Jupiter, Cuttlefish, and Accordion players

As a second job, Tonći plays the accordion. Our captain was top-heavy with sun baked skin, a shaved head and a big smile. He served us a Croatian white wine made by his friend. He was from Dubrovnik and waited tables when the bombing started during the War for Independence. He was 12 at the time, and when we told him that he was younger than us, he said "I know." 

The boat trip from Dubrovnik to Hvar started off chilly, attempting to crawl above 50 degrees for our 8 AM departure. The waters were expected to get rough in the mid-afternoon, so we had to move fast. We were dressed like onions, in layers that we could peel off when and if the sun decided to take control of the day. We raced from the island of Dubrovnik to Korčula, trying to stay warm with the boat-driven cold wind pummeling our faces, making our clothes flap violently as we questioned our decision to stick with the boat trip.

An hour later, when we got to our first stop in Korčula, the day had decided to turn nice. We strolled the old town, and learned about its claim to Marco Polo. We sat at a café with a nice spot in the sun overlooking the sea and had a cappuccino and we were warm. We stopped at a cute little bakery and brought some snacks back to the boat. When we offered to share them with Tonći he declined, indicating that he was a carnivore and would fast for up to a week at a time. Once he went ten days. 

We then made a brief stop to swim in the crystal-clear waters at a little cove off the uninhabited island of Šćedro. Croatia has 1244 islands, islets, and exposed reefs, of which only about 50 have people living on them. Tonći threw us some floaties and we swam for a bit until we decided to go to the front of the boat and sun off.  

When we laid out on the front of the boat, we asked Tonći to hand us our sunscreen. He said, "you don't need sunscreen". Despite the lack of clouds, despite the warm midday sun reflecting off the water, we agreed.

The day was good and we listened to Yacht rock.

That afternoon Tonći dropped us off in the Old Town of Hvar. When we got to our place, Maslina, we were greeted by Gandhi. He was tall and tanned, with dark hair tied up into a bun, wearing nothing but linen.  It was almost comical how perfectly placed he was in this eco-resort perched on a hill overlooking the sea. The place had a nice spa and a short walk to a rocky beach with stunning views. There were cats everywhere. Amy tried to feed one of them cheese.

After arrival we relaxed on the property, enjoyed the spa, and had a nice dinner. Unfortunately, Amy's beautiful sea bass disagreed with her violently and kept her up all night. By late morning the next day Amy rallied up enough energy for us to take our rental car around the island to explore a breathtaking pebbled beach that required a steep walk down a scraggly cliff. There were sun bathers and an adorable little café. We got in the water and looked at the fish moving in and out of the rocks. That afternoon we explored the charming seaside village of Stari Grad and sat outside for a nice lunch at an adorable restaurant in a limestone alley. 

That night, we were both exhausted. We ordered room service and slept hard.

The next day we started early, exploring more beaches – one with cliff jumping, another down a hill, one with a stunning cove, another where we watched someone prepare to go spearfishing. The morning was windy and chilly so our time in the water was brief, just feet up to the knees, but refreshing. 

The Croatian islands are actually an extension of the Alps, and a consequence of the same African tectonic plate crashing into Europe that gave us the Dolomites. Hvar is basically a small mountain that juts out of the sea, some 2000 feet at its peak. The drive around the south side of the island was filled with tight switchback curves with vineyards draped down the red, towering, steeply-pitched cliffsides. When looking across the sea there were breathtaking views of islands near and far. In the afternoon we went for a wine tasting with a wonderful host named Maya who kept plying us with Croatian hams, cheese, and olive oil. 

Later we got a little lost trying to find and old village and made a wrong turn through a rocky mountain car path that took us through an olive grove that may or may not be a UNESCO World Agricultural site. The small olive branches smacked both sides of our car as we crawled up and down the grove, clearly driving through somewhere we shouldn't. The car had good tires and we made it through.

We found another winery that had its cellar below sea level. The wine there wasn't good and the place was gimmicky, but we were able to watch three young boys fight on the pier, and it was fun. We made our way back to Maslina through a narrow, one-way tunnel that was carved through the mountain, having to maneuver around an oncoming motorcycle that didn't follow the traffic lights.

The next day it was time to take a ferry to Split where we spent the afternoon exploring Diocletian's Palace, built in 305 A.D. as his retirement home. There was the Temple of Jupiter that later turned into the Baptistry of St. John the Baptist – history's layers sitting on top of one another. We saw a wedding empty out of a church with an accordion player who played La Bamba. It wasn't Tonći.

We had a nice dinner and reflected on an amazing trip.

