Fleeting moments

A regatta escorted us back to Trogir where we said goodbyes. I gifted my Modric jersey to Zlatco, our ship's waiter, who always shouted with glee when I wore it. In Trogir we paid tribute to the 3rd century BC marble relief of the Greek god Kairos, the god of opportunity and fleeting moments. This god is always in a hurry symbolizing moments flying by. Every Trogir household (including our hotel room) has a replica and, upon approaching it, you must touch his forelock of hair because once you have gone past him you can never get that moment back, no matter how much you long for it. Though fleeting, we're glad we grasped this moment in Croatia with family and new friends. Thanks for reading along!

Riders in the storm

We awoke to rain on our last day of riding on our last island, Šolta. The original Greek name for Šolta meant unripe fig. We buzzed up the wet mountain road to visit a local beekeeper who climbed on his roof with a sprig of lavender in his teeth and picked us some figs to prove that figs do ripen here, even in the rain. His passionate and entertaining droning would make a great Ted Talk. His "bee sex party" twerking might not pass the censors. In this country it isn't hard to find a coffee shop to get out of the rain, so we swarmed into one. No reason to ride down to the boat until lunch was ready!

Bittersweet

Our itinerary included a ride in Omis, a town on the mainland coast. During our time on Brac we marveled at the gorge that opened to the sea and visible across the water from us. So when we learned that the Omis port was closed for 3 years because of a gigantic bridge project in progress, we considered a mutiny. (Then we remembered how good a cook we have.) The captain took us to Split instead for a ride to the summit of the Marjan peninsula and a loop around. Of course this presented us with another opportunity to visit Gelateria Emiliana. We gave our new friends, Katie, Yves, Lori, and Steve, the scoop about the place, how they fill the cones with a stream of melted chocolate before the gelato goes on top. iCones firmly in hand, we headed down the stone path and around a corner to enjoy them. As we licked our lips and bemoaned the nearing end of our trip, Katie & I slunk away when the others weren't looking and got back in line for our second-dairy scoop. We ducked down in the crowded line to hide from our pals. Before we got to the counter, the others busted us, shamed us…then joined us. A bittersweet day. (Note to Kathy: Katie is a lot like you, a partner in troublemaking!)

Olive-ly day

We returned to the island of Brac for a ride from Pucisca to Postira through hillsides covered with olive orchards. Apparently there are over 1 million olive trees on this island alone. The trees, some of them hundreds of years old, are pruned so that the olives can be picked by hand. Our friend at our Brac apartment said that the healthiest and most productive trees allow space for the birds to fly through. We stopped for a bocce break at the top of the ridge, played some Rolling Stones, then rode into Postira, which was a little like a homecoming for us since we had morning walks and evening dinners here during our stay with our German family. We knew exactly where to go for an afternoon swim.

Croatian Riviera

A "monument to tourists" greeted us on the Markaska riva (promenade). Arlo renamed it the monument to sexual harassment. We couldn't "bare" it ourselves so we high-tailed it to a gelato stand where we won the gelato-ry with a scrumptious scoop of fig gelato, only the second in weeks of searching. A real cream come true. Fat and happy, we skipped to the other side of the point to watch water polo practice in the sea. The Biokovo Mountains protect the coastline here from the cold weather inland (what Croatians call hinterland) and create a colorful backdrop at sunset.

Korcula island

From Vela Luka we rode past wild fig trees and created a biking challenge: Arlo would pick a fig as he rode past, toss it over his head, and I'd try to catch it in my mouth as I zoomed up behind him. Success was a fig-ment of our imagination. Maybe first we should date…A swim and snorkel at a gorgeous beach in Prigradica, within steps of the boat, cooled us after a hot ride. While enjoying warm apple strudel for lunch, we sailed toward Markaska, known as the Croatian riviera.

The mosaics of Vela Luka

From Hvar town on Hvar island (must get confusing) we motored to Vela Luka on Korcula island for the night. In 1968 the town invited artists from around the world to contribute mosaics and now a delightful path of street art wends past cafes and storefronts. There's even a pickleball one! (Art is open to interpretation.)

Steep climbs and steep fines

The Romantica motored away leaving us to climb to the spine of the island to get to the next port (and lunch) in the town of Hvar. I'm not sure why a llama greeted me in the restroom at the cafe at the summit unless it was a reference to our Machu Picchu steep climb. As we rolled into town, a sign "briefed" us about the steep fines for wearing underwear.

Four stars for Stari Grad

The port of Stari Grad charmed us with its twisting alleys and quieter ambiance. On a walk through town we learned that the wider stones down the middle show you the way to the sea. One smaller path led us to a tiny shop full of local fig products. I found fig pralines and fig schnapps. On a visit to the fortified villa of the poet Hektorović, right in the middle of town, we saw the fish pond he built within his estate so he could always get fresh fish from the sea — a tunnel connects it. He inscribed his philosophy of life in Latin phrases around the villa including this one: "Alas, the days flow like waves and do not return."

Local hero

After seeing all the colorful bike jerseys, I regretted not bringing one for safety on the roads. I stopped at a local souvenir stand and found a Croatian soccer jersey figuring the local drivers would cut me some slack. The back had the name Modric who is a superhero here. As soon as I put on the jersey, the crew and locals all shouted Modric and cheered. One crew member told me I might get kisses and hugs as well. Apparently Modric shot the winning goal against Germany one year. I hope there are no German drivers on the road…

Hvar island

Before breakfast ended, we arrived at Stari Grad port on the island of Hvar. Excitedly we adjusted our bikes for our first ride, a loop through the hill towns and fields of lavender and olives. Stone walls, all built by hand and some done by Greeks 2500 years ago, provide terraces for holding in the soil on the steep hillsides and protecting the crops from wind. The lavender had already been harvested this year but we could smell the lavender products sold in enterprising purple roadside stands. One clever seller at the top of the mountain even offered us lavender bike jerseys.

Welcome aboard the Romantica

Six Aussies, four Austrians, six Americans, a Brit, and a Finn walk onto a boat…there's a joke in there somewhere. I'll think of it schooner or later. Our enthusiastic international group and Croatian crew enjoyed a welcome dinner of octopus salad, tuna steak, and blackberry panna cotta after we sailed to our first port of Milna on the west side of Brac island. Based on the first spread, we don't plan to miss a single meal. It's a good strategy of the crew to get us back to the ship on time!