This blog died along with my computer. Blogging without one while travelling means building in computer/internet time. Phew. I havent had a second of that. I think I may have totally drained my family on this whirlwind tour. We started in zagreb drinking coffees with milk and meeting friends, families, and the joys of pelinkovac...croatias version of jagger. then we flew down to dubrovnik where we encountered tourist crowds for the first time. doudging the cruise boat bunches, we dined on buckets full of fish, climbed ancient walls, and sipped velebitsko beer while watching old men rowing their boats out into the endlessly blue adriatic sea. Next we wiggled our way through some mountains along the sea/side, passing red roofed beach houses all with balaconies and gardens full of olive trees, at points the sea encroaching up towards the highway. Arriving at Split only slightly before the departure of ferry number 1 meant hopping on for a bit a bumpy ride over to the island of hvar, where we stayed in a luxerious/revamped/yugoslavian era hotel. we watched a parade of priests, ate prawns and tried our sea legs sailing out towards the isalnd vis. Another pitursque bus ride brought us to Zadar, where we were ready for our day of dosing off to the sounds of the sea organ, admiring old churches built out of even older roman ruins, wheels and columns alike, and licking up ice cream in flavors like limun, blueberry, rum and all the classics. From there it is was an overnight ferry, including bunk beds, deck chairs for moon bathing, lifeboats, and a strange dining room of sorts. we woke up in italy took a train to florence, spent a good 36 hours looking back in time via gold gilted art, plenty of iconography of baby jesus, the birth of vensus, and the, yes ill admit, impressive David. Dotted with breaks for delicious sandwiches with goat cheese and prusuttio, gelato to die for, and of course one delicious classy meal *steaks cooked on open stones and dripping with magic red.wine and baslmic sauce* and one home style cheap eats tuscuny style joint, including half liters of house wine, rabbit sauce, and raviolis. After day dreaming of what it would be like to be rich in florence splurging on gucci, designer glasses, and handmade leather shoes we are finally taking a break before hoping on our train to Rome. Breathe. Only three days left, in the busiest of cities of course.

I suppose the correct sign off for this brief update is.... Ciao!