Week 14

Week 14 started with vacation, but ended back in the real world...work (well, at least for one of us)! 

On Tuesday we were still enjoying swimming in the Adriatic, gorging on delicious food, and relishing in the warm Mediterranean climate. We spent our last whole day of vacation doing one of the things we love best on hot sunny days, water sports. Nick and I decided to spend some more time on (and in) the Adriatic and found a kayaking tour starting in Old Town. After loading our gear into a two-person kayak and leaving the cove, which is the filming location for Kings Landing in the Game of Thrones, we struck out across the sea towards the island of Lokrum. 

Kayaking here we come! 

At first, we paralleled the shore giving us great views of the city walls and Saint Lawrence fortress. The walls are even more amazing from the sea, leaving us in awe of the manpower and engineering that must have gone into building them. From there, we veered south paddling around the the nearby Lokrum Island. 

Heather is ready to paddle out and around Lokrum Island
(pictured off in the distance on the left)

Nick pictured with Lokrum island in the background

At the far southern tip of the island, we paddling past a nudist beach with several men hanging out, so to speak. This was our final look at Lokrum before we headed back towards the mainland to Betina Cave. The beach inside of the cave, only accessible by sea, is where we stopped for some swimming and snacks and to give our arms a break from paddling. 

Betina Cave Beach

After floating in the crystal clear, blue sea for a bit, we loaded into our kayaks and headed back towards Dubrovnik. Nick and I found the excursion extremely fun, but quite exhausting. For some reason, we were constantly pulling to the left. No matter how hard we tried, we were paddling about 4 strokes with the left for every two on the right. By the time we returned, our arms and shoulders (especially the left side) were blown out, but we were happy!   

Heather is a happy camper - or kayaker - as the case may be. But,
is it because she enjoyed herself or is she just glad to be done paddling???
The world may never know.

After the kayaking, we decided to stop for a coffee and some people-watching before heading back to the hotel. 

This is what relaxation looks like

Wednesday was our last day of vacation, and we only had a few hours to hang out before heading to the airport. We decided to make the most of our remaining time in Croatia by walking along the Adriatic and get some spaghetti ice for lunch!  

Goodbye for now Adriatic Sea, we hope to see you again soon! 

Lunch of champions

Our return trip was uneventful and about 10 hours after heading to the airport we were finally home. The following day, Nick worked from home, clearing out emails and catching up on calls. Meanwhile, Heather picked up Bella and got settled back into the apartment. The rest of the week was low key. Nick went to work on Friday and we spent the weekend relaxing in the apartment and around town. 

Monday, the first day of September, took Nick on a very quick (less than 24 hour) business trip to Lugano, Switzerland, and left a very jealous Heather at home.

Coffee break after the meeting.
Not a bad way to spend Labor Day if you have to work.

Thus ends week 14, but before signing off, happy birthday shout outs to Barbara King, Dan Poole, and our soon to be niece, Stacy Whitton!