Wrap up

The above photograph I should title "the happiest man in the world today". I took it of our unknown neighbor on our last evening  in Lech. It was really warm and you could see the bliss surrounding him: a man with no shirt, no wife, one beer and a book. 

Sad to leave especially after our send off picnic (the one where the mountains play.) Gerold had to do it solo (Katia was away) and yet it was perfection. He even had music..some sort of Woody Guthrie type thing by the fire. 

Typical dream guest list too: two prominent artists (including Axel Huette) and some English dog supply Titans. The boys jumped in the swimming hole and I took a photo; but my phone was dirty and it turned out badly.  Never one to be defeated, I went over to the artists and asked (demanded) if they would help me edit.

Too funny- and thrilling to watch: they went into a very serious mode looking at my dirty iPhone picture- Like this was going on the cover of national geographic.

Both immediately rejected any idea of a filter (not out of principle, just didn't like it) and then told me to crop Thomas out.. See below for result.

English dog people started this company together and are the undisputed kings of dog supplies... So I was free to drone on about Albert in a way I have never done about Frederick. Puppy pictures, bragging about his speed, the works.

iPhone editors above; Gerold building us a chair, below. 

Speaking of bliss we somehow got upgraded to first class in BA and we appear to have our own condo on board. I might not get off. 

London was fine, but the gulf Arabs have moved in so we were quickly relegated to status of nobodies. One tot - a 25 year old citizen of Quatar,  brought with him 8 cars: various flavors of Ferrari, and one Bugatti Veyron- one of only three in the world with a list price of 2.7 million dollars. Five of these beauties were parked in front of the hotel, and people stood all day looking at them as if the cars were celebrities. It's hard to imagine the cost or need of flying 8 cars to London for your holiday, but it served as a great way to feel good about ones own shopping habits. 

F and I went along to the usual contemporary art parade with Thomas- and later I tried on $9,000 pants at Harrods (I figured my Quatari friend would expect nothing less.. Alas I will not be wearing them at the b day).

(F taking it all in..) 

This morning I woke really early and headed to the gym where I met my fellow Americans..(USA is number one at hotel gym attendence) But before I did, I ordered a coffee by the tiny hotel roof pool; and someone asked me if I would care to have the roof pulled back. Why yes I said, yes I would...! And then I was presented with near perfection: a dawn coffee, sipped alone under a blue sky. 

So summer 2016 is now officially closed; PEA drop off looms. Reality must be swallowed; but God willing, not for long 💃

Ellie out. Xx 

Lech Sunshine

 

The sun has come out-resulting in a blazing 78 degrees here in Oberlech. I'll explain in the morning why Margaret and I are on our rear ends on a hill that does not seem steep; and why Thomas is behind me on a hike. Mysteries all. 

Happy Birthday HF!!

So we had 24 hours of food and sun and then more food and then insanely good red wine; and ended with rather weepy toasts. Thomas and F were asking if we blubbered this much at her 49th, because really all that happened was she got one day older.  Point well taken. 

Although we weren't the whole squad- we four did a reasonable job of holding her hand on her 18,262 day on earth;

while simultaneously mooching off her hospitality.

That's just what we do.  

Typical of her to edit herself out (below).

Split

 

We had a tour of Split that was the highlight of the trip: toured an early Christian graveyard and a Roman palace that is still in use. Honestly it was one of the cooler things I've ever seen. Emperor Diocletian  - the only Roman emperor to retire and not get murderd- built this enormous thing on the water for his retirement years. After he died, the masses kind of moved in and never left.

So today it has people living within its walls; as well as stores and restaurants. Much of the Roman part was torn down to put up Middle Ages era housing, so you have contemporary with Middle Ages with Roman.

You got to see it to believe it.

Then in the evening we took a sail in a setting sun and a mother dolphin and two babies frolicked next to the boat. I was in the stern shooting the breeze with the crew (I troll as you know for ship sinking stories..) and the captain pointed this out. I was so unwilling to break the spell that I didn't yell out to F who was playing chess nearby. He is, understandably, kind of mad about this. Dolphins are a big deal.

