We're still here!

Hi to all who are still checking in on us!

I'm sorry for the long delay in posting. We have been busy with everyday life, and blogging has gotten away from me. I plan to get back to it, including a number of posts about various travels since I last posted.

We are "moving house" (as the Brits say); our landlord decided to sell our current house back in September. Luckily it was purchased by one of the first people who came to view the house, so we didn't have to keep the house in show-ready condition for long at all. Since then, I've been watching the online rentals market and found a place that we really like about 20 minutes from our current place. It's in a smaller village, but closer to Cambridge (and a lot of our friends who live in that area). Looking forward to being settled there, but knowing there is a lot of packing and unpacking that has to happen first!

After we are somewhat settled with internet in place, I'll be sure to update more often. Charlotte just turned 2, and celebrated her third (!) Christmas, and now thinks that she should get PWESENTS! every day.

Much love, and happy holidays to all!

Charlotte at 22 months

In a break from travel highlights, I wanted to write a bit about what Charlotte is up to at this age. She puts me through the wringer most days -- she's definitely starting to test limits and has discovered that whining is a very interesting way to request things. I try hard not to get too exasperated with her, but there are days that feel very long. Then there is the flip side, moments I wouldn't miss for all the whining: giggling with her at something funny, snuggling with a new library book, seeing her "wheels turning" when I ask her a question and then being amazed that she can come up with the correct answer to a complex question (ex: How did we know that it was time to leave the play gym today? ...They turned off the lights.). Those moments are the best.

So, without further ado, Charlotte at 22 months:

Playtime
- Loves Peppa Pig (TV show), Curious George (books and TV show), Madeline (books) -- anything with someone getting in trouble, making a big mess, or getting injured really captures her attention
- Enjoys splashing in muddy puddles with her "wellie boots" [rain boots] and frog raincoat. We have taken a couple of walks after rainstorms to hunt for puddles. She also likes to stop and smell the flowers in neighbors' gardens, then says "mm!" appreciatively.
- Loves going to "play gym" -- a local gymnasium opens up for toddlers certain hours during the week. There is an in-floor trampoline, a foam pit, and lots of tumble forms and balance beams to play on. They put out a parachute too. She has a blast and it wears her out!
- She just started swimming classes three weeks ago. The first lesson was terrible, the 2nd was great, and the 3rd was somewhere in between :) She didn't like the structure of the class, and just wanted to free play with the toys on the side of the pool. She is settling in, but still has her moments. She hates floating on her back, and yells "I GOT YOU" while crying. (as I quietly tell her "I've got you"... maybe she's asking if I have her?)
- I frequently hear her talking to baby dolls and her George stuffed animal as I do to her. "You want milk, baby? George, you want to ride in cozy coupe?"
- She asks to go play with her friends Auri and Gus.
- She loves helping with various aspects of baking (dumping and pouring ingredients, tapping sieve to sift ingredients, trying to stir, putting liners in muffin cups, and definitely eating the finished product). Wearing her chef's hat is a demand that must be met.
- Asks to go on "adventure!" every day, although we are still trying to figure out what this means to her -- as she frequently cries and asks to go on an adventure when we are already doing something fun and kid-oriented (like pumpkin patch or library). It might have to involve the stroller and a playground to count (?).

On our way to stomp puddles. She loves the pockets on her raincoat.

Letting George try out her tricycle.

Eating
- Our girl loves to eat: especially apple slices, grapes, raisins, mandarin oranges, chicken nuggets, string cheese, bean and cheese quesadillas, Nilla wafers, apple juice, 2% milk. She also likes somewhat spicy things like taco meat, curry veggie dip, and a spicy sausage pasta I make.
- We are starting to be able to negotiate with food ("eat your carrot, then you can have another piece of cheese") to help get some vegetables in. Still not a big fan of most veggies.
- She is learning to drink out of an open cup (and coaches herself "put on lip, slow tip"), but only while in her high chair at this point to contain messes.
- She does seem to always be thinking about food, and wants to snack frequently when we're at home. Now that it's getting dark early, she starts asking for dinner around 4:30 (we don't eat until 6 or so). That time period is a rough one for me!

