Croatia's Coastline, Part 1 of 3

The bulk of Croatia's tourist industry is along the Adriatic Sea -- it's across the pond from Italy. 

    Tourists from Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, and Poland come here not just because of the beautiful sea but also because of the medieval cities along the coast. And, I should add, Croatia also has commercial nudist resorts catering to alittle over one million tourists annually. 

But Vicki and I didn't visit a nudist resort. We hopscotched our way down Croatia's coastline by bus during the last two weeks of September 2018 to visit medieval cities. Our first stop was Zadar. This was our view from our hostel bedroom's window.

It may seem like corny cheap entertainment, but the wide walkways, gorgeous Mediterranean-like weather, and crystal clear water along the coastline are divine!

The photo below is a daylight shot of the circular-shaped solar lights (it's not water where the folks are walking, it's solar panels absorbing the sunlight).

During the night, those solar panels light up and flicker erratically. Someone posted a video of it, click here.

Yes it's cheap entertainment! But delighted tourists and kids made it very enjoyable! and the sea breeze was glorious too. But wait, there's more to this cheap entertainment . . . . the sea organ!

Nearby are steps down to the sea with rectangular holes (above) . . .  and a sidewalk with round holes (below).

The swells and waves along the concrete steps (wake from numerous watercraft) make sounds like a waterpipe. It's similar to whale vocalization. A videographer made a little movie clip about it, click here to see and hear it.

The architecture at Zadar is fascinating. For perspective, see the man in above photo? This is the first floor constructed during the 15th century, the top part (below) is 19th century construction.

Daytime view below . . .

and night-time view.

The old part of the city fortress wall and gate . . . 

Like most European cities, wars destroyed Zadar, they rebuilt, wars destroyed again, they rebuilt . . .

continued below . . . 

I often wonder how constant wars through numerous generations affect one's personality and outlook on life. What is the Croatian psyche?

During the day Vicki and I walked the numerous and delightful alleys . . . 

Stopping to admire fresh produce . . .

Eating dried figs, one of the best snack foods in the world! See how figs are sold with fresh fig leaves? It's the little touches that make a farmers' market fun :)

Visiting the old Cathedral of Saint Anastasia . . .

and peeking inside.

But best of all, eating at restaurants! This outside restaurant with umbrellas overlooks Roman ruins. At night, it's a busy place.

One early evening, we began dinner at a patio with a view of this building.

We spent an hour nursing our drinks until sunset, talking about our former husbands, our parents and our upbringing. See the wall in the background?

Ordered a seafood soup (crayfish looks like it's trying to get out of the bowl!) and an appetizer with sardines. The bread is always wonderful too. I went off my non-gluten diet in Europe.

 Waiters and waitresses by the way, won't give you a check until you ask for it. You can nurse a drink for an hour and sit at a table after you're done eating for another hour, just talking, and they won't present your check until you ask or nod for it. Vicki and I had the most enjoyable conversational dinners along the Croatian coast. The ambience, the food, the service, the weather, even the numerous tourists walking by our table was delightful. And after a wonderful dinner, a seaside stroll to go see and hear the sea organ and light-show . . . simple wonderful fun :)

Further down the coastline, Split is even more enjoyable than Zadar. 

We stayed in the middle of old town Split; our apartment with a kitchen is on the second floor inside door number ten (below, right).  Just finding that little door was an hour's long adventure.

All around us, are confusing mazes of alleys; we got wonderfully lost several times daily. Around the corner from our apartment is a busy noisy fish market, open every day from about 7 AM till 1 PM.

Fresh seafood, have no idea what some of the fish was . . . rays?

 I love sardines.

So I bought about two dozen sardines for about $1 USD, very cheap! Took them back to the apartment and immediately gutted them, removed the head, butterflied them, fried them in pumpkin seed oil. Sardines don't get any better than this, and it's all around the corner, every day except Sunday! I was in heaven :)

So later in the day, I walk over to the fish market, and this is what I see!

That space is rented to a nearby restaurant when the fish vendors leave! They change the props and scenery quicker than a Broadway play! Curtains are hung, paintings are hung along the wall; a romantic dining patio!

Vicki and I are loving those figs; fresh ones too.

