Hvar and an idiot or two...

Our trip to Hvar has just ended and as before I am sitting on the ferry, this time on the way to Split for the day and then off to Trogir. As I thought Hvar was my favourite stop as of yet.
When we arrived at our apartment, which was very cute and had a fantastic balcony with an even better view, we were greeted by the owner of the building, who was a jolly man who slightly reminded me of Santa Claus, with a shorter beard and sans Santa suit, actually I only ever saw in him swim trunks and flip flips.

He kindly showed us the apartment and introduced us to his gigantic but adorable dog, which I nicknamed Bear. He told us we might find Bear lying in front of the door leading up to our apartment, but to just step over him and not push him out of the way, because Bear might think we didn’t love him.

Hvar was beautiful, the architecture was the same as Dubrovnik and Korcula; so we decided to spend our time here just lollygagging around (I love that word). The first day we found a nice spot on the rock beds and swam as much as we could.

Later I went for a stroll and picked up a few beers and snacks for us. Seriously there are few things that are better than beer, sun and swimming all wrapped up together.


On a side note, one of the things I like to do that I just noticed on this trip is look at the books people are reading to see what language they speak. It boggles my mind how many people are still reading The Divinci Code, hasn’t that fad died already???

Later on we picked up some red wine, proscuitto, fruit, cheese etc. and I made us a splendid batch of sangria and we dined and drank on the balcony of our apartment.


The next day we hiked down (oh yeah our apartment as a bit removed from the core of Hvar, so it was always a hike to and fro everywhere, coming home was uphill, and after a day in the sun, it was work!) to beach and jumped on a little wee boat so I could dive and Jen, Mona and Joyce could snorkel.

The dive was kinda funny, as I was the only girl, the dive guide was also an old German man who was missing a few teeth and the ones he did have were crooked and brown, and he didn’t speak a lick of English or any other language for that matter.

The best was he was smoking as he helped us suit up. I was going to point out that may not be the best idea since we had seven tanks of compressed oxygen next to his cigarette, but he wouldn’t have understood me anyway, c’est la vie.

The dive was nice, relaxing, but not too much to see in terms of aquatic life, we did however venture into a TINY and dark cave, that only two people could fit in at a time that was pretty cool, because if you looked up with your torch you could see air pockets. Oh and I lost one of my fins during the coldest part of the dive (I was in two vey thick wetsuits) I was quick and managed catch it and slip it back on.

That evening we went to Luna for dinner, which was by far the best restaurant we have been to in Croatia, the food has been pretty unremarkable in the restaurants, so this was a treat…clams in white wine with linguini☺



So we decided to hit the local hot spot, Carpe Diem that night since we had been pretty chill in our evenings. Let me tell you they most certainly were not seizing the day in terms of music. I want someone to tell me WHY in so many European clubs they are still playing shitty house music! There is so much good music out there, why do we need to be inundated with shite! But we made it fun anyway.

Yesterday was our last day, and after a leisurely morning we decided to check out Pakleni Island. If you ever make it to Hvar go to Pakleni Island. It is amazingly beautiful. The water is crystal clear, the beach is serene and the sun is pounding. Oh but if you are a bit bashful you might be in for a sight. It’s a nudist beach.



And let me tell you I got more than an eyeful of people old and young, and when I say old, I mean old. But it is the beach, so why not. Fancy that, the best beach in Croatia is nudist beach. Go figure.

Oh and one last thing, it amazes me how much white people with dreads still annoys the piss out of me. I always want to walk up to them and chop them all off their heads and tell them they look like idiots.

Adventures & Excursions in Korcula

So I wrote this blog a few days ago...but had no Internet access...I will fill you in on Hvar tomorrow or the day after...

Korcula has restored my faith in the Croatian people and re-affirmed my theory of Dubrovnik. Everyone here was nice and pleasant, and Korcula is a beautiful island. We spent two days in Korcula, the first we took to the rock sides again and swam in the Adriatic, which is lovely and clear and coats you with a thin layer of salt each and every time.



The beaches in Croatia are not sandy beaches, they are all pretty much flat rock beds that jut into the sea, it’s actually quite lovely. Later on we went for dinner, which of course included some of the freshly cured proscuitto, mussels and other local delicacies like dates stuffed with fresh cheese.



After dinner we sauntered over to a bar that is in the rock wall… you have to climb up a ladder through the narrow hole in the ceiling to get to the drinking spot. It’s kind of hilarious and would never be allowed at home. As well once you order your drink the server attaches the order to a clothes pin and sends it down a rope, soon the drinks arrive via a pulley system from the floor below… a bit of a novelty yes, but worth the experience.



Yesterday was one of the favourites of the trip so far. We decided to go on an eco bike adventure, so the four us rented some mountain bikes and with our friendly bike guide, Zoran, trekked through the Korcula countryside. It’s been a while since I have been trailing but it was good fun. We also stopped at a secluded spot that was once part of a quarry for a little sunning and swimming. It was pretty picturesque, I’m not going to lie.




Zoran also found some female sea urchins, which he cracked open and presented to us to have a taste… it really wasn’t bad, an experience all to itself.

