I have no idea how others who don’t know this are going to get to the airport later today but I’m sure they’ll figure it out. Anyhow, I got here hoping to check in and get through security and just hang out but they require that you not check until just 3 hours before the flight. I suppose it keeps the about of people on various areas regulated but I’m never fully relaxed til I get through the security check, which I always find to be really stressful. I can only move so fast taking off my belt and putting everything in the bins and stuff and then doing the opposite on the other side! There’s this weird anxious rush people get in. Same with deplaning. All these people getting their bags and standing up and energetically demonstrating this intention to get off the plane and I always want to say, “you know you’re going to have to sit there for like another 10 minutes, right?” I love just strolling around Venice, though. It’s all about discovering whatever pops up for me. And constantly discovering their “way”. One thing that stuck out was how many fancy-schmancy restaurants there are. Like all over! I’m totally not a fancy-schmancy type of person so I was always on the hunt for the little dives and take out places. I discovered some places with really great pasta. Chewier than I’ve ever had, which was interesting. But overall, honestly, and this will probably be sacrilege for some, I am not a big fan of going to a restaurant for Italian or French food. I guess I understand French food more, with its interesting sauces, but I find both unnecessarily highly priced. There was an ice cream place that was all the rage. Always had super long lines. I passed by once and the line wasn’t all that long so I got in. I didn’t find the ice cream so amazing. lol. It was ok but I had better ice cream at this lesser visited place not far away. Why is that almost always the case? It’s all about the marketing, I guess. The best ice cream of the trip was in Dubrovnik, though. One other thing I noticed when I’d go get a beer or wine was that people were all drinking this weird, clear, orange drink. I thought it looked disgusting but I swear half the people were drinking it! Another thing that struck me in my wandering was how it’s so easy because of all the detail on the architecture is so mind-blowingly ornate to pass by and not fully take it in. I went to San Marco Plaza a number of times because it was close and there is so much to see there. One time I totally stopped and took in the detail bit by bit. There’s really only so much you can see. But when you really hone in you see all of these fun, delightful details. My favorite was on the top band of one of the buildings you see a bunch of cherubs. But when I looked more closely, I started to wonder if it wasn’t actually one cherub that was dancing. Almost as if you’re watching a film or something. Not sure if that’s what it was but the thought made me smile so I went with it. Also there was the classical music and the smells and sounds of splashing lagoon water. Truly stimulating for all the senses.

Day 17 – Le retour

So I’m back now in Minneapolis after two and a half weeks. Not my longest trip, actually but the one that covered the most territory. I used planes and boats on this trip more than I ever have previously. Although now that I think about my Chile/Peru trip, that required a number of flights and a train ride. The highlights that stick out to me were many. I enjoyed observing the distinct differences between the now two Muslim countries I have visited: Turkey and Morocco. Although to be fair, I saw much more of Morocco, whereas all of Turkey that I saw was in Istanbul, which was definitely more liberal and less influenced by conservative tradition. I found the calls to prayer there to be much more melodic than in Morocco where sometimes it seemed like the clerics were actually yelling at people from the minarets. I loved visiting both countries but that was a distinct difference. I remember also being so moved by the song-like chanting from Quran that I actually got to see when at the Topkapi Palace. I found it moving in some way. Almost felt emotional as I was hearing it and reading the English translation. And it was interesting to watch the man in his very calm state. I wonder how he knows when to go up or down in his chants. There seemed no hesitation. I so enjoyed meeting my online friend Arif and being able to see into his world a bit and, despite neither of us knowing each other’s language that well, being able to communicate and laugh and enjoy the time. Him singing the Persian and other chants was also very special to me. I loved the little trip to the island of Lokrum off of Dubrovnik, especially the cool area where the waves crash into the rocks (with little ladders that one could climb if one dove into the sea from the rocks – no way!!) and the high point on the island with the spectacular views. Similarly the views from the steep hike above the church to the city walls in the town in Montenegro that I visited. Also Dubrovnik had by far the best ice cream of the trip – with