Croatia and finally seeing our Ship

We have arrived in sunny Biograd on the Dalmatian Coast. Thankfully Familia does in fact exist although we are all dealing with a bit of post cognitive dissonance after such a long build up. We are doing a spring clean and inventory and trying to organise some upgrades so we can then take a week or so to head off to Italy in the car while the work gets done.

Ah YES THAT IS THE EUMPHAMISTIC OPTIMIST Watson at work as the reality is that we have flown all this way to spend 4 to 5 hours straight up daily in CLEANING the boat because the previous owner left everything on board bar his undies. Our daily schedule so far is supervising the kids in Boring Homework, arguing, waiting about for stuff to happen and having me use a corrosive glove stripping substance to strip the gunk off the ceiling which would be ok if it didn’t involve lying on your back in cramped half metre spaces with limited ventilation only to have do it all again with water and then a teatowel SO Yes Boigrad is sunny and lovely but 5 days into it and we still haven’t left the dock.

What is striking and ubiquitous amongst the locals is the epidemic addiction to smoking: a meal replacement but especially for breakfast as we discovered at our brief stay at a B+ B where we met Marieka , the real life equivalent of Marge’s chainsmoking sisters from the Simpsons. the place was a bit odd with fox pelts on the floors, cruxifixes on the wall and a key for every door but the 30 sec boiled egg for breakfast that oozed all over the plate when cut really threw us. In a stomach turning way. Not to worry though as the hostess scooped them up and returned 15 minutes later with some thoroughly boiled egg. The boys hung on determinedly with a vision of hot chocolate which never appeared, though Steve + I did get our instant coffee to enjoy whilst Marieke sipped the real deal, chain smoked and hunkered down in a brooding horror flick sort of way.....actually the mashed in dog poo on the carpet next to the table really made the boys eyes pop. I take it as a personal credit that their upbringing has turned this experience into a side cracking yarn.

Hmmmmm.

Steve's Post note: 500ml beers are AUD$1. Whoohoo!