We checked in at the port and then boarded another bus to the terminal for passport control and all that fun stuff. After boarding the boat, we handed over Paul's passport for our room key and and made our way to our "exclusive luxury outward facing room" (pictured below). We decided to explore what the Blue Line ferry was like and what fun we could get into. We were both giddy with excitement as we have never been on a cruise before..
And then we went to see about some food..... Noticing that there were multiple signs around the ship that had pictures of credit cards with big red X's on them..this was not good. I was so excited about leaving the Euro Zone that in only had 4€ in my pocket and was planning on using our cards.. Things that were going through our minds..."How did I not know this? What important notification did I overlook? How were we going to eat? We are going to starve to death for sure."
No one seemed to care that we were going to starve to death when I asked reception and they nonchalantly responded with "yes, there are no credit cards on board". Paul and I decided to go back to the room and see what we could scrape up from the depths of our bags... 5€ and 10 Croatian Kuna, which came to about 1.2 euro. "Yes we are going to starve to death and thirst" or "maybe we can just get a croissant from the vending machine" were what we came to conclude. Then we thought maybe I could get off the ship to run to an ATM so I can get some euros.. That was our solution.
I asked the lady at reception and she said "Well, you need to ask the police when you exit the ship". That sounded scary, but when I actually spoke to the man in the passport office he was smoking what seemed to be a hookah, asked what my nationality was (naturally since we are in the EU I used my GB nationally) and pointed me in the direction of the nearest ATM. I ran through the streets of Ancona in search of the bank and found it was just a few blocks down from the port. Got our cash, ran as fast as my little minimal shoes could take me, and boarded the ship with plenty of time to spare. And those people at reception and the passport office kept looking at their watches like I was going to miss the boat or something.... I'm fast, you people don't know me! Victory!
Upon my return, Paul gave me a high five and we made our way to the ship's "night club" that was about as active as the waiting room at the ferry port. We met a really cool guy from Montreal who had been traveling around Europe and camping in a tent. He seemed like a really interesting and brave kid, I admired his fearless spirit. We had some good conversation and then made our way to the "self service" restaurant. We didn't starve, but the food wasn't so great either. I had a salad from the salad bar and Paul had "meat soup". When Paul finished his soup he said "umm I don't think this soup actually had any meat in it. I was just noodles". At least we didn't have to eat a croissant from the vending machine! No complaints here :) we didn't starve to death, and we had plenty to drink. And we could even have breakfast in the morning. Success.
We were exhausted from traveling since 6 am, so we decided to call it a night shortly after we visited the exciting night club one more time.. It was so weird walking around the ship and feeling like you were going to fall over.. I've never felt anything like it before. Apparently the waves were pretty big that night because the ship was really rocking. We were laying in bed and at some points I was thinking I was just going to roll off the edge.. It was a strange feeling, and I continued to feel it until yesterday evening. Walking around the grocery store or standing the shower and feeling like you are swaying from side to side is unsettling.
We got to Split at 7:30 and made our way to Deni's house. Deni is another lovely airbnb and host we have had the pleasure to meet. She is into yoga like me, and is a genuinely warm and caring person. Her boyfriend Thomo is also extremely hospitable, even cooking a delicious fish and potato meal yesterday. We spent all day yesterday sitting around their dinner table, talking, eating, listening to music, and enjoying life. Understanding that simple things in life are really the best, is one lesson I've been learning for first hand experience since on this journey. You don't have to spend your time in a country visiting every museum, seeing everything there is to see, going to bars and night clubs, etc. Just spending time with the local people, eating their traditional food, talking about their culture and sharing stories is what makes memories when traveling... I don't even think about buying things or souvenirs really anymore, my experience is all that I need from this. Although I am still trying to collect a spoon and Christmas tree ornament as a memento from each.. I need to be more adamant about buying it when I see it though because I completely put it off in Italy and walked onto the ship with no spoon or ornament. Whoops!
Today we walked around the city, seeing the old ruins of Diocletians palace and took a relaxing walk along the sea. It was sunny and mild, a really perfect day to just chill and not worry about going or doing. The pace of life here seems a bit slower than in Italy, and I welcome it after being in touristy places for a few days. It's supposed to get cold and windy here tomorrow, so our plans to hike in the nearby forest may be put off until later this week. Other than that, we are just planning on enjoying Croatian life and taking in the scenery, which is gorgeous.
Deni also told us about the island where her mother lives, Hvar, which is about an hour or so away by ferry. It looks beautiful as well.. I'm sure most of croatias 1000-something islands are all nice. We won't have time to visit all of them, but I've booked an apartment for us to stay in for Thanksgiving, fitted with a kitchen so we can at least cook and feel like we are home for the holidays. I will miss being with family during this time, but thank goodness we have FaceTime so I can still say hello and wish them a happy thanksgiving and let them know I am thankful to have them! It really crept up on me though, all of a sudden we are in what would be the holiday madness!
The only stress I have is budgeting (and in Eastern Europe, it's much easier.. 1 Croatian Kuna is $.18) and figuring out where we will be going for the next month or so before our stay in Prague. If that's the only stress I have right now, my life is beyond good.. That's something I'm thankful for. The lack of stress and go-go-go has cleared my mind and made me see what's really important. If I had not stopped and continued my life as it was, I never would have reached the realization I am at now. It's hard to express in words.. You just have to step back and away from the craziness sometimes. Grateful I have been able to so far and I'm excited to see what other realizations I will come to as we continue!
The forecast tomorrow calls for 200kph winds.. Please think of me and that I won't be swept away beyond the mountains in Split. Or blown back to italy! depending on the direction of the wind. :)
I get to go to a Zen Yoga class tomorrow with Deni too... I've never done zen yoga, but from what I've read it's like a mix of yoga and tai chi and other Asian arts.. I'm excited to try it. I also did yoga on the ship.. Everything was okay until I tried to get into eagle..Not good in a small space. Crow was tough too. I can now saw I've done yoga on the Adriatic Sea. Yoga around the world is fun!
More to come on Croatia! So far it's been great!
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