Split, Croatia
Many of my friends have told me about Croatia as one of the hidden gems in Europe before it became popular in the TV Series Game of Thrones. We made our way there back in September 2018. And it did not disappoint. It was a beautiful country with kind people.
Due to the flight delay from Amsterdam, we arrived in Split at 5 p.m. Our Airbnb host was expecting us around noon. After picking up our rental car, we started to drive towards the place using the Navigation equipped in our rental car. After 45 minutes of moving from the airport, our Navigation had us circling the same area multiple times. I stopped at a small bar near the beach to ask for directions. An older gentleman was the only person in the bar at the time. I do not speak Croatian, and he does not speak English. But he sensed that I was lost as I showed him the address to Airbnb. He closed down his bar, got in his truck, and told us to follow him as he drove around and went door to door to ask for directions to the Airbnb for probably a good hour and a half. Finally, he called the host and had them meet us at the mutual location. It turned out that our Airbnb was too new and had not been registered to the Navigation System.
The next day, I made him (Ankel) some Eggroll (with Tortilla since I couldn’t find an Eggroll wrapper in the store). Back to his bar, we went. He offered us a drink, and we sat and talked (hand gestures mainly) for about an hour. He had a lady who spoke English to translate. Ankel asked us to come back to the bar the next morning around 8 a.m. He asked us to follow him and took us to his vineyard atop the hill. Where we help pick grapes along with his friends. After picking grapes, he spread Bread, Cut Meat, Cheese, and some wine for us before taking us back to the bar. We made a friend by just asking for help finding our Airbnb. As we have traveled to many countries, we have encountered many kind people who will go out of their way to help a stranger.
Ankel preparing Charcuterie Board for us
Ankel’s Vineyards
Ankel and Larry
