Monday, May 22, 2023

And Finally, Kayaks

 I’d been to Croatia before, but Montenegro was a new country for me.  And it’s relatively new as a tourist draw.  With its towering peaks and fiord-like inlets, the scenery is spectacular.  And this tiny country, smaller than the state of Connecticut, is working hard to join neighboring Croatia as a top European tourist destination.  Kotor is the main attraction, with its walled city and fortress.  And the world’s rich have found Montenegro as a new favorite.  They stay in new waterfront marina complexes lined with luxury hotels, as well as docks for their yachts.  It was a kayak finish for us on the last day of our ‘multi sport’ adventure, as we paddled in Kotor Bay.






 










Saturday, May 20, 2023

We’re Hiking and Boating, Too

Our biking days alternate with hiking days, and we move between mainland and islands on various watercraft.  We have daily opportunities for an Adriatic swim, and I’m in the water every time.  And each lunch spot seems more special than the last.  We crossed from Croatia to Montenegro today, dismounting from bikes to show our passports at the border.  And then we pedaled on toward Tivat and Kotor where we’ll do more exploring.






















Thursday, May 18, 2023

We’re Biking . . .

 I’ve now joined a group of 19 with the company Backroads, for my third time traveling with them.  I previously did a Backroads walking/hiking trip in Italy, and another that was all biking in Ireland.  But this one is ‘Multi-Adventure’, so we’ll be biking, hiking and even paddling in kayaks during our six days in Croatia and Montenegro.  First up was some biking, and we had one ride on the Croatian island of Korcula; a boat ride between, and a second spin along the Dalmatian Coast on the mainland.  We had vineyards on one side and the deep blue Adriatic Sea on the other, and wild flowers bordered the road.  And with the sun shining bright after so much rain, it was absolutely glorious. 










 

Monday, May 15, 2023

The Sunniest Place?

I’ve ‘repositioned’ to Croatia now!  The Island of Hvar here has a reputation as ‘the sunniest place in Europe’.  Well, it was wet, wet, wet for my afternoon visit.  Beach toys, swim ladders and sun chaises were all unoccupied, and some of the shops were even closed, taking a break from the sun-seeking swarms. I’d borrowed an umbrella from the hotel, and the rain worked its own kind of magic.  It felt at times like the island was asleep, and I had it all to myself.







Sunday, May 14, 2023

Amazing Pompeii

 It is absolutely inconceivable that we hopped the same stepping stones and walked the same streets and villa floors as the ancient Romans, albeit in GoreTex and under umbrellas, and taking pictures with iPhones.  It’s not just a few structures, it’s an entire town.  And there’s so much there in amazing condition, thanks to the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius 2,000 years ago.  Pompeii and its lifestyle were ‘preserved’ in 20 feet of pumice and ash.  It’s a Greco Roman city frozen in time, just the way they left it.

There are intact mosaic floors, paintings, coins, fruit and loaves of bread, as well as weapons, pottery and cooking utensils.  And you even see the eerie forms of human bodies in their final moments, recreated in plaster made from casts of their voids.  A horse, too.  Yikes!

We hiked up to the rim of the still-active volcano and viewed the yawning crater to see the source of the big event.  It’s ironic that an epic tragedy made for incredible preservation.  And now it allows us to walk in ancient footsteps.  Perspective is a good thing; I come away feeling very small in the arc of time.








It was absolutely inconceivable that we hopped the same stepping stones and walked the same streets and villa floors floors as the ancient Romans, albeit in GoreTex and under umbrellas, and taking pictures with iPhones.  And there’s so much there in amazing condition, thanks to an eruption of the volcano Vesuvius 2,000 years ago. The town and its lifestyle were ‘preserved’ in 20 feet of pumice and ash.  It’s a Greco Roman city frozen in time, truly just the way they left it.

There are intact mosaic floors, paintings, coins and loaves of bread, as well as weapons, pottery and cooking utensils.  And you even see the eerie forms of human bodies in their final moments, recreated in plaster made from casts of their voids.  Yikes!

We hiked up to the rim of the still-active volcano, and viewed the yawning crater to see the source of the big event.  It’s ironic that an epic tragedy made for incredible preservation.  And now it allows us to walk in ancient footsteps.  Perspective is a good thing; I come away feeling very small in the arc of time.
It was absolutely inconceivable that we hopped the same stepping stones and walked the same streets and villa floors floors as the ancient Romans, albeit in GoreTex and under umbrellas, and taking pictures with iPhones.  And there’s so much there in amazing condition, thanks to an eruption of the volcano Vesuvius 2,000 years ago. The town and its lifestyle were ‘preserved’ in 20 feet of pumice and ash.  It’s a Greco Roman city frozen in time, truly just the way they left it.

There are intact mosaic floors, paintings, coins and loaves of bread, as well as weapons, pottery and cooking utensils.  And you even see the eerie forms of human bodies in their final moments, recreated in plaster made from casts of their voids.  Yikes!

We hiked up to the rim of the still-active volcano, and viewed the yawning crater to see the source of the big event.  It’s ironic that an epic tragedy made for incredible preservation.  And now it allows us to walk in ancient footsteps.  Perspective is a good thing; I come away feeling very small in the arc of time.

It was absolutely inconceivable that we hopped the same stepping stones and walked the same streets and villa floors floors as the ancient Romans, albeit in GoreTex and under umbrellas, and taking pictures with iPhones.  And there’s so much there in amazing condition, thanks to an eruption of the volcano Vesuvius 2,000 years ago. The town and its lifestyle were ‘preserved’ in 20 feet of pumice and ash.  It’s a Greco Roman city frozen in time, truly just the way they left it.

There are intact mosaic floors, paintings, coins and loaves of bread, as well as weapons, pottery and cooking utensils.  And you even see the eerie forms of human bodies in their final moments, recreated in plaster made from casts of their voids.  Yikes!

We hiked up to the rim of the still-active volcano, and viewed the yawning crater to see the source of the big event.  It’s ironic that an epic tragedy made for incredible preservation.  And now it allows us to walk in ancient footsteps.  Perspective is a good thing; I come away feeling very small in the arc of time.

It was absolutely inconceivable that we hopped the same stepping stones and walked the same streets and villa floors floors as the ancient Romans, albeit in GoreTex and under umbrellas, and taking pictures with iPhones.  And there’s so much there in amazing condition, thanks to an eruption of the volcano Vesuvius 2,000 years ago. The town and its lifestyle were ‘preserved’ in 20 feet of pumice and ash.  It’s a Greco Roman city frozen in time, truly just the way they left it.

There are intact mosaic floors, paintings, coins and loaves of bread, as well as weapons, pottery and cooking utensils.  And you even see the eerie forms of human bodies in their final moments, recreated in plaster made from casts of their voids.  Yikes!

We hiked up to the rim of the still-active volcano, and viewed the yawning crater to see the source of the big event.  It’s ironic that an epic tragedy made for incredible preservation.  And now it allows us to walk in ancient footsteps.  Perspective is a good thing; I come away feeling very small in the arc of time.

Friday, May 12, 2023

Pasta, Gelato and Limoncello, Rain or Shine

 Just like at home, it’s a year of unseasonal rain here.  But when the sun breaks through in Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi, it’s glorious saturated color everywhere.  Rain or shine, it’s been pasta, gelato and limoncello most every day, not necessarily in that order.  And I even swam twice in the Tyrrhenian Sea.  The Amalfi Coast is storied and bucket-listed all around the world, and I now know why.  There’s a John Steinbeck quote:  “It’s a dream place that isn’t quite real when you’re there, and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone”.