July, 2005

I just thought I'd share a couple stories and pix of our trip to Croatia. It's a very beautiful place, everything it's said to be. It's hard to believe that there recently was so much bombing and mass murders in such a paradise. Thanks to all the beauty, the tourists have come back (in droves) and the economy is picking up nicely. We flew into Dubrovnik which is just at the southern tip. A stunning city with everything a tourists needs to relax. The architecture dates back to the 1400's with marble streets and white stone buildings. We stayed in the historic old town where there are no cars or traffic. Just lots of tourists. All the streets were dotted with little cafes and icecream parlors. And just outside are the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic. So if the sight seeing got too much, you could always cool down with a quick dip. We enjoyed a couple good days in Dubrovnik before catching a ferry to Korcula which was a relaxing 3 hour trip along the coast. The Korcula old town is a miniature version of what we just saw in Dubrovnik, just fewer tourists. We spent a couple hours in the town admiring the big yachts, wonder who owns such grand gin palaces. Then we caught a bus across the island to a village called Vera Luka where we planned a couple days scuba diving. The Adriatic is s'pose to be the clearest waters in the world, which makes for excellent scuba diving. The visability is amazing. We saw some ship wrecks and a variety of fish and caves. Colin finished his master diver course, so he did some deep dives where they tested his mental abilities at 100ft below. As well as some other dives testing his navigation skills and ability to dive in harsh waters. I just finished my scuba course so I can dive at deeper depths. Now we're really ready for some serious diving! After a couple days diving, it was already time to make our way back to Dubrovnik. This time we caught the ferry in the evening…the sunset cruise. It was wonderful. I never wanted it to end. We spent one more night in the old town, followed by a day of icecream, swiming, and good pizza. Then it was time to fly back. The failed bombings in London happened while waiting for our plane yesterday. It didn't effect our flights at all, but back in London it was another story. All the trains were either cancelled or delayed, making it a bit of a challenge to get home. But we eventually made it. Croatia is an excellent discovery we hope to enjoy again soon one day. It gave us a fix for our lack of sunshine, plenty of great swimming and diving, and enough yummy icecream to last a life time…. Enjoy the pix: http://gallery.trematon.com/Croatia