I must shoot you into the present before I tell you tales of the past few days…
This is the quintessential tale of Bus Etiquette and I hope that it is as superb in the re-telling as it was when it happened. (Diana, this one is for you..)
Ok, so, off the train (don’t ask, that’s another part of the story) and queuing for a bus ticket at the Ploce (‘ch’) Autobusna Stanica.
In front of me is a woman who has spent more time than me grooming herself this morning (hair curled within an inch of its life, lashes extended etc etc). In front of us again are others buying tickets for the same bus, behind there are even more. It’s a numbers thing - there are about 20 of us waiting to get on the next bus coming through. A quick glance tells me that most are travelers – the one who has undergone the haircurlery is local.
The bus pulls in and clearly there are not enough seats for bodies and so some will need to stand. My bag doesn’t need to go in the baggage holds, so I quickly jump on ahead of the others and find a seat.
She with the lashes and the high shoes enters the bus and waves her ticket (she has the same ticket as mine, bought at the same time) and says in an authoritative voice pointing at the number above a seat -
“This is seat eight. I have a reserved ticket for ‘seat eight’”. Blank look from the poor tourist in seat eight.
“Does your ticket say ‘seat eight’? My ticket reserves that seat. I am going to Zagreb and do not want to change seats on the way. If your ticket does not say ‘seat eight’, please move.”
Only the sound of the bus radio could be heard through the silence.
Poor tourist. He clambered out of the seat with a red face. No-one said a thing, notabreath. I’m sure I heard tickets rustle, breath sucked in, silently checking for seat numbers.
Poor tourist. He stood from Ploce to Draznice along with the others who had no seats.
I had no seat allocation on my ticket, and neither did she. But an excellent performance, deserved an Oscar…..
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Saturday, 10 September 2011
neighbourly behaviour
Who knew that Colonel Gadafi’s wife was Bosnian? - a little known fact, which possibly won’t appear in a trivial pursuit game.
The news in the local paper (kronika) is that Sofija Farcas Gadafi has been negotiating to buy what was a hotel in the coastal resort of Igrane. For those who have driven the coastal road, it’s the town that has the beautifully balanced and tiered church steeple, you know, the one on the sea side of the road. The sale hasn’t been concluded yet, because like a lot of land here, there are multiple owners all of whom have to consent to the sale, and need to sign the requisite papers. An interesting neighbour to have though, don’t you think? I’m thinking pot-luck dinners, popping over to borrow a cup of milk, and swapping recipes over the fence…
Not exactly a beautiful building but anything along the coast here is bound to be sought after for its location.
More and more land sales are being directed at the overseas market, and new apartments are being designed with the overseas buyer’s style in mind –less blue and orange tiled bathrooms and more of the minimalistic approach.
I’d still want the wooden shutters (I love the wooden shutters!) and the thick soundproof (almost) walls. A bit of lawn would be nice though… they don't really do lawns here, and if you lucky to have one at your place, it doesn't get mown. Any lawns in town (like the one near the Tudeman statue) has clear signs - no children, dogs, balls... decoration only!
Maybe Mrs Gadafi is going to do a quick re-paint and open the place up as a hotel again – who knows. I’m not sure how secure her husband’s job is at the moment and the market for second-hand dictators isn’t huge - maybe they are considering their options, and a second income could be handy.
For those who are employed in the tourist industry as room maids, waitresses, those who peddle sun chairs and sun-umbrellas, their employment will now have come to an end – perhaps another week or so in it, and then just a few staff will be retained for the winter months in hotels. All of the cafes and restaurants in the market area on the beach (including the souvenir shops and the clothes/ handbags shops), will pull down the roller doors and roll out of town from whence they came. Clothes and bags cheap from Italy, staff from Zagreb, a working holiday in Makarska. Priceless.
