When we use the term "living the dream" onboard Aisling, it tends to be a bit tongue in cheek. Life on the water has its ups and downs just as life on land does, and the past week has come with its share of challenges.

We left Montenegro without seeing anything outside of the Gulf of Kotor, due to the intense thunderstorms and high wind that began shortly after our arrival and continued for nearly three days. From our experience in Vlicho last year, we've learned that fall storms over here can get very ugly very quickly. So, with over 400 miles between us and Aisling's winter home in Marina di Ragusa, we decided to grab the first available weather window and at least get the journey across the Adriatic behind us. We pulled up our anchor at around 6.30 on Sunday evening and headed almost due south toward Otranto.

In the beginning it wasn't too bad, and we were even able to sail for the first six hours. Then Rick remembered that he hadn't drained the water lock on the engine exhaust. This could have had pretty serious implications, since he suspects that the new lock that was installed during the winter may be too small based on the size of our exhaust pipe. Sure enough, when he'd drained the lock and tried to turn the engine back on, it didn't catch. Our hearts simultaneously took nosedives...had we damaged the engine? Fortunately, it caught on the third try and all systems seemed normal, but we didn't dare turn it off for the rest of the trip.

It turned into a particularly unpleasant passage, with the wind dead behind us and confused seas that got nastier as time went on. In the big roll, the boom just didn't want to stay put. During a jibe in the dark, I didn't notice that the preventer line had gotten caught up on a cowl vent, and I managed to rip the top off the vent box when I tightened the line. (Fortunately, the vent itself got wedged on a stanchion and didn't go overboard.) Then, about 30 miles off Otranto, I even began to feel seasick; something I haven't experienced in over five years. I guess Doctor Dave was right when he warned me that "When it comes to seasickness, you can never be bulletproof!" It was fortunate that this started near the end of my watch rather than at the beginning. By crawling into my bunk, pulling the sheets over my head and closing my eyes tight, I was able to narrowly avoid making use of the bucket that Rick had very considerately placed near my bunk. Still, it was no fun at all, and it was a great relief to pull in to Otranto.

I'd been really looking forward to getting back to Otranto. It's a beautiful little town that has an attractive waterfront, a very interesting cathedral and some country lanes on the outskirts that are perfect for running or walking. But in the end, I didn't even get to set a toe on shore. With the winds blowing onshore and no space available in the small marina, we ended up tying alongside a raft of four boats on the northern dock. That wouldn't have been so bad, except that the dock was very high and the inner boat was very large and very far from the dock. I climbed over the other boats, took one look and decided that I wasn't going anywhere. Rick was convinced that we could work it out by stretching a plank from the boat to shore....um, no thanks! We could have gone out and anchored or even just launched the dinghy where we were, but somehow it didn't seem worth the effort since we were only staying for one night. I had work to do anyway, so I stayed onboard like a cloistered nun while Rick went off to "clear in" with the coast guard and buy groceries. He came back with pizza slices and a big smile on his face. "I love Italy" he said. Even a trip to the grocery store can be fun here. But we were both so exhausted that we slept over 12 hours that night.

The next leg of the journey was easier. To be honest, I kind of enjoy windless passages. The moon set early, but the stars were bright, the sea was smooth and we had a favourable current much of the way. I passed the time listening to Italian lessons and DNTO podcasts on my iPod and the hours flew by. It almost seemed like a shame to stop when we got to Crotone, but we were concerned that the weather window would close before we could get to Siracusa or Roccella Ionica. So we turned in to Crotone as planned, and were waved in to the dock marked "Transito", where, I'm happy to report, there are laid lines, power, water, washrooms and even a laundry room. I must say, it felt pretty good to feel dry land under my feet for the first time in over three days.

Shortly after we got settled we took a walk into town in search of a place to recharge our internet plan. How shall I describe that first glimpse of Crotone? Let's just say you'd have to look hard to find a place that would be less like the Italy of your dreams. This is definitely not Portofino or Cinqe Terre...not that I've ever been to either of those places, but I've seen other people's pictures and they don't look like Crotone! The streets around the harbour are dirty and unkempt, and the shoreline is cluttered with cheaply constructed apartment blocks that rival the Costa del Sol for the ugliness of the architecture. We eventually recharged our internet plan at the counter of a small gambling facility; where we inevitably wondered...is there a Mafia presence here? Probably, but the people in the town are friendly and helpful, and the place has a gritty realness that makes me feel kind of at home. Last night, one of the old men on the corner near the dock walked with us for half a kilometer to show us the way to a salumeria.

