The people of Croatia were nice when I would come upon them when I was walking. Croats are mostly Roman Catholics, too. Most people do speak a little English so I can communicate. It's easy to make friends, and the place it was a bit more difficult to communicate was the local grocery store.
Selfies on the beach, S. Galo
I talk to people sometimes when I take my daily walk. I found that most people are out and about around 6:00pm, or 18:00. A lot of kids hang out around then. A large amount of kids use roller blades, bicycles, skateboards, and scooters as transportation.
Going for a walk, S. Galo
Having fun on the beach means paying a visit to those who sit in the cafes. There are of course the people on the beach. However, it isn't that warm yet so there isn't a particularity large amount of people on the beach yet.
The beach during the day, S. Galo
-S. Galo -
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When I got to Croatia, I found it was fairly easy to make friends. Kids played in the basketball court, and walked around a lot. It was easy to just come across somebody and say hi.
In fact, I went down on a Saturday afternoon to the beach. I then learned that there was a really cool setup down there. If you payed a bit of money, you could go jumping on trampolines.
Walking around. S. Galo
I jumped around for almost an hour, and for such a small cost, it was really fun. I met a friend there, and talked a bit. Even when I wasn't down by the trampolines, I 'm able to say hi to kids, and talk with them.
Overall, in my experience, making friends in Split is a calm, simple process. I hope to be able to meet many more people,and have a lot more fun.
Florida is home to Pensacola Beach, which is a thriving little beach town along the Gulf of Mexico. When I visited Pensacola beach, I swam in the enclosed area, which has banks on each side and an entrance to the ocean on one end. I fully enjoyed the swimming. The sandy shores of the Gulf are the kind of beaches that I prefer, over beaches with rocks for the surface or the cold waters of the Pacific or Atlantic.
For those who want to go to Pensacola Beach, it is located south of Interstate 10, just over the Pensacola Bay, on highways 98 and 399. There are a wide variety of restaurants and surf shops to fit your needs, and a few beach resorts are there as well. The town also has multiple beaches, both located on Pensacola Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico. This town is quiet and relaxing, and it is great for those who want a beautiful view, while not being disturbed - well, at least when it's not Spring Break!
Bodega Bay is home to Doran Regional Park, which has a beach, a campground, a Coast Guard station, and the duck club restaurant. There are tons of beaches on the coast line heading north from Bodega Bay, and Highway 1. This highway twists and turns through the towns along the California coast, eventually merging back into highway 101 at Legget. There are a ton of little shops with all kinds of things to see and to buy. They are all conveniently located along Highway 1, so you can shop for whatever it is that fits your taste. One thing that I remember about Bodega Bay is the sailboat that was left in the mud for years, and it was just a normal sight to see. Sadly, when I returned to Bodega Bay a few years later, it was gone - erased from history. The Tides Wharf Restaurant & Bar, which is located in Bodega Bay, is one of my favorite restaurants. The food there is absolutely great, the employees are friendly, and the views from the restaurant's windows are awesome. I would rate this place an 8 out of 10 on my dining chart, I really enjoy seeing the crabs and lobsters moving around in the fish tank right where you walk in the door, and the souvenir shop right outside it as well.
Split is home to multiple beaches strewn along the coastline, having the Mediterranean look to them, beaches here are rocky, unlike beaches back in the United States. Znjan Beach is nearby, having the rocky surface, and a trampoline center for the kids, and a skate park for the older kids who just want to have a little bit of fun. I don't mind rocky beaches here in Split, but I prefer the sandy beaches back home in America, where I can walk without worrying if my feet will ache after I walk on rocks!
My family had a hard time finding the bus station when we were going to the apartment. My mother asked person after person, and it seemed we wouldn't make it to the apartment that day. But, we did find the bus station, and waited for the number eight to arrive. It felt like forever, but the number eight finally came. My mother had bought tickets at the station, and we got on the decent sized bus.
We did arrive at the apartment that day, with new found knowledge on how to ride the bus. And we are still using that information to get around. It will not be long before we master the direction of where the bus is going. All of us know plenty know how to get down to the beach and the to the bus.
When I got on the bus, it was very bumpy, and I almost fell down when I got into my seat. There was a place where you could buy tickets, and it was ten kuna a person. The seats were pretty comfortable, and they were a faded dark blue, lowered from the floor. There was a long rail, as the bus could get full easily. Overall, it was a interesting experience that made my day
We kids at the bus station.
Via Skype (Li Galo)
Solina and I on the bus
Via Skype(Li Galo)
By Cristiana Galo
Ova web-lokacija upotrebljava Googleove kolačiće radi pružanja usluga, prilagođavanja oglasa i analiziranja prometa. Upotrebom ove web-lokacije pristajete na njezinu upotrebu kolačića.
