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Sept. 12 - 16th Last night the heavens opened up with a spectacular display of sheet lightening and torrential rain. We woke to distant cloud and sun. The rain came again when we read of the passing of our dear friend. It is like her to leave this earth during a storm on September 11th...a day we will now remember for a different reason.
Leaving Madugorje after morning mass was both a relief and a sadness. There was no rain, just a cool September morning. At mass I sat with Shane, Stan & Doreen. Shane stood up to give his seat too two women. Suddenly I felt an overwhelming sense of being alone & feeling intensely what my friend's husband must be going through today. My best friend was standing at the back of the church...his best friend has passed on. We are going to
Miss her so very much!
We travelled on a super highway past more rocky hillsides towards Vodice where we hope to find the sailboat we rented.
Each mile along this highway is convincing us that we don't need to rent a car to see yet more of this area.
Vodice, though not mentioned in Lonely Planet, is a busy tourist town...probably because of the marina. Unfortunately tourist towns come with noisy bars!
Our boat, a 44' Bavarian, is quite wide with lots of room for 6 people. Good thing because, during our walk about / paper work a huge storm came in. The force was so strong water dripped through windows with faulty seals. The lightening display was outstanding as we rocked in our sheltered moorage.
Next morning there were more visits to the grocery store to get the last of our supplies before a short trip across to Plavic Luca for the night. Boat handles well and the crew is working out our kinks.
Shane and I walked through the town & across to the other side of the small island. A very
pleasant day on the water. Forecast is for sunny skies the rest of the week.
We woke to a stunning sun drenched setting. This quiet peaceful setting isn't being broken yet by the guy with the horn on the boat close by.
Entering the Park (which cost 500kr but shouldn't have) was like entering another world. Craggy rocky mostly brush covered knolls broken by rock walls and the occasional homestead. Apparently trees once covered these hills before sheep & mankind had their way. We docked at a sleepy cove where the local family cooks their specialty, sheep cooked in an oven like pan over hot coals with lots
Of potatoes and delicious broth. It was pretty tasty. The leftovers were used to make a hardy soup for lunch the next day.
There is a gentle walk above the cove that takes you up to a lovely view over the area. With few trees to get in the way you can see for miles.
After gathering helpful hints from fellow boaters, a very few of whom spoke English, we headed out to the open sea for a nice sail north through the park. Strange to think that when we were tacking we were heading straight for Venice.
On the Adriatic Sea side of the park there are cliffs jutting straight up from the sea. On Mana Island an old fort or castle sits atop the cliff side. Don't know the history but I've heard this whole
Area was ruled by Venice at one time.
Aside from a few dolphins and some small fish there has been little sigh os sea life. Certainly not like the west coast of BC!
By 3 o'clock Stan had nicely maneuvered the back end of the boat in to a berth and we were swimming in the crystal clean water. Beautiful sunny day with wind off the water to cool us off. This lovely piece of heaven is Mare Marina & restaurant on Katina Island.
Only in Croatia can a feast of scallops turn out to be butter clams. OK, sothe area is nice but the restaurant has inaccurate, though tasty, food.
Woke to another sunny day. Pretty tough but someone has to do it.
- comments
Aileen Peel Happy Anniversary!! Enjoying your blogs. Say Hi to Stan and Doreen and we were sorry to hear about your loss. Even though it was expected it is still hard to lose a friend.
Dorothy van der Ree Happy Anniversary, Shane and Mary! Hope you are having a wonderful day. Sounds like your trip is pretty amazing. So sorry to hear about Maureen, but she is not suffering any longer.
Anne A How many years? Enjoying the blog and continue to have a great time. Marge and Don leave this Frid. and we are scrambling to get ready for the 2 of Oct. A busy time. The teachers strike could be over and the kids back in school on Mon. Did I tell you Bruce is not voting for Trudeau. Money is in the mail to Stephen. Well his campaign. They haven't started the road yet so maybe we will be out of here before. I am glad you are in good company right now. WE WILL KEEP IN TOUCH. ANNE