This morning we went for a run, and the view across the water to the mountains was beautiful in the sunshine. A couple from Milan stopped and offered to take our photo on the boardwalk. Pointing off into the distance, they told us that we should see "Le Castello". Later, we stopped in at the office of the protected marine area "Capo Rizzuto" and learned that Le Castella is a 12th century Spanish castle on an island within the reserve. The young man at the desk was mournful about the fact that the reserve is not mentioned in any guidebooks. The photos of it looked quite lovely, so we are trying to do our part to spread the word! Maybe we'll sail past it when we leave.

Next we found the market, where the piles of zucchini blossoms, bouquets of tiny red peppers and braids of red onions had us simultaneously pulling out our wallets and our cameras. Nearby, an attractive pedestrianized street had some very nice clothing and shoe stores. (Is it too early to buy winter boots?) There is an endless selection of fresh fish in the pescherias near the marina and we're having mussels steamed in wine for dinner tonight. Before I knew it, I found myself thinking that maybe this wouldn't be such a bad place to stay for a while. Which is a good thing, because based on the forecast, I don't think we're going anywhere in a hurry.

Cruisers Notes for Crotone:

We stayed in Porto Vechio because the coming strong winds will be out of the North and this harbour is favoured in these conditions. It's blowing Force 7 as I write this and its very comfortable. If there are strong winds from the SW I'm told Porto Vechio is untenable and you should move to the New Port where the commercial harbour is located.

There are 3 choices for "Transito" docks in Porto Vecchio, all with laid lines and two may have someone waving to you as you enter. We paid 35 euro for 12.4m in Sept 2012 at the Yachting Kroton Club on the east side of the harbour. It included toilets, electricity and water. Showers are also available for 2 euros. There is camping gas available, three diesel shops, at least two marine stores, Supermercados, a produce market by the fort in the mornings, several fish markets in Porto Vecchio with great selections of the daily catch.

The other alternative is to stay in the New port (Cortone commercial harbour) the entrance is just to the north of this one. You can see our previous comments about this option in an earlier posting. There is a good anchoring spot there in the port near the cement tanks, with good holding.

It's an undeniable fact that if you hang around a place long enough, it starts to feel like home. In Pescara, the living was pretty easy -unlimited water at the dock, luxurious showers just steps away, a vast selection of supermarkets offering all the gourmet delights that Italy has to offer, and a long beachfront boulevard that was the perfect place to run off the excess pasta and pizza we were consuming on a regular basis at our favourite restaurant, La Vela d'Oro. In short, it was easy to linger. Lots of Italians were enjoying the nearby beach scene too, although apparently the crowds are lighter than usual this August due to the recession.



One especially nice thing about our time in Pescara was being introduced to Abruzzo by fellow Slocum 43 owners Tom McCoy and Ilse Merryman. We'd first "met" Tom and Ilse by email, when Tom found our blog and sent us a message. Although their boat Serenata is currently berthed near their permanent home in Hampton Virginia, Tom and Ilse plan to eventually sail her across the Atlantic, closer to their second home in Introdacqua, Abruzzo. Our stay in Pescara gave us the perfect opportunity to meet them in person. Within two days of our arrival in Pescara, Tom had dropped by for a visit and Rick quickly discovered that they had lots in common (including, obviously, similar taste in boats). When we returned to Pescara in August, a visit to Abruzzo was high on our wish list of things to do.

If you like Italian wines, Abruzzo is the same place you may have seen mentioned on the labels of "Montepulciano d'Abruzzo", a fruity red wine produced from the Montepulciano grape (but not to be confused with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wine of Tuscany, which in spite of the name is not made from the Montepulciano grape). Aside from good wine, Abruzzo offers spectacular mountain scenery, delightful un-touristy medieval towns and relatively cool temperatures in summer.

