Saturday dawned brisk and brilliantly clear -- perfect for a little run along the waterfront while the girls slept in. don't mind if i do! i passed several other joggers and quite a few families with young kids as well, and was heartened to see many of them wearing just light jackets instead of the puffer coats, hats, and scarves the Romans tend to pile on to ward off the bogeyman of "catching cold".
as i ran, i kept thinking of all the words we have for blue: azure, cerulean, cobalt, royal, sky, navy, celestial, sapphire, even turquoise. none could capture the incredible depth and variation in the color of the sea i passed, first on my left, and then on my right as i turned around and headed for home.
back at the apartment, we ate a quick breakfast and set off for a day of exploring. i had mapped out a whole itinerary for the day, but hadn't been able to verify if certain museums would be open, given that it was a Saturday on the off-season. armed with my trusty Google Drive document and a guidebook on loan from the AirBnb hosts, we were off like the Lewis and Clark expedition, if in fact the Lewis and Clark expedition had been in search of ancient sights, obscure churches, beautiful vistas, exotic food and (in the case of the girls) small mass-produced trinkets guaranteed to break within 24 hours.
as serendipity would have it, we happened upon a festival on the Riva promenade, with music and entertainment. the young people on stage appeared to be part of an organization for people with Down syndrome, who each gleefully took a turn coming up to the microphone to sing, with exuberant encouragement from the crowd. okay, Split, you just keep getting more amazing!
very pleased with her new sunglasses
we passed through the heart of the old town and began the climb up steeply winding streets to reach the Marjan Park, which the guidebook promised would afford a beautiful view of the city. there was much grumbling and gnashing of teeth as we made our ascent, although every once in a while Greta would have a burst of energy and take off running up the hill as fast as possible. when we reached the first lookout point, it was all worth it.
i just love this little truck
looking back down the hill
not too shabby!
Greta was ready to keep going up the hill from the lookout point
i love the juxtaposition of the terra cotta roofs and that blue, blue water.
in addition to the view, i had two main objectives for visiting the Marjan Hill: to find the playground so the girls could run around, and to find the medieval hermitages and chapels that dot the slopes. well, i significantly underestimated just how huge the Marjan is. it would take a few hours to hike the trail to the most remote hermitage, so we decided just to head for the playground and see whatever we might see along the way.
that happened to be the 12th century church of St. Nicholas, which clings to the side of the hill with quiet assurance. i so wish these walls could talk.
then on up the hill in search of this elusive playground. there weren't any signs or maps posted to help us traverse the trails, but eventually we discovered a beautiful play area and outdoor theater, just perfect for our picnic!
not a bad view, either
Selfie with Daughter and Pinecone
Selfie with Daughter and Husband (Greta had no interest in this little photo shoot)
then the inevitable happened: Greta needed to use the bathroom. as this was a relatively large public park with lots of people around, as well as a small zoo (albeit closed for renovations) and an observatory station, i thought there might at least be a port-a-potty. i thought wrong. so i had to lead a skeptical Greta into the woods where we had a little lesson in getting back to nature.
we took that as our cue that it was probably time to return to civilization, so we headed back down the hill, basking in the sun and the sight of the sea.
an interesting monument near the observatory -- i'm not sure who is depicted
the path leading past the Jewish cemetery
oh, Split. you are just gorgeous.
rather than heading back towards the historic center, we continued walking out through the "modern" section of town, which was an excellent example of Communist chic. not quite so picturesque, with rows upon rows of unapologetically ugly buildings, with a few broken windows and graffiti-marked walls. on and on we trudged, this time with Greta asleep in the stroller and Cecilia on my back.
a slightly creepy Christmas tree
looking up at the top of the Marjan hill
our goal was the Kastelet, a sixteenth-century fortress built for the Capograsso family, which the Croatian artist Mestrovic bought in 1939. it houses his Life of Christ cycle, which he began in 1916. everything i could find online indicated that the Kastelet should be open until 4 PM on Saturday, but alas, it seemed deserted. we wandered around hoping to find an open door or a helpful docent, but none was forthcoming. the blessing of being here in the off-season is also the curse!
overlooking the beach on the way to the Kastelet
so close, and yet so far!
not a bad view!
having admitted defeat, there was nothing to do but head back down the same road. as we walked along the Riva, the girls (now awake) helped me spot the plaques inlaid in the walkway to honor Croatia's Olympians.
we turned to walk through the center of town. with every shop and cafe we passed, the girls loudly proclaimed their hunger. so Nick popped into a little bakery and emerged with two huge pastries for them.
an oddly named sandwich shop...
our next destination was the archaeological museum, which was supposed to be open until 8 PM, but was most definitely closed with a sign that said it was only open in the mornings on Saturday. so much for my meticulous planning and research! i stared longingly through the gate for a minute or two, and then we had to find something else to do with ourselves.
that happened to be hanging out at a nearby park for half an hour or so. two elementary-school aged girls were riding electric scooters around the center of the park, and they made friends with Greta and Cece, playing Simon Says and tag. one of the girls spoke excellent English, while the other one spoke only Croatian. the park was fairly busy with young families and school kids ambling through, and although i certainly wish we would have been able to see the Kastelet and the archaeological museum, i couldn't regret this time to sit and watch the kids play like the local parents were doing.
making new friends
by the time we headed back towards the Airbnb, the sun was setting and the air was growing colder. we grabbed some street food from a little shop and took it back to the apartment to eat. (if you haven't caught on by now, this is how we can afford to actually take these trips: we eat super cheap, don't buy souvenirs, and take public transportation!)
back in our little apartment, the girls were mesmerized by the massage chair in the master bedroom, much to everyone's amusement.
