August 27 Last Day On Land

Our Sunny Streak is Broken

This morning we awoke to loud thunder and bolts of lightning, a bit of a deluge and flickering lights. Not what you normally want on vacation but for a slow traveler with eleven straight weeks of sunshine, it is simply an excuse to laze in bed, stretch and postpone breakfast to the unheard of late hour of 9am. Also, a reason to hope all the rain will drop and provide clear sunny skies for sailing.

Luckily by the third cup of coffee, the rain was letting up and by the time we caught up on our daily email time and news, it had stopped. Since the skies looked gray, and we needed the Post Office, we hopped the #6 bus back to Old Town. Not wanting to shop or aimlessly wander crowded streets, we took a guided walk

and got more or less a two hour history

lesson from the 10th Century through the 'Serbian Aggression' of 1991, with a bit of socialist communism thrown in after WWII.

Sticking to our touristy crap avoidance in this bustling cruise ship stop, we had only a few olives, marinated anchovies and a drink before heading back to Lapad,

where the sun was now shining and the sky blue and the swimming pool beckoning. By 5:30 the cruise ships had blown their horns and swiftly headed out of the harbor and I headed to our favorite konoba to reserve a table on the terrace by the railing and a kilogram of grilled octopus, a specialty of the house that requires two hours of cooking under the 'iron bell' over the wood fire.

Arriving at 8 sharp, starting with a small salad and a liter of red wine, the octopus arrived unctuous and savory on a large silver platter covered in tentacles, potatoes and onions and we almost finished. We forgot the camera but left room for a takeaway gelato- vanilla and pistachio- which we ate sitting on a bench at the harbor, looking at the boat lights reflecting on the waters, colors of yellow and green and blue, and anxious to start our sail tomorrow!

We expect a spotty Internet connection while sailing, so we will try to keep blogging, but perhaps we will be incommunicado until we are landlubbers again. I can feel the boat rocking already and I can't wait!

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