Give a Little...Get a Lot

Rome, Italy

So much water has gone under the bridge of life that I can't decide what to write about!  The good news is I am writing this from my computer!  I cannot tell you how much I missed it over the last month.  Our reunion was eye opening for me.  I had not realized what an intimate relationship I have with my computer, sad but true.  The large screen, the familiar keyboard, the easy access to my favorite sites, she knows me and I know her.  One interesting observation I have made is that I may have broken a habit because I have not spent nearly as much time on the computer since our reunion.  Using my stone tablet was a chore and may have cured me of my screen obsession....or not...don't touch my phone!

I spent much of one rainy day, while I was back in Houston, organizing the photos from our anniversary trip.  It may be the most documented trip I've ever taken.  Culling through over a thousand photos and trying to choose "favorites" is like choosing your favorite child...it can't be done! Looking through them is like taking the trip over and over again and it gets better every time.  Every once in a while I have an ache to just go back to Croatia.  But I guess you can't go back...or can you?

Puntalina bar and restaurant, Rovinj, Croatia,
 cold and closed for the season
March 2015

Puntalina bar and restaurant
sunny, hot...and fully booked for the night.
May 2018
I vowed to come back and I did!

Since this was an anniversary trip maybe I'll give you a couple of glimpses into what makes this thing called "our 40 year marriage" work.  TJ shared some very sweet sentiments with me on our way home and I was touched.  He referred to them as, "reasons I am still in love with you".  Always nice to hear and they give me reasons to still be in love with him!  They were two situations where we accompanied the other doing something they love.

On our second night in Rome the four of us were riding back to our apartment after a full day of sightseeing and walking many miles (over 20,000 steps to be exact).  We enjoyed a delicious dinner and decided to give our aching feet a break so we took a cab back to our apartment.  While crossing one of the many bridges in Rome I suddenly said to the driver, "Can you stop the cab?  I want to get out."  I was not ill, I had just looked out and knew I wanted to walk the rest of the way.  The night lights were reflecting on the river and the buildings were all lit up against a deep blue sky.  It was a picture, or 100, in the making.  TJ asked the driver to "pull over now" and we got out.  I don't even think he had to ask why I wanted to get out... he just knew!  It was a memorable evening stroll.

St. Peter's Basilica in the distance.
So worth walking the rest of the way home.

"O" baby!

We walked in the twilight and marveled at the lights on the river.  When we crossed one of the bridges we noticed a bridal photo shoot.  What an awesome location for bridal portraits! 

We also met this guy....

Come on...we had to say hello! 
He has on a UT hat and is doing his best to keep Austin weird
with his skateboard and bottle of wine.
Note the color coordinated hat and shoes.

Turns out he studied for a semester in Austin and was just visiting (don't remember where he was from) Rome, just like us.  Small world indeed.  Plenty happening on the bridges of Rome!  We went on our way over the bridges and through St. Peter's square oohing and aahing at the lovely evening.  It was one of those times I wished time would just stop.  Perfect place, perfect person, perfect weather ...what more can a girl ask for?

The next situation came on the island of Korcula in Croatia.  I had done my homework and suggested we rent bikes on the island and explore the towns and vineyards via bike.  As many of you know, TJ is a very serious bike rider.  I....know how to ride a bike.  He was very excited at the suggestion of biking!  The one day we had to bike was overcast and rainy in the morning.  We delayed the ride hoping for nicer weather.  The forecast gave us hope that the rain would end by lunch.  With the promise of sunnier skies, we went and rented our bikes from the local shop.  I did protect my camera in plastic and we both brought rain gear.  The blue skies were in the distance....

In spite of the lovely blue sky ahead of us....we were getting drenched!

I will preface this by sharing that we had already done one bike tour in Rome.  The bikes were e-bikes which meant any time we got to a steep hill all we had to do was activate the "e" feature, pedal and it was easy to get up the hill.  The bikes we rented this day were NOT e-bikes, they were good old fashioned road bikes.  I was not ready for this!  TJ however was in his element.  I did my best to put on a smile and pedaled my legs off.  The farther we got, the heavier it rained.  I needed windshield wipers on my sunglasses!  All I could see were raindrops and TJ in front of me.  We were riding to the town of Korcula, a mere 5 miles away.  It only seemed like 10!  There were moments I wanted to cry because the perfect leisurely day spent biking through the scenic countryside along azure waters on one side and majestic mountains on the other was looking a lot like pea soup.  As they say...the best laid plans of mice and men...

Blue skies are coming...I just know it!

We persevered up the hills and through the rain to Old town Korcula.  We just kept chasing the blue skies!  We were soaked when we arrived!  We quickly locked up our bikes and found a dry place to have lunch and wait for the sun to come out.  I just knew it was going to come out...hope springs eternal!

Why are we still smiling?  We made it!