It never ceases to amaze me how being on water makes you forget any land related troubles you have: so re entry is always hard... But am presently in the Tuscan countryside in the most beautiful house I have ever seen here (heather rented it for her birthday); so survive we shall. Pictures soon.

Xx

Leo on the boom

Medieval house built on Roman ruins with today's laundry. 

Marco Polo

Sorry, got distracted there... Below some photos. Two more days only 😢

Rosie on the tender above. 

F doing Math at sea 

Dubrovnik above and below

Korcula (supposedly where Marco Polo was born) above. An example of a week without using a brush.

Bora Bora

I apologize for the quickly written entry last night; but I needed to get the (albeit mediocre) photos up before sleep. 

So we experienced the Bora- a north/northeasterly wind common in the Adriatic. As long term bloggies recall, the below Beaufort scale categorizes storms.  One knot is equal to 1.15 miles per hour. 

Based on the above, we found ourselves in a "fresh gale" with occasional "whole gale" gusts. The sails came down pretty quickly- and you may ask why? Well I figure it is a combination of having charterers in their 80s who need to stay in one piece at least until the bar bill is paid; combined with a man sailing someone else's 15 million euro boat. Something like that.

As many of you know, I have taught my child to feel as I do about stormy weather. Thunder and lightening; wild winds; huge seas- these are ecstasy when you are warm and protected.

 If you cant hear the dragon scream every once in while, how will you ever learn you are safe from it?

So each of us celebrated in his own way: Thomas taking up position at the stern; F battening down the hatches (the crew secretly following behind doing it properly) as if preparing for Christmas morning; I walking behind the Frenchiesinwhite on the increasingly wobbly deck, interviewing them about exactly how terrifying this would be.... for the blog purposes of course-I wanted a Beaufort scale of nail biting. 

My mother in law is genuinely terrified of big weather on a boat, and so i sat near her and drank tea (before my brother in law got the idea that pirates drink rum). The crew asked us if we wanted this sheet of plastic up on the sides to protect against water splashing us, and of course we declined. (Pirates need to see the sea.)

Sure enough we got absolutely creamed by one wave coming in one side, and then the other. Eva was drenched. But she couldn't get up, so she sat gamely holding a pillow for warmth. 

What she doesn't know of course, is this is no more scary than the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. Sure you bounce and get wet and someone is singing about rum. No, what's scary is bouncing around in the Pacific Ocean in high winds in a 25 foot sail boat with a hot tempered amputee captain. That's scary. This is heaven. 

We had a little trouble finding a port in he storm though- a place to anchor that was sheltered. The one we found was good enough so the crew let out many yards of

anchor so the boat would face the wind at all times, and we had a fairly normal dinner. 

Thomas predicted we would sleep like babies with the howling wind. Alas, this was not to be. When I woke in the night, I  it was so loud on deck with the creaking and moaning that I thought the crew was up there fixing something. 

Rosie acts as captain when they sail across the Atlantic, and she says once they had a four day storm with lightening that was so loud she couldn't sleep worrying about which noise to worry about. And this was the role I played last night; lying there in my little tank top: wondering if the boat would hold, wondering if I would have to save Frederick; wondering how this would affect the croissant count at breakfast. 

Bora still lingering - Battening down the hatches as we speak.

Big Day

Well this is a first. We had big (very big) winds. 

For a little perspective, 25 knots is a rather windy day in San Francisco. Hurricane winds start at around 62 knots; today we briefly reached 50. But keep in mind, the pressure grows exponentially, so 50 knots is four times the pressure of 25.

(In laymen terms, the crew stops smiling at 35. )

At first we sailed, and then the captain started swearing in French and all the men in white started scrambling and next thing we know, Rosie the Italian first mate, is up the mast releasing some line that was stuck. (In gale winds no less.)

