Saturday 24 March 2007

Spring sailing in Kornati, Croatia


I decided to post a photo from the last year's sailing trip to Croatia. Our rented Bavaria 37 is anchored in an idyllic island bay in the Kornati region.


For the last few years I went sailing twice a year with a group of friends. It has become more or less a traditional event.


There is only one general rule to this event - no mater how nice they beg - we have all agreed not to take our girlfriends/wives with us. There are other occasions when they are very welcome to come sailing along, but this is a none negotiable one.


Every year we have chosen an early spring and a late autumn date. That means that the first one this year is approaching fast.


Unfortunately a couple of days ago I was informed, that we are looking at a few extremely busy weeks at work.
Sadly this means no spring vacation for me just yet. I hope it is going to be a bit sweeter when it eventually comes to it.

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Thursday 22 March 2007

Mosaics of Aquileia, Italy


Three days ago I wrote a post about a trip to Italy. I still have something to write about the second part of the day.


After seeing the town of Grado me and my girlfriend followed a causeway connecting the island with mainland.


Aquileia (Oglej in Slovenian) lies just a few kilometers north from the island town of Grado. It is an ancient Roman town founded in 180 BC and situated about 10 km from the sea. It became a naval station in 4th century AD and also at that time the bishop obtained the rank of Patriarch.


The Cathedral of Aquileia is one of the most important edifices of Christianity. It is a flat-roofed basilica erected by Patriarch Poppo in 1031 on the site of an earlier church, and rebuilt about 1379 in the Gothic style by Patriarch Marquad.


Most of all I was impressed by the mosaics within the cathedral. They are really colorful and beautifully made. All of the cathedral floor is covered with them.


A view from the top of the cathedral tower is also something to mention. You can easily see the sea. Unfortunately on that day the weather wasn't really something to brag about and the same goes for the view.


After we also saw some more ancient remains and a WWI cemetery, we decided to call it a day.
Under the line it was a beautiful and relaxing day, which ended with a mortadella sandwich (Italians know how to make the best ones) and a bag of pistachio. Yummy!

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Tuesday 20 March 2007

Late snow


This post was supposed to be about the second part of my Saturday's trip to Italy, but it's not going to be...


Instead of that I'm posting a yesterday afternoon view from my bedroom window in Ljubljana.


The funny thing is that a couple of days ago I was looking at people sunbathing in their swimsuits and today I have been ranting over loads of no-good snow when walking to and back from work. It is true that Grado and Ljubljana are more than one hundred kilometers apart, but nevertheless...


It was snowing for the most of yesterday and until midday today. In some parts of Slovenia this resulted in more than half a meter of fresh snow. In Ljubljana luckily it was just a half of that.


It's a shame really. Last week I was just beginning to enjoy the first signs of spring. Magnolias and cherry trees were all blooming. Now they are all covered in snow, possibly even with broken branches from heavy snow.


As I am writing this post some of the snow has already melted away. It seems it will be gone as fast as it came - at least here in Ljubljana.


This will have to do for today - I have some more work to do. Also my writings about the trip to Aquileia will have to wait for the next time.

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