Language/behavior
- She has started nodding and smiling while she tells you something she wants, as though encouraging me to see that she's in the right. I'm wondering if that's a technique I subconsciously use on her?
- Big time testing limits with "all done"  -- then telling us that she wants more of whatever the food/drink was -- and "one more time." She's also started adding "please" (very sweetly) to a request I've already said no to... sorry, kid -- answer is still no!
- She can sing most of "Twinkle Twinkle" and "5 Little Monkeys," as well as bits of "ABC" song and "Wheels on the Bus." Sometimes she says the words in a funny "gruff" or high-pitched voice with her eyes open extra wide to make me laugh.
- Says "I love you too Mommy!"
- She had gas ("tooted") the other night; when we asked her what she says after tooting, she said "Trick or treat!"
- She has started hitting, pinching my cuticles, and head-butting me when she's bored or I'm talking to someone else. It's not usually in anger at this point. I think she wants to see how I'll react. I'm trying to be consistent with giving a warning once, then doing a minute to minute and a half time-out. Unfortunately she giggles in time-out (infuriating).
- Independently says "tank you mama/mommy" and "tank you daddy" about half of the time without prompting; says "excuse me" to people and inanimate objects if she bumps into them or is trying to get around them.
- Has started saying "mommy? mommy?" repeatedly when in an unfamiliar situation or around new people (as though for reassurance). Occasionally "daddy? daddy?" if I'm not in the room.
- Laughs frequently and says "silly Daddy," "silly Mommy," "silly [insert anything that does something unexpected]"
- Asks "I hold you?" when she wants to be picked up or carried.

Snuggling with a book and blanket before bedtime

Picking out a pumpkin at the patch

Daily routines
- She starts the day with "I woke up! Daytime! Sun's up! Light outside!" and ends the day with "Night night shoes, night night neighbors, dark outside. See the moon? Stars?"
- She knows (and tells me) that Daddy goes "to work, in daddy's car, to base, to see Jerome and Dan."
- She asks to read books at least 5 times a day, and definitely right after every meal. Likes to sit on her Peter Rabbit pillow to read books.
- Likes to help with the laundry and knows who each article of clothing belongs to.
- Loves watching the garbage truck on Monday mornings, waves to the workers. Knows we have to wait until we hear "beep beep beep" [truck backing down our road] before we can see the truck.
- Runs around and screams with excitement when Daddy comes home
- Loves to take baths, learning how to use washcloth to rub arms/legs/tummy. Not a huge fan of getting her hair washed.
- Needs me to sing "Twinkle twinkle" and "dodo" (Do Re Mi) at bedtime. Currently does a great job of putting herself to sleep in the crib after our routine is over. Occasionally wakes up once between 9 and 11 pm crying and needs a back rub and another rendition of "Twinkle twinkle."

Drawing with chalk outside on our back stoop

Chugging some milk

Other random cognitive bits:
- Has no concept of little boy vs little girl, but remembers which characters are boys or girls in books after I tell her.
- She has an impressive memory for small details. The other day we had taken her carseat out of the car and it was sitting in our front hall. The clips to secure the seat via seatbelt path were slightly visible, and they are bright blue. She told me "Grammy's sunglasses in the carseat." I was confused, as Grammy hasn't been here for about a month. When I looked at the seat, I saw that the clips looked a little bit like the arms of a pair of sunglasses (and Grammy's are blue).
- She loves to scroll through photos and videos on my phone (with the greatest of ease). She announces, "Dat's Charlotte, dat's Charlotte, dat's Charlotte" and recognizes family members and some friends in pictures (even in photos she's never seen before). She still initially thinks all pictures of babies are "Charlotte," but then corrects herself.

Loves her new watering can

Enjoyed going to a local aquarium store and feeding the goldfish

Cute little lady! Don't worry, I fixed the straps and snugged her in appropriately after after taking the picture :)

We sure do love this girl! Can't believe you'll be two in just 2 months, little one!

Split, Croatia

The morning of our one full day in Split, we got up and found an outdoor cafe in a small courtyard within the Old Town. We had omelettes to sustain ourselves for sight-seeing, then headed to the main event: a self-guided tour of Diocletian's Palace.

