Splitting Split

Events of June 20

Adele and I are leaving Split, Croatia today. Earlier in the week wishing to act responsibly on our own behalf, Adele and I paid a visit to the Enterprise auto rental outlet to confirm our reservation. Yes. They had our reservation. I requested that we be picked up at our apartment as we had a good deal of luggage and our place was a scant 4 minute drive from their location (that could not be walked) They told me that Enterpise Europe does not offer that service as in America. However, after a bit of coaxing it was decided that someone would pick us up at 8AM on the way into the agency offices. He made a point, "Be ready and downstairs at 8". That suited us since we were driving to Rijeka, a four hour trip one way, in order to catch a 1:40 PM bus to Trieste. That would, theoretically, leave us enough time to grab a lunch or screw up and still find our way to the bus terminal in time. However, we couldn't calculate the series of unforeseen occurrences that were to take place.

At 7:30AM we descended the four flights of stairs to street level displaying 'strong man and woman' circus act facilities with our baggage. Not expecting the car for a half hour, we stepped across the street to our local cafe and had our first, eye-opening cup of coffee. At five minutes to eight, we paid the bill and stood by the door to our apartment building with our luggage racked up against the facade obstructing morning pedestrian traffic. We were still waiting at 8:20 AM. I called the number given and a manager answered. I inquired as to our ride and he said he would check and get back to me. The call came within minutes, and in a too calm voice explained that the driver got lost and would be there in three minutes. Our driver arrived at 8:28 AM. A half-hour late.

"What happened", I inquired. "I was specifically instructed to be out front at 8-"

"Sorry, I got lost", he proclaimed, with a dumb smile. 

"How can you not know where Tomislava St. is?" (It being a major street leading to the entrance of the old city and the Diocletian Palace. 

He nodded, "And", with a smirk, began as if telling himself an inside joke, "My name is Tomislav". He liked himself enough to laugh our loud as if we had cause to share the humor of this dubious irony.

"Were you born here"?

"Yeah"  

Oh, well. We drove to the auto center to complete the necessary paperwork and didn't get in the car until about 9:15 AM. Off we went, realizing that our odds of an on-time arrival have been significantly, statistically diminished by this incident. I knew, if I may use the vernacular, I had to 'haul-ass' and make up some time on the road. Rather than having the advantage of an early, pre rush-hour start to the day, we ran into traffic getting out of the city. That delayed us somewhat. but, finally we were on the road and off to Rijeka. Rijeka, distinct from Dubrovnik and Split, is not a tourist town. Industrial and residential, it is a large city surrounded by hills that move traffic along river beds, through innumerable tunnels and traffic circles. Under the best of conditions, it would be challenging to navigate into and out of Rijeka with changing road numbers and infrequent signs. But, on this day we found ourselves going through this maze of tunnels and round-a-bouts trying to decipher the 'overheads' at speeds that made missed turns more likely and precision driving all but impossible.

When we were convinced that we were going in the wrong direction, we called the Enterprise, Rijeka office. It was now about 1:10 PM. Even though I have made good time, our chance of reaching the bus terminal to catch the bus was dwindling. However, the Enterprise agent asked us where we were and said, "Proceed in this direction and I will meet you and you will follow me". So, we did as instructed to meet him in minutes and trail him back to the offices. It was now 1:20 PM when we learned that the bus station was in town center, and although the rental agency is called Rijeka Downtown, it was on the outskirts of town, and the drive to the terminal would take 20 minutes. Too long for us to catch the bus.

I was upset, to say the least. It was now my turn to let him know the cost of Tomislav's bad joke. The bus we missed was the last bus of the day to Trieste. We would be forced to incur the cost of the hotel in Trieste; we would have to add the cost of a hotel room for the night in Rijeka; and, we would need to re-reserve seats on a bus to Trieste for the next day...if seats were available. Although sympathetic, the agent explained that there was little that they could do. I insisted that I was in a bad situation that would significantly add to our cost unnecessarily due to this error and delay. He said that he would call the other agency in Split.

