Wednesday & Thursday - Mike is LEGAL!

Wednesday 27 August

When we got the SIM cards for our phones yesterday we fooled around for a while making sure they worked like we thought they would. I then sent my new phone number to Jelena (HR in RIT Croatia) in an SMS message and told her to call me if any meeting with the police was scheduled. When I went to bed I set my alarm for 8:00, turned on airplane mode, and went to sleep.

The alarm went off, I was tired, so I killed it. Seemingly a moment later our landlord knocked on the door saying they wanted me at the college for my police interview at 9:30. It was already 9:16, so I did a quick brush the teeth, wash face, toss on clothes and RUN! On my way to the college I couldn't understand why Jelena hadn't called - the perspicacious among you will already know why her calls didn't get through!

The interview was no big deal, but it did take quite a while (I guess there is large variation depending on the inspector you get). Luckily I could remember when my parents were born, when they died and where; when each of my children were born, where they currently reside, and what they do for a living; when Mari was born and where; when and where I, Pete and Chris were born and what we each do now; how many children each of my siblings had and where they live. Whew! I'd have been stumped (and probably ejected from Croatia) if they'd asked about my grandparents! In any event, I'm now legit. for teaching in Croatia.

Note to self: Don't use airplane mode on the ground if you expect any calls!

Mari and I went for a stroll around town, and while she went to the outdoor market to purchase fruits and vegetables, I went looking for shirts! I only brought a couple of informal shirts to Croatia, and with the heat I was going through them at an astounding rate. I also picked up a Dubrovnik beach towel for our swim in the Adriatic.

The water is warm and inviting - just watch out for the salt! Then we went to Buza - just a little wine and beer bar outside the west wall of the city and nestled on some rocks. The view of the Adriatic was spectacular, and we saw some boys jumping off rocks into the sea:

Buza (Booze - Ah?)

Boys are as crazy here as anywhere.

Dinner was at a restaurant just outside the city walls by the old harbor - it was recommended to us by Marianna. Food was delicious. As you can see, Mari had the view of the sea and me; I had the view of the city gate and her. I think I came out a bit ahead.


We also took some pictures in the harbor and the city as night fell.

The City Bell Tower from outside the walls.

The Cathedral at Night

Up Close and Personal with the window

Stradun at night (after most vacationers have departed from Dubrovnik)

Thursday 28 August

Blogged in the morning, did some work on the DB course, and wandered over to campus at 1500 for a presentation on the video conference gizmo between Zagreb and Dubrovnik. Both Deb LaBelle and I will have to use this, but the gremlins got into the equipment so we really didn't get to take it for a spin. Oh, well, we've got until Monday, right?

On the way home I took a picture of the beach we're going to try next. Unlike our first one, this has a gentle sloping entry into the sea - but it still goes out pretty far as shown in the second shot. Note the water polo setup - Croatians are mad about water polo!

Perfect beach for bathing not far from RIT

Same beach but showing how far out people swim

I also took some pictures of a cove just a tad south of the swimming area. This is one of the many places from which sea kayak tours take place.

The Pier that (I think) Ed liked to go to when summoning the computing muses.

Same cove, but looking over towards the city walls.

Nighty-night. Tomorrow's a busy day for me, so if anyone posts it'll almost certainly be Mari.