Croatia

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16. 08. 2008 Split (CROATIA) With a strong embrace and two kisses on the cheeks our little Balkans group splits up... Rossho and Luly will go on to Medjugorje and then Dubrovnik; Pedro texts me to say he's still in Sarajevo with Jasna and doesn't know when he'll return, and that says it all; it could even sum up the meaning of a journey. We, with the three nice women from Bologna, drive towards Split. Silvia, Marina and Sara are three sharp gals; their organisation and harmony struck me a lot. I saw myself nine years ago on my first Interrail! The transfer in the 'comfortable' Clio was hilarious! Split, Spalato to us Italians, reminded me a lot of Alicante. A sea port, charming, swarming with tourists, the classic seaside holidaymakers...

So different from the thousand interesting back-packers encountered daily in these days in the real Balkans! One thing that made me think a lot was seeing these three Bolognese women as they said goodbye to a couple of friends they'd met on the ferry, quickly exchanging comments about the trip that was coming to an end... Two worlds compared: the first, that of the three car adventurers, a bit scruffy-looking, dressed very casually and comfortably, with dirty feet and unkempt hands... The second, that of the couple, clean, fragrant with the oils of their hotel, with very little to tell other than about the sun they got sunbathing by the pool, as opposed to the thousand adventures of my new friends... Off to the side I watched the scene and laughed under my breath..

I thought, and rejoiced, satisfied to belong to the first world! Croatia is behind us and the slow swaying of this huge ferry (Jadrolinija) accompanies us as we bid farewell to another wonderful week of our lives that, as usual, we tried to live in the best way we know: 'intensely'! 17. 08. 2008 Ancona (ITALY) I heard from Rossho: he's on the ferry and in about an hour he arrives in Bari. Luly has stayed to wait for Pedro in Mostar, who meanwhile is still in Sarajevo but seems to be setting off... Our night on the ferry was beautiful, almost romantic... After camping out like real Interrailers with little mattresses and sleeping bags on deck, and after dinner with the last of what the girls had left, we fell asleep under a marvellously starry sky, made even more unique by the light of the full moon... Silvia woke me at seven; we've already arrived in Ancona! [ continues at: ]