Setting Sail in Croatia

There are times when you feel like a vacation and not the lie on the beach kind but a salt-of-the-sea adventure where you will leave with more than a great tan. So in search of such an experience I found myself and my husband of three and a half months in Croatia on a sail boat named “Stella”.

Stella lies anchored out in the harbor gently bobbing in the Adriatic Sea’s azul water surrounded by rocky islands. As I climb up on deck and look around, there are so many islands I get confused as to which land is the mainland and which are really islands. Most of the islands have long rock walls dividing every bit of land into small irregularly, shaped parcels. These islands now lie barren. They are victims of thousands of years of severe erosion exposing their stony rust colored soil to the warm September sun. Their rock walls appear to me as a memorial to the back breaking toil that the Croatian’s once did in order to cultivate these lands. Approximately 1,246 islands make up Croatia’s famed archipelago. Most of the rugged islands are small and uninhabited but they make for a sailing trip filled with the excitement of seeing what is around each drop of land.

We’re not the only ones discovering Croatia. Croatia’s tourism boom is a major economic driver. Fueled by European budget airlines; the lure of the walled cities and pebble beaches are drawing Europeans to the former Yugoslavia. Yes Yugoslavia is dissolved, the war is over and Croatia is doing all it can to reclaim its status as a top European destination.

Paul and I sailed off from the island of Murter with three other students and a Skipper/Instructor onboard. All of our sail mates are residents of the United Kingdom. When I first saw Stella, I wondered how we could all possibly stay on such a tiny boat. Yet she was quite deceiving as there are three cabins and the skipper sleeps in the salon. It is not roomy but it is adequate, much like a camper on the water. Life on the water in a small sailboat has its quirks like learning to sleep in our triangle shaped bed in the bow and the detailed operation of the hand-pump operated toilet. It’s really a lot of great fun and the small space and the shared breakfast and lunch facilitates communication with your sail-mates. We all come from very different backgrounds. Paul and I are the youngest onboard. In the two weeks that we sail, we sail with a: doctor, financial analyst, social worker, businessman, journalist and a realtor. We all have very limited sailing experience—our previous experience consists of a few hours aboard a sailboat in a sheltered harbor.

Growing up in the Midwest I have always had a fascination with the unknown sea and travel. So learning to sail was an exciting endeavor. I had done quite a bit of research and finally settled on a sailing school based out of Betina harbor on the island of Murter. Their goal is to teach you to sail or al least provide an opportunity and environment in which to do so. You can do as much or as little as you want in the pursuit of this goal. We set out to do it all. We sailed with a flotilla of seven to fifteen sailboats. Each morning we have briefing for the entire flotilla and discuss where we would go that evening, possible dangers along the way and ideal bays for lunch. Then each boat sets out, setting its individual route to the evening’s destination. We chart out our desired route. Each sailor takes turns navigating through the various duties. Jib, jibe, leech, luff, stanchion, tack, leeward, cleat…I silently practice my new vocabulary as my eyes wander around the boat.

The seas calm surface has been broken by the wind, the prospects for the days sailing seemed more promising after a couple of days of almost dead calm. The wind gradually gets stronger as we motor out of the harbor. I pull the sail up and the wind fills it making it snap--satisfied and full. As we trim the sails the boat finds the zone and goes slightly on edge and gradually speeds up to 5 knots—this is the fastest that we have went in days. Everyone brims with energy now that Croatia’s famed winds have made their appearance. The winds are known personally by the locals and named: Tramontana, Bura, Lavant, Ostro, Jugo, Pulenot, Lebic and Maestral due to their ferocity, direction and character. We let out the sails more than necessary just to set the boat at such an angle the rails now and then touch the water. Soon though we trim the sails are to more efficiently sail in the strong breeze. The Skipper calls out and the replies sound, “Ready about…Ready…Helm to lee…Lee ho”. We tack about, my arms begin to ache as we tack our way up the narrow channel against the wind.

Around 1:00 PM each day we sail in to a nice bay and anchor. Eating a sandwich, Greek salad and fresh fruit for lunch I eye the water and the coastline. Finished with my lunch I determine my destination and jump in but soon return to the boat for my snorkel. Snorkeling—I love it. Even though the crystal blue waters off Croatia’s coast are quite lifeless just seeing the rocky bottom and the sea cucumbers entertains me as I paddle around. Tired I crawl back aboard the boat and lie on the sun-warmed deck reading and drying off until about 3 pm when we sail off for our evening anchoring spot.

