We were awakened early by the sound of thunder and brilliant flashes of lightening. The mountains where we were soon to be hiking were enrobed in storm clouds. We were not scheduled to leave for a couple of hours so we went back to bed hoping it would blow over. The thunder and lightening did pass but the rain continued. True to our Northwest heritage, we grabbed our rain gear and headed to breakfast. The peaks of Paklenica were still hiding when we began our hike and the rain was falling steadily. The temperature was mild and the hike was still very pleasant. We experienced the unique architecture of dry stone building including building the restroom along the trail right into the rock. The rain kept the crowds away and we had the trail nearly all to ourselves. It was a steady incline to the top. We traveled at a casual pace and stopped in the middle for snacks (of course!). The last little climb to the top brought us to the home of Mario, our host for the afternoon. He greeted us in typical Croatian style with his homemade rakija. After tasting this traditional spirit in various venues, we all agreed that Mario's was superior. The walnut variety, orahovica (orah means walnut) was particularly smooth and helped clear the chill from our muscles. The original plan had been to eat outside but the weather being what it was, we all crowded around the table inside Mario's little cabin. Ultimately this only served to enhance the experience as we shared cabbage salad, cheese in olive oil (another Croatian tradition) and eventually the main course, a giant pot of meat and veggies, or just veggies for the non carnivores, that had been cooked in the traditional way ispod peke "under the bell". The food and a fair amount of liquid is added to a large pan and a metal or terracotta dome is topped with coals from the fire and placed over it. Similar to cooking in a Dutch oven, you have to know your stuff because you can't really check the food without losing either heat, moisture or both. Lucky for us, Mario's family has been living on the mountain and cooking this way for about 250 years so he's an expert. Everyone agreed this meal was outstanding. It was further enriched by the musical accompaniment of Mario on the accordion. Robbie recruited Zack, the youngest member of the group, to join in the song and they belted out Croatian lyrics with enthusiasm. It was evident our hosts are fiercely proud of their country. Warmed both inside and out, we began our return trip down the trail. The rain actually let up and we made our way back to the vans with Goran teaching me a little more Croatian. Of course I wanted to know the translation for dog (pas or kucak? Still not really sure how to spell that.) and cat (macka). We saw a little Jack Russell-ish kind of dog at Mario's and Goran taught me the words for small and white, mali and bijele so I had a new tongue twister to work on, mali, bijele, kucak (maa-lee bee-A-lee koo-chuck) little, white, dog.
Back at the hotel, we quickly showered and changed clothes then loaded back into the vans for our evening in Zadar. This was a quick walking tour of a town with an amazing history. The influence of both the Romans and the Venetians, who occupied the region for centuries, was visible throughout the town. From the winged lion on the city gate to the narrow streets and tall stucco and stone buildings with shuttered windows. The influence of the church is also clear with the obligate cathedral in the center of the old town. This one sounded interesting, the Cathedral of St. Donatus. Robbie called it the doughnut cathedral! We didn't go inside but shared the spirit ordering cones from a gelato shop of the same name. As darkness fell, we made our way to the waterfront to enjoy the refurbished seawall promenade. It's a unique experience for the senses. As you reach the far end of the wall you can hear the soft low tones of musical notes. This is the "Sea Organ" an auditory art experience created by a series of pipes built into and venting out the top of the pier. They create different notes as the water pushes air into openings along the seawall. Just a few feet away, the ground glows green, blue, red and orange as the lights of "Sun Salutation" flash in rhythm to the music of the organ. This was a truly incredible day, beginning with lightening and ending with a walk under a full moon and nearly cloudless sky.
No comments:
Post a Comment