June 29, 2015

Rovinj and the Mediterranean 

Sun and sea. We are in the coastal town of Rovinj. The “j” is silent. replace it with an e and you have a close approximation of the pronunciation. Anyway, it is like returning to The Balboa Island of our youth. It is jam packed with tourists, vendors and shops, restaurants and tour boats. It sticks to the side of the Istrian Peninsula and you can almost see Venice across the Adriatic.
We are nearing the half way point in the trip and are taking a three night stop in these lovely surroundings. After a few adjustments, our GPS buddy found our place. There is a great sense of relief when the proprietor acknowledges that you are at the right address. Unfortunately they said that they were overbooked and there was no room in the inn for us. And just as I was recalculating where to go and find a legal place to park, she volunteered that the problem was solved. We relocated a few yards away in a neighbors studio apartment it has a balcony, kitchenette, shower and most importantly a clothesline.

   
       Our rule of travel is for me to write the blog while Peggy does the nightly laundry. Doesn’t sound fair but it works. Peggy has mastered the art of stringing up stretchy clothesline and hooks in every conceivable form of shower. When the night’s laundry doesn’t dry, it is consigned to the rear window drying rack in the car. 

There is a small supermarket up the street that has all we need. The rotisserie chicken is a great option instead of interpreting a Croation menu. Actually, almost everything is in several languages. It is just nice to sit on our balcony and eat in our normal manner without a waiter hovering.

   
       Our mission is to relax before heading towards Paris and the Scandinavian portion of the trip. Yesterday we walked to town by the marina. We managed to stick our feet in the water by climbing down to the sea by using steps preoccupied with bathers you stake out a boulder or two. Of course this right below the fortifications started by the Romans and improved by the Byzantines and Venetians. What was a small island became an isthmus in the mid-18th Century. We could easily walk around the ancient island in a half hour if it wasn’t for the thousand of so shops and stalls.

Today we are on a quest for a swimming beach with sand. We will probably be happy with pebbles. I will post this when I find  a Wifi connection. I may take a break from writing as this a vacation within a vacation.