PS I'm off to Sarajevo for a few days... will report back x
The news in the local paper (kronika) is that Sofija Farcas Gadafi has been negotiating to buy what was a hotel in the coastal resort of Igrane. For those who have driven the coastal road, it’s the town that has the beautifully balanced and tiered church steeple, you know, the one on the sea side of the road. The sale hasn’t been concluded yet, because like a lot of land here, there are multiple owners all of whom have to consent to the sale, and need to sign the requisite papers. An interesting neighbour to have though, don’t you think? I’m thinking pot-luck dinners, popping over to borrow a cup of milk, and swapping recipes over the fence…
Not exactly a beautiful building but anything along the coast here is bound to be sought after for its location.
More and more land sales are being directed at the overseas market, and new apartments are being designed with the overseas buyer’s style in mind –less blue and orange tiled bathrooms and more of the minimalistic approach.
I’d still want the wooden shutters (I love the wooden shutters!) and the thick soundproof (almost) walls. A bit of lawn would be nice though… they don't really do lawns here, and if you lucky to have one at your place, it doesn't get mown. Any lawns in town (like the one near the Tudeman statue) has clear signs - no children, dogs, balls... decoration only!
Maybe Mrs Gadafi is going to do a quick re-paint and open the place up as a hotel again – who knows. I’m not sure how secure her husband’s job is at the moment and the market for second-hand dictators isn’t huge - maybe they are considering their options, and a second income could be handy.
For those who are employed in the tourist industry as room maids, waitresses, those who peddle sun chairs and sun-umbrellas, their employment will now have come to an end – perhaps another week or so in it, and then just a few staff will be retained for the winter months in hotels. All of the cafes and restaurants in the market area on the beach (including the souvenir shops and the clothes/ handbags shops), will pull down the roller doors and roll out of town from whence they came. Clothes and bags cheap from Italy, staff from Zagreb, a working holiday in Makarska. Priceless.
PS I'm off to Sarajevo for a few days... will report back x
Friday, 9 September 2011
Dessert Time
Here’s a recipe for something that I will miss!
Ivan (next door) is a chef and although I have been on the receiving end of a few of his specialties, my favourite is his Pana Cotta. I just can’t resist it, even if I only get the scrapings from the cups!
So, this should make eight or nine tea-cups of dessert. Choose eight or nine friends that really deserve this deliciousness!
1 litre of cream – 8 or 9 sheets or leaves of gelatin – 1 cup of sugar.
Now, here’s the thing, I have not ever seen these leaves of gelatin, but apparently they can be sourced easily in NZ (Ivan says so). They are in a packet made by the same company as the powdered gelatin, but are thin clear sheets of gelatin. And he says that the powdered stuff won’t work the same.
Heat this slowly in a double burner BUT FIRST you need to caramelize ½ a cup of sugar in a pot until it starts to turn to liquid, and it is this that you smear the bottom of each cup with before putting in the thickened cream mixture. You may have to do a couple of lots of the caramelized sugar to get enough for the bottom of each cup – let it set slightly before you pour the thickened cream mixture, and then put the cups to stand in the fridge to set.
When Ivan serves these, he pours a beautiful orange sauce over the top of the upturned pana cottas.
Recimo… zest maybe one orange and cut up the flesh into small cubes.
Caramlize 1 cup of sugar until it is tacky, almost like toffee – then add the zest, segments of orange and 1/3 of a litre of orange juice. Stir it on a very low heat until the caramelized sugar is mixed into the juice and then let it sit. You may want to thicken this slightly with a bit of cornflour, but go carefully because you want a clear sauce, not an opaque one.
This dessert is delicate and piquant and …. Just divine!!!
Let me know if you try to make it!
Ivan (next door) is a chef and although I have been on the receiving end of a few of his specialties, my favourite is his Pana Cotta. I just can’t resist it, even if I only get the scrapings from the cups!
So, this should make eight or nine tea-cups of dessert. Choose eight or nine friends that really deserve this deliciousness!
1 litre of cream – 8 or 9 sheets or leaves of gelatin – 1 cup of sugar.
