Croatia Day 2

Chim Chim Cher-ee

As the sun rose this morning, so did I. The instant coffee pack I bought yesterday answered all of my questions about what 3 in 1 meant once I poured hot water over it – apparently it includes coffee, creamer and sugar all mixed in one. Even if I don’t typically enjoy a sweet coffee, there was something almost sublime about this cup – sipping it on the balcony while listening to the faint hum of an outboard buzzing through the harbor. I enjoyed a slow start, finishing up my blog, checking in with Jenny making sure they were going to make their early flight from Rome (turned out they had been up before even I was awake) and fhen firmed up our plans for tomorrow’s boat ride.

By 10:00, I thought I should take advantage of the few hours I had before Jenny and Noella arrived. I set out in the opposite direction I had gone the last few outings back towards the main center of Vis. Vis is a bit confusing in that the island is named Vis and the main town is also named Vis. And with that, you might be wondering how we ever selected Vis. It is not the most famous of the Croatian islands; Hvar instead is quickly rising to the top of the “It” list for European Islands. Vis was chosen because Jenny said she wanted a Mama Mia moment. I honestly still do not know what that means, I have never seen the movie, but apparently Mama Mia 2 was filmed on location in Vis, and Jenny wanted to live that experience, so here we are, on and in Vis.

I made my way walking along the crescent shaped harbor back towards where the ferry dock is, noticing it was already hot, much hotter than yesterday with little breeze. I wandered past beaches filled with families, past the partially excavated Roman baths behind locked gates, the monastery which was built on an ancient Roman amphitheater, into a small church (no candles to light), and through the cemetery. I found it so interesting that the graves here are all marked with photos of those that eternally lay below the highly adorned grave sites. This cemetery has to have one of the prettiest locations, out on the tip of a promontory facing back towards the mainland.

I returned the way I had come and waited out the ferry’s arrival with a peach iced tea in the shade. An hour or so later, the ginormous car ferry arrived and my two intrepid travelers arrived – exhausted as all get out; not surprising after having taken 4 flights and been in, now, 4 countries in 8 days, not to mention the nonstop partying along the way. All they wanted was sleep, until they saw how beautiful the water was and then a swim was first on the priority list.

I had lugged hard-bottomed water shoes for all three of us from home as the beaches here are not sandy, they are stone and the water is filled with black spiny sea urchins.

We quickly changed into our suits, walked around in front of our apartment and enjoyed a lovely swim in the crisp, crystal clear water. Apparently the waters revived them and they decided not to nap, to shop instead, have an early dinner and then call it a day – smart thinking!

I always love showing up to a restaurant only to be told that they do not have a reservation for us. Thank goodness I had their confirmation email and with that, their attitudes quickly shifted, The restaurant was in a lovely terraced garden and while the appetizers were delicious, the entrees did not impress. Our waitress was our entertainment as Jenny quickly pointed out that she was the happiest person on earth and should really get a job at one of the Disney parks. Noella quickly dubbed her “Mary Poppins” and I broke out in a rousing rendition of “Chim Chim Cher-we” changing the lyrics to fit the dire state of our meals, apparently doing such a good job that Jenny took a pause and had to verify those weren’t the actual lyrics (maybe I missed my calling too).

After dinner, the girls hit the bed and I took an evening stroll. The lights along the harbor were lovely but bed was soon calling me too…