How I'm feeling

I feel good. I know I mentioned it my last post, but I'm really happy with how my health held up through this trip. I feel refreshed, fit, and a little heavier than I was before the trip. The only real negative is that my shoulder has gotten a good bit worse. I'll be prioritizing another visit to the orthopedist for a cortisone shot and further assessment. Will also probably try physical therapy and perhaps a chiropractor. But all good. 

On to the next round of tests, immunotherapy and consultation on Monday and Tuesday. I'll try to provide an update on where things stand by the end of the week. 

What I'm thankful for

My wife, Amy. I'm thankful that she is such a great traveling companion. We get along very well on these trips and almost never get on each other's nerves. Almost. The one thing that I think I do that bothers her is my ongoing jokes about when we're going to find our next ham. We enjoy the same things on these trips – exploring, learning, seeing, nature, and eating. And we look out for each other. When one of us gets frustrated by a normal travel challenge, we pick each other up. 

I do think I need a ham detox plan as going cold turkey has it's dangers. I've also identified that there is a Ham Trail that runs through Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. 

I look forward to all of the adventures to come and am thankful to have her by my side.

A memory

Amy and I have been fortunate enough to do a few long trips together. Brazil, Colombia, Southeast Asia, and a few trips to Europe, each between two and three weeks. Toward the end of the trips our motor starts to slow down. We don't need to see everything. A relaxing day at the hotel can feel good.

I remember our last day in Bangkok a few years ago. Instead of bustling through the city, trying to see another Buddhist temple with all of its Buddhas, or find that special restaurant, we just sat by the pool and played dominoes. We ate a black chicken that night at the hotel. Everything was calm, easy, and nice. We left the next day refreshed and ready to go home.

What I'm looking forward to

My electric toothbrush is losing its charge. I finished off the last drops of mouthwash before bed last night. I'm almost out of Q-tips. My Dopp kit is lighter, but my body is almost certainly heavier. If you count the flight over, we've slept in 9 different beds across 17 days. We've gone through different iterations of fully unpacking, half unpacking, and just living out of our suitcases. We've traveled by plane, train, bus, foot, foot, foot, foot, foot, foot, bus, plane, boat, ferry, and plane to get to each destination. We found a couple of opportunities for strategic laundry. We've ironed and used showers to steam shirts and pants. We've smelled cloths, shrugged our shoulders, and gotten dressed. 

The journey has been amazing, but we've worked for it.

I'm looking forward to going home. I'm looking forward to seeing Cleo squeal when we walk in the front door. I'll get down on the floor and let her smother me. I'm looking forward to seeing our cat Thea come down the stairs to greet us. I'm looking forward to our sofa and watching the NFL and "Slow Horses". 

I'm looking forward to jumping back into work.

I'm even looking forward to getting my CT scans done tomorrow morning, and my next round of infusions and consultation with Dr. Yorio on Tuesday. 

I'm looking forward to continuing this fight.

Something I recommend

The Apple TV Show "Slow Horses". It's a British spy show where a bunch of cast-off spies fight one big threat each season. Gary Oldman plays a disgusting, crotchety old man and (as always) is amazing in it.  The new season just came out and I'm looking forward to jumping into it. 

Something I ate

In Hvar I had black risotto with cuttlefish twice. It's a local specialty and both times it was delicious. I need to find a good cuttlefish supplier in Austin – the texture is sort of a cross between calamari and octopus, but distinct from both of them. The risotto is made with a deep, somewhat briny seafood broth that is blackened by the cuttlefish ink. 10/10.

Random thoughts

“Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king”
–Bob Dylan, Sweetheart Like You

It's got to be tough being a mid-level Russian Oligarch. Amy and I joked about that as we looked over the harbor while we waited for our room at our hotel in Split. The café at the hotel had a really lovely outdoor area adjacent to the promenade with a bunch of small to mid-sized yachts within plain view. We had a glass of wine and a light lunch and watched these yachts dock, unload, and load their well-off passengers. We saw a crew rearrange the deck chairs and mused about whether the ship was destined for an iceberg.

But when you become a mid-level Russian Oligarch you must really feel like you need to keep up with the Jones. Or in this case the Ivans and Dmitris. You have to maintain the cash flow to keep up appearances. You have to stay in line and ensure you don't piss off the bigger Oligarchs, or worst of all, Vlad. You have to shelter assets to avoid the consequences of the bigger Oligarchs, and of course the biggest. You have to shelter assets to avoid Western sanctions.

Our cab driver to the airport in Split talked about how much he likes the NBA. His favorite team is the Lakers. His brother's is the Clippers. I asked him how he watches the games with the time change. He said that in the winter it's not so busy. Whereas he makes about 4000 Euros each month in the summer, in the winter it's about 800. He's got plenty of time.

He seemed happy.