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It is nearly 11pm on day two of our stay in BIO GRAD. We have all just come back from another enjoyable night in the town. Brian and the girls have just gone for showers, so I thought I would use the time to complete the blog for BIO GRAD.
We left Pirovac yesterday morning quite early in order to avoid a predicted strong wind. As it turned out it was a good move, as the wind had increased its intensity as the day went on.
Of course I gave Brian the drill on directions, so he practiced on Navionics until he got the course right, and the practice was worth it, as didn't go in the wrong direction.
The sail was only a short one, 12nm's to BIO GRAD. We phoned the marina and there was a pen for the night. The trip took only an hour 45, so we were in the marina in very good time. Tieing up was very straight forward even with the wind blowing the boat around.
We had a quick morning tea, then took to the town. Bio Grad was the Capital of the former medievil Croation Kingdom. It has a rich history, (1050 AD) been wiped off the map a few times, plundered, conquered, Romans, Venetians, and now tourists.
Our tour of the town took us along the Riva ( seaside strip), then back up into the town, past the Basilica and back to the marina. Like all the other Croatian towns, it is going through a process of renewal. The town is packed with tourists, and this is very early in the day. Of course the water is the centre of attention with many people enjoying a swim, kids having lots of fun in the inflatable water parks, and fairground rides.
After the checking the place out, we retired back to the boat for lunch. We are now in the process of eating leftovers to clean the fridge out, as the boat has to be back by friday.
It was way too hot to walk around in the afternoon, and the town soon became deserted. We caught up on some reading, relaxing, and readying ourselves to go out.
The night came quick enough, the people started moving back. At around 8.30pm we started out to a restaurant in the back of the town up behind the Basilica which we found on our walk. The choice was great, the meals were excellent and well priced. The service was also very good. Brian had his usual hamburger, but without the bun. He pointed out to the waiter we called them "naked" hamburgers in Australia, and he thought that was hillarious. At the end of the night, we received a complimentry schnaps for the boys and a sherry for the girls.
After leaving the restaurant at about 10.30pm we walked back to the Riva. We found out that there is a street music festival on at the moment, so we are seeing buskers located at different points around the cental area of the town. The atmosphere was great.
There was a band playing on the big stage at the Riva, young guys full of energy, the music was excellent. All sung in Croatian. The girls I think were more interested in the lead singer, as he was very well built, though I reckon he had the smallest Ukelele I have ever seen. We stayed and watched the band till they packed up.
Our walk home then brought us upon more bands / buskers playing along the route to the marina. It was such a pleasure to be able to walk in place that is completely safe, the kids are playing driving electric cars up and down the road, no drunks or idiots: organised chaos. Everybody simply makes way for the next person. Eventually the last band we came across were 3 old guys about Brians age. A Bass Guitar player, keyboard and guitar players. Their music was great, everything from the old standards to a couple of the more modern songs. The music just made you feel completely relaxed, wasn't loud and had a different feel about it, as the songs were generally in Croatian. (a couple in english) It's like hearing a song in Italian or French, there is a different lilt as the language flows smoother than english, and of course there are different emphasis' in the pronunciation.
We walked back to the boat feeling happy, and relaxed. What a great day.
Today was a slow start. Cheryl and I decided to walk down down for coffee and let Brian and Dianne sleep. We left at about 6.30am. It was cool, everything was in the shadows, and you could appreciate the soft tones of the streets, lawns and beautiful dark green plants. They lose there softness as the day gets longer, the sun is brighter, the marble footpaths heat up, and the humidity becomes overwhelming.
The store owners are out cleaning, washing and setting up their shops. Gardeners are tending to the lawns and plants, and all the bins are being emptied. The tourist cruise boats are being washed and wiped down, ready for the next excursion. The ferry is coming and going to the island across the bay. Cheryl and I found this nice spot in a restaurant under a tree close to the waters edge. We had a couple of coffees and some water. We simply sat and talked and enjoyed the view and the cool breeze that was blowing.
It was time to go and wake up the rest of the crew. We took another walk in a different part of the town, that took us back over the hill where the Basilica was. Dianne and Brian were just getting out of bed when we arrived. It was a good time to have breakfast.
Our goal today was to see a bit more of the town and visit the museum. Our walk took us in a different direction, which was the Commercial part of the town. We needed to Euro's to pay our driver who is taking us to Hungary, so the girls used the opportunity to visit a money exchange.
Our next stop was the museum which was located on the Riva. It was well worth the visit. People who know me well will tell you I love history. The difference between Australia and Europe is the history, there is so much of it. This museum was mainly showing artifacts from a ship wreck that surrendered a lot of intact items. It was a trading ship. One of the items recovered was a bolt of silk. It was stored in a trunk that was built out of wood, steel and leather. Over time the sand and sea life had sealed the lid shut so no water entered the trunk. The silk is in remarkably good condition. There was also some clothes in the trunk as well, which are also in good condition.There are many other artifacts from buildings around the island.
After our museum visit we stopped for a cold drink as it has got so hot again. I am having an alcohol free day to day so I was on Coke Zero. We also decided to have a pizza before we went back to the boat.
We spent a few hours on the boat. I needed to catch up on some book work so this was a good opportunity.
Again at about 8.30pm we went for tea once again. (the day just seemed to fly). Same place, same good food and service. The waiter rembered Brian, and called the cook over to advise her they needed to change the menu to read "naked burger".
Once again we went back onto the Riva, listening to the buskers as we moved around. We then came across the old guys we heard last night, so we sat on the curb and listened to the wonderful music. The band was on the other side of the road, backing onto the ocean front. The cool wind again had come in, boats were bobbing around on the water, lots of people were taking their picture on a "I love Bio Grad" love heart behind the band. A beautiful little girl about 4 was running around dancing to the music in front of the bankd, coaxing Dad to dance every now and then.
We leave for Zadar tomorrow to take the boat back. On Saturday morning we commence our trip to Hungary. Our time on the islands in Croatia have been exciting, and relaxing. I recommend the trip to everyone, it is certainly sad to be leaving.
- comments
Jan Great news love