Moral certainty is always a sign of cultural inferiority. The more
uncivilized the man, the surer he is that he knows precisely what is
right and what is wrong. All human progress, even in morals, has been
the work of men who have doubted the current moral
values, not of men who have whooped them up and tried to enforce them.
The truly civilized man is always skeptical and tolerant, in this field
as in all others. His culture is based on "I am not too sure." -H.L.
Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (12 Sep
1880-1956)
Hi Patrice, Sorry for the long response time but have not had much computer time of late as we had a very busy weekend going up to the Valley and attending a 60th Birthday party Saturday night . The fare was amazing with two huge prime ribs and the biggest pile of Snow crab legs I have ever seen!. On Sunday we worked all day clearing out our rental cabin for the new owners as well . That was not a pleasant endeavor as it involved hours for moi in the crawl space clearing out various building materials that I had squirreled away for another time when fixing up our primary cabin or some, as yet unimagined project. Anyway it was good to get it done and now we can relax and await the funds to be transferred and think about some new adventures.
Really glad to hear the trip is going well and I enjoyed the pictures and account so far and look forward to our updates!. I will keep it short as I must prepare for tomorrow's work by making lunch and coffee etc.. Please give my best to Flamin' , Sarge and Corriandre. Cheers, Al
Hi Crawl-Space Man and Marilyn, Wobbling, Idly, on High Heels, Barking Orders! Congratulations on sale and readying of secondary cabin. Much relief, I'm sure! We arrived in Split around 3:00 pm on Tuesday and owner's mother, Anna, let us in. Few "deficiencies", [per esempio, no hot water in kitchen sink so use electric kettle to boil water for dishes!], but nothing we cannot live with so we are comfortably settled.
Slept like a babykins until just after 7:00 am this morning and then padded into the kitchen to put my café Turk on the boil. While I was waiting I peeled some garlic cloves and diced them up with a few small pieces of dried sausage, (from Vienna's Naschmarkt!), and let them sizzle away for a bit. When they were nicely browned I added the overlefts of Flamin's white bean dish and topped if off with the remains of the mixed saladin, [wilted greens, don'tcha know, Dear Reader, just like best restaurantes world-wide!], and will let my own goulash burble away for a few minutes before enjoying my breakfast!
Flamin' and Sarge are still abed but Lady Dar joined me half an hour ago, sipping her Twinnings Strawberry Black, brought all the way, at tremendous expense, from Osoyoos! Plan for the day is to take a day trip, back up the coast, to Šibenik on the Adriatic coast. It’s known as a gateway to the Kornati Islands. Located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is the third-largest city in the historic region of Dalmatia. It is the oldest native Croatian town on the shores of the sea.
Apparently, plenty to see: The 15th-century stone Cathedral of St. James decorated with 71 sculpted faces. Nearby, the Šibenik City Museum, in the 14th-century Prince’s Palace, has exhibits ranging from prehistory to the present. The white stone St. Michael’s Fortress has an open-air theater, with views of Šibenik Bay and neighboring islands.
Must away as my goulash is ready. Fondestos from Lady Dar to you both. [And Clan Sutherland, just stumbling into kitchen with bleary eyes!] Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pic: View from our balcony this morning. Little more haze than last few days. Anna mentioned, when we arrived, that there has been no rain for four months!
Left Split around 10:00 am and took the toll road north for about 45 minutes before descending into Šibenik itself. Found a spot in a surface parking lot not far from the Centrum and hoofed it through the open-air market, [stopping to buy two peaches for breakfast next morning], to make our way through the narrow winding streets the Cathedral of St James and then upwards towards St Michael's Fortress. Flamin' and Sarge decided to take a quick look at the amphi-theatre there but Lady Dar and I decided to wait for them in a lovely garden bistro, a few streets below. She had an ice-cream cone while I sipped on a cappuccino, reading our books until rejoined by Clan Sutherland.
