The pleasure we derive from journeys is perhaps dependent more on the mindset with which we travel than on the destination we travel to.”– Alain de Botton After a good sleep in our apartment in Sibenik last night, we had a breakfast of coffee and leftovers (cheese, bread, hummus, dried figs, apple). We bought a small container of milk last night and after we used it for coffee this morning, we noticed later it was missing from the fridge. Someone stole our milk – how rude! It was too chilly and rainy to eat on our balcony, but we enjoyed our picnic breakfast all the same. Yes, the weather has indeed changed and the rain has arrived. We walked through the wind and the rain to meet Tamara and the others at the bus station at ... read more

Greetings from Split! I only have a mere 18,026 steps today, so I am behind yesterday, but today did involve yet more steps. We were up quite early this morning, to ensure we were out ready to meet the group by 7:30, with time to get a pastry and coffee first. We hauled our suitcases back down the many steps (it was a lot easier going down than it was going up!) and popped into a bakery for a breakfast pastry to take with us and the coffee shop for a nice cappuccino. We met met the group, then we walked to the dock to catch our 7:45 ferry to Split. These ferries are very efficient, and always have lots of room to store luggage. The one hour trip was smooth sailing, and after we disembarked ... read more

Greetings from Hvar! We had an extremely early start to the day, getting up not long after 4:30 am, to shower and get our things together ready to leave at 5:30. I went out on our terrace to see what the weather was like, and the sliver moon and the stars were bright and beautiful. We hauled our bags down the very steep and narrow flights of stairs, and met the group around the corner at 5:45, at the foot of yet more stairs. I wandered around a bit in the faint hope that a cafe might be open to get us a coffee, but as expected nothing was open that early. Our ferry from Korcula to Hvar left promptly, and we settled in the the 1 1/2 hour journey. Thankfully the coffee kiosk was open, ... read more

Greetings from Korcula! (The island, and town, is pronounced “Kor-chu-la”). After a leisurely breakfast at Hotel Plecka this morning, we left Dubrovnik at 9:30 for our journey to Korcula, located off the northern end of the Peljesac Peninsula. It was a warmer morning than yesterday, and another bright and sunny day. We drove north from Dubrovnik along the spectacular coastline, winding and twisting along the coast with views of the Elaphiti Islands. These island are protected so are mainly undeveloped. The steep hillsides were covered with lots of olive trees, various fruit trees, and pine trees. We crossed to the Peljesac Peninsula, which is known for its wineries, and we passed lots of vineyards. The grapes grow very low to the ground in this area, and often in terraced areas because of the steep hills. After ... read more

Greetings from Dubrovnik! We had a very early morning, getting up about 3:45 am. We showered, finished packing, and went downstairs to find Carolann (sorry Carolann I’ve been spelling your name wrong!) already up and the kettle boiled for tea. We had a cup of tea and Carolann made us each a lunch to bring with us - cheese (and pickle for me) sandwich, a bag of chips, and a chocolate biscuit. It was so thoughtful, and we really appreciated it. Carolann drove us to the Eastbourne train station with plenty of time to get our 5:20 am train to Gatwick. We were there shortly after 5 am, hoping that the coffee shop might be open, but not surprisingly, it wasn’t open that early. It was VERY chilly this morning, and since I didn’t bring any ... read more