the pirate corsairs of Omis

Docked at Omis

Back to some summertime fun to get through this cold winter and plan your summer vacation—or if you’re Australian or other inhabitant of the great southern hemisphere, then a place to plan your winter vacation. We got on the boat at Split and set sail, the wind already roaring through our hair as the ancient Diocletian palace slowly disappeared into the horizon, while big plates of seafood pasta were being served at our places on the deck of the ship. It was a Sail Croatia cruise on board one of their Explorer cruises. The ship was everything that could be hoped for, with spacious rooms, freezing cold air conditioning, and private en suite bathrooms. The deck was spacious, one out of the sun and one on top for bathing. There was also a bar serving beer around the clock, so it was a perfect floating vacation machine. Our first stop was Omis for a brief pause and continuation through the rich history of the Dalmatian coast.

The Pirates of Omis The ancient inhabitants of Omis were pirates—or corsairs, as pirates of the Mediterranean are known. Omis was long a thorn in the side of the Venetians and Ottomans. It had a natural boundary around it of rivers going inland, carving into steep cliffs, and a close relationship with the highlanders that lived in the neighboring mountains.

made for great pirate hideouts

As the Ottoman Empire crept its borders up the coast of Dalmatia and into he Balkans, the pirates of Omis had to transform their town from a pirate cove into a fortress settlement, building walls and a castle. But it wasn’t from the encroaching Muslim Turks they had to fear the most, it was from their fellow Christians, especially the Venetians who were long annoyed by the pirate attacks. The corsairs of Omis would harass and charge a toll for any passing merchant ships, while they would quickly flee up the river whenever warships would come by. The boats of the Omis were specially designed to glide up their river and still be seaworthy, making them nearly invincible in the region. On one such raiding trip, they captured a very special Eucharistic chalice, one owned by the Pope himself. The Omis so prized this booty that they didn’t much care when the Pope demanded it back. So the Pope did as popes always do, he declared a Crusade against the town. The pirates fled the town and waited for various Crusading groups to arrive. They then dressed up as Crusaders themselves and joined in on the fun, waiting late one night to start murdering all the bona fide Crusaders until finally their town was safe again.

Omis is a narrow town of small alleys and squares

Then came more troubles from the Venetians, who decided to team up with the Ottomans against the city-state. They teamed up with Suleiman the Great, and the combined forces were finally able to take the pirate town. The Ottoman general who led the occupation decided to take some of the local girls for his harem, which included one Milla Kolocavic. She locked the general’s door and then took a torch to the palace, burning it down along with the general. The occupation of the Ottomans forced the Omis to finally accept their fate—to join with the Venetians or to be subservient to a foreign power. Venetian dominance eventually brought in the Austrians and finally, after years of war, it became a beautiful tourist town on the coast of an independent Croatia.

Ziplining across canyons is half the fun of the town

Things to do Besides all of the historical monuments, such as the old pirate castle, there’s also a great deal of other activities. You can go rafting up the river, in the summer witness a mock battle between a corsair and a Venetian ship, go climbing, hiking, or head to the hills for a zip line tour. Almost every other building in the village is a travel agency, so if you don’t have something pre-booked with a cruise line or other group, it’s an easy enough thing to sign up and join in. Check the town’s tourist page here for more information about the local travel agencies and to book ahead. The zip line tour is worth every penny. I’ve been on tours where you just glide through trees. This one, you literally jet off across canyons, rivers rushing thousands of feet below. You’re led by two professional guides who make sure that you know what you’re doing and that you’ll make it down all right. Here’s a video of my wife taking on the zip line:

#touristicsites #Omis

there's only one thing to do in London for a night

Covent Gardens tourist knick-knack bazaar

It was a pain in the rectum finally getting to London, but we had at last made it. Through the last minute visa pickup at the DHL office, to the speeding drive to the airport, and finally the sigh of relief sailing through the air. There was also of course the fear about transit, especially due to the lack of it on Christmas Day, but that would sort itself out. When we got to the Z Hotel on the Strand, entering our room with glasses of complimentary mulled wine in hand, we knew that it would be all right. But then I do usually get that feeling with mulled wine in hand. The Theatre There’s a competition between London and New York, about which is the best city for theatre. And really, the cards are all out on that one. But if there’s one show that must be seen in a person’s life, and one show only, then it really is "The Phantom of the Opera" at Her Majesty’s Theatre, where they’ve been doing it to perfection for the past 30 years. The play to this day is frequently sold out, so buy tickets a few months in advance if you want to sit together. Her Majesty’s is right at the edge of the theatre district, known as the West End or Theatreland, which is home to some 30 theatres, most hosting very long-run, often Andrew Lloyd Webber, productions, like Phantom, Les Miserable, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. I especially love the Gonzago Can-Can in the last one. But if you’re a true theatre aficionado, it’s not necessary to catch a show here. London is full to the brim of underground theatres. You only have to go a spitting distance to find one, or if looking for something a dash bit tourist while still being local, check out the hipster district, Camden.