We coincidentally went in to a restaurant that was full of spandex clad bikers!  They had all dried off, had lunch and were heading back out.  Good for them.  We had lunch, dried off and were thrilled when the clouds parted and the sun came out!  We explored the old town and then just because I had to get the iconic view of the town, rode up many switchbacks out of town for "the photo".  At least it wasn't raining this time!

We were rewarded for our efforts!

The day turned out just as nice as we had hoped it would....before the rain.  We were so glad we decided, in spite of the rain, to go on with our plan and make the best of it.  I would have hated to miss this lovely town and the perfectly clear blue waters and the views...!  Sometimes you just have to get soaked.

I could share those thousands of photos to show you just how beautiful Croatia is but then why would you need to visit?  I've said it before and I'll say it again...visit Croatia!  It is a charming and lovely country.

As for us two married folks...I love that he is more than happy to get out of the cab and walk along enthusiastically with while I take hundreds of photos of city lights and bridges.  He says he loves that I am willing to get soaked on a bike for the sake of a good ride and some spectacular views.  We both give a little and we both get a lot...that's how you make it 40 years in this thing called marriage.

Budapest and Black Holes

I am finally back....in the US and online. These events did not happen simultaneously though.

First the ranting.
We arrived home on Sunday, it is now Wednesday and still no internet despite 1.5 visits (as I have been trapped at home for the last 3 hours waiting for them to show up for their second visit/effort to resolve the issue) from cable company. I'm beginning to feel like I live in a technological black hole. No phone, no internet and a very moody cell phone. It is one thing to be without our modern communication devices when traveling abroad. This is expected and something of a gift at times, no access therefore no pressure to engage in the digital world and an opportunity to engage in real life for a while. BUT, when I get home I expect to be able log on, call, text, chat and search at will, not sit at home waiting hours and hours for some dude to show up and tell me that he can't fix the problem so the more qualified dude needs to come back tomorrow to fix the problem. Still waiting......and have resorted to just typing up a draft of my most important travels and tribulations for all of you readers with the hopes it will soon be posted!

There, I feel better, don’t you?

No?

Maybe a little bit of Budapest will make you feel better.


The Buda Castle on the Buda side of Budapest

Yes, that's just how I felt when I saw the view from our hotel room! Beautiful!I could look at that view all night long!


TJ and I decided to take a bike tour on our first full day in Budapest. It turned out to be pure pleasure. I highly recommend biking through any city you visit, except Milan, more about that in a later post. Anyway, we met our group at 11 in the morning and finished the tour at 3. We saw all the sights and learned a lot about Budapest. Our group was made up of a couple in their 20's from Venezuala, 40ish couple from Australia and us...who are younger than any of them, in our hearts. A perfect size group and our guide was very good.



This is me insuring that my writing skills improve, according to Hungarian lore. This fellow, named Anonymous, is credited with writing Hungary's history and if you rub the pen in his hand it will improve your writing skills. Bring it on!



There are many hot springs in Budapest and this is one of the bath houses. After riding our bikes in the cool weather, sitting in one of those baths would have been amazing, but who knew I would need a bathing suit in Budapest? Oh well, keep riding.



Apparently Hungarians are big on rubbing things on statues for various reasons. Here TJ is rubbing part of this horse, which I will let you figure out for yourselves, and it is going to bring him good luck. Again, bring it on!
See? The things you learn on a small bike tour!



This is just another beautiful church in Buda. We rode our bikes across the Danube over the Chain Bridge and up, up, up the hill/mountain, to this church and the Fisherman's Bastion. I am proud to report that I did not have to walk my bike up the hill/mountain and not that I am competitive or anything but I was the second in our group to the top. Take that, cute, young, girl from Venezuala!



Not all of Budapest is perfect. This is a building with signs of the many bombings Budapest has endured throughout their years. There are still signs of the turmoil the country has survived. They keep this building the way it is to remind them of the past.

Just for excercise the next day I walked about 1/3 of the bike ride from the day before. The entire time I was thinking to myself, I sure wish I was on a bike. I am sold on biking as a mode of transportation! Especially in big cities, except Milan, but another day.

Now for the food! I found the food to be delicious! I searched every pastry shop in town, and it was a terribly difficult task but one I was willing to sacrifice myself for in hopes of finding kifli and kolache. Alas, no kolache but I did find kifli! The Central Market Hall, pictured below, is very much like St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. Don't miss it if you go to Budapest! Beautiful market and great prices!



These cookies are like ones I remember my grandmother making and they were the best! I wish I had bought more!


The kifli had poppyseed filling and walnut filling. They made an excellent breakfast the next morning. Again, I was sad I did not get more.



To end our time in Budapest we went on a late night cruise of the Danube. The views were amazing from the boat and well worth staying up way past even my bedtime. That's late!



Final impressions.
Beautiful city, mini Paris as far as the city of lights, almost everyone speaks English, very user friendly city, very affordable with great food and shopping. Definitely worth a trip, but not a long one.