Kunas and Kebabs in Croatia

As you, all know I suffer from a chronic case of procrastination, which causes me to write this Croatia blog during my one day at sea in route to Turkey.  I just left Greece, which has officially left me exhausted and I can barely re-coop and definitely do not have the time to.  I’m a little under the weather and was a little behind in my class (I had to finish the Leviathan), so I needed to do some catching up. 

When we see each other again, please do not look at me strangely, but I may not look like the Shannell that you once knew or remember seeing.  Yes, I am still charming and beautiful (LOL I kid) but I am about five shades darker and about 8 pounds thinner, and thick eyebrows (due to the fact that I lost my archer).  In America I have realized that Black women of the darker variety often times compete with their lighter counter parts, because we are made to feel less than adequate because of our skin tone.  Some men in America find themselves to be only attracted to, if not more attracted to those red bones.  So we (the dark skin women) hide from the sun in order to, dare I say, not get any blacker.  We are plagued with the constant turning of the inside of our forearms in and out to see how light we used to be. 

But here in the Mediterranean I bask in the sun, I let its raze kiss my skin and turn me a deep chocolate brown.  I’m embracing my color even more now and I realize that everyone around me is too.  I have received too many compliments from my shipmates and from the citizens of the country on how beautiful I am and the complexion of my skin is; and shoot, if they like it, I LOVE it.  That was just a side note because too many times, at home, I have been told that I was cute for a dark skin girl, like that was an odd occurrence for a darker skin woman to be pretty, compared to someone with fair skin. 
(BTW I will write an additional blog about the race relations on this ship… man its… IDK)
But I digress.

Anyway, back to the story at hand, I realize in my last blog that I had a number of typos and for that I truly do apologize.  I did not proof read my entry, because it was overdue, and I was extremely tired (I keep saying that and with good reason because I am but…) and had a lot to do with getting ready for the sea Olympics and class that I was rushing.  Again I apologize if any of you had trouble comprehending, I will do my best to make the appropriate corrections this time and on any following entry. 

Oh yeah, I never have time to tell you about on ship life.  Because truly in comparison it fails to the port experience, but it to is interesting and maybe I’ll have time to dedicate a full blog to just those crazy happenings alone.  But just to keep you up to speed, we had our sea Olympics (I told you about this previously), my team did not win, sadness, but it was really a wonderful experience, and much needed break.  I participated in the synchronized swimming and relay races (we were robbed on both accounts) I have tons of photos and videos though.

Okay seriously now, concerning Croatia, I did not know what to expect.  I remember back in the early 90s (when I was like 5, yeah my memory is that bomb) hearing about the war-ridden area fighting for its liberation.  So I’m thinking it’s going to be a desolate place with dirt roads and meek habitats for the locals, I just really didn’t know.  Boy was I ignorant!  Croatia, more specifically Dubrovnik, may be the most beautiful place on this planet.  I will be returning and that’s final.  It was small but charming.  Not busy with the bustle of city life, but homey, neighborly, and safe.  I truly have never felt so safe in a place.  I didn’t even wear my money belt!  The water was so clear cascading against the pebble beaches, guarded by mountainous terrain, laced with houses shingled in red roofing. 

I must admit Croatia seemed more like a vacation and less of an educational experience.  I did learn a lot from watching the people and experiencing the place first hand, but it was more so really drinking everything in and basking in it, because when you ask the citizens of Croatia: “what would you recommend I see/do” and they say: “Go to the beach”… that’s what you do and you don’t argue about it.  So that’s what I did I went to the beach as soon as I got of the ship the first day in port, but not before I exchanged some US dollars for Croatian Kuna. 