For the last week we sail into numerous harbors some populated with fleets of sailboats, luxury yachts and fishing boats. These offer amenities such as hot showers, groceries and fresh water. Other nights we spend at desolate peaceful ports. Some of these harbors have no dock. We paddle to the shore in little inflatable boats by twos and threes.

Most of the flotillas party gathers each night for dinner and drinks. The calamari here is incredible and I am tempted to order it each time I go out. Some nights we choose to set off on our own and explore the places we have made our home for the evening. We wander the narrow streets and walkways in the old villages along the coast. Then we return to the boat and make a dinner of pasta and enjoy a local wine. The restaurants here are expensive--around $45 for a basic (no drinks or fish) meal for two. We had not expected eating out to be so much but eating in is a fun option.

As we sailed back into the Betina marina on the island of Murter after two weeks of sailing, I look out over the boat in a familiar manner. We are no longer strangers. I am confident and in control of the boat both under motor and sail. Masterfully tying knots and talking the lingo; I am able at the helm or as a crew member. Stella and I have spent fourteen days together sailing Croatia’s coast. Paul and I pack our bags and leave Stella placing certificates stating that we are now Flotilla Skippers in our backpacks. I am tan, my arms are sore, I understand basic sailing and I feel as though I can say I have experienced Croatia’s northern coast.

Ferrying

A ferry from Greece to Italy and from Italy to Croatia. Two nights on the floor being rocked to sleep by the ship. The 1st ferry was like a poor man's cruise as Paul likes to call it.

We played a lot of cards--in all its a fun way to travel. I like the freedom to walk wander. We watched the ferries in Greece unload for over an hour. There are all kinds of semi's onboard some even had loads of Holstien cows. It was really interesting to watch the crazy proecession of semi's, RV's, car and people all leaving the ship at the same time and trying to get on the same road with cross traffic.

Onboard there were shops, a few restuarants, a bar, disco and a tiny pool for kids. People were sleeping all over--under the stairs, in little halls and like us under the chairs in the airline chair section. (I still don't understand why they call it the airline chair section.) People had changed the luggage racks into 3 tier bunks. Paul and I had left our luggage there and returned to find the other half of the rack being occupied by a little boy and his sleeping bag. He was cute and I called him our little stowaway. The little stowaway turned out to be a bedwetter we discovered the next morning--luckily he didn't get the bags.

Wind Surfing in Finikounda

We rented a car in Greece and spent a few days driving around in small hilly villages with roads big enough for one car but in actuality a two way road. It was fun.

We stayed in Finikounda in a house with a balcony that overlooked the beach and a kitchen--it was great to eat dinner as we watched the sunset.

We decided to try a new sport and so took windsurfing lessons for a few days. It was quite challenging to just get up but by the second day we had gained confidence and were actually moving--then the third day came and along with it wind and big waves. The third day was harder than the first Paul and I were bruised and sore but really enjoyed learning--we need more practice though to fully get it!

We took a boat tour of a nearby bay and saw the war memorials from Greece's War of Independence. There were sunken Turkish ships on the bottom just discernible from the water above--around 500 Turkish ships were sunk in one battle here with the Russians, English and French.

Search and Rescue

We were enjoying the local swimming hole along the rocky coast of the island when it happened.

At the swimming hole there is a high rock which you can jump off of into the deep clear water. Paul was reaching for the rock to climb back up and he felt his ring slip off into the water.

It was impossible to see anything in the deep water. There was a local man who lent Paul his snorkel so that he could go and look in the 3 meter deep water for the ring. Paul dove and searched and dove and searched to no avail. The man went and helped Paul look but the ring was not to be found on the rocky ocean bottom.

Paul was determined to not give up and so the next day we bought a snorkel and fins and returned to the swimming spot to renew our search. Paul successfully completed the mission on his first pass of the search pattern he had marked out by dropping small stones to to simulate the projected decent of the ring from the suspected point it left his hand.

PHOTO--Paul's victorious return to shore with the ring!

