Today was my first day to start actually start exploring Croatia. The morning started off pretty interesting, with Patty and I leaving to go for a walk around 7:30 in the morning. We walked to a nearby residential area and found a really cool swimming area, complete with our own swimming ladder and cool views of an abandoned building.    
   
Now this was the actual interesting part. When we started our walk we could see that the rain clouds were coming in, and by that I mean BLACK clouds. We figured we were going to get wet, but really weren’t too worried. What we didn’t expect wasn’t getting absolutely DRENCHED. And honestly it didn’t bother me that much, being from Western Washington and all. Mostly because just ended up wet and with a big smile my face (: How fun!! 

  
Shortly after the rain, the clouds parted and the sun came out. Not too hot but definitely humid! After breakfast, we headed to our first castle: The Kamerengo Castle. 

What we now see is an edition to a fortress built by the Venetians in 1380. It was later added too 1420. I don’t think I’ve ever been to something so old and with such history surrounding it.  
    
 From the castle, we headed to grab our luggage and go to our ship: The Azimut. We got to meet everyone on our tour, eat a delicious lunch, and set sail for the island of Šolta. Along the way, we had the chance to swim in the clear sapphire blue Adriatic Ocean for the first time. The water was PERFECT. I can’t wait to get in again tomorrow! 
  
Upon our arrival to Šolta, we got our biking gear on and headed on our first ride: 12 miles. Bit of uphill, but nothing too difficult. 

When we reached the town of Grohote, we met with a local bee keeper. He told us about about how the bee population in the world is dwindling because of pesticides used in agriculture, monoculture, and a misunderstanding of bees. He then explained what he does to collect the many products that bees create (6 to be exact), and then showed us a hive. He was a funny man, very sassy, eccentric, a phenomenal storyteller, and a 3rd generation bee keeper. He also talked about the importance of purchasing local products and services because of how it promotes local business owners and communities. I took the initiative after sampling many kinds of honey and picked a thicker, sweet honey to bring home with me (: We then biked through Grohote, and I’ll tell you, I thoroughly enjoyed the cobblestones. 

   
   
We only had 6 kilometers to go to our final destination: Stromroska. It was a stunning ride downhill in this beautiful historic town; the oldest seaside town on the island of Šolta. 
   
 It was then a fabulous red snapper dinner, introduction to our amazing crew, and drinks with the ladies at Africa! 

Živjeli!