Now previously, we’ve had to use Euros in these other European nations, where the dollar is weak.  But here in Croatia 5 Kuna equal 1 US dollar and I was a Kuna-aire.  I had a massive bankroll, or so I thought, I didn’t realize that the items would be more expensive.  Like for example a bus ticket (one-way) was 10 Kuna, which is 2 US dollars, and that tends to add up over time, but it just felt better to you spirit to know that you’re money accounted for more in this country so hey…

After my trip to the beach, we walked around the Old city, which still has remembrances of the war, bullet holes in buildings some chipped roofing and what not.  I walked the city walls, which is this massive trail along the perimeter of the city; it’s the most breathtaking view ever gazed upon, and the most thigh-tightening exercise ever engaged in.  My legs were BURNING!  Let me tell you something about the heat in Croatia…  I am not a sweater, as in it takes a lot for me to perspire, but about five minutes in the sun wearing nothing but my bathing suite I was sweating buckets.  It was that hot!  Like I tried to cross my legs and slipped. 

The stay in Dubrovnik seemed much longer and we made friends with a lot of the locals, because unlike the other ports we stayed in Dubrovnik the entire time.  I didn’t venture out the city overnight, and the only trip I did take was a day trip to the island of Lopud, which was an hour ferry ride.  My feet really couldn’t take the pebble beaches that much (oh speaking of my feet… um they are badly bruised and blistered, but its all worth it!  I suffered from a case of chin splits, but I’m a trooper) anyway, so the sandy beaches of Sunj on the island of Lopud were a treat.  However, I almost drowned.  Now this is not meant to alarm you!  I consider myself an okay swimmer; I have my breaststroke down pack.  The beach of Sunj was like a wave pool times 12.  It was shallow, that’s what got you, you could walk out 100 meters from shore and your feet could still touch the bottom, but the waves were rampant in this one section of the sea.  In this section was a rope, and me and my friends were like… hmmm that’s weird but whatever, were frolicking then out of nowhere at about 15 MPH forty-five waves crash consecutively into me, my mouth is full of salt water, I can’t sea, I lost my scrunchy for my hair, and almost my bathing suite bottoms, I feel the rope wrap around my ankle and I panic for about 1.5 seconds, than I realize that’s how people drown for real for real.  So I grab the rope, detangle it from my foot, and do arm over arm on it all the way back to shore.  Then the light bulb hits me… that must happen all the time because the rope was strategically placed there for fools like me, to help them get back to shore when standing in that death trap unknowingly.  I’m alive and well! 

The following day I went with my friend, Angie to meet her parents.  They were on a cruise and set it up so that they could meet our ship in Dubrovnik, they took us out for lunch, and we walked around the city a bit more… then we went cliff jumping.  I’m tapping into my inner Anglo (wink wink)!  Croatia is known for its beautiful rocky scenery and high cliffs, there is even a world competition hosted by Red Bull.  These cliffs are anywhere from 20 to 95 feet high to the water.  Now the cliff I jumped off of may not have been but about 16feet, but it felt like 116 feet and I almost peed on myself!  It was a line of those waiting to jump of the summit, and I just kept letting everyone pass me, trying to seem polite, one guy cycled 5 times before I finally conjured up enough courage.  Another guy lectured me to jump off, because he was so tired of me procrastinating my fate.  But I finally did it, and on the five-minute fall down, I felt accomplished.  The jumping off part was easy, no body told me getting back up on the cliff was the hard part, with the current pulling you every which-a-way you can’t function, so this lady who reminded me of the Virgin Mary grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the rocky steps to safety.  Awww Dubrovnik! 

That’s last part that I want to address about Croatia is their food, now I really didn’t dabble in the delicacies that much, but what I do know is that they make delicious pizza by the slice, and wonderful kebabs.  Not on the stick, but wrapped in pieta bread, with lettuce, tomatoes, garlic sauce, chilli sauce, and a little seasoning salt…. Mmmmmmm Delish!  I got one every night while in Croatia, to the point where the kebab man (who had side burns like Wolverine) knew my name and what I wanted before I ordered, now that’s dedication to service!  Farewell Croatia, you’ve been good to me, and until next time…