When I heard I was taking a ferry to Croatia, I was really excited. I was even more excited when I saw that the "ferry" looked more like a cruise ship. I boarded to find out there was a restaurant, a bar, and in the bottom of the boat, even a section for vehicles! I later came to know the vessel could could hold 3,600 vehicles, and 27,540 people!
Jadrolinjia Ferry, Emilio Galo
I went to eat in the restaurant, low and behold, it was fine dining! The food was way better than I thought it would be. I ate "pancakes" which were a bit different than the ones back in the US, but still tasted good. I didn't visit the bar, but there was an outside seating area for that.
Selfie outside, Emilio Galo
After I had settled into my cabin, I went outside to see the shore slowly fading away. It was fun to see it, but after a while it got cold, since it was night. It also got windy, but luckily I was wearing a pretty good so it didn't bother me too much. When the ferry got fully onto the Adriatic, and there was no shore in sight, it was eerie. It was so dark I couldn't even see the sky from the ocean.
The Shore, Emilio Galo
I was delighted to experience the free breakfast in the restaurant that came with your purchase of a cabin. Eggs, muffins, butter, all of that good food. Granted, it wasn't a huge meal, but it was filling and just perfect.
According to mapsoftheworld, Croatia is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It also shares its boarders with Hungary, Serbia and Bosnia. It is one of the 18th most visited places in Europe, with rich culture and diversity. It is also the 127th largest country in the world, according to mapsoftheworld. It is easily accessible from other countries of Europe, due to its respectively decent size. It also has the largest coastal line in Southeastern Europe on the Adriatic Sea. Here's a map.
Simple Map
Via Flickr (Dennis Jarvis)
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I met a friendly Croatian lady who speaks fluent English. She now lives in Zagreb, a major city here, but she was raised in Split - where we are renting a short term apartment in Croatia over the Easter break and late spring time. She told me of the Croatian traditional Easter game, where each person cracks a hard boiled egg for Easter. This is known as egg tapping, egg knocking or egg boxing, among other names. The person with the least cracks is the winner. I told her of our American tradition of how one person hides the eggs and the rest look for it. She thought that was a lovely idea.
Although this video is of Greek Americans, the game is the
same one as in Croatia. Red is the traditional color, to symbolize the blood of Christ. However, other colors are also used. It can be played in the air (as in this video) or on a table top.
Croatians are Catholics so Easter is a major holiday here. The stores and shops are closed on Easter. You'd be hard pressed to find a taxi. That is because everyone is with family - at church, visiting homes, cooking, playing games or eating. Though I considered visiting a Croatian Catholic church, in the end, due to our limited knowledge of Croatian, we decided to stream the Easter service instead. We had our normal Easter foods we easily found in the local market: ham, potatoes, carrots, and corn. Delicious!
My kids normally cook for me - but not during the holidays. During the holidays, I cook for them! I love to cook for my family during the holidays. Sometimes, they want to cook, too! (S. Galo)
The children in this area of Croatia play in the afternoons before being called inside to do chores. But, they also come out when it's dark. This seems odd, doesn't it? So, after the sun sets they start emerging from their small apartments to play in the local courtyard. It's fairly cold by then and there are zero parents present. Some of the children are no more than three years old but the older children watch out for them. They will play out there until about 8 pm, when they slowly start freezing (it's still cold at night here) and head home. The older kids will sit around on a low wall talking while the younger ones play. My kids don't want to go out after dark to join them, though - not because they're afraid but because it's so cold then.
We've only been here two weeks but we've met a neighborhood girl about age eleven, who is shy but friendly and always says hello to us. She has a cute puppy dog she carries around but she, like most of the children, are called inside in the afternoons to do chores so after a short period outside, she is inside the rest of the afternoon. We've also met some middle school girls who love to go to the grocery store for ice cream and pass us on our afternoon walk. They speak excellent English and told us they learned it in school but none of their parents speak English. An interesting thing is that young people are considered adults early here - marriage-ready by age eighteen, if they choose, but most do not. They are legally allowed to leave school at age fourteen to work to support the family, though many do stay in school at least to finish their secondary education (their version of high school). Duty to the family is considered highly important here.
What a relaxing Easter weekend it has been. We did our annual family Easter egg hunt at the beach and had a lot of laughs. We only had one egg casualty that we had to leave behind (someone stepped on it). We laughed about that, too.
First, we painted the eggs. (L. Galo)
Then, we hunted for the eggs... an egg hunt along the beach - how novel! (L. Galo)
- Li Galo (mom to three fabulous and fantastic homeschoolers)
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