Monemvasia

Monemvasia is a big rock island which been a fortress since around 600 AD. There is only one entrance to the town and that is through an L-shaped gate. As you walk through the gate it is easy to lose 1,000 years. The stone streets with steps up the hills are narrow and do not allow for any type of motor vehicle--thus it's by foot only.

We stayed on the island in the original lower town where the shops where located and where the lower class lived. As everywhere in Greece there were many cats (cute, small, fat, thin, ugly, wild, mangy and tattered)--the first night we had dinner there, there were 10 cats all spread out sunning themselves on the roof below. Some of them would jump up and stand on the railing in front of us and meow for food--the more persistent actually jumped onto the chairs next to us and had to be shooed away.

We hiked to the top of the island--the entire thing is covered with ruins and cisterns. The opposite side of the island has 200+ foot sheer cliffs that drop straight into the ocean and were easily defendable.

Paul found the greatest gyros restaurant in Greece and proceeded to eat there at least once and sometimes twice a day. He is still searching Greece for a place to compare. We have discovered that the Greeks really love fries--they serve them with every meal and we mean every meal--Paul is not complaining about this!

One day we rented a scooter and drove around to some of the area beaches. On our last day there we watched the sun come up over the island as we waited for the bus.

Athens

So we headed south to Athens via Thesslonika. We stopped there to change trains and walked down to the Aegean Sea--we are so excited to get to the water.

We spent a lot of time walking the city exploring. One morning we went to the National archeological museum and saw hundreds of statues and could see the evolution of the Classic Style. We spent an afternoon at the Acropolis reading about each of the temples and theaters and then went to the hill below the Acropolis where Paul delivered his: Sermon to the Unknown God. We read the sermon as we looked over the city. It is a place full of life and intriguing history around seemingly every other corner. They discovered a lot of ancient ruins as they built the new subway for the 2004 Olympics--one of the subway stops had displays of the finds.

The weather is hot--we have taken to trying to get up earlier and then coming back in the afternoon for a nap before heading out again. This works well as the people here are out in the streets until well past midnight. The nights are beautiful--you can see the Acropolis lit up all across the city. We can even see it from the balcony of our room. On our last evening there we went to an outdoor theater--a popular summer activity in Athens. We saw The Pirates of the Caribbean II with Greek subtitles.

Next we are off to the Peloponnesus peninsula for some beach time.

PORK

We have discovered that Pork is the King of meats here in Europe. You can have any type of meat that you want as long as its: bacon, sausage, ham, trotters or any other thing made from a pig. We are a little concerned about this due to the fact that we have seen Pork as the main menu item for the past few months and often is the only choice in the grocery deli section--yet we have yet to see a pig farm. In the Czech Republic we did eat wild boar and we heard legends of the wild boars inhabiting the area near the camp in Romania. Yet still we are searching for the elusive source of the pork.

Belgrade, Serbia

We left Romania with the intention of heading for the shores of Croatia. Our plans changed as the trip we wanted to do in Croatia was not available until the 16th--but at a discount. So we spent a few days exploring Belgrade--it was nice to walk around after the train ride that was supposed to last 13 hours ended up lasting 18+ hours. We still aren't really sure why.

In Belgrade we learned that you are either a smoker, a future smoker, or a passive smoker. So smoke 'em if ya got 'em. No we didn't take up smoking but indulged in a few days of passive smoking.

We went to the fortress on the banks of the Sava and Danube. It has been attacked through the centuries about 140+ times and ravaged about 40 times--due to it being on the edge of the Byzantine/Roman Empire and the Ottoman/Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Even so the city has style, classic buildings and the most fashion conscious population we have noticed in Europe.

The day we left we went through the downtown area that formerly housed the Serbian Defense department. This was bombed by NATO in 1999. The bombed out shells of the buildings are still there.

Blog Changes

I have changed a few things on the blog so that you can comment with out signing in and that the posts can be emailed.

Love reading your comments!

Camp Round 2 -- The Little Ones

We headed back to the countryside for the second camp with orphanage girls aged 8-11.

