Sea Change

Cruising on our Catamaran, Murihiku, in the Mediterranean

Vessel Name: Murihiku
Vessel Make/Model: Lagoon Catamaran 380S2
Crew: Deborah and Ange
About: From New Zealand, possibly suffering midlife crises, cruising for several months then home to replenish the kitty.
20 June 2014 | Slano, Croatia
11 June 2014 | Bar, Montenegro
18 September 2013 | Lastavo
18 September 2013 | Lastavo
16 August 2013 | Montenegro
16 August 2013 | Albania
16 August 2013
17 July 2013 | London, Devon, Rome, now Nidri
12 July 2013 | Abelike Bay, Meganisi
21 September 2012 | Athens
18 September 2012
31 August 2012 | Milazzo, Sicily
23 August 2012 | Abelike bay, Meganisi
18 August 2012 | Gaieos
13 August 2012 | Corfu town
10 August 2012 | Corfu, Greece
09 August 2012 | Santa Maria di Leuca
30 July 2012 | Straits of Messina
29 July 2012 | Milazzo, Sicily
Recent Blog Posts
20 June 2014 | Slano, Croatia

Back on Murihiku

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11 June 2014 | Bar, Montenegro

New Zealand to Montenegro

New Zealand to Bar, Montenegro, May and June 2014

18 September 2013 | Lastavo

Croatia

We had an easier trip into Croatia and dutifully tied up at the Cavtat customs wharf. Our crew, Jenny, Vicky, Anne, Angela and Kate had now reached top form as they were due to depart the next day, and were complimented again by the person taking the ropes on shore. They were all confined to the boat [...]

18 September 2013 | Lastavo

Croatia

We had an easier trip into Croatia and dutifully tied up at the Cavtat customs wharf. Our crew, Jenny, Vicky, Anne, Angela and Kate had now reached top form as they were due to depart the next day, and were complimented again by the person taking the ropes on shore. They were all confined to the boat [...]

16 August 2013 | Montenegro

Montenegro (and mountains)

August 11 - 16 Montenegro

16 August 2013 | Albania

Transiting Albania

August 1 - 10 Albania

New Zealand to Montenegro

11 June 2014 | Bar, Montenegro
Ange, 34ยบ
New Zealand to Bar, Montenegro, May and June 2014

From Wellington we spent a few days in Melbourne, attending Deborah's brother Simon's 50th birthday, and hanging out with Rebecca in the city.


Not much eating joy for Deborah as she suffered a bad stomach flu from New Zealand, however Ange and Rebecca made up for that.

Next stop London, where we spent lovely family time with Sarah, Clare, Kate, Georgie and Alex. We had a few days in Paris, doing a nice mix of touristy things, art, walking about, eating, and shopping.



After another spell in London, we headed to Bologna, or "La Grassa - the fat one" as the city is informally known. We'd been drawn there as it seemed less touristy, and also quite food focused, and can happily report we had a great time. Our first night was an Italian "homefood" experience, where women who have been accredited as cesarina, or keepers of food tradition, get accredited to cook and serve meals to guests in their homes. It was really interesting to travel outside the central city and into the home of our host, Luisa. Fortunately she had invited a couple of young locals along, as Luisa herself didn't have much English. She was the size of a pocket handkerchief, seemed in her late 70s, yet determinedly brought us plate after plate of food. A highlight was the sfogliatine, a buttery pastry filled with seasonal vegetables. The homemade semi-freddo was also pretty fine.

Bologna is a charming city, the old town is intact and easy to walk around. A university town, it feels safe and lively, we both highly recommend a visit.

A highlight of our time in Bologna was a food tour called Italian Days. We both were worried we would feel hostage, as the tour ran from 7am until after 5pm. However it was really great. The tour started so early because we were getting to see parmigiano reggiano being made, and the milk was delivered early in the morning. Alessandro the tour guide was really informative and passionate about produce from his region, and for good reason, it is thoughtfully and consistently produced to a high standard, and uses the same methods that have been deployed for 7 centuries. We watched the cheese forming in large copper vats, then being scooped out and tied a bit like you might do making paneer with a cheesecloth. All the ingredients for the cheese, including what the cows eat, has to be from within the boundaries of the region. Except, that is, for the rennet, which comes from New Zealand. We saw the cheeses through their various stages, being formed, dipped in a salt bath, wrapped, polished, turned, sitting on wooden benches until they are ready, which can take up to 3 years. We learned about the completed cheeses are inspected by officials (would like to see the cheese inspectors' facial expressions, as they tap tap tap and listen to whether each cheese is solid and lacks any hollows). Importantly, we ate more cheese than a person should at that hour of the morning.



Next up was the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP. The DOP is important, as it assures the quality - and the minimal ingredients - grape must being the first and most important. We learned that a new line of vinegar is started at the birth of a daughter of the house, an excellent form of dowry, and the contents can only start to be used after seven years, and then it is only a tiny amount each year. We saw the barrels, each different sizes and types of wood, to add a complexity of flavour to the vinegar. Happy to report we have some good quality vinegar stashed in the boat to bring home. Look for the DOP!

Finally, we visited a factory where parma ham is produced. From the first salting through to the rooms where the hams hang, it was a familiar yet different process. They leave in the Aitch bone, then remove it during the process. We ate rather a lot of ham too, and have more with us on the boat, which we are really enjoying. The flavour and texture is really good. After about two hours of demonstration and lectures, it was alarming to hear one of our tour group only then realise the ham wasn't actually cooked. We concluded the tour with an enormous and delicious lunch at a local restaurant. Strangely we found one of those table soccer games and mid-meal had an intense match - Ange won. Prelude to the world cup.

Our plane from Rome made it to Montenegro in spite of the extra load of herbs, cheese, ham and balsamic.
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