Wednesday, May 16, 2012.  The unseasonable cold continued, but we were  up early for coffee at the internet bar around the corner from Rog Dogg and then a search for breakfast.   Breakfast is not an important meal in Croatia, but morning, afternoon, and evening coffee is a must.   Bars abound and most serve coffee, tea, and alcohol.   It is rare to see anyone who is obese in this country.  Food is readily available, but the cafes serve only drinks.  Their menus rarely have food on them.  Snacks are not part of eating habits and three or maybe two and a half meals are common practice.   Breakfast will be coffee, bread or rolls and maybe a yogurt.   We could not help but wonder how the cafes make a profit, but they must and are a great place to gather for persons of all ages.   

We left Zadar at 9 a.m. and headed for Sibenik, a town first mentioned in 1066 and the site of St. Jacob’s Cathedral, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It took over 100 years to complete.  And interesting feature are 71 heads encircling the building that are said to represent the residents who refused to help finance the project. However, there is also a dog’s and a lion’s head, so not sure where they come into the equation.  (See photos)  

Our first stop was to meet Peggy’s friend Ivana for coffee in a beautiful, tourist favored waterfront café.  (See photo).   We then visited St. Jacob’s   and marveled a the ancient streets and the meshing of the old and the new   Old buildings appear to be sacred and nothing is torn down, but interiors modernized for homes and businesses, with new buildings springing up among them.   Throughout Croatia,  we saw clothes hung out in the fresh air to dry.  (See photos) 

On the way to Split (and our ferry to Brac) We had lunch of roast lamb at Toricida, a restaurant that is reputed to have the best lamb in Croatia.  A well earned reputation!   It was a memorable meal, with homemade bread, salad, and roasted potatoes that were almost as good as the lamb (which tasted just like the lamb served by Rose’s and my grandparents ever year for Easter.  (See photos)  

We arrived in Split, the second largest city in Croatia, just in time for the ferry to the Island of Brac which has been inhabited since the Neolithic period.  It has quarried white marble for centuries.  This marble was used for Diocletian’s Palace as well as the columns in the White House in Washington, DC.    

On Brac, we stayed at the Pension Tomic in the village of Gomji Humac, which is situated at the highest point of all the Dalmatian Islands – 1,590 feet above sea level – and spectacular with all the buildings make of stone, as well as fences, and the owner Valentino Tomic proudly explained that his family has lived on this farm and in the building where we had dinner for over 800 years!  And he has documentation of family members dating back to 1016 C.E.  (See photos.)   

As the temperature had dropped even further than the day before, Valentino explain that the weather was more like winter.  It had snowed in Plivitca and the rain on Brac was very close to falling slush!  However, we were being treated to dinner in an 800 year old building, using an 800 year old fireplace, with lamb and potatoes cooked in a dancing fire of leaping flames and very hot coals.  (See photos) 

Everything served was from the Tomic farm.  Also included was homemade cheese and prsut (ham that has been preserved with salt, smoked and cured by the wind, and aged for over two years) – and never been refrigerated!   Also served was Tomic red wine (family grapes and no preservatives) and Tomic olive oil cold pressed by Valentino and family and his mother’s pickled onions!   

The guest house has recently been renovated, so we were the first guests to stay there.   He has rooms for rent by the day and an apartment that sleeps up to 8 for rent by the week or longer.  Note the beaches on the island are breathtaking (see photos).  To see more of the Tomic experience visit www.konobatomic.com .   

Thursday morning dawned cold, cold, cold…but breakfast by the fire included homemade bread, cheeses, meats, white coffee, but and jam.   This was plenty to hold us over for our trip to the beach where the weather suddenly warmed and we left for the ferry, followed by a drive down the Dalmatian coast on our way to Dubrovnick.