Stayed for a bit while they quenched their thirst and then we meandered the pleasantly cool streets back towards where the car was parked. Decided we'd walk along the wide promenade but went too far and had to back-track to gain entrance through the massive city walls that blocked our way at this point. Knew we were on track when we bumped into the market again, starting to close up as it was past 1:00 pm by then. Once in car Flamin' punched in the address for a beach not far away and we found it pretty quickly, although were often not sure if we were going in right direction.
Turned out we didn't even have to pay for parking when we arrived. Fairly long descent to water, via a series of wide pedestrian ramps and once on beach itself we parked ourselves on one of the many wooden benches set into the stone wall which ran the length of most of the waterfront. Took out our picnic fixings and enjoyed the scenery while munching. The Sisterhood had worn their bathing suits so they took a quick dip to cool off. I waded in, up to my knees but didn't actually go for a swim. Most of the beaches so far have been made up of small pebbles and rocks so one really needs runners or water shoes of some sort to negotiate getting into deeper water. Temperature is wonderful however.
Sarge had a few work-related calls to make so he returned to car, taking picnic coller with him. I continued to read, in the shade, until The Water Babes had rinsed off in the beach showers and then we rejoined Sarge in the lot. He needed a few more minutes to finish his calls and then once he was through we headed back towards Split. This time we took secondary roads as we wanted to drive along the coast. Most enjoyable time as road hugged the water for most of the way and we drove through tiny villages nestled in small coves. Extremely picturesque so a most pleasant way to finish the excursion.
Once near Trogir we were forced to return to the divided highway we had travelled on when we first made our way to Split. Traffic was reasonably heavy so we were more than happy to be back were we belonged. Before we were actually at the apartment, Sarge dropped Flamin' and I off at a local Konzum, Croatia's largest supermarket chain, and we bought fuzzy water, lemonade, hootch and yogurt before walking the short distance back to the apartment.
Free time until dinner reservations at 8:30 pm, at Ciri Biri Bela, a restaurant in the old town Flamin' wished to try. I took the opportunity to finish my shouldares while the others lounged on the deck, reading and tableting! Around 7:00 pm everyone was showered and changed and we strolled into town. Streets were jammed with other tourists but it was a gorgeous evening so we enjoyed the busy, narrow streets. Even managed to find the shopping concourse, lined with designer boutiques, which I remembered, [and disliked as much then as now!], from my stay, twelve years ago with Ragin' and Chloë, in 2007. Earlier on I was beginning to think I had imagined this pedestrian avenue as we had not stumbled upon it on other ventures.
Restaurant itself was in a delightful, sunken courtyard and service was wonderful, extremely friendly and most efficient. Food was more than delicious. Salad dressing, a house specialty, was simply terrific. Local red was a find so we came away content as a content could be. Paid our bill and thanked our server and hostess and then looked for a cab as The Sisterhood couldn't face the reasonably long walk back. Unfortunately, for us, where we hailed a taxi was on the other side of the old town so ride back was much, much more complicated than if we had taken a cab but a few streets from where we did. Anyway, we made it back to the apartment eventually, helping our driver raise his five daughters! All in all, a pretty spectacular day, given relaxed day trip and fun-filled evening. After brushing and flossing only managed a few chapters before my eyelids needed toothpicks and I turned out the bedside light, Dear Reader!
Hi Patrick, Sounds like a great trip you have planned. We’re having a quiet summer getting used to our new neighbourhood in Victoria. Really loving the area, and slowly getting our little condo in shape. Have an interesting time and stay healthy. Cheers, Peter Hi Lazy, Hazy Days of Victorian Summer People! Pleased to learn you are settling in. Trip so far has been truly wonderful. Fondestos from Lady Dar and Clan Sutherland to you both. Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio! Hello Croatian People! Trust you are both well. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hi Peter and Lynne It was good to hear from you and that you are enjoying your new abode. Our first two weeks in Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana, Rovinj and now Split Have been educational and enjoyable. Off to Hvar tomorrow for 4 nights by ferry and then over to mainland and last days in Dubrovnik. Wayne and Michele fly to Rome for a few days and then home. We are flying to Prague and then training it to Salzburg and Zurich, Bern, And then on to France where we fly home from Paris on Oct. 12. Chloe has been in her new place for 2 weeks now and is settling in well. She will be on maternity leave at the end of October and the baby will be born in late November. What are your plans for the Fall?
