MAR 13 - MAR 23; CROATIA -ITALY: Janet and I took a trip to Croatia and Italy this month. Delayed by the tragic events of September 11, 2001 we decided this trip would be a good opportunity to not only try and get in touch with some of Janet's relatives, but also see Jane while at school in Italy. To say the least, our itinerary was not set before we left the States. The only thing we knew for sure was how we were getting to and from Zagreb, the capital of Croatia; where we were staying the first two nights; how we were traveling to Split and finally Jane had made arrangements for us for a place to stay in Macerata, Italy. Everything else was 'to be determined' once we arrived in Zagreb. Luckily, Janet was able to work things out quite handily with the help of the locals and relatives. Of course we also didn't know that Pres. George Bush was going to start a war with Iraq while we were away from home, but fortunately that didn't disrupt our plans and we had a wonderful trip.
Zagreb is a beautiful European capital city with many fine examples of nineteenth and early 20th century architecture done in Romanesque, renaissance, baroque and neo-classical styles. It was a planned city with a good system of electric trams and buses. Janet and I both couldn't help but notice how many good looking young people there were. Very tall and thin. They looked like models.
Split is on the Dalmation Coast. This was where the Roman Emperor Diocletian decided to build his little retirement home circa 200 A.D.
We took an overnight ferry across the Adriatic to Ancona, Italy and a train to Macerata to see Jane. We found her enjoying school and the experience of living in a foreign country for an extended time. She and her roommates made an excellent dinner for us, that included vegetable lasagna, tossed salad and of course a few bottles of very good $2 wine.
We made our way back to Ancona where I was able to do a little exploring. The city has its own Roman Coliseum that is an archialogical site since it was built on top of over time.
We took the night ferry back to Split, arrived at 7 A.M., walked across the street and caught the 8 o'clock bus to Dubronik. This was a six hour ride down the coast. We really enjoyed the scenery.
Dubrovik was a highlight of our trip. Simply one of the most picturesque towns I've every seen. They were having an International Lions Convention the weekend we were there, but it was still not very crowded. I really couldn't help myself from taking quite a lot of pictures.
Finally we boarded the bus again for the ride back up the coast to Trogir and Seget. Someone was looking out for Janet and she was able to connect up with relatives who weren't expecting us. They were extremely hospitable and took very good care of us. We only had a few hours to spend in Trogir, as we had to catch our plane back Zagreb and home.
There's much more to say, but for now -- on to the pictures. The movies are 15 second clips, but still take several minutes to load on dial-up connections. If interested in viewing, I'd recommend saving the movie file to your own computer first.
Jane said, "I'm glad that you guys were able to visit me in Macerata. My roommates, Juri, and I all had a lot of fun at dinner. It was a short visit, but a good visit none the less."
Picture Link - Day 1 Zagreb
Picture Link - Day 2 Zagreb
Picture Link - Day 3 Zagreb
Picture Link - Day 4 Split
Picture Link - Day 5 Macerata
Picture Link - Day 6 Macerata
Picture Link - Day 7 Macerata & Ancona
Picture Link - Day 8 Down the coast to Dubrovnick
Picture Link - Day 9 Dubrovnik - Jewel of the Adriatic
Picture Link - Day 10 Seget and Trogir
* Movie 1 - Dinner with Boris and Iris
* Movie 2 - The Funicular
* Movie 3 - Zagreb - Main Square
* Movie 4 - Boris and Victor
* Movie 5 - Walking down some city steps
* Movie 5 - Busy intersection
* Movie 6 - Busy intersection II
* Movie 7 - Tram action
* Movie 8 - Iris Art
* Movie 9 - Janet and Boris
* Movie 10 - Iris Art II
* Movie 11 - Zagreb outdoor food market
* Movie 12 - Zagreb Train Station
* Movie 13 - Palace of Diocletian Bell Tower
* Movie 14 - Palace of Diocletian Bell Tower II
* Movie 15 - Palace of Diocletian More Bells
* Movie 16 - Palace of Diocletian Different Bells
* Movie 17 - Church Bells
* Movie 18 - Church Bells II
* Movie 19 - A Leasurly Lunch
* Movie 20 - Sunday Stroll
* Movie 21 - Sunday Stroll II
* Movie 22 - Dalmation on Dalmation Coast
* Movie 23 - Candid Love
* Movie 24 - Train in Ancona
* Movie 25 - Special Dinner
* Movie 26 - Birthday Gifts
* Movie 27 - Italian Lessons
* Movie 28 - Italian Lessons II
* Movie 29 - Ancona Harbor
* Movie 30 - Dubrovnik
* Movie 31 - Dubrovnik Bells
* Movie 32 - Dubrovnik at Night
* Movie 33 - Dubrovnik II
* Movie 34 - Hidden Dubrovnik
* Movie 35 - Hidden Dubrovnik II
* Movie 36 - Dubrovnik Workers
* Movie 37 - Dubrovnik Outside the City Walls
* Movie 38 - Dubrovnik Protected Harbor
* Movie 39 - Dubrovnik Band Music
* Movie 40 - Dubrovnik Band Music II
* Movie 41 - Dubrovnik Choral Group
* Movie 42 - Dubrovnik Choral Group II
* Movie 43 - Dubrovnik Cityscape
* Movie 44 - Dubrovnik Tower Bells
* Movie 45 - Janet Has To Dance
* Movie 46 - Breakfast with Ante
* Movie 47 - Breakfast with Ante II
* Movie 48 - Breakfast with Ante III
* Movie 49 - Breakfast with Ante IV
* Movie 50 - Breakfast with Ante V
* Movie 51 - Breakfast with Ante VI
* Movie 52 - Breakfast with Ante VII
* Movie 53 - Trogir Tower Bells
* Movie 54 - Seget View from Hillside