     We took a 2-mile stroll through local neighborhoods; old structures remain, dilapidated sometimes, including this old slate roof that might be 300 years old.

Our destination was a "local" beach where residents hang out. The Adriatic Sea is crystal clear.

I took my snorkeling gear and snorkeled. Interesting fish and a few small reefs.

There were more sunbathers than snorkelers or swimmers.

Vicki watched sunbathers play a local game of Picigin. It's an interesting game for old and young folks (click here for explanation).

Could never eat too many grilled crispy sardines, bones and all . . . washed down with a black beer.

Too many wonderful outdoor places to eat . . . 

More Split adventures in my next post . . . . 

Anniversary Of Auschwitz Liberation

Seventy-four years ago yesterday, prisoners were freed at Auschwitz which is located in Poland (not Germany). Prior to WW II this Polish town was known as Oswiecim.

In yesterday's news, you may have seen this photo of protestors at Auschwitz.

My sister Vicki and I visited Auschwitz on our European tour last November (Vicki's photo below). The wrought-iron sign in German says "Work Will Set You Free".

On our walking tour here, we learned more than any history class ever taught us in high school or college. When history books and the media report about Auschwitz, they condense history, giving us a dumbed-down version of the horrors of Auschwitz. I support those protestors yesterday. They are absolutely correct -- the world only knows the dumbed-down version of what really happened here.

These buildings at the first Auschwitz camp were originally Polish military barracks . . . but that all changed when Poland was carved-up and annexed by Nazi Germany.

It was a large Polish military complex. The "Work Will Set You Free" gate is identified as "A" on this map.

When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, they decided on April 27, 1940 to convert the Polish barracks into a concentration camp for the local Poles and dissidents. Poles are proud of their nationality; an estimated 780,000 Poles were subject to expulsion by the German SS.

They converted the barracks to a prisoners of war camp for mostly civilians and Russian military prisoners of war (not to house Jews at first) and added the barbed wire fencing and a few more buildings.



The imprisoned local Poles (considered deplorables) and Russian military personnel slept on straw mats on the floor or in bunks in these buildings.

These first prisoners were forced to work and expand the camp for more prisoners. This copy of a drawing (below sign) was made by a former prisoner who was an artist.

Roll call was deathly.

Excruciating . . . 

Books of death were recorded . . . 2,000 people each month, and one day November 4, 1941 the book of death records 352 prisoners had died, Poles and Russians.

Every day the ones who survived walked under the "Work Will Set You Free" gate . . . . 

Of about 10,000 men and a few women . . . 9,000 of them died. Vicki and I visited the barracks buildings converted to memorialize the Poles and Russians who died here. The walls are covered with their portraits taken by the Germans as part of their record-keeping tasks. The people look just like my grandparents did when I look at old photos of them; totally innocent people just trying to bring up a family and pass on their culture and traditions. Hitler and his followers wanted to "Germanize" Europe by getting rid of anybody who wasn't with the German program.

Five months . . . 9,000 dead including notable highly intelligent Poles in the sciences and medical doctors.

     Meanwhile, the second prisoners camp is ready for more prisoners from around Europe, more deplorables. This second camp is what the world is familiar with. It's about one mile west of the old military barracks.

Here at this second camp is the gate the world is familiar with . . . the entrance to the complex housing mostly Jews from 1942 to 1944. Five other similar camps in occupied Poland were also constructed to house mostly Jews.

There were two railroad tracks, one for incoming box cars of people, one for the empty box cars to exit and return with more people. By this time, the Jewish annihilation program is underway.

I stood here solemnly, just like the person in the photo above, looking at this view . . .

It's all that remains of Auschwitz II. About a month before Germany realized they were losing the war, they demolished their crematoriums to get rid of the evidence. This is one of three crematoriums today.

This is what the building used to look like . . . photo taken by the SS in 1943.

Sign at this location . . .

Vicki and I stopped taking photos eventually. The place is heart-breaking.  The most heart-breaking was all the photographic portraits taken of the prisoners by the SS (thousands of them), and if any survived, their stories written later and posted next to their photograph.

Now when I see or hear the word "Auschwitz", it encompasses much more than a persecuted minority religious group. And yesterday's protestors are Poles who want the world's citizens, the history books, and the media, to expand their knowledge, too.