Cro-A-Ti-A Day Five

                                 More Kastels  and Food, Glorious Food

I haven't provided a recent weather report, but you can refer back to an earlier Cro-A-Ti-A post that indicates the weather here has been unseasonably hot.  The temperature is now hovering in the low 90s and that is a dramatic improvement from 100.  Personally the warmth only adds to my enjoyment of whatever we're doing, because I then don't have to worry about being cold.  We've been encouraged, and may be considering, an Alaskan cruise; friends tell us that it's not really all that cold there in the summer and I wouldn't be freezing and the scenery is amazing.  I get the part about the scenery, however I have seen photographs of Alaskan cruisers in the summer and for my part, I would have to bring my down coat along to be comfortable.  My preference, for a summer vacay, is shorts and tank tops consequently we are so in the right place, from my perspective, in  Croatia.  Enough about the weather.

Marcy, Marty and I walked along the shore through three different Kastels yesterday: Luksic, Kambelovac, ending at Gomilica.  There was an old palace in Kambelovac, more intact than the other residences we've seen on our walks along the Kastela.  We took advantage of what was set up as a photo op.

Marcy and Marty 

Me and Marty--I love that Marty hung his hat on a nearby hook

Then, on to Gomilica:
Someone conveniently pointed out what happened here.
Marcy and I climbed these crumbling stairs which led to nowhere but you get an idea why location scouts for GOT might have said, this is a pretty good spot.
The streets are extremely narrow and winding.  There are residences tucked into the old stone buildings throughout Gomilica, including Apartmenta, marked with a blue sign, indicating they are available to rent.

In GOT, this location was used for the seaport of the city of Braavos, where Arya sold oysters, clams and cockles with her wheelbarrow. (Not sure what season this was but if you have a GOT aficionado in your life, they probably do.) The actual city of Braavos was another Croatian city further up the coast.

Unlike Diocletian's Palace in Split, we were literally the only three people wandering through the castle area, so it was kind of cool to not fight the crowds and have the area to ourselves to explore.  The actual castle was built on property given to the Benedictine nuns in 1078 where they first built a church (natch) followed by the castle.  Construction was completed in 1545.

While we were having lunch, Marcy noticed this sign, indicating that Dan and I own an apartmenta in Gomilica.  Who knew!  You might be wondering where Dan is on these adventures.  He chose a pool day, where he finished a book he had been reading.



Our day ended with dinner for 28, cooked by Chef Dino Bebic and his sous chef, Peter.  I posted a ton of photos on Facebook, so if you're interested in seeing what the dinner looked like, you should check there.  Chef cooked on our outside charcoal/wood fired grill, and it was course after course after course of deliciousness that we kept saying, "Oh, I can't eat any more," followed by, "Oh, that looks good!  Did you try this?  Do you have any more of that on your platter?"  He and Peter were extraordinary, dealing with all of us with great grace and wit.  Dino explained what each food item was and how he prepared, then cooked it.  
Dinner ended with this home made apple strudel.  One thing that made me particularly happy about our gastronomic extravaganza was how the 14 kids, aged 9-16, were grateful and adventurous eaters.  No one approached their parents and said they wanted something else to eat.  Luke Luft, a particularly picky eater at this stage in his life, discovered he likes lamb chops.
Chef Dino, me, Chef Peter

Five years ago, when we were in Italy, Alison arranged to have someone come in and cook dinner for us.  We so thoroughly enjoyed the experience, I wanted to repeat it in Croatia.  I used a web site called Take A Chef, and I would highly recommend it if you are looking for a private dining event.  They are world wide, so this is something you could do in your own backyard.

What a day, huh?  I thought so.











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