Riding up the the camp in "Ole Blue" the Dacia Truck that the missionaries have is a journey. The truck was damaged recently in recent accidents and leaks water and overheats--thus "Ole Blue" often needs to left of some steam particularly in the city. We were only involved in two slight car accidents while we were there but saw lots of them. So "Ole Blue" needs to have the heater going to keep the geyser from going off--when it is around 38 Celsius outside already with the additional heat in the truck you stay toasty warm :)

When we got to the last town before camp, the bridge had not been fixed and it appears that there is no plan for it to be fixed anytime soon. But the riverbed is now dry and you just drive through the riverbed.

The girls were so excited to go to camp--they did not even sleep the night before and were awaiting the van in the morning with all of their bags packed. Some of them are so tiny they appear to be about 4 instead of 8 or 9 years old. The missionaries said that this is very common.

The younger girls took a lot more time and attention by all the staff to keep them occupied and happy. They loved playing in the creek, catching frogs, going on hikes, picking flowers and with all this they worked up huge appetites. Paul and I were amazed that they could eat so much. Cooking for all of them kept us busy.

The last day of the camp the girls were very upset. They did not want to go back and they definitely told us this in the tears and crying as we left camp and then again as we arrived at the orphanage.

We so enjoyed getting to know the missionaries. We had a lot of fun it was like we had known them for a long time and were visiting friends. Scott and Cami are headed to the US to visit churches and individuals interested in supporting their mission this fall so if you or your church is interested in information or supporting children's ministries in Romania--let us know and we can put you in contact with them.

Camp

Ten of the older girls (ages 11-18) from the orphanage arrived as the first campers at the camp. The tents and pavilions were up and ready. Two of the Mather's girls had come and helped us complete everything in time.

It's so interesting to be out there working in the country--wagon after wagon would pass by filled with grass all cut with a scythe. Paul and Steve at one time had a crowd of seven local Romanians gathered around to watch them as they used the weed whacker to make paths through camp. They were puzzled by they use of such a device--one man brought over his scythe and helped clear an area to put up the staff tents.

Paul and I just helped with whatever needed assistance during the camp. There is lots of water to be gotten for 23 people and cooking over a fire for that many takes time. Noemi DeWeerd is amazing at cooking for so many with none of the modern conveniences such as refrigeration--you can not even find coolers over 2 gallons here in Romania.

The girls were so excited to be at the camp. The camp had bought a swimsuit for each of them and most of them just wore their swimsuit for most of the camp. They had devotions each morning followed by activities and then crafts each afternoon. Every evening we had a campfire with the main speaker and of course music--headed up by our newest Brazilian friend Matteos.

The girls are like any teen girls but after awhile you notice that things like being kind are generally afterthoughts--they have grown up fighting for what they have and with little to no security in the knowledge of knowing that somebody cares for them. At times this makes it difficult to work with them.

The evening of the last campfire--each of the girls took a stick and made a prayer request and then threw the stick into the flames. Some of them shared their request before we all prayed for them. The requests made me cry-- "I wish that I had a family", "I hope that I will get adopted", "I want to find a home to live before I must leave the orphanage", "I want to have Mrs. Mather as my mom"...The girls were all so serious about this and sharing the one thing that they wanted most--love and a feeling of belonging. Later as Paul and I talked we were increasingly aware of how blessed we are to have such an incredible family.

The day before we left the torrential rains had started as the campfire had ended. The downpour continued throughout the entire evening and into the next day. The river rose and was impassable--thus we remained at camp, altered the menu as there were not going to be any trips into town and attempted to dry out the wet bedding and clothes and keep the girls entertained.

We noticed that the traffic on the road passing camp had almost ceased. The river went down the following day and the truck went to meet the van that had been hired to take the girls back. The truck got stuck in the second water crossing as the flood had shifted the road and had to be pulled out by horses. Then they returned back to the camp with the local police to start shuttling the girls to the van. Paul rode in the back of the truck while I rode in the front on the Romanian police car--with a siren happy police man. We made it to the van and got all the girls loaded and headed into town where the van driver had gotten stuck trying to get to camp as a bridge had been washed out. We could see washouts on the roads going into town--then we got to the bridge. It was completely destroyed and the van got stuck trying to get around it on the detour. The van had to be towed out and high centered and damaged some of the center body panels. Thus we had to go to the police station and wait for over an hour as the paperwork was filled out so that the van could be fixed. Then we were off to Bucharest and arrived last night.

Next week we are off to camp again for a camp with the younger girls!

