On the Road Again

I’m sitting at the brand new super-efficient Split airport, waiting for the departure board to tell me the gate for my fight to Belgrade. It is only a 50 minutes flight – it never ceases to amaze me how close everything is in Europe. I was talking to a lovely woman on the shuttle bus to the airport – 1 ½ hours to Croatia from Vienna, just  20 minutes more to get to Greece – and with all of these low cost budget flights, why wouldn’t you? I’d be like a pig in muck if I lived over here, exploring every corner of Europe.

Yesterday was another glorious day on Annette and Srdjan’s yacht – different anchorage, in a bay on the side of Brac called Studenac. The water was cooler, and I sat on the beach revelling in it all. The sea, the warmth. There were white caps as we left so the sails went up. I’m not a natural sailor as you know and the waves made me feel a bit icky. Or maybe it was a combination of the heat and the waves – it was still an amazing day.

I missed yoga to give myself enough time to repack my bag, hoping to cull enough to make my bag lighter, although patently aware of the change predicted in the temperature as we travel into the mountains in Slovenia. Currently in the low  30s in Croatia with a low of 24 overnight, but in Bled rain is predicted with a high of 22 and low of 11.

Last was Kalalarga Night – Kalalarga is my favourite street in the old part of Makarska. It has two of the nicest café/bars for cocktails and meals, it is quiet and feels more like locals than tourists.

Local produce was displayed in stalls along Kalalarga (cheese, prsut, lavender, wine, cakes) but the reason I was there was to hear the women’s klapa singing because Ivana is in it – you remember her, she was 12 when I lived in Makarska, and now she is studying piano and singing at University in  Split. She has a beautiful deep velvety voice and takes the lowest parts in the klapa singing. She says that people laugh at her for being in this folklore singing group because she is 18, and the other women are middle-aged, but she loves it. They feature styles and songs from all parts of the Balkans, and the song that they finished with last night was one from Kosovo.

The atmosphere in Kalalarga was vibrant, with other groups singing in turn. There were people wandering everywhere, out for the evening in high shoes and long dresses (the women). Easy to spot the local women, they are tall and elegant and have a presence which exudes confidence. I’m going to practice it while I’m in Serbia!

(Local morning shopping on the bus to Split)