Driving into the mountains that loom over Pescara, we met Tom and Ilse in the parking lot of an Agip station and followed them into the village of Introdacqua, where we were surprised to see a sign announcing that Introdacqua is "twinned" with the city of Hamilton Ontario. After parking our rental car near Tom and Ilse's home behind the medieval tower in the old town, we hopped into their car and were whisked off to Sulmona for lunch. Sulmona, the birthplace of the poet Ovid, is a charming medieval town tucked into the Apennine mountains. In addition to the requisite statue of Ovid, it has a 13th century aqueduct, some impressive palazzo's and a booming "confetti" business. Sulmona's confetti is not the little bits of coloured paper that we used to throw at brides and grooms back in the days when churches still tolerated that kind of mess. The Sulmona confetti is a sugared almond that is handed out to guests at Italian weddings. Some of the confetti was fashioned into artificial flowers that were so colourful and realistic that I could hardly believe they had been made from almonds and sugar!



After a delicious leisurely lunch, we headed off to Pettorano, another delightful mountain village, where the pace of life is slow enough that the residents chill their watermelons in the local fountains.



Pettorano has its own medieval tower, so naturally we had to check out the view from the top. Thankfully, the steps were pretty solid. By this point, we were so charmed by Abruzzo that it was no surprise to see Rick checking out the local real estate postings. Maybe there's a fixer-upper here somewhere?




We wrapped up the afternoon on the terrace of Tom and Ilse's lovely house in Introdacqua, then walked down the hill to meet their friends Bob and Sally for dinner at a local restaurant. Like most villages in Italy, Introdacqua was having a summer ("estate") festival, and a full marching band was parading through the town just as we arrived. Unfortunately, we'd arrived a day too early to see the "Burning of the Witch", an Intrdodacqua custom that occurs each summer. (Tom and Ilse went to see it the next night, and they told us about it when they drove down to Pescara for a visit a few days later. It's a paper witch of course, but some brave soul actually dances inside the witch even while the paper is burning. Apparently they do this in Hamilton too?) At dinner, both of us tried the highly recommended "stinco" (a braised pork shank) which was delicious in spite of the unusual-sounding name! It was a very merry evening, but unfortunately we eventually had to drag ourselves away from the table and face up to the long dark drive back to Pescara. As we made our way down the mountain, we were wishing that we'd taken Tom and Isle up on their offer to spend the night in their spare room! It had been a great day with very gracious hosts.



Our trip to Venice delayed our departure from Pescara a bit longer, and then, just as we really had decided to leave, our bike was stolen! This was clearly our own fault as we'd grown a bit complacent and had just been leaving it at our bow without a lock when we were onboard during the day (although we had faithfully locked it at night). On the day that it disappeared, there had been a motorboat accident off the beach and there were more people than usual around the marina. So, one minute our bike was at the bow and the next minute, it had vanished. But once again, Stella and Alberto at L'Altro Porto came to our rescue, finding us a second hand bike at a very reasonable price and even driving Rick to pick it up. We really can't thank them enough for all their kindness!

Finally, we ran out of excuses to stay. We checked out of the marina on the Tuesday following our return from Venice, although our hopes for a 7.30 p.m. departure faded as we waited for various representatives of Italy's officialdom to arrive and check us out. The immigration police arrived at around 9 o'clock and, declining our invitation to climb Aisling's anchor, they stamped our passports by flashlight on the roof of their car in a keystone cops routine that might have been funny if we hadn't had "miles to go before we slept". Then we waited for the Guardia Finanza and Customs agents to arrive. Two and a half hours later, when they still hadn't appeared, the marina told us we were free to leave.

As it turned out, the timing of our departure was pretty good. We headed across the Adriatic under an almost-full, almost-blue moon and arrived at the town dock in Vis, Croatia at around 3.30 the next afternoon. Once again, we had formalities to complete, but this time we were able to sit in a little café having our traditional post-passage celebratory beer (called "pivo" here) as we waited for the police to arrive.

