Sat, 23^rd April

Mljet Island, off Dubrovnik.

After some initial confusion about where we were meeting, we finally connected with our lady guide provided by the National Park. She was a rather dour, unsmiling Croatian lady still nostalgic for the days of Marshall Tito. She was pleasant but unenthusiastic and had almost no knowledge of natural history, something extraordinary in a park guide, I thought. As there was only one road into the park and we were in a taxi, her guiding skills such as they are, were never put to the test.

The island is beautiful and well wooded having been a possession of the Benedictine order for some centuries; they forbad the cutting down of trees. We rambled along the shoreline among the maquis and stands of Aleppo pine then took a short boat ride to an island in the lake where the ruins of the monastery stood.

Once back aboard, we had a delicious dinner and I think we all had a little too much wine. Lizzie’s request for “just half a glass” became a standing joke as Derek refilled her glass for a second and third time.

Sun, 24^th April – Easter Sunday

We have just anchored off Korcula about a mile from the walled old town. It took us a while to complete the procedure and it was nearly 10 am before we finally got ashore. We hurried with all the camera equipment through the gate in the city walls, up to the church at the top of the town. No sooner had we established our position outside the church when the bells started pealing and the clerical procession arrived for the Easter service. It was a filmic opportunity not to be missed and we made it with a minute to spare. Timot, the cameraman, is brazen; he gets right in front of the procession and films close ups, then he goes inside the church and films the Roman Catholic service inside.

After the church service we explore the beautiful old Venetian town and then at one o’clock, we wave goodbye to Alex and Lizzie Catto as the jet away on the ferry to Split.