Croatia - Land of White Pants and More

 

We sailed into Croatia just over a week ago.  Our port of entry was Cavtat, a beautiful town with shops, cafes and beaches dotting the coast line. On our journey to Croatia, I took the opportunity to do some googling  to learn about this country. I knew very little  about this country other than it used to be part of Yugoslavia. I did learn that there was a nasty war in the early 90’s that resulted in the Young Yugoslavian Army bombing parts of Croatia, including the Old City in Dubrovnik and even parts of Cavtat, which we encountered when we sailed to this little beach that had hotels, once high- end resorts catering to tourist from around the world, that are now shelled out concrete frames.    

Aside from its history, which dates back to the prehistoric period and does include being part of the Roman Empire (You know I had to add that fact- no worries, I won’t go all Ancient Roman on you!), Croatia is a country rich in culture, traditions and superstitions. I am particularly fascinated by the superstitions that impact your health.  Here are a few that appear to taken very seriously:

• Do not go outside with your hair wet ever.  Failure to follow this rule can result in developing a cough, cold or organ failure. Additionally, you should wait 8 hours between your hair being wet and then dry before venturing outside.
• Never never wear a t-shirt that is short enough to expose your kidneys- this too can result in illness. 
• If you are a young woman- wear  two sets of socks in the winter to protect your ovaries.
• Wind on the neck -deadly.
• Open windows that cause a cross wind in your home- avoid at all cost! 
• Air conditioning - see wind on your neck.

After a few days in Cavtat, we moved on to Dubrovnik where we anchored our 1st night right outside the walls of the Old City. Breathtaking!  Aside from having the view of this medieval structure, we were also surrounded by mega yachts.  I read that Sly Stallone and his family were cruising in the area in one of these babies.  We put out our welcome mat just in case he wanted to stop by for a beer.

If you haven’t toured the Old City, make this your #1 priority when you get to Croatia. Stunning, fascinating, and as my friend Zebdic would say, “super cool!”  Let’s get the Game of Throne thing out of the way- we walked John Snow’s Wall and did the Walk of Shame (with our clothing on!) as Cersi Lannister did and got a good view of Fort Lovrijenac, aka the Red Keep, from the Wall. What I loved the most about the Old City was the people watching. You could sit at an outdoor bar facing the crowds and spend hours just enjoying the interesting people passing by.  One thing for sure, the Croatian women- especially the young ladies - are stunning and extremely stylish.  I was intrigued by the clothing selection of some of these women, who were as thin as a Lay's potato chip, and walked around in tiny tops with skin tight white pants on in 90 degree plus heat. I feared for their health - it's right up there with wearing two pairs of socks to protect your ovaries!  I, myself, dressed in a cotton shift that looked more like a Lay’s potato chip bag, square and roomy, with no parts of the dress touching my skin.  For some reason, I must be perceived as a very large woman here because when I went to purchase a few of Lay’s potato chips dresses, the shopkeeper assessed my size as XXXL!  (Good thing I kept my clothes on while doing the Walk of Shame!)

This is a beautiful country with friendly good looking people!  Put on your white pants, tuck your shirt in and come join us!  The welcome mat is always out!