So
One country done
One cruise complete
One set of hurdles conquered
One set of brand new friends
It's hard to believe that the first leg of my journey is complete and I'm talking to new people about the best places, highlights and must-sees of Croatia, like I'm an expert lol
I'd have to say there is very little I'd change about my trip and cruise of Croatia.
Highly highly recommend it to anyone thinking of traveling there.
The time of year was PERFECT, the weather was lovely exactly what I like, sunny, warm in the sun but not too hot, warm enough to walk around in a t shirt and cool enough to put on a cardigan at night. I can not to this day believe how absolutely brilliant blue the skies were, not a cloud to be seen. It was even warm enough to swim. A bit on the brrrrr .... Insert swear word here...but refreshing and become quite pleasant once you got past nipple level, body parts thawed and came out of shock. We were so lucky considering that two wks before it rained every day! Not only was the weather perfect but as it was mid-late October the tourist/ high season was coming to an end. This meant very few lines, and we could walk around without being accosted by many other tourist groups or begrudging tour guides. That said many restaurants and bars were closed but with our group that didn't really matter as we definitely made our own fun.
The cruise itself sold in the On the Go brochure and run by Katrina lines was fantastic. The boat was great, enough places to congregate, catch some rays, chat with newly found friends or consolidate some zzzz (I was trying for alliteration there forgive me lol). The rooms, though small were clean and adequate. My room had enough hooks to hang almost resembled a laundry by the end of it.
The itinerary and balance of culture, walking tours, time to explore, time to swim, time to sun bake, time to do nothing at all but watch the scenery and listen to the water lapping at the boat was fantastic. Allowed us to feel we were getting the best bits of culture whilst still being able to catch up on sleep or recover :-p
The staff were amazing. Especially Tommy the barman who without fail handed me my soy milk with a smile, got our copious drinks with a grin and had a laugh with us. Aida our tour guide was fabulous. She had a great sense of humor and a wealth of knowledge that was truly impressive. She spoke about things with such passion, not cheesy overwhelming let me spoon feed the tourists attitude but with a true love of her country. She was very personable and was truly interested in talking to her group. She also knew when to take a step back and let us be guests. It's a fine line. Luka ... well he did a good job and when he smiled he was gorgeous ...one gal managed to find out what made him smile lol lol lol... But what happens on board stays on board lol. Djelka the cook was great. No mean feat cooking in a tiny kitchen while the boat was rock rock rocking or when she had to cook for me with no dairy, no this no that and a three course meal for lunch and dinner. It wasn't until later that we realised how little English she had but she was always happy to accommodate us with a smile. Eva who called herself the chambermaid (which makes me uncomfortable and brings forth images of Benny Hill and scantily clad women in small maid outfits). She was always friendly and happy to have a chat. She also got to know who would sleep late and when to come clear our rooms - priceless! The captain of this fair ship VAPOR was great as well, he was friendly and smiled and put up with our shenanigans and even when telling us off and to be quiet at 4am, still did it with good humor. I'm still undecided as to whether that friendliness was bordering on sleaziness eg when he beckoned one of his favourite blonds with a psssst psssst only dressed in his underwear.....
Now onto the group of travellers themselves. I really do thank my lucky stars for the combination of guests aboard, it really could go either way, it is total pot luck. We had a range of ages, personalities, statuses and nationalities. So the stats: 8 Americans, 4 South Africans, 3 Australians, 1 Danish. Ages (this is a guess... I think it's a bit impolite to ask ) ranged from 35-75. Status - we had happily single, happily married, recently single, always single, looking, recently divorced, widowed, dating etc. everyone has something to add to the little cruise community we formed.
Uncle Ole 75!!!- provided hours of entertainment and surprised us with his ability to keep up, keep drinking, keep smoking and keep vertical. He had his favourites and I think fell hard for some of the blonds..... Just be careful of going in for the hug or you may have gotten more than you asked for lol
Linda and Mike - action couple extraordinaire, while we were standing in line for the gondola up the hill, they were powering up there, almost beating us to the top. Put us to shame
JC and Liz - surrogate mums and dads for us, a call of 'sweetie' or 'darling' was never far off, nor was a cheeky story with a hilarious ending. Always had us in fits of laughter. I don't think ill ever look at fish the same way, JC's utter fascination and excitement about 'oh my god did you see that school of fish, i swam straight through it' was infectious.
Maureen and Bob - the other Aussie couple felt like home, it was nice being able to share stories in Australian lingo.
Bud - Bud-da-bing - music man who had the tunes so well suited, and combined with the gentle breeze and lapping of the ocean. He partied hard though at times I think he hide from us just so he could get some sleep lol. A relaxing quiet photographic journey this was not but I don't think he was complaining at all!
Now to the ladies
The lovely people who within ten minutes of meeting them made me feel like part of the crew. Girls that I think I'd definitely be friends with back home.
Sandy / Sandra - organiser with the mostest. I still can't believe how well she manages to organise her gals... 7 from different parts of the US coming together for a week in a small country miles away. I can barely get my friends together for coffee in Bondi!!! She took care of the cruising crew, me included. Kept an eye out for her brood, ensuring everyone made it back to boat, no stowaways were joining us, uncle Ole got home and made it down the stairs ok.
Diana -sista from another mutha!!! Seriously I think she maybe the blonde, slim, US version of me! We share a love of accessories, jewellery and scarves that seems to be unparalleled. I think I have met my match in terms of ability to shop anywhere and as for our taste in men... Maybe it's best we date on different continents lol.
Jen - so much fun and so easy to chat to. We had many a chat, D&M to mindless crap, comparing big boob secrets, fashion hints, stories of men past, present fleeting and meaningful. Up for anything and just brought smiles wherever she went.
CC- I think CC was the first person who took the time to chat with me and put me at ease. Im so grateful. So friendly and easy going, always happy to share a drink and have a laugh.
Janessa - my travel guru. She was able to empathise with my fears and concerns as a traveller, having just done it herself. Always happy to give advice, always understanding and compassionate. Also inspirational that she follows through, doesn't let anything stop her eg skinny dipping in Lake Thingamabob lol. Go girl!!
Andrea - a powerhouse of energy and positivity. You can't but help smile and be caught up in the energetic excitement that surrounds her. Caring of her friends around her and sympathetic when it came to worldly advice.
Tara - who made me laugh constantly, with an infectious laugh. She was our back-up tour guide and was a sponge for knowledge. I'm sure she could edit and correct many of my tidbits of information I've recorded. The thing with Tara is when she spoke to you you felt so valued. She really listened to you and cared about what you said. She spoke to each person whether it be close friend, crew member, tour guide or random stranger like they were the most important person in the world. Also points to her for entertaining us with 'stories' some of which I totally missed as they were happening... Impressive!
So that accounts for all of the personalities, activities and some of the stories
No comments:
Post a Comment