The other agency confirmed that the pick-up was late. So, the agent suggested I write a letter of complaint to Enterprise citing the delays and he would look into what 'Corporate' could do to resolve this situation. "But it might take some time", he added with caution.

"How much time" A few minutes"? 

"No. It would have to be submitted to Enterprise and they would consider compensation..." he trailed off.
BLAH. BLAH. BLAH.  

"Look", I said. "I have a problem that needs to be addressed, NOW"

So, we looked at other options which I will not belabor you with. They were all unsatisfactory.

I began to write a long letter to Enterprise and address it to the local agency within whose office I sat. The letter was not complimentary and addressed both the complaint and the long-term relationship I had with Enterprise that would soon end. I also asked for specific compensation that I was about to incur. As much as the request for recompense might have upset him, it was going on record with a complaint that evidently struck a nerve. 

The gentleman assisting us, who was really a decent guy who, I am sure, had limited ability to make a real difference in this situation, disappeared for some minutes. When he returned he said, "I think I have a solution to the problem. The owner of the agency's father, [my age], in his retirement, sometimes drives clients when there is a situation like this at hand. He says the owner would be happy to call his father and ask if he would drive us to Trieste. However, there were three conditions. First, pay the cost of gas for the round trip. Second, I would need to tip the driver (for which we agreed upon an amount). The third condition was that, "You do not write any social media review about this incident." I agreed within a fraction of a second. We originally anticipated arriving in Trieste at about 3:45 PM. As it turned out, we arrived at our hotel's door at @ 4:47 PM. In other words, the same time we most likely would have arrived at the hotel if we made the bus since we would have had to hail and pay for a taxi to the hotel from the bus terminal. Fate was with us.

Trieste is lovely. Busy with tourists but not so touristy. Situated in the Northeast corner of Italy as it makes it final Southern swoop into Croatia, Trieste is only seven miles from Slovenia. Not surprisingly, Trieste is a blend of Italian, Slav, and Croatian cultures where most of the inhabitants are multi-lingual. For Adele and I, Trieste was the gateway, through Padua and Verona, on our way through the Italian Alps to finally arrive in Oberstdorf, Germany on July 5. We found the town to be very livable. Without the sights of Rome or spectacle of Venice, absent the artistic wealth of Florence and the quaint, color tinted landscape of Tuscany, Trieste can and is, often, easily dismissed, and thereby missed. However, it is the kind of city that you can honker down in and become part of. It is welcoming, unpretentious, and quite unto itself. It has inspired many artists and writers to settle in this city. I understand why.

On that same day we arrived, we dropped off our luggage and set out to familiarize ourselves with the immediate surrounding area. Within a short time, we needed directions having lost our orientation on our way out of a church, which I imagine is a not infrequent occurrence.(LOL) We came upon four people chatting away on a street corner and politely interrupted their animated exchange asking for directions. One of the women (three women and a gentleman) who was clearly energetic and spirited, grabbed our city map and commenced with a long, detailed description of optional points of interest and potential walking tours.

Our last night in Trieste. Arriverderci!

After a good 15 minutes, during which time she all but ignored her friends except to ask for clarification of locations, we set off into the early evening. It was not another fifteen minutes into our walk that we again ran into this same group down by the canal near Piazza Erbe (refer to photo) We all had a good laugh, bumping into one another for the second time, and as they were on their way to have an aperitivo, they invited us to join them. We spent a lovely time by the canal getting to know two exceptional ladies and meeting a charming couple who live on the Galápagos Islands as tour guides.

Before I leave, we were fortunate to have been in Split during the days of The Mediterranean Film Festival held in Split each year. We actually saw three terrific films: In Between - the story of three, very different yet comparable young Palestinian women in Tel Aviv who are trying to find their own paths; Last Man In Aleppo - a disturbing and harrowing documentary about a team of volunteers called The White Helmets, citizens of Syria who have dedicated themselves to save as many people as possible following bombings. Their extractions of people buried in rubble have saved countless of lives; and, The Nile Hilton Incident - about the many levels and depth of corruption using the Egyptian government as metaphor for what is occurring all over the world.

FIRST episode in the Triest:Padua:Verona Story..NEXT EPISODE NEXT BLOG POST.