Now, here’s the thing, I have not ever seen these leaves of gelatin, but apparently they can be sourced easily in NZ (Ivan says so). They are in a packet made by the same company as the powdered gelatin, but are thin clear sheets of gelatin. And he says that the powdered stuff won’t work the same.
Heat this slowly in a double burner BUT FIRST you need to caramelize ½ a cup of sugar in a pot until it starts to turn to liquid, and it is this that you smear the bottom of each cup with before putting in the thickened cream mixture. You may have to do a couple of lots of the caramelized sugar to get enough for the bottom of each cup – let it set slightly before you pour the thickened cream mixture, and then put the cups to stand in the fridge to set.
When Ivan serves these, he pours a beautiful orange sauce over the top of the upturned pana cottas.
Recimo… zest maybe one orange and cut up the flesh into small cubes.
Caramlize 1 cup of sugar until it is tacky, almost like toffee – then add the zest, segments of orange and 1/3 of a litre of orange juice. Stir it on a very low heat until the caramelized sugar is mixed into the juice and then let it sit. You may want to thicken this slightly with a bit of cornflour, but go carefully because you want a clear sauce, not an opaque one.
This dessert is delicate and piquant and …. Just divine!!!
Let me know if you try to make it!
Thursday, 8 September 2011
absence
The busyness has calmed down and the town is getting back to normal again – at least, the normal that I was familiar with back in the first months of my arrival. I sat in a café with friends today and noticed that the local people are out and about again greeting each other as though they have been away, when in fact they have just been holed up doing the tourist thing – they are not rushing now, but walking slowly, sitting chatting and stopping for coffee. The young mums are back with their proud pram walks. The tourists are nearly gone, hardly any bare chests and speedos to be seen on the riva - just a few recalcitrant ones, travelling in the shoulder season for cooler temperatures and cheaper beds.
Wandering on the riva last night, I was laughing, trying to explain how after the first few months here, if I heard an English song on the radio, it took a while for me to ‘register’ that it was in fact in English and that I may know some of the words – and from a boat docked in the harbour came the unmistakable sounds of Dave Dobbin’s ‘Loyal’ flagsong – case in point! I presented myself to the carousers on board and demanded that they hand over the New Zealanders - because it had to be New Zealanders with that song – and in fact there were 20 of them. Young, drinking, partying – a bit of chatting and they invited us to join them on board…. And.. tempting as the thought of sitting on a boat in full public drinking with people half our age was, the charming offer was declined and we continued on our promenade. We ate kolaci in a café instead. Must keep on the straight and narrow.
I have learnt a few new skills this week. I spent another day at the B & B preparing breakfast, and then clearing up afterwards – hung the washing out and then spied a large pile of clean washing waiting to be ironed. I know that the word for ‘iron’ is ‘pegla’, asked for a lesson, and amused myself for a good two hours using the sit-down industrial iron. Towels have to be ironed and folded in a particular way, sheets, pillow cases the same deal. You see, my CV will be brimming with my new skills!
Don’t despair, I won’t resort to ironing towels and sheets when I return home.
Along with my new skills, I am looking at all of my new acquisitions, most of which will return home to New Zealand with me, the most precious and heaviest of which is a definitive English – Croatian Dictionary. I’m making a pile in a box of things that I won’t need before I leave and will post them home. I had already put my Trusty Tramping Boots in the box, but bumped into a mountain guy today who mentioned a trip to Viz…. oh, and then there is the trip to Cinque Terre…
I noticed as the sun went down last night that the swallows are back – and then wondered why the presence of something returning is the thing that brings absence to the fore – I hadn’t noticed that the swallows had gone! And where did they go? But the sound of them as the sun goes down, and the swooping and gliding in the narrow streets in town is rather spectacular. And I shall miss it.