We've fallen pretty far behind on our blog postings (and haven't even written about Rome!) but here's a quick update. After spending a few days relaxing on the beautiful island of Vis, we made a quick stop in the tiny cove of Lovisce, then returned to one of our favourite anchorages at the old monastery on Badija, near Korcula. This time, we were determined to stay until Thursday night, to see a performance of the "Mariske" sword dance that is performed only in Korcula. (It did not disappoint.) We've just arrived in Mljet national park, next stop, Dubrovnik!

P.S. Barbara...you'll be in Italy next April? Let's talk!

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection rates very high on the list of things to see and do in Venice. Since we were already in the neighbourhood, we decided to make it our next stop.

Peggy Guggenheim inherited a substantial sum of money at a relatively young age, after her father Ben, (the brother of the more famous and wealthier Solomon R.) died in the sinking of the Titanic. Guided by accomplished artists and collectors, including her first husband Lawrence Vail and her third husband Max Ernst, Peggy was able to amass a large collection of abstract and surrealist art. She also sponsored budding artists, even providing the troubled American painter Jackson Pollock with a monthly stipend to support his painting. Peggy and her collection spent time in London, Paris and New York before finding a permanent home in the elaborate Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on Venice's Grand Canal, where Peggy lived for thirty years. The palazzo and the Collection are now owned and operated by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

We enjoyed our visit to the museum, but I'm not sure whether I agree with its high placement on the lists of things to do in Venice. In fairness, this may be partly because I've always found abstract art difficult to appreciate. During visits to Canada's National Gallery, I've frequently wondered whether some of the abstract pieces benefit from a sort of "Emperor's New Clothes" phenomenon -if an avant-garde art expert has proclaimed a red dot to be a masterpiece, who am I to say otherwise? I pondered the same question at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. One of the Jackson Pollock masterpieces in the Collection was apparently created by dancing around and throwing paint at a canvas on the floor. I could do that!

And let's consider this sculpture that Rick insisted I pose beside.



Here is what the "Miniguide" (5 euros!) to the Collection had to say about it: ..."Horse and rider have a metaphysical quality hinting at the tension between spirit and matter, ecstasy and placidity, or between the artist's idea and the limitations of his materials." Huh?

On the other hand, I had no problem appreciating the paintings by Kandinsky, Modigliani, Picasso and Chagall. A painting by Max Ernst called "Attirement of the Bride" was quite... well... surreal!

I enjoyed the special exhibits almost as much as the main collection. One exhibit centered on the paintings of Charles Seliger, a surrealist whose paintings featured natural and biological themes. A photograph of the very young Seliger, hamming it up with big glasses and smoking a pipe, looked just like my nephew Richard! The second exhibit focused on bicycles, using the painting "Au Velodrome" by Jean Metzinger as the centrepiece. Lots of paintings of bicycles, of course, and there were real bicycles on display too. There was even a stationary bicycle, but this one was special. Called the "Einstein Bicycle", it was designed at the University of Tubingen to illustrate how space changes when moving at the speed of light. I can't pretend to have completely understood it, but it was fun to ride!



The building and setting also gave a glimpse into what it might be like to live in a palazzo on the Grand Canal. Inside, the décor is modern, but the view from the windows is classic Venice. The garden, where Peggy received special dispensation to be buried beside her pet dogs, was a lovely place to take a break.





Rick has pointed out that since I dedicated almost an entire posting to this museum, I must have liked it quite a bit after all. At the very least, it provided a refreshing contrast to the piety of the old Venetian masters. I wonder what Bellini or Tintoretto would have had to say about some of the pieces in the Guggenheim?

By the time we left the museum, it was late afternoon. Rick was ready for a rest, but I wanted to make one last stop at the Chiesa Angelo Raffaele, which features in the novel "Miss Garnett's Angel".(Later, I read that the church has become a bit of a pilgrimage site for "middle aged women" who love the book-ouch!) I convinced Rick that it was perfectly safe for me to walk to the church alone, so he went back to the hotel while I made my way along the Fondamenta Delle Zattere. I was beginning to regret sending him away when I realized that how little foot traffic there was in the Zattere district, but I found the church with no problem. Inside, a series of Guardi paintings depict scenes from the life of Tobias. I love that the dog figures so prominently in this story! Then I walked around to the front of the church and crossed the canal to get a better view of this statue of the Angel Raphael, Tobias and the dog.