After our little break we hopped back on our bikes and rode through a lovely little vineyard, part of it was a bit grueling and uphill, but all fun and games. We took to another beach, a sand one this time for a very quick dip to cool off, but it was super crowded so back on the bikes we went.

After biking we were treated to a lovely and super fresh lunch at Zoran’s home of fresh salads, bread, Croatia wine, fresh cheese and proscuitto, and fruit. It was pretty much a perfect afternoon.


Later on we went to see some Croatian sword dancing and folk singing. Believe me the sword dancing sounds much more exciting and entertaining than it actually was. It was kind of disappointing to tell the truth. It was two teams of elaborately dressed men walking in circles around each other and then play fighting with wrought iron swords, it carried on for about 45 min. it was actually kind of humourous at times, all for the experience right!



So now it is 6:30 a.m. and I am exhausted and on another ferry on the way to Hvar, which I honestly think is going to be the best part of the trip. Apparently Hvar is where all the nighttime fun is, and where the diving is. So I am pretty excited, but not excited enough that I am going to keep typing. I need a nap.

Two days in Dubrovnik...

Today was our last day in Dubrovnik, so we decided to do the walking tour of the old city along the city wall. The wall encapsulates the entire city, so needless to say there were some pretty amazing views to take in. And best of all I got to do something every younger sibling always dreams of….



So after wandering the city and the city walls, we rightly felt some relaxation and sunning was needed, so we took to the rock beds by the water. The Adriatic is AMAZING!! The water is clear and wonderfully refreshing, not too warm, not too cold just right, like baby bear’s porridge.



Later we decided to get out of the old town and check out New Dubrovnik, so we went to Levanat Restaurant. It was nice, and had an amazing view…but they charged us each a cover charge… it’s not a bar, it’s a restaurant…very strange if you ask me.

So after dinner we made our way back to the old town, and were once again treated to live opera in the square, complete with full orchestra, it was absolutely beautiful. (Last night we saw them warming up… which was a treat in itself, actually we thought it was the real performance until we saw them all dressed up). It’s all part of the Dubrovnik Festival, which started on July 10th and goes to the 25th.



Yesterday was actually our first real day in Dubrovnik, and we decided to head over to Lokrum Island for the day. A quick ferry ride over brought us over to the island filled with peacocks and a botanical garden. The peacocks are as striking as they are brave. They let you get right up close, which was truly an experience all in itself.



Really there isn’t much to do there except walk around through the forest and by the coves, lie out on the rocks sunning yourself and swim in the Adriatic sea. Not bad for a days' work I have to say.



After our day of sun and fun we headed back to our apartment for some cold beer and nibblies of proscuitto, fresh cheese, real tomatoes and some tasty fruit. It was pretty surreal and amazing.

Later was dinner and a stroll though the old town, and as I said the treat of live opera.

So tomorrow morning we head out to Korčula, which I am quite excited for, because although Dubrovnik was beautiful, it’s kind of a strange little town, one like I have never set foot in before. It’s the most touristy place I have ever been, and the people haven’t been so friendly, in fact in a lot instances they have been pretty rude.

But I am going to chalk it up to the fact that it is the most touristy place I have ever been, so they must have to deal with a lot of assholes and stupid people, right? So onwards and upwards I say... to Korčula.

En route to and finally in Croatia.

So I am finally on my first trip out of Canada since my travels to Egypt last year, and let me tell you it is long over due. I am currently sitting on flight on the way to Washington, to go to Frankfurt, to get to Dubrovnik. It kind of sucks to have so many connecting flights, but such is life and I am finally going away.

So as of yet our flight was an hour late taking off, which means sister Jenners and I will have to hightail it to make our connecting flight, which is scheduled to board pretty much as we land.
We are also on the smallest, most cramped plane I have ever seen, not to mention been on in my life. All for the adventure right?!

Oh and here is the best part of the flight, the flight attendant just got on her microphone and said is her heavy southern accent that they were about to start serving drinks, but “unfortunately we were not equipped with any ice on this flight.” Yes, yes I know what you are thinking, and you are right, ‘tis a bit of a shit show. So here begins the trip!

So next up is our flight from Washington to Frankfurt, which luckily we caught. It was one of the most turbulent flights I can remember ever being on. It felt like every half an hour or so our world was being rocked this way and that. So much so, that I had my hand gripping the wall of the plane for support, and I am pretty good flyer. And to make things even more fun, one of the most turbulent moments happened when I was in the bathroom, I did have to laugh at bit at the situation even as it was happening.

Oh but the worst part was the movies that were forced upon us… Definitely Maybe (lame cheesey romantic comedy), Be Kind Rewind, now I love Michele Gondry, but honestly the movie wasn’t very good the first time I saw it, the second was just painful, and finally a child’s movie called Nim’s Island, honestly not even worth explaining what it was about.

The eight hour flight finally ended and the flight into Dubrovnik was uneventful.