The photos below show a close up of how small she really looked up there. 

Obviously I worship her.

Equally obvious was our need for rum when the anemometer read 40. (See Alex and me playing the role of Pirates below.) 

Alas, the sea is impossible to photograph, so it doesn't look ferocious. But what a force it is. 

The wind is howling again outside my bed; like a dragon calling for her children. 

Xx

Rosie and me when it calmed a bit

D and A when sails were still up 

View from the Bow

Alive and well; anchored outside of Dubrovnik...such a stunningly beautiful place. 

We are fat and happy with a crew of six (there are only 7 of us, so you do the math on how quickly our towels are washed..) 

It's a weird life- lots of lazing around, but with urgency: "lunch is at 1 30!!!" Or "we have to go into the town and see the castle now!!" Or "I am going to swim 6 times around the boat!!!"

Much like the Queen Mary-one is never bored because one is covering distance- Point A and Point B and all that in between.

Actually there is one other thing i am doing in my cabin when I think no one is looking- a creepy, obsessive thing that I hope to stop; and that is pouring over the latest Donald Trump news. God help me, but unlimited international roaming has now made me a slave to this phone. 

Thomas called me "a sick, sick person." (Two sicks).. 

Guilty. But in my defense- I am not the only lunatic in the Adriatic . Our former captain - whom we have seen twice in two days: once in Montenegro, and once when we anchored near him and he called us over- is apparently even more crazed then I am. In fact, he is planning on buying a submarine if Trump should win; and just skipping life on land entirely. Truth be told he is a bit dramatic (three ex wives one of whom he is still married to, and untold girlfriends).  He and I were always besties- he is a Leo sailor with a potty mouth; so needless to say he is a familiar presence.

Must sleep.. More in the morning..including photos.. I swear.

Xx

Arrived Montenegro

Survived long drive from lech; a propeller 

flight on Croatian Air; 1.5 hour taxi, and a car ferry. (Hence my beautiful appearance as evidenced below.)

The very kind woman who took us to our room said we have the best view in Montenegro .. We believe her. 

Lots of dubious oligarchs by the pool, and men without pants in town. (Walking in speedos holding large inflated pool toys is alive and well here.) 

Best part is we can see the Vaimiti from our terrace. See photo above. 

Now must rush to see the last captain and his new girlfriend...the white pants photo I'll explain later; but file it under the category I might really and truly have married the right man. (I got grass stains on them and he washed them by hand immediately upon arrival. Little known Thomas fact: he is a whiz at stain removal. 

Next stop high seas...

I can't stop watching the speeches and post convention shows on YouTube. It's getting towards obsession: swear to God I go to sleep having conversations with Trump supporters and if I wake up in the night; I carry on: "and furthermore..!" Out is my fantasy of hurdle jumping crime stopper, in is taking Meryl Streep's slot at that convention. I could make it so clear!! They just need to give me four minutes!! 

Anyway -and I am not exaggerating -

Yesterday I was so lost in thought I fell down the stairs. Twice. The kind where you miss a step and are suddenly on all fours on the ground.

The last time was so bad, I actually rolled like a stunt man.

Thomas is looking at my bruises (I have to be in a bathing suit on Thursday in front of French people!!) and is threatening to cut me off from any more MSNBC. 

Above is a photo I took this morning as I was cruising up the Kriegerhorn. It occurred to me that I am not taking enough photographs or picking flowers or smelling the breeze on my hikes. It's all about this stupid watch that counts my steps and heart rate. That and making deals with God about what it would take to keep DT from the nuclear Football. 

Also if He would be so kind, could He please make it a blow out so I can face my foreign friends..? 

Fly to Dubrovnik on Wedmesday; dine with the Wehlens and the hunky Dutch captain in Split (the captain from the last boat..) then off we go with crazy French crew who are the real thing- real sailors on a very quick boat. Yeehaw.