Getting Ready for Camp in Romania

Paul and I are here in Bucharest helping an organization called Stepping Forward--check out their website at www.steppingforward.ro

We spent some time touring the city as final preparations for Stepping Forward's inaugural camp were being made. We visited Peles Palace which was made as a summer home for King Carol--it is located in Sinaia. The castle is filled with exquisite woodwork. We enjoyed a picnic on the mountain top with the DeWeerd's and Mathers (the missionaries--read all about their incredible mission at their website listed above) and a team from Hershey, PA.

The following day we went to the orphanage for school age girls (around 50 girls at this orphanage). The girls were waiting for us with loads of almost overwhelming enthusiasm. They are so excited on the days that Stepping Forward comes to visit. The girls crave personal attention and contact--they are used to having to stand up for themselves. The Mather's and DeWeerd's are probaly some the only adults that can serve as friends more than as authority figures to the girls. The Hershey Team had brought pillows for each of the girls. The girls were so excited about that. We celebrated the birthdays for the month and gave out birthday gifts and served snacks.

We spent the afternoon at The People's Palace--the communist dictator Ceausescu leveled nearly 1/6 of the city and made homeless 70,000 people to make the 2nd largest building in the world. There is a great description of this masterpiece or aberration--depending how you look at it at: http://home.xnet.com/~jkelley/BucharestBugle.fldr/BuchBugle19-20.html .

Then it was off to camp. Paul and I went a few days early with Steve and his friend Steve to help build some platforms to set tents on and get the camp ready for the campers. Living Waters Camp is located over 3 hours north of Bucharest. As we drove their the proportions of horses and carts to cars continued to increase. When we reached the village it is near, the horses and carts outnumbered the cars.

The camp is primitive--but beautiful, located in the heart of the Romanian countryside. We had to drive through the river twice to reach the camp. There is no running water but an artesian spring is located about 1/2 mile away and provides great water. They have a generator that they use for operating the electric power tools. The one building on the site is the "Shout" house--a combination of outhouse and place to hang the camp shower. We cooked meals on the campfire and got ready to make this camp ready to welcome its first campers!

Bucaresti

Via a 15 hour night train we arrived in Bucharest. The city at first is drab and grey--filled with communist bloc buildings. Yet there are signs of better days ahead springing out here and there.

Today Paul and I visited the baby orphanage.....

Hiking in Innsbruck

Following the wedding it was off to the hills with some of our friends from Alaska and Jeff and Connie--the newlyweds.

We hiked in the Alps for a few days. We saw so many animals--goats, sheep, cattle. The little huts in the hills where you can get a bed and some great Austrian food often had heards of cattle, sheep or goats. You could hear the sound of the bells on the animals through out the mountains echoing through the valleys--it sounded as if some one was playing with bells. At first I did not believe that cattle could make so much noise with cow bells. The bells ring even as they sit there and chew their cud. The mountains were so beautiful.

Paul and I greatly enjoyed the dumplings and local beauty!

Austria

We said goodbye to our Slovenian Grandma that we had been staying with for a few days in her rental room. Grandma had told us so many things each day--all in Slovenian--but the time had come to leave for Austria.

So we were off we boarded the train and left for Innsbruck. Our friends were getting married near Connie's hometown of Thaur. So exciting to be going to a foreign wedding as niether of us had attended a wedding outside of the States. And so began the wedding weekend. I think that all Austrians must take classes in hospitality as all the guests raved about their host and Connie's family was so incredibly gracious.

Paul joined the guys for Jeff bachelor BBQ party up at a hut in the mountains while I hung out with the girls and sampled the local Schnapps made by a friend of the family. The next evening we all got together for the BBQ at Connie's parents--so much fun to see all the people from Alaska who were there for the wedding. Suddenly local folk dancers entered the backyard and began to do traditional Austrian dances they were dancing wíth hatchets and chopping this log--sort of a lumberjack tribute then came the salt miners tribute dance. Soon they had dragged Jeff into the circle and had him attemting to dance as well. It was such the experience.

The wedding took place in a beautiful location. A tiny chapel on a hill overlooking the mountains. The view--all around was mountains and we looked down at the valley. Then off to the reception and a incredible four course Austrian feast. The evening was filled with songs, skits, schnapps, singing and of course lots of dancing!