So we finally arrived, were met by our pick up guy, poor cousin Mona’s bag was of course the only one that didn’t make it on the flight (we finally got it today). So our pick up guy dropped us off at the gate of the old city told us walk down to the harbor and look for a guy in a blue t-shirt that said “ELITE” and went on his merry way.

Of course the man in the blue t-shirt was NOWHERE to be found, we wandered aimlessly for a bit back and forth and then some nice guy called someone for us and the man in the blue t-shirt coolly emerged from a restaurant and escorted us to our apartment.



After a much needed five hour nap we showered and emerged on the town, took it in and made our way to a bar, drank a few local beers at sunset at the Buza Bar which is set on the rocks overlooking the water. All is well that ends well right.

A Hard Week in the City....

So I have really been meaning to blog more regularly, and I have no good excuses why I haven't.

But I feel the need to write something now. This has been a strange and pretty sad week in Toronto. The devastating fire on Queen Street West and Bathurst was nothing short of tragic.




The fire took away some very special places to me. I worked in that neighbourhood for about five years and it became a pretty significant part of my life. I don't think a week has gone by that haven't walked down that part of the street in about seven years.

The first office for HIGHRISE Magazine, my first magazine job, was above Suspect Video. It's gone now, the whole building is gone, and I am sad about it. I walked by on Wednesday at around 2 p.m. and they were still hosing down the buildings that went ablaze after five in the morning.

When I was on my way home around 6:30 p.m. they were still hosing the buildings down. I couldn't really process what was happening so I didn't linger.

On Thursday evening I went to Radiant Dark, a design event put on by the lovely people from MADE on Dundas Street West. The event was supposed to take place on Wednesday evening, but the severity of the fire prevented it from happening, it took place at the Burroughes Building, which happened to be at the corner of Queen and Bathurst.

Fortunately, this building was not affected by the fire. But I did have walk by what was left of Suspect and Duke's, and all the other places I had grown to love over the years.

It was horrible, the shops were gutted and the apartments upstairs were just gone. I didn't linger this time either.

Radiant Dark was a really good distraction. It was nice to see so much creativity and beauty in a beautiful space. The event showcased up and coming Canadian furniture and industrial designers.

After the event I walked home, and I couldn't help staring at the icicles that filled the burned out shops, it was like nothing I had ever seen.

Today was the first time I stopped and actually took in the full magnitude of the blaze's destruction. I stood in front of the Shopper's Drugmart and just starred at what was left. A few days ago I saw the shops gutted, today I saw the remnants of what used to be the buildings.

I almost cried, and I don't cry very easily. But I really just couldn't believe it. Suspect is gone. Literally gone, like it was never there, and so is Duke's, and everything else.

I still remember sitting in the sweat den that was the HIGHRISE office just looking out the window. I really can't believe the window is gone.

Those buildings and the occupants were historic, not just to me but to the city. I can't believe I am not going to walk into Suspect Video and see Daniel sitting at counter, have a few laughs and walk out with something he recommends. I can't believe I am not going to walk into Duke's and get some gear for my bike. It's surreal.

And my heart goes out to everyone who lost their homes, I can't even imagine what they must be going through.....

I just hope the City doesn't use this fire as an excuse to let the big developers come in and throw up more cookie cutter condos and big box stores. This neighbourhood has an endearing character, and although it will never be the same, I only hope whatever does fill that gapping hole works with the neighbourhood.

I have heard that Duke's is planning to rebuild, I hope they do.

But on a happier note, after I took in the ramifications of the fire I walked over to the Gladstone Hotel for the Come Up to My Room event, which is an annual design event that also showcases the work of some of Toronto's most talented artists and designers. I needed to see some pretty things, badly.

It was fantastic! Pamela and Christina curated another brilliant show. And once again I was slapped in the face with amazing design and creativity. While I admit I liked it all, my favourite rooms were Dennis Lin' s and db johnson's.

Lin's room was filled with amazing wooden sculptures and cement cast numbers on the walls, where visitors were invited to take one. Underneath each number was a little saying Lin wrote on the wall. I took a number 2 and underneath it said "Air Raid Freshman!!"

Which, in case you don't know, is the a classic line that Parker Posey drunkenly orders a freshman girl in the movie "Dazed and Confused." Brilliant. Just brilliant.

And P.S., I LOVE Parker Posey, so it was perfect. Oh, and one of the sayings on the wall said "I Lover Parker Posey!" Lin loves her too.

db johnson's room was like a scene from the enchanted forest. The room was centered around a giant human sized bird's nest and full of feather's and the like. I only wish I had my camera so I could share what I saw.

Hello 2008, nice to meet you.

So I haven't blogged in a dogs age, and yes I did just use the term 'dog's age.' But it is a new year and I have decided to get back to the blog. 2007 was a good year, there were ups and downs, but overall, I have no real complaints, I did spend a third of the year traveling, so, things could have been worse. As for resolutions for the year, I have a few, but I am not sharing them just yet, it's bad luck you know.

Bringing the New Year was pretty good, I spent it with good friends, drank some bubbly, danced a little and laughed a lot. What more can a girl ask for?

Now I just have to make sure that I actually put some effort into making 2008 the year I want it to be.....it's all up to me this time....