I meant to go straight back to the hotel, but quickly got sidetracked by another treasure trove of artwork inside the Chiesa Dei Carmini. Then there was the Museum of Music in Campo San Maurizio, which had lovely displays of antique musical instruments as well as information on the life of Vivaldi, who was a native of Venice...it was becoming clear that Venice is a city where you can find something interesting around every corner. But my legs were getting tired and I was pretty sure Rick would be worried. In actual fact, when I got back to the hotel room, he was sound asleep.

But not for long. This was a man on a mission for more cichetti! Within an hour, we were off to Enoteca Al Volto (strongly recommended by Trip Advisor) where we had the reverse experience of the previous night -I didn't like the food and Rick thought it was great. We both agreed that the prosecco was delicious though. We finished off the evening at a streetside table at the café next to our hotel, sampling a few more cichetti, and sharing a carafe of wine. In the unlikely event that you run out of things to do in Venice, you can always just watch the people go by.

The next morning, we awoke to a surprise -it was raining in Venice! Fortunately, the Doge's palace (Palazzo Ducale), adjacent to St. Mark's, was just a short walk from out hotel, and the lineup to get in was under the shelter of the loggia.



The Doge's palace served as both the residence of Venice's leader (the Doge) and the centre of government. As befitted Venice's position of wealth and power, the palace was elaborately decorated and crammed with masterpieces by the leading artists of the period. Here is a glimpse of the courtyard and the massive statues of Neptune and Mars.





We spent almost the entire morning walking through room after incredible room. As in the Accademia, many of the paintings incorporated Venice into religious themes, but here the Doges were centre stage in many of the works. My personal favourite was a Titian painting of St. Christopher carrying the Christ child, with Venice shown in the hazy background. (It hangs in an obscure spot at the foot of a set of stairs used by the Doges, so be careful not to miss it if you go.) While I stood looking at it, a friendly American woman explained that the painting commemorated the return to religion after Napoleon's departure from Venice. (There was clearly not a word of truth to this, since Titian lived in the 16th century, long before Napoleon was born.)

From one of the rooms, we managed to get a good view of the marina on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where we probably would have stayed if we'd taken Aisling to Venice.



The culmination of the walk through the palace was the huge Council hall, with Tintoretto's massive "Paradiso" (mainly painted by Tintoretto's son) as the focal point. Even if we'd spent the entire day in this room, we couldn't possibly have absorbed it all. The ceiling alone has 35 paintings- if only we had been able to lay down on the floor to properly appreciate them!
We were ready to leave by then, but there didn't seem to be any way out of the Palace other than over the narrow "Bridge of Sighs" that connect the palace to Venice's old prison.



I almost felt like a prisoner myself as we shuffled across the narrow covered bridge in the midst of a crowd of other tourists. In the gloomy half-light, it was a very claustrophobic experience. When we finally reached the other side, two distraught American women stopped us. "Can we get out this way?" they asked. "We've been in here for ages and we can't find our way out!" and then "How long have you been in here?" (Rather funny, considering that we were in a prison at the time.) Clearly they were not going to be able to make their way against the stream of traffic moving across the Bridge of Sighs behind us, but fortunately they were able to duck under a barrier and join the crowd that was leaving. Later, I wished we had gone with them, because the prison was dark and depressing and the tour seemed to go on forever. We were happy to finally emerge into daylight and discover that the rain had stopped. Time for lunch.

We toyed with the idea of going to Florian's, but the prices on the menu looked too frightening. Instead we headed for the Pizzeria a la Briccola near our hotel, where the prices of the pizzas seemed to be reasonable. The pizza was mediocre, and what a shock to discover that our lunch bill came to 53 euros! We'd paid 7 euros each for two non-alcoholic beer (about a 700% mark-up) and 4 euros each for cappuccino. We should have gone to Florian's after all.

Our time in Venice was almost over and we still hadn't done any shopping. After collecting our bags at the hotel, we walked through the Rialto district, stopping at a few shops along the way. There wasn't enough time to do it justice, but I did come away with a lovely pair of Murano glass earrings, courtesy of Rick, as a memento of a very special weekend.