Paul at breakfast

Nearly 1500 years ago, the emperor Diocletian (of the Roman Empire) decided to retire, and built an enormous palace where the city of Split now lies. The palace was abandoned eventually, then re-occupied by people fleeing some sort of war nearby. Rather than tearing down the palace to use the materials to create new buildings, they just moved into the old digs and built apartments, shops, etc into the walls of the palace. It still exists in this form today! In fact, the apartment we rented through AirBnb was within the palace walls.

Our tour started with a walk through the excavated basements of the palace. When the new residents moved in (many, many years ago), they occupied the upper floors and carved holes in their floors to drain all their waste and garbage. These areas have now been cleaned up (apparently there was a lot of fascinating archeological pieces to be found amongst years of solid waste. *mild shudder*) and you can tour them. It's fascinating to see the Roman architecture and know that the place was built in just a few years (of course with slave labor).

Me in one of the larger rooms of the basement; they still use these areas for posh social events, like charity fundraisers, fashion shows, and art exhibits.

The ceiling of a mini rotunda in the basement of the Palace.

An unexcavated area -- it didn't actually smell bad but we were aware that it was ancient sewage! (Hence the pose.)

Bust of Diocletian, who built the Palace for his retirement. He envisioned himself as a son of the gods, and called himself Jovius (related to Jove/Jupiter).

After leaving the basements, we explored around the rest of the Palace, including inside the smallest cathedral in Europe. It was originally built as part of a mausoleum complex for Diocletian, but now is (ironically) a cathedral honoring certain Christian martyrs who died under the reign of Diocletian. We went through the cathedral, which was really beautiful, and peeked into the crypt under the church as well. The cathedral is located on the Peristyle, which still has original columns and Sphinx statues from Egyptian marble from Diocletian's time. The Peristyle is now a relatively small square that is actually part of a bar -- the steps around it are dotted with cushions, which you can order drinks from waiters. We didn't sit here, but it was a neat atmosphere, especially at night when they had live musicians.

On one side of the Peristyle is an open rotunda, which was meant to impress visitors to the Palace back in the day. Now it is chiefly used by a group of male a cappella singers who sing traditional Dalmatian melodies in the incredible acoustics (for money and to sell CDs). We did get to hear the tail end of one of their brief performances, and it was beautiful -- gave me goosebumps. 

The Peristyle

The rotunda

Me in the rotunda. The alcoves would have held statues but are now empty.

Looking at the bell tower within Diocletian's palace

Across the Peristyle from the cathedral, and down a narrow street (packed with tour groups!) is the former Temple of Jupiter, which was later changed into a baptistry. The statue is by Ivan Mestrovic, the most famous modern Croatian sculptor. There is a Mestrovic museum in Split, but we didn't have the time to visit it.

The baptistry

Original Roman art on barrel vault ceiling of the baptistry

Now headless Sphinx that was brought back from Egypt by Diocletian (and me behind where his head once was)

Our apartment host had warned us of a shouting commotion that happens at noon daily in the Peristyle -- telling us not to be frightened (!). So of course we had to check it out! At noon, "Diocletian" and his "wife" come out to greet the people [tourists] of Split, to great fanfare. He speaks in English and gets people excited to shout "Ave!"["Hail!"]. It lasts about 5 minutes and is pure silliness, but worth the laugh :) 

The trumpets "playing" a fanfare to announce Diocletian's arrival. They just stand there with instruments while recorded music is piped in through loudspeakers.

Diocletian and his wife, protected by their guards.

Our last sightseeing stop in the Palace was to step out the gates on the far side of the town (away from the water) to see the most complete set of Palace walls that still exist. This is fairly close to what the palace would have looked like when it was originally built. The seaside walls have been changed quite a bit as shops and apartments were put in over the years.

After stopping by the bus station to purchase tickets for our journey to the Split airport the next day, we wandered briefly through the local market before heading up a large hill onto the Marjan peninsula to get some views of the whole town. It was about a 20 minute hike up a stepped street to get to the best view point.

