Back to Vienna

I am officially freaked out; returning to this metropolitan city after five nights on the Dalmatian Coast and one night in Zagreb. My tour through Croatia was an absolute slice of heaven. We got into Zagreb after a 6am train, wrestled with the Budget Car Rental people's English, then repeated the process with Avis. Our car was a very stylish Opel hatchback, and it really was the star of the trip. We got to see so much more becasue of it. The itenerary (planned sometimes as much as 12 hours ahead) went something like this...

Took the A-1 (brand new highway) down to Plentvice Lakes National Park, home to 17 carribean blue lakes and one of the biggest and most dramatic series of waterfalls I had ever seen. Lying in the center of the country, the climate was actually sub-alpine, contrary to my promise to my traveling companion of surf and sun. As usual, it was invaluable to get out of the city. We stayed in a sobe (private room) in a woman's house, for about 1 5 bucks each.

After two half-days hiking, we drove on to Split, Croatia's second biggest city. Luck couldn't have shone on us brighter as we were offered an even bigger room, with a private shower, cable tv, and most significantly, a private terrace overlooking the staggered rooftops and balconies right in the middle of old town. Oh yeah, and a gorgeous view of the Adriatic sea. So we checked out Dioclecian's Palace, a 2000 year old walled Roman complex. Instead of roping this most central section of town, turning it into a musuem and charging 300 kuna admission, Split celebrates its history by packing it full of local cafes, shops, clubs and restaurants: a place where the actual people can enjoy and experience the history. I can't describe just how cool this was, and how shocking/refreshing it was to see children swing around marble ionic columns and jump over a two century old Egyptian sphynx.

The next morning we took a ferry to the island of Brac, the largest island in Croatia in geography but still very small in population when compared to some of the others. Once again, the car proved invaluable. We drove around the entire island, poking our heads into sleepy towns, deserted beaches and coves, and just generally not being able to stop smiling. We saw a 400 meter long white pebble beach that is so thin that it shifts shape with the wind and currents. I ordered some delicious grilled shark, and ate it 4 meters from the sea. We found one tucked away fishing village that just seemed so untouched by the modern world, I felt uncomfortable for a moment, like an interloper.

So on to Dubrovnik, one of the most unique cities in the world. Once again we stayed in a sobe inside the walled old town. We saw some museums, ate great pizza, went to a jazz bar, walked the entire perimeter of the city walls...

But you know, it's not just that I've got seven minutes left on this coin operated computer, but the rest isn't that important, or at least as significant as what I really got out of the last six days. For the first time in a long time, I felt optimistic again. I could sit on a rocky cliff, gazing out at the sea, sitting next to a former stranger, now someone who I really connected with, and just be happy for the chance-

the chance to experience something genuinely good. The world can be a dark hungry unforgiving place, but there's just as much light and nourishment out there. So no energy crisis talk from me for a while. No casual nihilism. I'm a little sick of it. If you can find something genuinely good in life, praise it, hold it up.