Anchors Away!

Photos

Ahoy there friends! Here we are in Croatia. Our ferry emerged from the morning mist and pulled into the port in Split around 6 a.m. We slept well in our cozy cabin in the undergirth of the ship. Just outside, there are some amazing sailboats docked behind us being hosed down before a new crew boards and sets sail along the Dalmation Coast for the week. Gordon and I are happy as clams in the mud at high water. Only a few more hours! I'm glad that I remembered to bring my pirate costume for the ship. The captain seems to have a good sense of humor about it so far.

Our time in Italy was relaxing and oh so delicious! It was great to spend a week with Jen and Rebecca as we hopped from town to town in the Tuscan countryside. They have made wonderful traveling companions!! The four of us shared plenty of relaxed breakfasts, countless pizzas at lunch time, bowls of the freshest pasta, and local wines. Nothing can top the two nights that we dined at Antico Forno downstairs in our B&B in Civita. Anna lovingly made plates of pasta, one with cheese and truffles (I felt like I was melting when I ate it), ravioli, and penne with anciano sauce. This was followed by a second course of meats, salad, eggplants, caprese. Then came desert! Luckily we weren't in a hurry, honestly we could hardly move, so we lingered over a pitcher of wine while our food settled and prepared for the task of climbing the stairs to bed. Our friend, Birillo, a sweet old raggy dog, sat beside us as we dined and nuzzled our legs for something tasty that we might share from the table. The Panda functioned brilliantly as it hummed along the tight turns while we passed fields full of sunflowers, vineyards, rows of olive trees, and endless golden hills covered in straw bales. Gordon drove masterfully (It must be the Italian blood!) and I got to be the captain as I navigated through the well-marked countryside.

We spent a day with locals on the shores of the Lago di Bolseno, a volcanic lake nearby to Civita. It was sparkling blue as we descended from the hill above. Jen, Rebecca, Gordon, and I lounged on white plastic chairs in front of an open air restaurant on a suprisingly quiet part of a crowded lakefront. We read, waded past a few pebbles to a soft sandy bottomed clean lake. A few women and a young boy, who was riding in an inflatible tug-boat, shared the little beach with us. His legs poaked through the seat of the boat, but he was too small to steer and the tide, small as it was, kept him pinned to the shallowest water. Occasionally, his mom would pull him away from the shoreline and he would muster a whiney, "Grazie." Walking back to Civita over the foot bridge that day, someone said Ciao to Gordon. It was a kind of drawn out, very cool Ciaaaao which Gordon politely returned. Then he said to me, "You know I've been getting a lot more Ciaos ever since I started showing my legs with this bathingsuit!"

So here we are, preparing to set sail. Think of us as we drift along the (hopefully) calm Adriatic sea, enter new ports, and explore new places.

Anchors Away!