The anticipation mounts

Maggie here, I have been mercilessly bullied into contibuting to the blog, having dodged it so far.
It's been a bit of a culture shift from tramping the hills of Scotland to basking in Croatian sunshine!


It's lovely returning to the boat and I've enjoyed fiddling around with preparations, but the fragrant wind.. (oleander rosemary and lavender) and sunshine are constantly teasing us to get out there and on with our sail. We're nearly there. and hope to get off later today or tomorrow.
The boatyard seems to be in a frenzy of activity getting the charter fleets ready for the hordes that are expected in the next few weeks. Boats are being lifted out encrusted with barnacles and jet washed into pristine order, ready for the sanding and antifouling. Sails are being hoisted and decks scrubbed. It's all very efficient. The young men seem to enjoy the work.. (there is also pleasure in watching them.. this comment for Morna's benefit) The Croatian talk amongst them sounds pretty angry and loud, until they all peal into laughter and throw things at each other .
I thought I'd try to learn a few words in Croatian. The phrase book says "pronounciation is quite straightforward for English speakers as many of the sounds are similar to English sounds " ....Oh yeah???
They snigger at my attempt at hello ... "Bog" and thankyou " Hvala vam" . Apparently pronounciation is not enough .. the stress and pitch changes meaning . I think I am defeated .
One last trip to the shops.. you can never have too many toilet rolls,shackles or beer . The nearest supermarket is conveniently Lidl. Not very exotic but perfect for our needs at the moment. It is interesting to see that it is stocked in a completely  different way from home. Lots of kefir and local cheese. Also doing a good line in swimsuits....
Locals are very tolerant, kind and helpful as we peer at the labels and ask stupid questions. However one thing I've noticed is that people don't interact spontaneously much. For instance standing aside to let someone past in the street doesn't result in an acknowledgment or even eye contact. There is obviously a different social code that we need to understand better.
We spent an evening doing the Riva stroll and enjoying the holiday buzz.

It's a beautiful place and I have a pang about leaving it for pastures new... But who knows what adventures await us in the next stop 

Comments

  1. lizzie11 May 2018 at 19:38

    Sounds lovely! Enjoy your sailing! Bon voyage! X

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morna11 May 2018 at 23:41

    Well, Mags, i think you are referring to a diet Coke moment in Sos del Rey, Which all the ladies enjoyed. I'm expecting some pics of the young men in the boatyard.

    ReplyDelete

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