Croatia Online - Welcome Back From The Easter Break

Welcome back from the Easter Break. We managed to achieve most of the challenges we had set ourselves for the long weekend, except for the one that required the least effort – a lie in and a lazy day doing nothing in particular.

Our old fishing boat now has a very smart anti-fouled hull and is nearly ready to go back in the water. She just needs a little bit of care and attention on the deck but I’m leaving that to John’s expertise, hopefully with a little help from his friends. After all the washing, sanding, scraping and painting, we’re really looking forward to our first trip out this year.

We also managed to catch up with most of our friends, including a great day out yesterday in the hills behinds Split to help “warm up” a new house in the heart of the countryside. The weather in the morning wasn’t too inspiring but the rain cleared away in time for the barbecue to be lit, and then the sun came out just in time for the long steep walk to the top of the mountain behind the house. Today’s photo confirms that the strenuous walk was worth it.

It’s now 5pm on Monday afternoon so we plan to round off the weekend watching the sun go down at our beach bar. Then it’s back to work with a vengeance!

Out Of Season Tourism?

Our local bar is just a small little hut, by the beach, with a large terrace. During the winter it seems to be a refuge for hen pecked Croatian husbands of a certain age. The inside is packed with smoke and the cries of the winners and losers of the various “pub” games that are played within. As the weather warms, the hardier locals start to sit around the back, leaving the front to the tourists, but we count ourselves very lucky to have such a bar open all year round. We sometimes wonder how the owners manage to survive in the winter since the card players normally manage to make a small coffee last for several hours. Maybe that’s why most bars remain seasonal only. However, it’s difficult to see how those in the tourist trade are going to gear themselves up for the early arrivals on the new low cost flights. There may be a sudden surge in activity levels over the next couple of weeks but, if not, the new breed of out of season visitors may leave disappointed with the limited options for drinking and eating out.