Let the Hiking Begin!
Day 4:
Today was the first day of our five-day hiking trip. Unfortunately, it began with a bit of marital discord. While we are regular gym enthusiasts, hiking is not something we do regularly, and in fact our hiking boots may have looked a little too new for any of the die-hands we assumed would be on the trip. Because this was a sport we did not participate in with any regularity, my goal was for us both to go "under the radar."
I did not appreciate the full extent of "hiking ware." Besides the boots and expensive socks, my hiking repertoire consisted of a couple of new workout shirts from Marshall's and some khaki shorts. Even with my lack of knowledge, I knew--from the pictures of travelers in the brochures--that I would blend in. Apparently my husband had either reviewed different brochures or not looked at them at all because he dressed in an outfit that first didn't match and second appeared to be an ensemble more suitable for golf or a light volley of tennis. The whole ensemble just screamed, "NOVICE." Needless to say, after 34 years of marriage, I did not hesitate in saying, "You are not wearing that." There was some pushback, but eventually he and his new outfit could be included in next year's brochure.
And then we started the hiking. Because we are novices, we booked a trip that was described as light to medium hiking, a range between "1 and 3." The brochure said that each day we would cover between 4 and 7 miles of varying terrain. We thought that we could do that with little problem.
We were bused to a picturesque little town south of Dubrovnik. While in the bus, our guides reminded us about the importance of hydration and that we probably wouldn't see any snakes. My radar immediately went into full gear and Bob leaned over and whispered that he didn't remember any mention of snakes in the brochure. (Clearly he did read it.) We strolled along this beautiful seaside town, watching boats take off and children jumpinto into the water.
And then we started climbing. First it was steps, then it was paved hills, then it was rocky hills, then it was rocky hills in the middle of nowhere. At first, I thought, "this must be the '3' section of the trip. As the terrain became more difficult, I kept wondering what the "medium to hard" hikes were like, because I was sweating like a dog. Bob, who had walked a bit in front of me, turned back and said that we had just spent a lot of money to work hard not to turn our ankles! We decided that there was no reason to wonder about the "medium to hard" terrains, because we were never going to experience them!
I just want to mention "Game of Thrones." We have watched all the seasons but have not been enamored with the varying plot lines. It's often dark--both figuratively and literally, it can be racy and half the time we can't understand the characters' accents and have yet to figure out how to turn on our TV's subtitles, so I know we've missed a lot over the seasons. In fact, the only name I ever am sure of is John Snow. The rest are too hard and forget about spelling them!
Imagine my surprise when I learned that a lot of the series was filmed here in Dubrovnik!! In fact, Fort St. Lawrence, which we can see from our hotel window, is the show's King's Landing! So after our formal "hike" was over, we foolishly thought, in the blistering heat, that we would go to the top of the fort to see what all the fuss was about. As we climbed, we were met by tour after tour of hundreds and hundreds of Game of Throners, all sweating profusely because--like the rest of the city-- it was quite a climb to the top. They all seemed to be listening intently and trying to get every detail of the show's filming. Several had carried up flags and photos from the show-for what purpose, I could not say. After climbing up one too many staircases today, here is my prediction: Winter is not coming. Well, at least not to Dubrovnik!!
Tomorrow-more hiking and on to the island of Korcula!
Today was the first day of our five-day hiking trip. Unfortunately, it began with a bit of marital discord. While we are regular gym enthusiasts, hiking is not something we do regularly, and in fact our hiking boots may have looked a little too new for any of the die-hands we assumed would be on the trip. Because this was a sport we did not participate in with any regularity, my goal was for us both to go "under the radar."
I did not appreciate the full extent of "hiking ware." Besides the boots and expensive socks, my hiking repertoire consisted of a couple of new workout shirts from Marshall's and some khaki shorts. Even with my lack of knowledge, I knew--from the pictures of travelers in the brochures--that I would blend in. Apparently my husband had either reviewed different brochures or not looked at them at all because he dressed in an outfit that first didn't match and second appeared to be an ensemble more suitable for golf or a light volley of tennis. The whole ensemble just screamed, "NOVICE." Needless to say, after 34 years of marriage, I did not hesitate in saying, "You are not wearing that." There was some pushback, but eventually he and his new outfit could be included in next year's brochure.
And then we started the hiking. Because we are novices, we booked a trip that was described as light to medium hiking, a range between "1 and 3." The brochure said that each day we would cover between 4 and 7 miles of varying terrain. We thought that we could do that with little problem.
We were bused to a picturesque little town south of Dubrovnik. While in the bus, our guides reminded us about the importance of hydration and that we probably wouldn't see any snakes. My radar immediately went into full gear and Bob leaned over and whispered that he didn't remember any mention of snakes in the brochure. (Clearly he did read it.) We strolled along this beautiful seaside town, watching boats take off and children jumpinto into the water.
And then we started climbing. First it was steps, then it was paved hills, then it was rocky hills, then it was rocky hills in the middle of nowhere. At first, I thought, "this must be the '3' section of the trip. As the terrain became more difficult, I kept wondering what the "medium to hard" hikes were like, because I was sweating like a dog. Bob, who had walked a bit in front of me, turned back and said that we had just spent a lot of money to work hard not to turn our ankles! We decided that there was no reason to wonder about the "medium to hard" terrains, because we were never going to experience them!
I just want to mention "Game of Thrones." We have watched all the seasons but have not been enamored with the varying plot lines. It's often dark--both figuratively and literally, it can be racy and half the time we can't understand the characters' accents and have yet to figure out how to turn on our TV's subtitles, so I know we've missed a lot over the seasons. In fact, the only name I ever am sure of is John Snow. The rest are too hard and forget about spelling them!
Imagine my surprise when I learned that a lot of the series was filmed here in Dubrovnik!! In fact, Fort St. Lawrence, which we can see from our hotel window, is the show's King's Landing! So after our formal "hike" was over, we foolishly thought, in the blistering heat, that we would go to the top of the fort to see what all the fuss was about. As we climbed, we were met by tour after tour of hundreds and hundreds of Game of Throners, all sweating profusely because--like the rest of the city-- it was quite a climb to the top. They all seemed to be listening intently and trying to get every detail of the show's filming. Several had carried up flags and photos from the show-for what purpose, I could not say. After climbing up one too many staircases today, here is my prediction: Winter is not coming. Well, at least not to Dubrovnik!!
Tomorrow-more hiking and on to the island of Korcula!
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