Archive for December, 2009

Saba: My Paradise

Published by jess on December 30, 2009 in Travel Journal. 0 Comments

IMG_0111.JPG

I’ve traveled to a fair number of places in my life (not as many as Taylor, but still), and I’ve loved most of them in some way or another. I look back over my photos from Croatia or Vietnam and think how beautiful it was; I remember the food I ate in Singapore, and get instantly hungry; I imagine myself in a Vienna cafe and smile; I think about the rich brown-blue beauty of Mexico and yearn for another vacation. I’m sure most everyone has these kinds of memories of travel to share.

But every now and then, there are some places you go that are different. That take you beyond just a great vacation. Places that make you rethink why the heck you are living the way you live. For me, Saba was such a place. I swear even now, a few weeks after returning to the bitter cold of dark, drab New York, I am still thinking about it, still wanting to go back as soon as possible, and imagining myself living there one day. This is not the most reasonable of ideas; Saba is a tiny island of 1,800 population that does not have any of the stuff I love about my (city) life: newspapers, movie theaters, coffee houses, shopping, any kind of food you want and, of course, Bikram yoga. But Saba is the kind of place that really gets into your heart and stays there; that’s my point.

I won’t go into the specifics of the travel stuff, since you can read my thoughts on all that in the piece I’ve written for WSJ and its accompanying slideshow. But here’s video of our dramatic landing and takeoff from the island (Saba has the shortest runway in the world):

Dubrovnik

Published by jess on December 11, 2009 in Travel Journal. 0 Comments

The bus ride down the coast to Dubrovnik was stunning — the rest stop where we took a break along the way had a beautiful lookout. Once in Dubrovnik old town, we rolled our suitcases along the the Stradum in search of our apartment. Just above a lovely plaza, our apartment was perfection: tidy, ideally located, and outfitted with antiquey furniture and decoration. We paused long enough to change into clothing appropriate for the (finally) warmer weather and set out to walk the old town walls. Though there were definitely more tourists in Dubrovnik than anywhere else we had been thus far, it was still quiet and on our tour of the city walls, we were virtually on our own. We were incredibly lucky in this; I can imagine the experience wouldn’t be nearly as sublime with hoards of people on either side of you.

Dubrovnik was definitely my favorite part of the trip, and though I felt that every day there, every meal, every activity, was a highlight, walking the old town walls would have to top that list. Even at a fairly speedy clip, it took some time to encircle the city — mostly because at every turn and stretch, there’s a stunning view to stop and behold. Part of the fun is imagining what the city looked like when these walls were first built; and how they were used over the years. Part of the fun is peering into the modern apartments housed partially in the walls. I was struck by the juxtaposition of ancient stone with hanging laundry and satellite dishes. As we turned one corner, I espied on the other side of the wall a man sitting on his balcony, working on a laptop. The banal sitting just next to the sublime; modern life layered upon the old city’s historical frame. Here’s how I saw it:

IMG_1172.JPG

IMG_1179.JPG

IMG_1180.JPG

IMG_1181.JPG

IMG_1183.JPG

IMG_1185.JPG

IMG_1189.JPG

IMG_1193.JPG

IMG_1194.JPG

IMG_1195.JPG

IMG_1197.JPG

Split

Published by jess on December 9, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

IMG_1160.JPG

We had heard mixed reviews of Split. Some say its cosmopolitanism and nightlife make it yet another euro-trashy destination worthy of skipping. Some say its an architectural gem not to be missed. We stayed for 2 nights, and I found both to be true, to a certain degree. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on wandering through Diocletian’s Palace, shopping in the open-air markets and jewelry stores, and trolling along the waterfront with a gelato. Throughout Europe are cities where historical structures house modern life, but in Split this confluence is particularly apparent and especially enthralling. We didn’t spend much time learning about the history of Split or Diocletian’s Palace; mostly we were content to just meander and take it all in. This is, however, the kind of place where such knowledge may enhance one’s appreciation of the sights even more, so if I were to return, I might make more of an effort.

Peshteta

IMG_1153.JPG

While traveling, both Kai and I like to find new things to obsess over. In Croatia, we found Peshteta, a tuna fish pate eaten with bread and served as an appetizer at most restaurants. We had it first in Skradin, and I remember that peshteta being by far the best. We sampled many varieties, including one at a waterfront pizza place in Split (pictured above). I know it looks here just like blobs of tuna, but it’s so much tastier than that.

Hrvatska

Published by jess on December 9, 2009 in Travel Journal and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

This is a long overdue report on my travels to Croatia earlier this year.

It all began over drinks with Kai in San Francisco. She mentioned she was planning to travel to Croatia in the Spring. With who? I asked. Why, by myself, she replied. To which I naturally, and in my standard elegant mode of address, replied, I Wanna Go Too I Wanna go Too!

And so we did go. Since Kai is a busy doctor and all the time busy with doctoring things, she let me take on most of the planning for the trip. Which, naturally, suited me just fine. We had only 8 days in Croatia, with a few days in London on either end, but we wanted to experience as much of the country as possible. So we planned a whirlwind tour of the Southern coastal area, beginning in resort town Zadar, through Split and ending in Dubrovnik, with one venture inland to Skradin and the Krka Waterfalls.

Zadar

It rained the morning we were in Zadar, preventing us from exploring the city. Our one adventure here was taking the public bus to the bus station, which the guide book made sound quite simple, but was complicated by the rain, our bags, the crowds and the fact that the bus station was not labeled as such. We made it, though, and went onward to Sibenik, where we had yet another interesting bus travel experience in trying to decipher which bus was our bus.

Skradin and Krka National Park

IMG_1121.JPG

We were travelling just before Easter, which marks the beginning of the high season for tourism in Croatia. We arrived in Skradin to find it a ghost town — empty streets, shuttered restaurants and stores. In wandering around, we would see restaurants washing down their decks, dragging about tables and chairs, beginning preparations to open for the season. In our day and a half there, we had the place totally to ourselves, which was actually a bit disconcerting. It almost felt like we were interrupting the town’s last moments of solitude before they open their doors and welcome in the masses.

IMG_1066.JPG

We were the only occupants of our hotel and for the included breakfast, instead of opening up the dining room, they set us up our own little table in the lobby. It was comical, but in an endearing way.

IMG_1077.JPG

The town has a lovely pier, where the boat that takes visitors to the Krka National Park and its waterfalls docks.

IMG_1060.JPG

Though Krka is much smaller than the famous Plitvice Lakes, it was still a lovely way to spend the morning and was all we had time for anyway. We ended up having to hike there since the early morning boat never showed up to take us.

IMG_1083.JPG

Before leaving, we stopped for what was fast becoming a morning, noon and night ritual for us: cappus.

IMG_1123.JPG