June-uary

It's been about twenty days since I've returned to Dubrovnik. It was a fairly smooth journey back. Lufthansa is high on my list of preferred airlines at the moment. Pricey Yes, but very prompt (as germans usually are.) and good service. Planes were great, and even though I had 45 minutes between connections, even with a delay I made it on time. Plus I got to fly in am Embraer jet for the first time.

First thing I noticed when I got back to Dubrovnik. It finally got WARM! It was a total relief after experiencing a mild winter in Vancouver... for the second time. It was like Vancouver realized my Aunt Claudette had passed away and decided to get cold and rainy after her passing.

It was really nice to get to spend time with my family after my aunts passing. I really felt like we all reached a new level of communication and friendship. I really look forward to spending some more time with them soon. During that time I was fortunate enough to spend time with my uncle and was even luckier to get a chance to document and take picture of the old family boat. the boat was originally built in 1964 and has since been in the hand of my grandfather and my uncle who each year tenderly care for the wood and keep the boat in fantastic working order. While m uncle showed me around the boat I managed to snap this portrait of him... I think it reflects him, the boat and his personality perfectly.

My Uncle Bud and his boat, the Crystal S

When I returned to Dubrovnik it was pretty much pedal to the metal once I hit the ground. Maria was amazing enough to cover my shifts while I was gone dealing with family stuff. She really was a superstar as the hostel was full every night after I left, yet she didn't complain or hold it against me that I left. It was time for me to pull my weight. Since then my month has been more or less filled with adventures. I've been running tours, cooking curries, exploring the city and working the front desk. "Save money for winter" has been my mantra over the last few weeks. I recently discovered the amazing classical music at the "Rectors Palace". My friend Anshel came to visit from Hong Kong for a few days and it was an amazing reunion. Especially strange when I think about it. We had met back in 2007 for two days while he was drinking at Fresh*. You know a true friend when you see one again after five years... and it's exactly as if no time had ever passed. A fantastic visit. Anyway he has introduced me to the classical music at Rector Palace which also happened to be my friend Jon's first time ever in eight years of living in Dubrovnik. Imagine a beautiful medieval feeling venue, with a world class orchestra as your entertainment while you sit amongst marble arches above... then imagine paying ten bucks for it. Amazing evenings.

Anyways I won't bore you with all the details of my last month. But I have been painting a bit, heading to Lokrum island on my days off, taking hostel guests on tours and trying to stay out of the oppressive heat. It's consistently been 32 celcius plus... with humidity. The poor little chinese made electric fan I bought isn't nearly cutting it. Fortunately it has cooled down last night... for the first time in two weeks. It's 26 C and night instead of 30. Bearable.

Here's some photos to pass the time.

A Picture Stash a professor at ACMT took of me on Lokrum

Kat loves her new hammock

Rouch day on Lokrum

Classical music at the Rectors Palace

Late nights with the hostel guests

Anyways I think everyone here in Dubrovnik has grown up a little in the last year. It's been really nice to spend time with people again and it feels a bit more like home than it did last year. Stay tuned to further blog posts as life gets interesting.

Future highlights:

-Lian comes to visit in July.

-Ben's brother and girlfriend come for a visit!

-Sailing up the coast with Bastian and friends!

Looks like it'll be a great summer... hope June-unary in Vancouver is finally coming to an end.