We will be home except for last week of October which we will spend in Vancouver. Probably we will go to LA for part or all of January and February.
I would like to be there for Olivia’s 1st birthday in February. You are welcome to stay anytime with us. Hugs Corinne
Poring Over “Single Malt: A Guide to the Whiskies of Scotland” - Los Angeles Review of BooksCheers! Slainte!!🥃
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/poring-over-single-malt-a-guide-to-the-whiskies-of-scotland/ Colin James Sanders Hello Malt Lovers, et al! Trust everyone is well. Thanks for review, Colin. Fondestos from Lady Dar to one and all. Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio!
thanks pat. unexpected vicarious pleasure sharing your experiences. hope there's hot water in the shower however…! although sounds like the sea may be warm enough to simply bathe in. all quiet on the western coast front, kids back in school so to speak (home school and partial physical attendance), puppies are puppies (where’s my slipper!), alex a saint. seems to be turning wet again on the island.
i’m in winnipeg at the moment, liam is on holiday so i’m covering the desk such as it is. mom is doing ok, not great. having pain on the side of her head, temple to jaw. been ongoing for a month it turns out (bloody silent suffering catholic martyrs). indeterminate diagnosis from the med team, in for more tests today i believe. everyone hoping she levels out for our england/scotland trip end of september. she has finally agreed to move to courtenay so we’re ramping up for next spring (building 2 en-suite addition on the shack) and she will likely spend the better part of winter (post xmas) with us as well, allah willing.
have you experience with the blasted church winery? major awards this year as you no doubt know. wonderful things coming off that side of osoyoos. still hope to get a run through your " back yard” with you some day. regards to your better half, i’ll share this with mom. be well, stay upright. regards, kevin
Safe journeys, Pat and Corinne. I keep thinking about the lovely restaurant in Winnipeg, on Assiniboine, Dubrovnik. I looked it up and realized it has been knocked down and the site now hosts condos. Kevin, did KEPSCO help with that?? <restaurant dubrovnik demolished>
Maya, Pat’s lovely email of this morning took me back to our own trip to the former Yugoslavia and the same region in 1990; during which trip, we visited, amongst other cities, towns, and sites, the actual Dubrovnik, having supper in an old convent in the town, marveling at the pavestones and architecture, the history, of the town…not long after, the war broke out, and I recall, on the news, bombs hitting the walled town… of course, in Winnipeg, I fondly recall many wonderful meals and gatherings at Dubrovnik!! peace/love dad
Hello Pat Thank you for the travelogue! Brought back memories for me of having visited those regions years back…the trip Maya did not wish to attend!! Damn teenagers! Saw this piece on Sontag in Sarajevo this morning and thought you might have time for some reading, ha, ha. Warm regards to you and to Corinne, safe journey, peace/love colin <https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2019/09/09/sontag-in-sarajevo/>
Thanks, as well for Michael Chabon's ‘Ulysses’ on Trial , more than dear to a librarian's anti-censorship heart! Coincidentally, when in Dublin, at the tail-end of the 2010 trip, we spent a week in Dublin and walked some of Bloom's steps. As well, the Theater Festival was on. We were able to obtain tickets for Seán O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars and for a remarkable reading, [four actors], of some of Beckett's shorter works. I must admit that I had never really fully appreciated the sheer poetry and riveting, mesmerizing magic of his heretofore almost impenetrable, though ultra-spare, dialogue before hearing it spoken on this occasion.
No comments:
Post a Comment