At Sea

9/26

We ran into a strong headwind and blustery seas during the night. This morning we went up to walk a couple miles around the jogging track on deck 11, but we only made one lap. The winds almost blew us over. We went into the gym and worked out. Yesterday was Dubrovnik, Crotia, a small (50,000) ancient port with a colorful history. The "Old Town" inside the walled city is extraordinarily will preserved and clean. The streets are paved with marble salbs that have been in place hundreds of years. It is a thoroughly charming city. They build here with limestone blocks topped by red tile roofs. It is both cheap and attractive. And durable. We drove inland up a small river and lunched under shady trees by the riverside. This area has a climate similar to coastal California. There are olive groves and vineyards, lemon, lime and other citrus, and lots of lush foliage in the valleys between rocky slopes. They suffered a devastating fire a couple of years ago. Many vineyards were consumed. Then we drove to a seaside village named Cavstat (pronounced softet). It was completely charming.

We enjoyed an unexpected pleasure in Cavstat. Jennifer, we saw Elvis! He was singing in a small seaside restaurant. He is older, of course, and wears his hair a lot like mine. He has slimmed down - very trim and toned. He sings his stuff, of course, but now he also sings a lot of Sinatra and jazz standards. His baritone is smoother. We talked to him for about 30 minutes during his break. It is obvious that he is content and happy living this obscure life. Jane got some terrific photos of us together.