Wandering on the riva last night, I was laughing, trying to explain how after the first few months here, if I heard an English song on the radio, it took a while for me to ‘register’ that it was in fact in English and that I may know some of the words – and from a boat docked in the harbour came the unmistakable sounds of Dave Dobbin’s ‘Loyal’ flagsong – case in point! I presented myself to the carousers on board and demanded that they hand over the New Zealanders - because it had to be New Zealanders with that song – and in fact there were 20 of them. Young, drinking, partying – a bit of chatting and they invited us to join them on board…. And.. tempting as the thought of sitting on a boat in full public drinking with people half our age was, the charming offer was declined and we continued on our promenade. We ate kolaci in a café instead. Must keep on the straight and narrow.
I have learnt a few new skills this week. I spent another day at the B & B preparing breakfast, and then clearing up afterwards – hung the washing out and then spied a large pile of clean washing waiting to be ironed. I know that the word for ‘iron’ is ‘pegla’, asked for a lesson, and amused myself for a good two hours using the sit-down industrial iron. Towels have to be ironed and folded in a particular way, sheets, pillow cases the same deal. You see, my CV will be brimming with my new skills!
Don’t despair, I won’t resort to ironing towels and sheets when I return home.
Along with my new skills, I am looking at all of my new acquisitions, most of which will return home to New Zealand with me, the most precious and heaviest of which is a definitive English – Croatian Dictionary. I’m making a pile in a box of things that I won’t need before I leave and will post them home. I had already put my Trusty Tramping Boots in the box, but bumped into a mountain guy today who mentioned a trip to Viz…. oh, and then there is the trip to Cinque Terre…
I noticed as the sun went down last night that the swallows are back – and then wondered why the presence of something returning is the thing that brings absence to the fore – I hadn’t noticed that the swallows had gone! And where did they go? But the sound of them as the sun goes down, and the swooping and gliding in the narrow streets in town is rather spectacular. And I shall miss it.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Privatisation Part 2
Ok, sorry about the brief excitement yesterday – it was a one off, but it will all count as ‘previous experience’ on my CV..
Part Two in the ‘abandoned hotels tema’ - you remember of course my talking about the beautiful track that I was running when I first came to live in Makarska (tend to walk it these days, too hot to run) – down to the main beach and then along the stari put, kroz sume (with a ‘sh’ - through the forest) along the coast track to Krvavica (it’s ok, I have pictures to jog your memory...)
Hidden in the pine trees is an old building (well, not old in European terms, but recimo, dilapidated) that I have only noticed recently. The other day I was walking with a friend and I played the twenty question game until I understood the history of the place. (It took twenty questions because neither of us are very bilingual).
Once upon a time in former Jugoslavia in the time of Tito, it was quite a thing to be in the military, and the government coffers were supporting a fair swag of them. The officers scored all of the best of apartments in Zagreb and Split, working hard, etc, so hard in fact that they needed big vacations by the sea, place of choice being the Makarska Riviera.
Tito, who had a few holiday homes of his own, had (quite) a few luxurious hotels built for the sole use of the military – complete with ramps for those who had donated parts of themselves to the then recent war (WW2).
There is one at Krvavica, and one at Baska Polje which is only a beach or two away – but there are various others dotted around the place. I’m talking about the one at Krvavica.
There are similarities to Hotel Jadran in that every window has been broken, the walls are covered with graffiti and all of the fittings and fixtures have been broken. There is an amazing ramp that leads to the second and third floors.
The beach is divine (photo taken at 7.30 in the morning, sun just coming over the Biokovo).
Unlike Jadran, this hotel has not been sold, despite the privatization theme – it just sits there on its path to self-destruction. Actually, I think that even the vandals have got bored with it.
The local rumour machine would have it that various people have shown interest in buying the place, but like any nervous vendor, the minute someone seems to show some interest, it is presumed that it is too cheap, and the price suddenly goes up.
Location, location, location - if anyone you know is interested… The beach and the setting is divine – how about school camps, motivational weekends for staff…..? anyone??
(oh, just trying to contain myself, just had a text – another day as a sobarica tomorrow -yus!)
Part Two in the ‘abandoned hotels tema’ - you remember of course my talking about the beautiful track that I was running when I first came to live in Makarska (tend to walk it these days, too hot to run) – down to the main beach and then along the stari put, kroz sume (with a ‘sh’ - through the forest) along the coast track to Krvavica (it’s ok, I have pictures to jog your memory...)