Local produce market

Large cruise ships in the harbor

Looking up the stepped street that led to viewpoints over Split

View of Split with mountains behind it. In the center is the bell tower, very close to the Peristyle in the center of the Palace.

Enjoying the views!

Looking out toward Brac (island in the Adriatic)

View from the harbor; the Riva is the seafront pedestrian area lined with palm trees.

After we got back from our walk up the Marjan peninsula, we grabbed a piece of pizza and people-watching while we decided our next activity... which ended up being a little siesta back at the apartment. After relaxing and reading for a bit, we headed back out to the Riva, the pedestrian area on the harborfront, to find an outdoor seat and a cold drink.

The view from our cocktail hour

We sat and enjoyed the sunset over the Marjan peninsula and the water, then headed to get some dinner at a medium-sized Italian restaurant on the "People's Square" within the old town. Our last Split experience was returning one last time to the lights of the Riva to people watch with some delicious gelato.

Sunset from the Riva

Watching the sunset from a bench on the Riva

The next morning, we packed up and headed out early to the bus station. We arrived to the station around 7:30 for our 8:00 bus to the airport, and were so glad we did! The bus filled up very quickly and then left around 7:40 -- he pulled around to a quieter part of town to then take tickets from people. We aren't sure if there was another bus to take 8:00 passengers, but it seemed like a lot of people would have missed their scheduled bus with it leaving 20 minutes early. 

The flight back was easy and uneventful, and we were happy to get back and see Charlotte -- who was very well taken care of by Paul's mom and sister. I would recommend Croatia to anyone looking for a relaxing vacation with gorgeous scenery and quite a bit of interesting history as well.

Dubrovnik, Day 2 & Ferry to Split

Our second morning in Dubrovnik, we got up and grabbed some pastries and coffee and relaxed in the apartment for a bit before heading out. We went up, up, up lots of stairs to reach the Buza Gate (the 3rd gate to the city). After leaving the old town, we walked just a couple of blocks further to reach the base of the Cable Car route. You can hike up the mountain (Mount Srd, pronounced "Surge") just inland from the Old Town (if you're quite fit and fancy sweating a lot), but it's much nicer and faster to take the cable car. We purchased the round-trip ticket with an entrance to the museum within Fort Imperial at the top of the mountain. We got there at a good time, before the largest cruise ship crowds arrived. We waited for the next car to arrive, and up we went!

Looking up the steps of one of the Old Town's side streets

The cable car route up the mountain

Riding up!

The views from the top were incredible! You can see the entire Old Town of Dubrovnik within the city walls, as well as miles up and down the Dalmatian coast. It was quite windy, and I was very pleased I had elected to wear leggings under my dress, as there were times the skirt was flying up around my middle! In fact, the Croatian flag at the top of the mountain was intact when we got up there, and by the time we left (maybe 90 minutes later), it had been torn in half by the wind.

The day before, on our way back from the beach, I had seen a man I thought I recognized as we passed through Ploce Gate. It was a strong feeling of recognition, but I wasn't quite prepared to approach him. However, the next day, he was on our cable car and at the top with a group of people. I felt even more strongly that I knew him, and got up my nerve to ask him if he was my college roommate's cousin. Lo and behold, it was -- he even claimed to remember me from when he visited Davidson over 10 years ago. I love small world coincidences.

We enjoyed the views from the several vantage points that the mountain provides from the top, and were really impressed by the beauty of the mountains to the east (inland) as well as the sea views. We spent a bit of time in the museum inside the fort, which was built in Napoleonic times and was actually used extensively during the war in the 1990s. The area around the fort was a minefield that was only officially cleared a few years back -- we stuck to the paths as was recommended. The museum focused on the history of the war, which was quite interesting. The signage was translated to about 80% understandability in English -- some words clearly didn't translate well so it was a guessing game at times. The signage was clearly written with an anti-Serbian slant, which is an understandable emotion of the Dubrovnik area -- but was somewhat surprising in a museum context. After visiting the museum, we made sure to visit a map at Pile Gate that shows where each bomb landed in Dubrovnik (and which roofs were damaged, home destroyed, etc). It definitely made the (relatively recent) past seem more tangible.