"No pictures please," an usher to the right seems to be saying

Her Majesty’s itself is a landmark, having shown premieres by George Bernard Shaw, J.B. Priestley, and even Bach and Mozart’s premiers to a British audience and is under a constant fee-on-your-ticket-storm of restorations. It was built in 1705 and earns its name by being actually owned by the monarch, as the land is literally a crown estate. So the title isn't actually a misnomer. A series of fires burnt down reconstructions of successively grander theatres until finally, the present one was rolled out in 1897. The walk from the Strand to Her Majesty’s is a right bit scenic walk, going either down the avenue to Trafalgar’s Square or up through Covent Gardens, both must-see destinations for any first time visitor to London. Covent Gardens It’s the premiere over-priced shopping district necessary for any newcomer to hit up while in London. It’s full of beautifully tailored pedestrian streets and most closely resembles a giant outdoor mall. But some gems are hidden there, like the Battersea Pie Station, one of the better places to grab a famous London meat pie, along with the place where I bought my latest hat, to adorn my expensive-fancy-hats-I-will-eventually-no-doubt-lose collection. Covent Gardens was once the fashionable fruit-and-vegetable bazaar for all the nobility and clergymen to show off their latest corset or mustache wax. But by the 1700s, it had declined into being a red light district--naturally, with all the corsets laced up tight--until Parliament decided to clean up the area a bit and return it to glory.

A street in Covent with lots of bookshops

Covent and the neighboring Soho (more on that next week) are probably also the best places to catch some street music. Here there don’t seem to be any laws on noise—not like Prague’s latest draconian acts—and anyone and everyone seems to be allowed to set up a performance. From nutty preachers with megaphones, to jugglers, to bands with full on PA systems. Even in the dead chill of winter, the place was alive and merry. If you’re looking for the real traditional hyped up “British pub”, then this is the place to get to, where there’s over 60 places serving 8 pound a pint beers and not a chav in sight. But they’re nowadays a far cry from the underground boxing rings of the days of yore and are now mainly just filled with tourists and Poles trying to be British. Let me know in the comments if some bona fide drinking holes are still lining those gilded alleys.

Atheist Christmas markets are all the rage

Finally rounding out the tour on our way to Her Majesty’s was a stop at Leicester Square, which livens up during the Christmas season with a Czech-themed Christmas market, where they sell mulled wine and Czech beers. We didn’t stay long there since we’re exposed to the real deal, so we quickly shuffled off and found a Costa Coffee. Not the best coffee, but it’s something you have to drink when in London because it’s from London. It’s equally as ridiculous as drinking Starbucks in Seattle or McDonald’s in a manure collection pile. Trafalgar Square Arriving at the theatre a bit early meant we still had time to round out one more tourist site, the main square of the city. Its most famous event was Bloody Sunday, where the British contributed a thousand bullets to the Irish cause and the Irish got back at them with U2 being played by every bloody pub’s cover band for an eternity after. Well played, Micks.

Trafalgar Square purdied up for Christmas

The square is named for Lord Horatio Nelson, who defeated Napoleon’s navy at the Battle of Trafalgar, earning him a spot in memoriam on top of a giant column, which sits in direct line of sight to Buckingham Palace. Nelson was unduly lucky in a great bit of naval battles, having his arm and leg shot off by cannonballs in the past and finally, death by musket at Trafalgar. Finally, our night ended in public view with the Phantom show, which was attested to be one of the most incredible performances my wife had ever seen, and indeed the same goes true for myself. The singing, the scripting, the choreography, and the set design were all top notch. But then if you’ve been doing it for 30 years and your monarch owns the place it better dang well be. Need more to read? Why not read about our New Years time here? And be sure to give us LIKE or share over on the Facebooks.

#London #touristicsites

getting around in London

The Tower Bridge during Christmas in London

Arriving to any city can lead one into a flying fluster of fun trying to figure out the details of transit. Each city works entirely differently, as it seems each model was developed quite independently, not caring about what works and doesn't work in other cities.

I remember in Kiev, it was normal to pay for the transit on the bus, but in Lwow, I got a fine for trying to pay for the ticket the same way—though perhaps that wasn’t a fine and was rather a bribe, I’m not overly certain to this day. But the point is, it all goes down differently from city to city, and London is no exception to that. Especially on Christmas Day, but more on that later.

