David's Diary: Sunday, July 28, 2002

Summer in Loviste, Croatia

Having discovered Loviste under duress yesterday, we settled in today to nice weather and a pleasent anchorage. Loviste is located at the end of the Peljesac Peninsula which sticks out like a finger from the mainland north of Dubrovnik in Croatia. The bay is surrounded by small houses that are used as summer homes by people from the south. The area reminds us of our home cruising grounds of the Gulf Islands near Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Even though we are actually on a part of the mainland, there are many small islands nearby. Anchorages are close together, the hills are covered with trees, and small mountains rise directly out of the sea.

Rocky Path

Jocelyn and I went for a walk along the shore. Near the sea the air temperature was bearable, but as we scrambled inland we could feel the heat being reflected off the rocks strewen across the countryside. We climbed up and over the Peninsula and looked down onto the Adriatic Sea to the north. The end of the Peninsula is less than two kilometers wide at this point.

Beach Time

As the afternoon wore on I gave Karalee a break by taking all three children to the beach. Amid the locals, Jocelyn, Kevin, and Allen played in the sea and soaked up the summer sunshine.

Local Church

Leaving the kids at the beach I took a walk through the center of the village of Loviste. Passing cafes and small shops I happened upon the tiny village church. It was only a week ago that we visited the huge Cathedral and Jesuit Church of Dubrovnik. This local church would fit into a tiny corner of the Jesuit Church, but I found that it had a special elegance of its own.

Inside of the Church

Because this was Sunday, the church was open, although empty. I went inside and enjoyed the simple altar, white walls, tiled floors, and varnished wooden pews. It's true that bigger is not always better. Glad that I had done some exploring and seen the church, I returned to the beach and picked the kids up for the dinghy ride back to Dragonsinger. As we finished dinner in the cockpit the lovely day ended with a spectacular sunset that lit up all of the other boats in the anchorage. After dragging anchor yesterday morning it was wonderful to have a calm day off to enjoy our new anchorage.