Like most visits to Venice, ours ended the same way it had started-with a vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal.



Arrivederci Venice, I'll be seeing you in my dreams for a very long time!

Notes for Travelers:

We were a bit worried that August was not the best time to go to Venice, but it worked out very well for us. Since it was relatively late in the month, the weather had cooled down a bit, and the crowds at the main sights were relatively light. Do some research and book restaurants for dinner in advance-many seemed overpriced and good food seemed hard to find (typical of tourist areas everywhere, in our experience). Don't forget your mosquito repellent, especially if you plan to dine outside in the early evening!

We stayed at the Hotel San Zulian, which was conveniently located near Piazza San Marco and very reasonably priced at 110 euros/night including a buffet breakfast (perhaps because August is not considered high season).

You can call ahead and book your entrance to the Galleria Dell Academia ahead of time to avoid waiting in line, although when we called to do this we were told it was not necessary because the gallery is not busy at this time of the year. It's worth investing in the audio guide at the gallery in order to understand the paintings. Some rooms have information sheets in English but many do not.

When we last updated our blog on July 11th, I never dreamed it would be six weeks before we made another posting. Considering the title of our last posting, it was difficult to choose a headline for this one. "Back in Italia, Again" was the best I could come up with.

Our "vacation" in Nova Scotia was very busy and, to be honest, a bit stressful. Obligations and tasks had mounted during our extended absence. Family members' health problems added a layer of worry. Organizing a Cruising Club of America dinner for 185 people (in a field in Cape Breton, without access to power or water) certainly provided an element of challenge! But the real reason we go home each summer is to spend time with family and friends. That made it all worthwhile, and what a surprise to arrive to weather that was just as hot and dry as the weather we'd left behind in Italy! A Salsman family reunion at Cindy and Paul Easson's home in the Annapolis Valley was one of the highlights of the trip, and two visits to Cape Breton reminded us that it is one of the most beautiful places in the world, especially at this time of year. The month went by far too quickly, and the goodbyes seemed particularly difficult this time.

Two days in Rome gave us the opportunity to recover from our jetlag and provided a good distraction from our homesickness and worries. What an amazing city! (more on this later). After a whirlwind tour in the August heat, we picked up our (thankfully air conditioned) rental car on Friday and headed for Pescara. The departure from Rome without a proper map or GPS was interesting to say the least. Rick had last driven in Rome in 1972 in his aged 300-dollar Volkswagen van and needless to say, things had changed a bit since then-including the driver! In spite of our total lack of preparedness, we managed to get out of the city with only a few wrong turns. After leaving the suburbs of Rome, the route to Pescara is a spectacular drive through the spine of Italy, with landscapes ranging from lush, vineyard- filled valleys to high, forested mountains with small villages clinging to the sides and peaks. We took a short but challenging detour to check out two mountain villages, toyed with the idea of looking for a room to spend the night, but eventually decided that we wanted to get back to our own bed. It was nearly dark when we arrived at Marina di Pescara, but it felt great to throw our bags over Aisling's anchor and climb aboard. Fortunately, our good friends at l'Altro Porto had been hard at work even on the eve of their vacations, and we now have a brand-new refrigerator and freezer. Admittedly, our pockets are a bit lighter, but we're hoping that, at least for a while, we won't be spending as much time and money on refrigerator repairs as we have in the past.

It took us an entire day to get things sorted out (more or less) below and above decks on Aisling, following which we decided to treat ourselves to a day in the mountains of Abruzzo. Our new friends Tom and Ilse, Americans who plan to sail their Slocum 43 Serenata across the Atlantic soon, had invited us to visit them at their home-away-from-home in Introdacqua, way up in the mountains. They gave us a day that could only be described as magical, exploring Sulmona, Introdaqua and Pettorano- hopefully we'll write a posting with some details and photos soon.

We're trying to decide what to do next. Sail Aisling north to Venice? Leave Aisling at the dock in Pescara and take the train to Venice? Head back to Croatia? At this point we're not even sure if we'll leave the dock within the next week. In the two weeks after Ferragosta, all of Italy seems to move at a snail's pace. And when in Rome...well, you know the rest!