Gatwick to London Gatwick is something of the red-headed stepchild of Heathrow. It’s a bit overlooked, it’s a lot smaller, and it gets a lot of the cheaper flights, though nowadays a lot of those flights go to Stansted, so I’m not overly sure why Gatwick remains in existence.

It gets those cheaper flights because Gatwick is a bit further out than Heathrow. And when I’m saying “a bit”, I’m using the classic British hyperbole, because really, Gatwick is way the heck out of town. The best way is by train. Those tickets are easy enough to buy at the airport, where the vendors can also hook you up with an Oyster card. The quickest way to Victoria station is to get on the 30 minute Gatwick Express, or if you’re going to the Strand, then hit up Thameslink. Any of the local lines will take you over an hour to get there because of all the stops. If you’re feeling a bit sadistic or if you’re traveling on Christmas, then there’s the National Express Bus service. We discovered that this is the only service open on Christmas, so that was grand. Expect 1.5 hours to 2 hours with that, and a much heftier weight from your wallet being lifted away. The motto can basically be, “Worse service at a greater price.” London transit The metro map looks something like a cross between a Jackson Pollack painting and my last night spaghetti dinner. Whoever designed it must have been tripping on something to do with strawberry fields, because it makes relatively less sense than the Beatles song I just made an allusion to. And the thing is expensive as all hell. Best to just skip it. Locals use the Oyster card, which can cost you up to six pounds for every ride on the metro and comes with a 5 pound refundable deposit. Better to just stick to bus rides when you need them, which only cost one pound fifty. And the buses are fun and double decker, with great views of an all-around beautiful city. Even better though is that London is a pretty flat city, so just wear your walking shoes.

Skip the metro and take the bus, ride the top floor for great views

What I discovered though one day before going to London was that you could buy an Oyster visitor card, mailed to your house. The visitor card makes everything nearly half off, and caps the metro at six pounds fifty, so it’s an insanely huge savings if you’re planning on traversing the city by leaps and bounds. The only trick is that you have to order it and have it sent to your house ahead of time. It’s impossible to buy in London, and not even at the airports. So order ahead. Christmas and bicycles London shuts down at Christmas. Literally. It’s clearly an attack on the holiday led by their Muslim mayor, and they overly recognize the most Christian holiday of the year in a clear attempt to undermine its popularity.

The attack on Christmas continues with massive pagan trees littered everywhere

Every mode of transit is gone. It would have made me rethink our flight schedule had I known it would have proven so difficult to get to Gatwick, since one, trains were closed, which meant that we had to take the National Express bus and two, the bus left from Victoria Station, which meant we had to get to Victoria. A bit of a tedium to do without transit. Also, to sell back our Oyster card, we had to give up the public transit thing on Saturday before the visitor centers closed. What we discovered changed our trip though. Bicycles. There are bicycle drop-offs almost everywhere throughout London. And you can rent a bicycle for twenty four hours for a rate of two pounds. You just swipe your card and take your choice of any red bike you'd like. What’s even cooler though is that you can lock up your bicycle at any of those drop-offs and pick up a different bicycle, as many times as you want during that 24-hour period. It’s traveler gold.

About to park the bike at Westminster Cathedral, then take another one somewhere else

So imagine, Christmas Day, no transit. It means there are no hordes of buses. And since most people are at home with their families anyway, and there’s no reason to go out since just about every pub and shop are closed, then the roads are practically empty. And bicycles are cheap. Freedom! That last day there, we put our backpacks on, pulled the bikes out of their slots and coasted through the city, letting the cold wind and spitting rain whip through our hair. Another view of Big Ben? No problem. A ride through sleepy scenic Belgravia in search of the occasionally open Starbucks? Also no problem. It sure as heck beat walking, especially with bags and after walking for three days straight. Also, by the way, no lockers at the train station or bus station. Both do have a luggage drop off which doesn’t work on Christmas, making things that much more fun for the traveling tourist. A Gatwick Christmas Our way back was crowned with a near empty bus--or is that near full in British English?--and the realization that Gatwick was only open that day to cater to about 4 flights. One of which was ours. The place was otherwise a graveyard. But it made me feel a bit thankful and a bit pushy. Really, they could have just not sold flights on Christmas and let all these people go home. If our flight hadn’t been available Christmas Day, we probably would have chosen a flight for the next day without complaint. But still, thanks to all those staff who spent their hours of holiday cheer at a nearly empty airport, just to cater to our flight and a 3:00 am to Kiev.

The bustle of Gatwick on Christmas Day

#traveltips #London