Venice to Croatia

We were back to the cruise ship in plenty of time for its supposed 11:00 p.m. departure.  Unfortunately Mother Nature got involved with our trip again.  There were high wind warnings so the Port of Venice was closed to outgoing and incoming ships.  I'm glad we were in the harbor and not out on a rough sea!  At about 5:00 a.m. they opened the port, our ship got out and then almost immediately the port was closed again.

Our next port was supposed to be Koper, Slovenia but the winds were still high and our captain announced that it was dangerous to try and dock in a small harbor with 40 mile per hour wind gusts so we got an 'at sea' day.  The ship is beautiful and it was great to have a totally relaxing day.  I took not one but two naps, went to 2 lectures on "Yugoslavia - the Country that Used to be" and ate great meals.  George had a massage.  I was sorry to miss Koper but I'm already figuring how we can add it to another trip!

Luckily the wind died down and we were able to dock the following day at Spilt, Croatia which is part of the Dalmatian region of the country.  And yes, Dalmatian dogs did originate here.

 We didn't see a Dalmatian but we did see this 'Croatian Lab' who seemed to be ball crazy just like American labs!  He walked all around our group with the ball in his mouth hoping someone who throw it.  When no one did, he decided to just lie down and rest.

At the last minute we added a visit to the 'Falconry' center to our excursion.  Turned out that this was one the highlights of the trip for me! The owner, Emilio, has an obvious affection for his birds and a tremendous amount of knowledge.  The center is both a rescue operation and a place where people can be educated about birds.  Emilio's personal birds were the only ones we got to see. The rescued birds are kept in a separate location and only a few people are allowed inside.  He does not want these birds to get accustomed to people because they will be released into the wild.  

First we were introduced to his beautiful Eagle Owl.  I'm not sure if he intended for his hair to match her eyes but they certainly do! 

Female owls are bigger than males.  They are predators and catch mice, squirrel, cats, small dogs, fox, and other birds.  They are lethal hunters and can see a mouse from up to 8 miles away.  The, "Whooo, whoo....." call,  when heard in the forest,  strikes fear into the hearts of all small animals.  She isn't too bothered by people but we were warned not to try to touch her.  She sees this as threatening and will bite.  However she isn't bothered by human heads and we could approach her for a snuggle!

Next Emilio brought out a falcon to show us how he could let her fly free but she would return.

 Krka National Park has spectacular waterfalls.  I read that you could swim in them, but not today!

The "No Swimming" signs were not really necessary when it was cold and when this much water was coming over the falls.   Nor were we tempted to jump from the bridge!  

Maybe Croatia has something in common with their neighbor Italy as this  particular 'wrong way' sign seemed to be totally ignored. 

What a beautiful place!

 I sometimes want to burst out in song... "I think the world is glorious and lovely as can be...."

 It truly is glorious and I feel so fortunate to have been able to see so much of it!