News About The Greer Family
September 12, 2002: Back In Italy
Dragonsinger sailing the Adriatic (Photo Willy Ritch-Smith)
Since our last Web update we have traveled to Venice, Italy, travelled back to Croatia, worked our way down the Croatian coast, and are now in Vieste, Italy. If you picture Italy as a boot, Vieste is located where you would find a spur on a cowboy boot. It is located approximately a third of the way up the eastern side of Italy. Travelling to Vieste allowed us to cross the Adriatic Sea from Croatia to Italy in a single day. From here, we plan to do short hops down the coast.
We have really enjoyed the second half of our summer in Croatia. The Dalmatian islands remind us of the Gulf Islands near Vancouver, although without all of the lush vegetation that we are used to. From waterfalls to secluded bays, big cities to small villages, we have had a good look at the cruising grounds of Croatia. Our trip to Venice was spectacular (see the travel pictures below) and our entire time on the Adriatic Sea will always be remembered as a wonderful part of our trip.
School in the cockpit
Besides enjoying Croatia and Venice, our biggest news is that school has once again started on Dragonsinger. It has taken a lot of time to organize, ship, and receive all of our school supplies for the 2002/2003 school year and we are still short one or two subjects, but that's not holding us back from getting a lot of school work done every day. Doing school in Croatia has had its compensations. Earlier this week, recess meant a swim in the crystal clear waters on the island of Vis.
Ganymede and Dragonsinger in Vis, Croatia
Before school started, we got to spend a few more days with our friends on Arbella. Jocelyn, Kevin, and Allen had a great time playing with Elin and Sally from Arbella, while Karalee and I got to enjoy the adult company of Willy and Maggie. This last weekend we met up with Ganymede, a boat that we first saw in Palma in the spring. Jocelyn's friend Charlie (they are the same age) was the friend who climbed with us up the volcano at Stromboli for Jocelyn's thirteenth birthday. School by day, swimming and exploring in the afternoon, and dinners together at night meant we had a wonderful four days together.
Travel Pictures
View of Venice Lagoon from Doge's Palace
We continue to add to our picture collection. We have added several sets of pictures taken during our visit to Venice and two sets of pictures from Split, Croatia:
Itinerary
We have just arrived on the Italian coast of the Adriatic. We plan to slowly work our way south, then do a passage around the boot of Italy to Sicily. We plan to spend a short time visiting the east coast of Sicily before making our way to Malta. After visiting Malta and stocking up on supplies for the winter, we will do a passage to Monastir, Tunisia which will be our home from October through to April, 2003.
| September: | Italian coast of the Adriatic Sea and Sicily |
| October: | Visit Malta and arrive Monastir, Tunisia by the end of the month |