D.I.Y?!

Trading in brain for brawn for a few days, we set about fixing the apartment that we're moving into at the weekend.

Thursday 20 September
18.30
Meet at Nijmegen station.
Find food.
Drive to our current 2nd home.
Eat.
19.00
Tape skirting boards, windows, light switches, edges of ceiling.
20.45
Run out of tape.
Go back to Eindhoven.

Friday 21 September
18.00
Meet the fabulous but slightly ill Jurgy at Nijmegen station.
Find restaurant.
Eat.
19.30
Drive to Nijmegen flat.
Nico finishes tape job.
Jurgy and I wash walls.
21.00
Bid farewell to Jurgs.
Drive back to Eindhoven.

Saturday 22 September
9.00
Drive to Nijmegen flat.
Slight diversion for coffee.
10.30
Paint walls.
Paint walls.
Paint walls.
13.00
Find food.
Eat.
14.00
Paint walls.
Paint walls.
Paint walls.
21.00
Drive home to Eindhoven.
22.00
Cook.
Eat.

Sunday 22 September
10.30
Drive to Nijmegen.
11.20
Smile at our yellow walls.
11.40
Unpeel tape from skirting boards, windows, light switches, edges of ceiling.
Lay foam.
Lay floor.
Repeat x 57458709740987487540074311704756538282932.
21.00
Drive back to Eindhoven.
22.00
Cook.
Eat.
Beer.
Drink.
Mmm.

We still have to lay the floors in the kitchen/dining area/hall/2xbedrooms/clean Nijmegen flat/pack Eindhoven flat/clean Eindhoven flat/move/unpack/have a life.But so far so good.

Road Trip **Warning: Very Long Story**

Setting off in the wee hours of Saturday morning wasn't even hard. It had been too long since our last road trip and our super tent needed to be used for more than a few days of festival going. We loaded up the car and set off with a bang. Literally. It was just a little bump into the car that was parked far too close for comfort, especially at dawn. But soon enough we were on those famous fast freeways of Germany. We were well on our way.

We drove towards the sun but it was a long way away. We sojourned in Graz, Austria for a meal and a night's rest. We woke early and drove towards the sun. Through the mountains and yo dee lay hee ho landscapes of Austria and Slovenia, we finally crossed into Croatia. We drank good coffee in roadside stops and breathed in crisp air. Our eyes opened in awe at the scenery. National park after national park. Craggy mountains. Glistening blue sea. Bright sunshine.

We kept driving south and the sun beat through the windows of the car with an intensity I hadn't felt for a long time. I wound down the window and let my arm work up a trucker's tan.

Split started to appear on the road signs. The kilometres clocked up in the car and clocked down on the road side signs. And then it came into view. A mish mash of buidlings straight out of Tito's times mixed with those of more distant reigns. It was Sunday and somehow the city felt like it had been deserted along with all those who had claimed Split as their own, so many times, so long ago.

We found a small hostel for a couple of nights. Super tent would have to wait a few more days to break out of its bag. Cool shower. Fresh clothes. And then down the hills to the heart of this brilliant city, home to God of tennis, Goran Ivanisevic.

Palm trees line the crystal clear waters of this harbour city. Diocletian's palace dominates. This is a palace that is truly public. Markets, cafes and restaurants are sprawled throughout this Roman emperor's retirement home. It also houses some of the city's residents who live on the poorer fringes of society - their flats handed down from generation to generation. Letting my eyes gaze up from the age old columns and gates, simplicity of life hits me: Laundry hanging out to dry. You can find the unexpected in the most amazing places.

Knowing we only had a couple of weeks to explore, and not able to find Goran, we headed further down the Dalmatian coast and pitched our super tent in Basko Polje. Not surprisingly, we didn't have a pump for our matresses but our friendly camper neighbours lent us theirs. Armed with a local brew, I got to work while Nico sat back in our Pevec chairs, sipped his Karlovacko and took some happy holiday snaps.

We'd hoped for endless sunshine and lazing on the beach, but Nico had secretly packed some Dutch weather. This didn't stop him from his first frolick in the Adriatic.

Our days here were spent walking, eating and drinking. Pizza was the specialty of, well, all of Croatia, and it was nicley complimented with any of the local pivo. We sampled such delicacies in neighbouring Basko Voda and Makarska. We also got closer to those craggy mountains that tower over and sneak through so many of these coastal cities and towns.

After filling up for a couple of days, we again headed south. After stopping off in Bosnia for lunch (and may I add that Bosnian pizzas outdo Croatia's, hands down) we drove into a most fascinating city. Dubrovnik. Little did I know that Nico didn't unpack that Dutch weather at our last stop and we had rain, rain, rain for our first few hours. But then the skies cleared and the sun shone and our expectations were more than met. And sometimes, pictures definitely speak louder than any words.

After a few days of sights, sounds and smells to fill our senses for a long time to come, we chased the sun to Hvar. This island boasts the most hours of sunshine in Croatia and it did not disappoint. Finally I submerged myself in refreshing salt water and joined the lizards on the rocks, lapping up the vitamin B that had been missing for a few years!

We stumbled on an amazing cocktail bar in Hvar and we spent most afternoons / evenings there sitting on cushioned couches, in cushioned archways and windows, enjoying a few drinks with the setting sun.

After a few days of true holiday life, we caught the ferry back to the mainland. Planning is not my strength and not something I really relish in. And sometimes I am reminded by mother nature why I am this way. We had decided to camp at Sibenik to visit Trogir and Krka National Park's famed waterfalls. As we cruised on towards the mainland, the clouds darkened and the temperature dropped. There it was. Rain.

Our solution? We decided to drive until it was sunny again. We ended up in Opatija. It has good ice cream. We stayed for about 12 hours. It was a little too long. But we did get perhaps the best picture of our holiday.

With a few days left on this Adriatic adventure, we left Croatia. On our mission for sun, we ended up in Trieste for the best cappucino and foccacia of my life. A charming seaside city where we were greeted with that certain hospitality that only Italy and its inhabitants can provide.


We stopped here only for lunch and a little walk. We thought it would be nice to spend our last few days in Venice. And it was. The perfect ending to a fabulous trip.