Zagreb, Croatia

After a long day of driving through some pretty good thunderstorms we made it to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. So far the trip along the coast has been pretty nice and this time of year is great, not many tourists and the roads are virtually empty. For the most part Croatia feels a lot like Italy and some of the towns that we have visited look as if you we're in Italy, many of them have a majority of Italian residences. The good thing about it not being In Italy are the prices, even though it is not as expensive as Italy the prices are not inexpensive. Of course when you compare this to traveling in Asia where you can get a meal for five dollars, it is hard to compare. I am sorry for not posting photos, but I am on my Ipad, because my computer security does not allow me to access my blog nor my credit union, I guess it is for my own good. The lesson, do not do any transactions of any value on your IPad. Ken and celebrate eight years of marriage today! How time flies, it seems as if it was other day we married and yet it also seems like a lifetime. The good news is that there was no seven year itch and I hope it continues that way.  Life is full of surprises, friends you think you had are no longer around, kids grow and go, and there are everyday challenges with health and everything else that always seem to throw you a curveball. The good news is that there are certain people you can always count on and there is always light at the end of the tunnel. If you are lucky enough you have a partner that is there for the ride with you and that understands all your quirks and I know I have many.  In a weeks time I will be home, back to reality again. Even though Hong Kong was not very good for me physically, for I thought I was going to die there at some point and time, it has allowed me to travel this year. I have been to Vietnam (twice), Myanmar,  Japan, Jordan, Istanbul (twice), Croatia, Bhutan.  Five of them new places for me! Since I am trying to get to 100 laces before I am sixty, I think this year got me off to a good start.  So I will have to do three new countries a year to get this done! Wow, if I look at it that way, it sounds exhausting!
I need to start keeping my travel journal again as I cannot recall things as I once used to and hard to keep track of things one does on these trips.
I am sorry but the photos will have to wait until I get to Hong Kong and so will me bills. :-)
Ok a few fun facts about Croatia:

The White House is made out of stone from Croatia

3. The largest truffle ever found was discovered by Giancarlo Zigante on November 2, 1999. It was 7.8 inches long, 4.1 inches wide, and 5.3 inches tall.

4. The Croatian coat of arms resembles a Lily known as the Snake’s Head and Leper Lily. The Croatian word for the flower is Kockavica.

5. (As mentioned above) Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 after entering the tournament on a wild card.

6. Croatia’s currency, the Kuna, was named after a small rodent. In English this animal is a Marten.

7. Dalmatian dogs come from the Dalmatian coast.

8. The necktie was invented in Croatia and is called a “cravat,” which is derived from the word “Croat.”

9. Croatia has been a country since the 1990′s.

10. Croatian young people can vote at the age of 16 if they have a job but must wait until 18 if they are unemployed.