Makarska

 A few days without writing, it's just that this place is so familiar that I just relaxed into it. And I'm still relaxing - 

I went to the dentist - he told me I have kvalati teeth (I think that's a good thing) and maybe two little issues, but they can wait until next year (he said) when you return. And charged me nothing. Just shook my hand.

And had a serious sports massage for a pain in my psoais muscle - it comes from a lotalot of walking, which is what you do here.  A lot of the town is pedestrian so to get from one end to the other, to the green market, to one of the many supermarkets, to a cafe with the tables in the shade, you walk. And Walk.

I'm seeing a few differences - debit cards are used more often in a country where cash has always been king. There is now a sophisticated system for recycling. Paper here, plastics there, general rubbish over there. Three colour coded bins for each house. Recycle bins for plastic and cans on the beach - and this is great because historically the beaches needed to be cleaned overnight from rubbish left after a day swimming. Fish shaped wire installations for poking bottles and cans into. Which makes it difficult for the old ladies who gather cans to sell back to the suppliers. You need long arms to get the cans out again. Their income crushed.

It's coming to the end of the season  - school will be back on the 9th of September - here you go to school in shifts - you either go in the morning and finish early or go after lunch and finish late. Either way lunch is at home.

And the place has been beautified - so many trees and climbers, potplants etc outside the cafes and in the streets. The beautiful mandevilla climbers with white or red trumpets are everywhere,  just like in Puglia in the old towns. Is aestheics winning over function? I loved these climbers so much that I immediately planted one at the front and back of my house. Deep blood red trumpets.

Last night we went to the beautiful Osejava Hotel and ate sushi.  Totally new here - and there is Thai too. Someone just needs to open a salad bar. Please. There is so much beautiful fresh produce and a salad in a restaurant is often just tomato, lettuce, capsicum and onion.

In case anyone is worrying, I can confirm that I am you will  exercising here. Yoga in the fresh air in the cooler evening air (tbh not much cooler, let's say it was 30 at 10 pm last night), walking in the 6:30 am sort of coolness where i strip off and have a swim and then walk back) and even some weights.

Here's a bunch of photos:

This beauty is in the middle of town on the riva - she is a tourist (she has a suitcase) he is a local 'seagull' sensing a woman wanting a romantic holiday in the sun... and if you rub her breast you will find good luck.

Everyone wears these on the beach because it is not . ,and, but pebbles/stones and not always endemic to the beach- truckloads are brought in to even the beach out each season and so some are sharp having not weathered the sea. So you wear reef shoes. Unless you are from NZ

yesterday morning's swim from here

Fresh fruit delivered directly to you towel on the beach

novel playground in a cafe, capturing the young market. Emulating McDonalds maybe?

My absolute favourite street in town, so pretty.

Yoga with Annette in the outdoor stadium

Pure economics 101. Sculpture the beach with large boulders, fill it over with pebbles, and voila, you have a space to put beach loungers for 15 euros. The more flat space, the more loungers.

Beach toys. So many toys. Grown men walking to the beach carrying blow up pink flamingoes.  There are no waves to speak of, no real tides to speak of, so you need 'things to do' . Flotation devices, a ball. And if a wave does come through there are shrieks of excitement.  The water is the clearest and the colour is magnificent. 

I'm so lucky.