on Sunday morning, we attended mass at the Cathedral of St. Domnius. on our way to the church, i had to pause and document my own laundered running clothes hanging to dry outside the apartment window (the all-black ensemble!).
the small church was packed, and we ended up finding seats just behind the high altar, so of course, every movement and noise of the girls was apparent to everyone else at mass, including the priest. add to that the fact that the dust from ongoing renovations was making Greta sneeze and rub her eyes, and pretty soon the girls and i had to extricate ourselves from the pew and duck into the hallway leading to the sacristy. a grandmotherly nun walked through a few times, and every single time she passed us, she gave a few wrapped candies to the girls.
after mass was over, we came back inside to get a closer look at the beautiful wooden choir stalls, carved in the 13th century. then we unanimously decided to return to the Fife restaurant where we'd eaten dinner on Friday night. on our way there, we passed a little drum circle taking place near the Riva.
lunch was an absolutely delicious affair. Nick opted for the local specialty, pasticada, beef stew cooked with prunes and red wine. i ordered some sort of meat platter, which was delicious beyond description. with full bellies, we ventured out towards the marina in search of another playground i had read about.
pasticada, served over homemade gnocchi
the slightly depressing terrain on the outskirts of the historic center
steering Nick by his ears
we had to traverse a roundabout at one point, which led to one of the best words we have ever heard Cecilia attempt to say. we still make her say it on a regular basis.
at last we arrived at the playground, a metal masterpiece that was swarming with kids. the girls played for a while before we continued to explore the Sustipan peninsula, including the abandoned Benedictine monastery of St. Stephen, first mentioned in 1068. the old cemetery used to be located here as well, but after World War II, the cemetery had to be re-located.
ancient Roman sarcophagi
the old cemetery grounds
giving Daddy flowers to put in his lapel
finally, it was time to head back. Nick walked over to practice at the church where he would be giving his recital, while the girls and i just relaxed at the apartment for a few hours.
sporting some 'tude on the Riva
the church was about a 25-minute walk from the apartment in the opposite direction, so i left a bit early with the girls so we'd have time to grab a quick dinner on the way and still be sure to make it on time. i forgot that the European definition of "fast food" is not quite the American definition! we stopped at a little roadside stand where everything was cooked fresh to order, including the pizza i naively ordered for the girls. we had just enough time to scarf down a few bites before i had to load up Greta in the stroller and Cece on my back and carry on towards the church.
the recital was held at the Co-Cathedral of St. Peter, a modern church in a decidedly industrial neighborhood. as Nick would say, "woof!". but the congregation was impressively pious. Nick's recital immediately followed the Sunday evening mass, and the church was literally overflowing with congregants. when the girls and i arrived, we couldn't even get inside until after the service was over.
recital flyer!
the exterior of the church
woof, indeed
the program
Nick's recital was spectacular. the girls were definitely not up for the challenge of sitting completely quietly throughout the whole thing, so after the first piece we ended up sneaking out to sit at the bottom of the stairwell where we could still hear everything well enough (but hopefully the audience, and performer, couldn't hear us!). the audience seemed very appreciative of the music and of course, i was bursting with pride.
the handsome performer after we arrived back at Diocletian's Palace!
the Cathedral of St. Domnius by night
and so, with thankful hearts, we fell asleep. the following day would be our last in Croatia!
it feels a bit preposterous to sit down and type out a list of woes on my personal laptop, in my own heated house, while my four healthy children nap or play (respectively) and I sip on a San Pellegrino flavored water from a case that a neighbor on our Buy Nothing group just gifted us. and yet. and yet! there has been quite a bit of woe in the last several weeks and I want to complain about it, so I shall. at the top of the list: car woes. not one, but two of Nick's cars were hit by other drivers within the past month. fortunately he was not injured, but working on his cars is essentially therapy for him -- so he lost not just two vehicles in his fleet, but also the time that was required to deal with insurance and police reports, and the emotional benefit of his favourite hobby. this car was rear-ended while parked. Nick wasn't actually in the car, but saw it happen -- the driver of the SUV in the photo below was driving full speed in the right hand lane and didn't reali
Victoria Anne was born on the Fourth of July, weighing 6 pounds 3 ounces and measuring 19 inches long! Miss Victoria arrived right on schedule -- I had requested a 39 week induction based on numerous factors, including my age and gestational diabetes, although thank goodness the diabetes was well controlled without medication, so my maternal fetal medicine/high risk OB was comfortable letting me go up until 41 weeks if I wished -- which I didn't! I had an easy induction experience with Greta (at 10 days post-due date), so I was fairly confident that my body would kick into gear quickly the fourth time around. Cecilia's birth was a precipitous one-hour labor that has garnered her the nickname Sidewalk Baby, and Elizabeth was born after a relatively quick five hour labor. 39 weeks happened to fall exactly on the Fourth of July, and we decided to go for it! Mom arrived on a red-eye flight the morning of July 2, and came along to mass with us. that evening, we squeezed in
1) Baby Victoria Anne is here! you can read her full birth story here . she arrived at 5:18 PM on the Fourth of July, and we are all absolutely smitten. she is four weeks old today. as I've experienced with now all four of my girls, time is such an elusive concept in the newborn stage. on the one hand, it seems she can't possibly already be almost a month old, while on the other, I can't imagine a time that she wasn't a part of our family. one of the things I treasure most about this postpartum time is the opportunity to visit with friends and family. I'm so grateful for their support and thoughtfulness in bringing meals and spending time together -- it's nourishing for both body and soul! Vin and Susan brought us a delicious meal featuring pork belly and pork tenderloin (we had corn on the cob and salad too, but we probably could have all used a bottle or two of Lipitor!) unbelievably delicious ladies' night with my best girls (not pictured: pizza and wi
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