Malta to Rome

Sibenik Pig Farm Lunch National Park Hike

Sibenik Sights

Heading out for Sibenik Pix 2 is the empty cruise ship next to us in port Sibenik Harbor Views

Anne ventured out for a walking tour of the town and a tour of a pig farm where she was served a lunch which featured prosciutto! I took a solo walking tour in the afternoon. Some interesting sights, including a church built in a combination of Gothic and Renaissance styles. It was another lovely day which included an 80-minute massage for me. We left at 4:30 bound for Mgarr (Victoria), Gozo - a Maltese island - our last destination. We are spending another night at sea.

Vibrant Curiosity  The large circle has the solar-powered colored lights. Waterfront Walk  Roman Church and Croatian Claim to Fame

Zadar has a very family and tourist friendly waterfront park. It features a set of acoustic tubes embedded beneath large marble steps which “sing the song of the city with every lashing wave and burst of wind.” It also features a large circle of solar-powered lights which light up at night (see photos). Anne went on a long hike in the Paklenica National Park, a place of steep rocky mountains. We were there on a Sunday, and the waterfront walk was busy with families and couples of all ages just enjoying the space.  A very large megayacht was tied up on the park wall. It is called Vibrant Curiosity and is owned by German entrepreneur Reinhold Wurth. See Wikipedia. There were also some Roman ruins.

First Tea Time Split Tour  Split Dock Second Dock photo is a mystery - a large abandoned something right by the water.

Split is a transportation hub for the Dalmatian Coast with ferries coming and going constantly. It is also a stopping place for megayachts - we were told that Michael Jordon and Harrison Ford had been recent visitors. And cruise ships. Our ship is at half capacity (480) and is only four month’s old. She is number 7 in a planned fleet of 10 - everything is so wonderfully new! For the past four days we have been arriving in the new port in the morning and leaving in the evening, which allows for some spectacular views of the coast and the harbors. Hard as it may be to believe, I am finding all the pampering (twice daily room cleaning for example), the free laundry, and the ubiquitous luxury a little overwhelming.  Yesterday we started our day in Split with a tour of the Diocletian Palace in downtown in the pouring rain - fun fact: the large Viking umbrellas would not fit through the narrow streets (we had raincoats with hoods). This place is basically a Roman ruin from 305 AD with mo...

Heading into Dock At Dock Old City Door Leaving Dubrovnik for Split

Anne took an early morning boat tour of the harbor and visited the old town. I went to the gym, ate a good -sized breakfast and hung out. Anne ate a quick boxed lunch after returning from her morning adventure, and set out for an afternoon tour of some gardens. I ate a late lunch, napped, read, and blogged. I was just not up for an expedition and enjoyed a very lazy day. Based on her accounts, the boat ride around the amazingly busy harbor was the highlight. As my photos will show, Dbrovnick is a very popular port and for good reasons. It is surrounded by islands and very friendly to mega yachts and cruise ships (though not as robust as Split where we were today.) We ate again at the Chef’s Table, and this time the theme was “La Route Des Indes.” The focus was on spices like star anise and coriander, though the preparations were oddly overdone (first course of carrot and cardamom cream with orange and star anise foam). Chef over reaching! There was an excellent Pinot Noir from Germany ...

 At sea: Entering Kotor Harbor On the Road