Random Reminiscences

Snakes.

I am aware that much of life outside Canada continues nonplussed by the presence of these scaly reptiles - but this Clumsy traveler has a motto:

BE PREPARED.

Here I am with my 'snake stick' - ready to pound the ground ahead of me to dislodge any reluctant beasts.  One end is pronged like a fork - I'm not sure that I would have actually tried to corral a legless critter had I actually seen one - but I was ready.

Sort of.

Snake season was apparently over.  The locals who spied me with my snake stick likely needed surgery for their busted gut - but that's their problem.

This tiny roped parade of toddlers marched past as we were waiting for our Mediterranean cruise to begin (see the cruise post for the back story...).

Strings of tiny tots are cute no matter the location, don't you think??

I couldn't help but wonder what at the purpose of the day's outing - and at the marked difference between their little lives and the pre-schoolers in the area around home.  I guarantee they weren't going to the local grain elevator to see how wheat was handled...



This is a shot of the marina in the gorgeous town of Rovinj.


The Mediterranean sun waved in so friendly a manner at its Canadian visitors - we felt the warmest of welcomes and shed our outer layers after its handshake!

The variety and quantity of boats seemed endless.  Living as I do 2000 miles from the ocean, I couldn't get enough of boats and sea and salt-spray and fish and marinas...



In most villages, the remains of castle walls or Renaissance structures or Medieval enclosures created the perfect spot for a repository of hay.  these quaint haystacks were made more quaint still by their surroundings.

Often, a small herd of goats would find shelter in such a haven as this.  Honeycombed in an endless maze of openings and apertures and gates, walled spaces such as these added a quality of charm to back alleys and out-of-the-way nooks and crannies.


Near Dvigrad, in the parking area adjacent to the ruined castle, an unusual seating arrangement can be found.  After a small bird flew from this arbor, my sister, always on the look-out for something at which to laugh, made a singular remark as to its strange appearance.

"Hey - was that the partridge in the chair tree?" she joked.

Ha ha.

Funny how a simple snapshot can stir so many random reminiscences.

Funny how random reminiscences can be the highlight of your day...