Hungary & Croatia -- Day 11

At 8:15 a.m. Helen and I were picked up by the tour company for our half-day tour to Cilippi. This community is near the airport, about 15 miles from Dubrovnik, and is a very traditional Croatian farming community. On Sundays they invite tourists to pay to enter their village, view their museum, have a wine tasting, attend mass at their church, and attend a performance of traditional music and dance. They have done this for many years, but it has become especially significant in the last 15 years as they try to accumulate sufficient funds to repair all the damage incurred during the war. They are making excellent progress.

On the way to the village we stopped at a scenic overlook from where we could look back at the walled city and Lokrum Island. A lovely view – even if our heads got in the way!

As soon as we arrived, I looked around at the crafts being offered for sale. I’d hoped to find a blouse with some traditional Croatian embroidery, but none was on offer. I did buy an embroidered belt that I think will be fun to wear.

This is the picture of the young woman who made the belt.

She is wearing the traditional dress of women in this region; her hat shows that she is unmarried.

Women who are married wear the same outfit but a different headdress. Women who are widows wear the same headdress but with a cross embroidered on the back.

They had demonstrations of some of their crafts (a woman weaving, a man making wood pieces for baskets), exhibits of a variety of clothing, a DVD about everyday life with some scenes from the war years, and traditional music instruments which one could try, as Helen did.

We then went to the church service. Helen stayed for the entire mass; I left partway through although had endured a 15-minute sermon of which I understood not one word.

The church was erected in 1853 replacing a smaller Renaissance church. The tower was erected in 1925. The church was heavily damaged in 1991 but appears to have been fully repaired.

I left early in part to get a good seat for the performance of traditional music and dance. The band was quite fun, and the young woman serving as announcer was amazing as she moved from Croatian to English to German to French – all sounding quite fluent.

The dancers did several different dances which were fun.

There was an enactment of a marriage grouping with bride, groom, and mother-in-law. She threw candy to the crowd which pleased the kids. I enjoyed my piece. . . .

A special musician played this instrument which, I gather, is quite unusual and difficult to play well. I guess he was good; an expert I’m not.

The performance ended at noon, and we returned to the mini-bus for the drive back.

While on the bus I chatted with a young American on her own sitting across the aisle. It turned out that she’s part of a research project on malaria and is based in Tororo, Uganda, where I was last January. She was amazed I knew where Uganda was, had heard of Tororo, and, incredibly, had been there. It is a small world.

While Helen continued on to the hotel, I asked to be let off at the Old City so I could get some lunch and spend a little more time looking around. Entered by the Ploce Gate, a new gate for me.

Mass was just ending at the Cathedral so I had a chance to go in and look around as well as view the exterior up close (rather than just from the walls as I’d previously done). The statue on top is even more impressive from a closer vantage point.

Then had lunch at an outdoor restaurant in the cathedral square just in front of the church.

Wandered through the city and exited by the Pile Gate. Decided to walk back to the hotel and was glad I had since I saw some lovely scenery along the way.

And by following my nose and walking down 218 (!!) steps, I found the “Club Boninivo.” I’m not sure exactly what it was/who created it, but it seemed a bit tongue in cheek. There were a couple of flat terraces that a couple of sun bathers/swimmers were occupying, a metal ladder attached to the rock which could be used for climbing out of the water, and a somewhat tattered awning which provided some protection from the sun. Sitting under the awning reading was a young Asian woman. As I walked by her, she noticed the small Korean drums I use as zipper pulls on my purse and looked questioningly. When I asked, she confirmed that she was Korean, on vacation and returning to Pusan the next day. I told her I was in a Korean drumming group and that our leader was from Pusan. We had a pleasant, if brief, chat and I continued on my way (and back up those 218 steps).

Relaxed around the pool for an hour plus then got ready for a 5:30 p.m. departure on the bus for our farewell group dinner. Most of the group will be leaving tomorrow although a few of us will be in Dubrovnik for one additional day. The dinner was at a lovely restaurant out in the country even farther than Cilippi. Helen and I took that road twice today and will be on it again when we go to the airport.

The restaurant, Konovoski, is located on a stream beside which we sat to eat. The food was grilled on a nearby fire. A good time was had by all.

Back at the hotel about 9:30.