Hidden in the pine trees is an old building (well, not old in European terms, but recimo, dilapidated) that I have only noticed recently. The other day I was walking with a friend and I played the twenty question game until I understood the history of the place. (It took twenty questions because neither of us are very bilingual).
Once upon a time in former Jugoslavia in the time of Tito, it was quite a thing to be in the military, and the government coffers were supporting a fair swag of them. The officers scored all of the best of apartments in Zagreb and Split, working hard, etc, so hard in fact that they needed big vacations by the sea, place of choice being the Makarska Riviera.
Tito, who had a few holiday homes of his own, had (quite) a few luxurious hotels built for the sole use of the military – complete with ramps for those who had donated parts of themselves to the then recent war (WW2).
There is one at Krvavica, and one at Baska Polje which is only a beach or two away – but there are various others dotted around the place. I’m talking about the one at Krvavica.
There are similarities to Hotel Jadran in that every window has been broken, the walls are covered with graffiti and all of the fittings and fixtures have been broken. There is an amazing ramp that leads to the second and third floors.
The beach is divine (photo taken at 7.30 in the morning, sun just coming over the Biokovo).
Unlike Jadran, this hotel has not been sold, despite the privatization theme – it just sits there on its path to self-destruction. Actually, I think that even the vandals have got bored with it.
The local rumour machine would have it that various people have shown interest in buying the place, but like any nervous vendor, the minute someone seems to show some interest, it is presumed that it is too cheap, and the price suddenly goes up.
Location, location, location - if anyone you know is interested… The beach and the setting is divine – how about school camps, motivational weekends for staff…..? anyone??
(oh, just trying to contain myself, just had a text – another day as a sobarica tomorrow -yus!)
Monday, 5 September 2011
Yus!!
Ok, you heard it here first… today I worked as a sobarica!
Yes, I helped prepare the breakfast in a B & B and then cleaned the rooms – made small talk with the guests, did the dishes, straightened the beds, changed the towels, cleaned the basins and the toilets, replaced the toilet rolls and left the little triangle shapes on the toilet paper rolls… I have arrived!
And to think I used to wear a suit and work in a Solicitor’s Office – if they could see me now.
Yes, I helped prepare the breakfast in a B & B and then cleaned the rooms – made small talk with the guests, did the dishes, straightened the beds, changed the towels, cleaned the basins and the toilets, replaced the toilet rolls and left the little triangle shapes on the toilet paper rolls… I have arrived!
And to think I used to wear a suit and work in a Solicitor’s Office – if they could see me now.
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Privatization - Part 1 - Hotel Jadran
I’ve been talking to people and asking questions about the abandoned hotels on the Makarska Riviera (mock not, for that is what this area is called).
Ok, settle in, and here is a story.
After the Second World War, there were some German prisoners of war held in camps in Jugoslavia, and they were put to work to build a luxury hotel, the first of many to start the wave of tourism. When the hotel was finished in 1946 (and who could argue that it was an arduous life for the POWs living in that environment) the prisoners were released. It was the first hotel in Tucepi, and was certainly a forerunner in hotel accommodation in the area. It was large, sumptuous, and well appointed (in real estate ad talk).
In the following years many famous and wealthy visitors stayed at Hotel Jadran, enjoying the beautiful private beach and the wonderful summers. I’ve been told that even some of the POWs who built the hotel returned there as paying guests.
In the most recent war, as waves of refugees swept across the country from the interior to the coast, the Tudeman government opened up all hotels to house the homeless. Some stayed for a year, others stayed until they had a permanent alternative in other countries. Sadly, as the war came to an end and people left, the hotel was looted and trashed – by those who had stayed there and by all accounts, also sadly by local people.