Overlooking Old Town Dubrovnik and island of Lokrum

The mountains to the east of Mt Srd

Looking south along the Dubrovnik coast (see tattered flag)

Stepping out into the sunshine at the top of the Fort Imperial Museum

Great view of the city! You can see the city walls clearly, where we walked the day before.

Looking north from Mt Srd

Me and the large cross (that was replaced after the original was destroyed during the 1990s conflict)

Wind was STRONG.

After we took the cable car back down the mountain, we stopped briefly at the apartment and then headed one street over to the recommended D'Vino Wine bar. It was phenomenal! We sat outside at a tall table in the narrow pedestrian street and each ordered a flight of Croatian wine (I ordered whites from various regions of Croatia, Paul ordered 3 varieties of a certain red grape). After the samples, we got a platter of meats & cheeses and each enjoyed a glass of wine of our favorite from the flights. It was just wonderful, one of my favorite parts of the trip.

All the shops and restaurants in the small streets have lanterns with their names on them.

Our flights, with information about the wines included in each flight.

After our wonderful lunch, we headed down to the harbor to find a ferry that would take us to the island of Lokrum to explore. There is an old fort (also from Napoleonic times) and a monastery on the island, and we just enjoyed walking some of the trains around the island to explore. We stumbled upon some wild peacocks and their chicks! 

When we got to the water on the western side of the island, I was watching to see if anyone else was getting in the water. In several places, there were "pool steps" into the water (attached to the rocks), but it looked a bit slippery to get out to where they were. Finally, a couple of men easily made their way out to a ladder right next to us, and I decided to be spontaneous, stripped down to my underwear, and hopped into the Adriatic! The water felt great and I am so glad I did it :) Paul said he felt like a creeper, but I did ask him to take my picture to document my unusual wild spontaneity!

Looking from the fort ruins toward the monastery on Lokrum

We hopped onto the ferry back to Dubrovnik late afternoon, and sat on a bench overlooking the harbor for about an hour. Boats coming and going, tourists petting stray cats, stray cats begging fishermen for their catch, and people taking wedding portraits. Lovely!

We grabbed some pizza for dinner, then wandered the Old Town for a bit. We sat down first on the steps of a church, the moved on to the water reservoir with some gelato. Again, we loved seeing the city lights, tourists, and a few bizarre street performers (break-dancers who weren't break-dancing; the lady with all the exotic parrots).

Looking down the Stradun at night

The next day, we spent the morning wandering Old Town looking for some small souvenirs to take back with us. We also went back to Buza II to enjoy another drink overlooking the water! After packing up our suitcases, we took the public bus (a crowded experience) toward the cruise ship/ferry port a couple of miles north of the Old Town. We got there with plenty of time, and found a shady spot to rest until the ferry left around 4 pm. It was a high-speed catamaran, so there was no outdoor seating. We were lucky to be some of the early people on board so we got window seats. The American lady sitting in front of us had the same guide book we did, and we bonded over our love of Rick Steves.

The ferry ride took almost 5 hours in total, stopping at 4 islands on the way (Mljet, Korcula, Hvar, and Brac). We got to see the sunset and didn't feel seasick at all!

The two of us on the ferry

Sunset from the ferry

When we arrived in Split, our Airbnb host's sister met us at the dock. She was very sweet and guided us for the approximately 10 minute walk to the apartment, which was within the walls of Diocletian's Palace. She explained the area to us, as well as the details about the apartment. As she left, she explained that we had the only key. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I thought perhaps she had come back to tell us something else, but it was actually a young man asking for money for his family. We said no and closed/locked the door, but it was a little strange. We felt like we'd been followed from the dock perhaps. Not the most ideal start to a visit to a new city, but we had no other issues during our stay at all. 

After a little while, we headed out for a late-evening walk along the waterfront (the Riva) and to grab some dinner in the square just outside our apartment. I had a pasta dish and Paul had a gnocchi dish. Delicious, and the waiter was memorable -- very self-assured with his recommendations ("no. you want this.") and made us laugh. Because he was back at work the next day, we saw him each time we walked to/from our apartment and he remembered us. After dinner, we headed back to the apartment to rest up for the next day of sight-seeing.