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From poor to millionarie

The story I will tell you here about I did together with my children Annica and Kim. It became from many aspects an extraordinary trip by bus to Rovinj on the Croatian pensula in the former Yugoslavia. The year was 1987.

This travel was carefully planned. It was my first trip together with my children and we should go by bus the whole long way to Yugoslavia. As it was forbidden to take Yugoslavian dinars with you, I called up the travel agency for checking up their currency. In this way I could plan for how much money we needed.

Map over Istria

I never understood their description but for sure we were now left behind. I changed our travel to Thursday morning at 4 o´clock next week.

We were in good time by the bus stop och we really looked forward to the travel. Half an hour became one hour and we had seen no bus that should take us to Rovinj. We were just ready to give up when a taxi is coming in front of us. The taxidriver is asking me whether we are the persons who should go to Rovinj, which I could confirm. Now the taxidriver is telling us he will drive us to Gothenburg where the Yugotour bus is waiting us. I must have looked at him as a living question mark, why he rapidly asks me checking it up with the bus by using his mobile. I am checking up and it all was OK.

Finally we are off! We are driving through the flat country with crops. The children have already fallen in sleep, but I cannot. Something says me here is something wrong. In Gothenburg we have to change bus and we were lucky ones getting the first seats in the front of the doubledecker. From here we had a wonderful sight over the route. We went on to Trelleborg where we should change to the ferry to Trave-münde on the German side.

It was already evening when we were coming to Travemünde and after a pass-port control we could go into the bus. Soon we are on the Autobahn southwards through Germany. On the way me made some short stops and we passed Kassel on the way to Munich and the German foralps. From here on to Salzburg and Klagenfurt in Austria. Down in the walley we could see Zell am See, green in the sunshine. Maybe an extraordinary view compared to all winter brochures we are used to see.

It is being warmer all way southwards. All windows are wide opened for getting fresh air into the bus. We are passing Trieste on the Italian side and we are coming closer the Yugoslavian border. It is holiday time and we are having long ques in front of us but also behind us. After hours of waiting it is time for passport controll and we can go on to Porec on the Yugoslavian side.

The bus stops in Porec and here we are divided into groups due to our destination. We, who should to Rovinj have to take seat in an old pickup with seats. Its spring system is miserable and the ride on guppy sandroads is more than uncomfortable. There is neither any possibility to look out more than from the front windscreen. The driver is smoking all time some bad tasting cigarettes. Due to the winds the smoke comes all in and we passengers feel us more like smoked sardines in a hot tin than living tourists.

As we had chosen private accomodation we got two rooms at the Mihó family and their siamese cat who became a regular guest at us. The family lived in their livingroom and the kitchen they had on the balcony. The inside kitchen was for our use. We were also invited to the family on Turkish strong coffee with cognac. We got good contact and still years after our leaving we sent letters and Christmas cards to each other. The terrible war broke our contacs for ever. My letters were returned and I have no idea where the family is today.

To downtown was 1,5 klms on stony streets. On the top hill was the S:a Eufemia church in baroque stile. The strand boulevard was a popular meeting-place with a lot of outdoor restaurants and cafées. In the harbour were boats that offered tourist a tour to an island nereby. Old houses are climbing uphills and you understand this magnific view attracts authors, painters and poets.

One of your tours went to the Lipica village close the Italian border. The village is know already from 1580 for their lipizzes. The Spanish Riding School takes all their horses from here.

The Postojna dropstone quaves are also worth a visit. You go by train the 5 klms into the quave that open itself into many "rooms". Here, in the water, is also the only in the world living blind Handfish. For an outsider it looks more like a normal earthworm.

We also go to Bled situated highly up in the Julian mountains. Around the idyllic and romantic mountain lake are five villages built. The lake is about 2 klms long and 1 klm wide and the water it gets from hot springs. In the middle of the lake on an island there is a church built in baroque stile and over the lake on a 114 metres' high hill is a mediaval castle risen. It hostes a museum and a restaurant.

In the travel brochure you could not read about a visit here nor a lunch at the restaurant, why I had not money with me for these extra costs. However the guide let us in the castle. When it was lunch time we sat down by a long board for us. The lunch was welltasting but I could not think on anything else than the money and when we came to the dessert I was really nervous. I could see how our guide looked at us standing a way from us and followed with interest what happened here. When the bill came all my money were not enough why I borrowed from my children's hand cash and we counted every penny as well. It was enough and I could pay our bill! Bah!

Due to the great currency miss from the travel agency in Stockholm, I had too less money with me. My eyes flies over the money exchange table I had got from the bank office - and I am seeing the phone number to my bank in Mariestad. I formly run to the post office for ordering a call to my bank and I also payed the extra costs for receiving money within three days to the Yugo Banka in the harbour.

Heavy thunderstorms have been over Rovinj for the last days. It is still raining when I am running down to the Yugo Banka for getting my money. I have to take them in dinares because they have not enough with western currency. My eyes must have been great as plates seeing the bundle of bank notes risening higher and higher, until it was mostly 15 cms high and I was 2 million dinares richer!!!

I am feeling myself like a millionarie when I return home. Show the bundle of bank notes for my children who become at least as chocked like me. We felt ourselves like Donald Duck looking at his money. What to do with all that money that even were forbidden to bring out from the country?

We began a really luxuary life! We ate the most expensive dishes at the most exclusive restaurants. In the harbour we bought paintings and I am sure we made the painter happy by buying three of his collections.

Then came the day for departure. Still remained one test - the border police. Deepest in my handbag I put the last bank notes. No word about this, I said to my children! Your know nothing if someone asks.

We are coming to the state border and in comes the border police for checking up our passports. Hes eyes flied over the luggage and the following minutes were long. Then the alarm clock starts ringing in my handbag. You can hear it in the whole bus but I cannot stop it because it is in the same bag as the bank notices! Hopefully he does no notice to the noise and starts checking the pack. I am so nervous and I am sure all can hear my heart beating. The border police leaves the bus and I myself am qualified for foreign currency smuggling!

Well at home in Mariestad I went to my bank with the rest of the dinares. All what became out of this still rough bundle - was one bank notice of only twenty Swedish crowns.

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View over Rovinj

The phone was calling when we sat in the kitchen eating our breakfeast. It was the guide from the bus that asked me where we were last night when they should bring us up?

It made me no easier to understad all that because the travel had already started early in the morning, the morning before that one on my tickets...

The route map