Under way.. eventually

Waking up on board was equivalent to waking up off board. The only difference was knowing a vessel was surounding the bed ( as compared to a building). Still beside another boat which is beside another boat which is tied up to the dock. Not going anywhere. It was nice to be lying underneath fully extended doonas which we'd only come to the realisation that they were so half way through the night. Before that the half folded items were seen to be suitable for midgets and the was serious consideration for those greater than 5 1/2 feet in height. LOL. Keeping the blinds closed purely for protection of the wandering public and passing sailors we got ready for our first full day of incarceration and headed up to the mess where the offerings for breakfast were far beyond any slops that the ancient mariners would have had to endure whilst port bound in this harbour. It was actually really exciting when they fired up the engines, cast off and we headed down the harbour, alas it was only to release a vessel between us and the warf and as such we promptly returned to where we came from still lamenting the fact that we'd spent heaps just to sit on a boat and not actually go anywhere. True to the vibe so far we all now got off the boat and got on a bus. Headcounted and herded like the millions before us and undoubtedly the millions to follow we found ourselves caught up in the livestock like logistical machine which enables the tourist age.

Dubrovnik has been involved mankind's evolution almost all the way through. Our walking tour of the old town was insightful in that we learnt about its history, the good times and the bad.. Jews picked on seems to be a common theme in these parts, as does the rise and fall of Islam and then of Catholicism and before all that were the ancient Greeks and somewhere in there were the Romans (obviously - I mean ..where would we be without the Romans?). Now finally the age of enlightenment has come to pass at it with be known as the age of tourism. And tourists will conquer the world. And so for the fourth straight day in a row we found ourselves walking across the drawbridge, into the marshalling courtyard and finally being spat out into the old town like a couple of drops in a continuous flow from a nozzle feeding a jacuzzi. The only difference this time is we were well and truly part of the manipulated hordes. We've become what we've most dreaded all this time. We are controlled, counted, taxed for the privallege of being here and spending our hard earned and charged extra if you need to take a wee. On the bright side the seats on the coach are very comfortable. Cast adrift in the old town by our guide (as she happily dropped her high map holding hand, flashed one last cheeky grin and flicked her golden locks over her shoulder and disappeared into the swarming throngs) was no issue for we town weary yet locally astute folk. A relaxing cafe at stupendous prices and we local bussed it to the new port to catch up with our vessel that was now a significant way through the time and money spent (1/7th) and had not actually moved one iota. As we indulged in a delicious lunch (the chefs so far have produced great outcomes) the captain finally decided it was time to hit the high seas and vamoose. Just to run the whole Dubrovnik thing well and truly up our noses they headed down south ( instead of planned north) on the pretence of letting us take photos of the fortress from the water

This was appreciated. We got to traverse the waters we'd been overlooking for the the last few days, saw our "beach" and got attacked by a Pirate ship. Well they fired a very loud round at as us which prompted a very loud "Bloody Pirates !" to be returned across the exceedingly calm waters in an Aussie accent. Highseas highjinks aside the wiley old sea dog spun the wheel around and we headed northwards finally in cruise mode. The sun was streaming down and the sea was a shimmering turquoise fading off in the distance to merge in a indefinable point with the blue sky.

Thus we cruised into the port of Slano - where there were people enjoying nice cold beverages, underneath cool awnings looking across the pristine waters reflecting the ancient hills beyond creating a perfect, memorable occasion. In the middle of nowhere. A quiet and quaint excotic harborside town ... and then we storm in - park our boat, blocking their view, and laughing raucously jump on a waiting bus as disappear. Leaving the view blocked. Brilliant! Yay for the age of tourism.Let's see who else we can piss off whilst we're running around in large groups....power to the people! ...more so to those that have wifii. The excursion on the bus to the wine tasting was much quieter that the return trip. Go figure. Nice wines and a very insightful use of walnuts and grappa which needs to be explored by all walnut growers back home. We stopped off at a town on a peninsula which is historically important for its salt mines, resulting fortress like walls which seamlessly extend to the top of the significantly high hill for no reason apart from creating a great wall of China experience for the pending explotation of the tourist age. Being time constrained and suitably charged from the previous stop, and the fact that we were with co-minded players we sat and had a couple of refreshments whilst watching the fading sun pick up the variety of colours the nearby hills tend to resonate with at this time of day.

The 30 minute bus trip back was punctuated by loud Ockerisms (just fullfilling the destiny). Dinner at a restaurant next to the local swanky marina was very funny and subsequently most headed off to bed early as they know the boat leaves at 5:30 am and they don't want to miss out on that event...