The next step in the rise and fall of Hotel Jadran, was that the government decided to try and privatize some of the countries valuable assets, and the now tragic hotel (in the perfect location) was sold to a wealthy Russian businessman. Before money changed hands promises were made (of course) as to what could be done with the hotel and the site, but when actual plans were drawn and presented to the local opcina for approval (with a ‘ch’ – the council chambers) no building permits were given.
And so it sits. Since then Hotel Jadran has sunk further into disrepair. All windows have been smashed, all fittings have been removed¸ and the interior has been vandalized. The marble floors are littered with broken mirrors and glass, and the beautiful French doors from the dining room are hanging from their hinges. It would have been beautiful in its prime – imagine sweeping down the spiral staircase in a long gown to attend a ball in one of the many rooms. Imagine waking up in any of the 100 or so rooms overlooking the beautiful Adriatic Sea.
The forecourt of the hotel is used for parking for the visitors to the beach, and also as a rubbish dump. I don’t know what has become of owner or whether anything will ever happen to the hotel but I wish I had seen the hotel in all of its former glory.
So that’s today’s story – part A in a two part story of Privatization!
(Please be very impressed that the photos for this story were sourced personally at great effort – this morning at 11 I rented a mountain bike and cycled to Tucepi – along the old dust and gravel track, which at first glance you may think is flat, but I can tell you, it isn’t. Half way through taking photos, the battery died on the camera – I cycled back (huff, puff – had a swim on the way), charged the camera, cycled back (this time on the main road) and finally got back in time to return the bike by 6. And there was me who thought that bikes would be forbidden after France…)
Ok, settle in, and here is a story.
After the Second World War, there were some German prisoners of war held in camps in Jugoslavia, and they were put to work to build a luxury hotel, the first of many to start the wave of tourism. When the hotel was finished in 1946 (and who could argue that it was an arduous life for the POWs living in that environment) the prisoners were released. It was the first hotel in Tucepi, and was certainly a forerunner in hotel accommodation in the area. It was large, sumptuous, and well appointed (in real estate ad talk).
In the following years many famous and wealthy visitors stayed at Hotel Jadran, enjoying the beautiful private beach and the wonderful summers. I’ve been told that even some of the POWs who built the hotel returned there as paying guests.
In the most recent war, as waves of refugees swept across the country from the interior to the coast, the Tudeman government opened up all hotels to house the homeless. Some stayed for a year, others stayed until they had a permanent alternative in other countries. Sadly, as the war came to an end and people left, the hotel was looted and trashed – by those who had stayed there and by all accounts, also sadly by local people.
The next step in the rise and fall of Hotel Jadran, was that the government decided to try and privatize some of the countries valuable assets, and the now tragic hotel (in the perfect location) was sold to a wealthy Russian businessman. Before money changed hands promises were made (of course) as to what could be done with the hotel and the site, but when actual plans were drawn and presented to the local opcina for approval (with a ‘ch’ – the council chambers) no building permits were given.
And so it sits. Since then Hotel Jadran has sunk further into disrepair. All windows have been smashed, all fittings have been removed¸ and the interior has been vandalized. The marble floors are littered with broken mirrors and glass, and the beautiful French doors from the dining room are hanging from their hinges. It would have been beautiful in its prime – imagine sweeping down the spiral staircase in a long gown to attend a ball in one of the many rooms. Imagine waking up in any of the 100 or so rooms overlooking the beautiful Adriatic Sea.
The forecourt of the hotel is used for parking for the visitors to the beach, and also as a rubbish dump. I don’t know what has become of owner or whether anything will ever happen to the hotel but I wish I had seen the hotel in all of its former glory.
So that’s today’s story – part A in a two part story of Privatization!
(Please be very impressed that the photos for this story were sourced personally at great effort – this morning at 11 I rented a mountain bike and cycled to Tucepi – along the old dust and gravel track, which at first glance you may think is flat, but I can tell you, it isn’t. Half way through taking photos, the battery died on the camera – I cycled back (huff, puff – had a swim on the way), charged the camera, cycled back (this time on the main road) and finally got back in time to return the bike by 6. And there was me who thought that bikes would be forbidden after France…)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)