Morski Jež Magnetism
Bok! Kako Si?
Thumbs up! How are you doing? Let me explain the band-aid:
While in Croatia I was able to be quite active. Luckily for me, I was traveling with my friend and co-worker Stephanie who happens to be a nurse. This is lucky because, as it turns out, I am a complete and hopeless klutz (I believe my past travel partner Eric can attest to this). Here are the injuries I sustained in the first 2 days:
- I accidentally stepped on a dog’s tail and he automatically bit my toe (luckily the skin was not broken)
- While trying to step onto a pier from a jet ski, I fell and scraped my knee on a cement embankment.
- I punctured my hand in two places on coral while snorkeling off of the island of Lopud
- I got my first sun burn across my shoulders
- I stepped on a Sea Urchin and had to remove a series of quills from my foot
Dude! I know! Now, a word on these Sea Urchins (or Morski Jež as they are called in Croatia-The literal translation, of course, being “Day Ruiner”): 
On the first day, after renting a jet ski to drive between a series of breathtaking islands, we stopped to swim a little. I eased myself into the water only to find my foot perfectly placed on one of these Sea Porcupines.
I was able to get the majority of the quills out of my foot. However, the next day I felt an acute pain in my toe while we biked through the Mljet national park. I had to stop and sit while Stephanie, in all of her nursely abilities, began to dig and scrape and pinch my foot, attempting to remove my last remaining sea gift. With the a pair of tweezers, a concerned park ranger on hand, and my muffled whimpers, the quill removal was a success!
Later that day, as I tried to enter the water I left my sandals on, having learned my lesson. As I stepped attentively on unstable rocks in an attempt to reach a swimmable depth, I felt as if I were a minesweeper judging every step so precisely. I looked on either side of my pink toes and saw these prickly monsters, waiting oh-so-patiently for my tender foot skin.
I was navigating quite well, or so I thought, until I stepped on an algae-slimed rock and lost my footing. As I crashed into the water, I instinctively put out my hand to break my fall. And where do you think it landed? Hence the thumb band-aid.
From then on I took the approach of floating above the little black devils a la Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible (Why so many Tom Cruise references?) and things were fine.
As I mentioned, I was able to rent a jet ski on my first day and cruise between a series of different islands. We would stop occasionally to snorkel off the coasts of uninhabited islands before taking ourselves to a small beach with a tiki bar (only accessible by boat).
The only other time I had been on a jet ski was when I was just a boy and not old enough to drive it myself. My memory includes hugging close to my mom in Green Lake Wisconsin, trying not to be flung from the back seat as her wet hair whipped my pudgy prepubescent face. This time around was a lot more enjoyable.
The second day was spent on the island of Mljet pedaling from beach to small café to scenic overlook on rented bikes. The water was so clear, the sky so blue, the wind through the trees so calming. It made for a memorable day.
After two days of adventure sporting, I thought it was necessary to explore a few more cultural venues. I wandered into the Old City of Dubrovnik with a group of other SAS employees the next day. The whole city was enclosed in fortress walls and could be walked from end to end in about 12 minutes.
I tried to figure out what one needed to do while they were there and the best answer I got was to “wander around and appreciate the city” (which is part of the Unesco World Heritage Foundation). I took this advice quite seriously and wandered to my hearts delight (I came upon a music school practice space, a series of chirping brightly colored parakeets in cages, and a woman passed out on the street [whether from the heat or from too much Rakija was hard to gauge]).
Although it was strongly discouraged, I did a bit of cliff jumping and managed to survive. Since I am the worst at estimations (Ages, Heights, Weights, Distances,Depths—I’m clueless) it could have been anywhere from 10 ft to 3 miles above the sea. Whatever the height, it was really exhilirating.
I walked around the Dubrovnik city walls and recorded my impressions in the audio recording below.
Croatia was a fantastic, brief visit. I am tan, exhausted, waterlogged, and a little banged up but smiling nonetheless.
We arrive in Greece tomorrow. Thanks again for reading.
Yours,
Casey
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