March 23

Dubrovnik, Croatia

We had yet another glorious day of weather today, so much so that no jackets were required and for the afternoon excursion to the winery I wore only a short-sleeved polo shirt.  Kim and I selected for our excursion today a walk atop the ancient walls that surround the idealic town of Dubrovnik, our first of two stops in Croatia.  Our guide told us as we approached the Old Town that the top draw for the 3 million plus tourists that come here each year is the walls and that they are the only intact ancient walls left in all of Europe.  We knew it would be a great experience but we did NOT know how very, VERY high they were.  And at time very narrow with low barriers on either side.  But (a) we've walked the Great Wall of China so this would not faze us!, and (b) the views were stunningly spectacular.  As you can see in the aerial shot above, the walls complete encircle the Old Town, and we covered every inch of them!  Again, like so many other days, while the photos are pretty cool, they truly do not capture what it was like to be up there atop the walls seeing it all in living color.  Pretty cool experience!

The Winery

While Kim and I hiking the walls, Sue and Dan were on a panoramic tour of the city.  We happened to be on the same shuttle returning to the ship and grabbed some lunch.  We then met down on the pier around 2 pm and were off to visit a winery in the countryside outside the city.  We had a wonderful time - this particular winery is known for their white wine and specifically for their sweet, desert wine which has TWICE been named the top sweet, desert wine in the world!

Those of you that know me know how closely I follow thoroughbred racing, especially at this time of the year.  But while we've been on the cruise I've only checked the racing headlines sporadically and have not handicapped at all (missing Winx's 32nd win in a row....easy money!).  But today I knew it was Louisiana Derby Day.  I looked at who was running and I "liked" three races but only bet one, the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz Memorial where I put my money on Bricks and Mortar who won a thrilling stretch duel to make me a perfect 1-for-1 in handicapping for the trip :)