cherries and dark chocolate. There was another that was all cherries (cherry mania or something) that this English woman with a frilly hat and sunglasses said was “to die for…” (I believe she said that three or four times). Zagreb was probably the biggest, most pleasant surprise for me. Such a cool, easy going town. My favorite there was this little alternative/jazz place that I went to every night with outdoor seating and good beer (and a place to charge a phone, which seems hard to come by when traveling but so important if you don’t want to have to keep running back to where you are staying). It seemed very relaxing and “livable” to me and was actually the only of all the places I visited that had a gay bar, not that I tend to visit those at home or anything. Just nice to know they’re there. And I also ended up loving the beautiful, chaotic nature of Venice, although I wasn’t loving it so much at first. Really had fun hanging out with my host Roberto there as well. As always, my multi-destination journey made the two and a half weeks feel more like a month. And once again I can’t believe I managed to pull it off. I covered so much territory. I got anxious a few times but for the most part, I was very go with the flow throughout. It’s good practice for other areas of life that don’t necessarily go as planned or that I have a tendency to over prepare or get overwhelmed by. It’s a lesson for me to just accept everything for what it is knowing that things will work out as they will in the end. I got to practice that on my return, actually. I landed in Mpls and was as usual deadened by the seemingly banal chatter around about things I could not possibly care less about. I made myself to the heart of the airport after going what seemed like a mile down the hallway from the orphaned step-child wing. Then I had to pretty much go back in the original direction via a little tram to get to the light rail. And that’s when the Minneapolis adventure really began. The light rail in this town has become a complete disaster. People drinking straight from liquor bottles, pacing, yelling menacingly, people obviously on drugs trying to talk to you even though you have no desire to talk. I was exhausted after getting up super early and getting to the Venice airport and then having a layover in NYC after flying for over eight hours there. Then another three to Mpls. I didn’t have the energy or desire to listen to this guy’s drug-addled nonsense. I tried to be polite at first but ultimately ended up ignoring him because I was too zonked. I couldn’t understand half of what he said anyway and I didn’t have the energy or the desire to figure it out. But I’ll have to say that part of me felt like a sitting duck there with my noticeable carry-on bag. No one directly threatened me or even engaged me save for that guy who was mumbling and he seemed harmless. Still, I felt very ill at ease, which is very rare for me. I tend to have a pretty high tolerance for stuff like that. They must have been working on the tracks or something because the train stopped and we had to take a bus the rest of the way and that was even /worse/. People yelling at the top of their lungs. One guy tried to get on the bus at a place that wasn’t a stop. People yelled at the bus driver for not letting him on. Then when we were at the stop, the driver waited for the guy, he got on, and then wanted off before the next stop even. The bus driver just let him off and I’m glad he did. Who knows what that was about. I got off and went to the parking garage where I’ve always parked my car and never before had a problem. I went down and someone had bashed in my driver side window. I never keep anything of value in my car so all they ended up doing was rifling through things (they could at least have the decency to put the stuff back when they realize that they’ve busted my window for nothing…). It sucked because as I mentioned, I was super tired and just wanted to get home. Now I had to brush as much glass as I could off my seat and put a couple blankets down, and drive home. Welcome to Minneapolis! All I had at home was this lame Saran Wrap that I duck taped to my car as it was raining. I totally wasn’t expecting it to still be up this morning but it was! I take it in tomorrow to have it fixed. My insurance covers it and thankfully no one was hurt or anything. It’s just really annoying. I noticed when I was in Venice and Istanbul, even all of the graffiti on the walls of these beautiful buildings. I find it gross. But it all in some way strikes me as part of a larger worldwide phenomenon. When I was on the train, I watched these two female police officers check for tickets and then when I’m guessing they found people hanging out on the train (seemingly not homeless either from what I could tell), they did nothing. It was one of those people who pulled out a liquor bottle and started yelling and drinking from it after they left. I’m thinking at this point it might be smarter to take an Uber. It’s a shame that public transport isn’t more widely accepted here like it is in Europe where everyone uses it.