9.5 km with 330m of ascent
This morning dawns grey and there is scuttlebutt of rain. Most of us are happy with that as the days have been warm, and a little cool rain would feel nice.
Today, we are leaving from the hotel and climbing up the streets to the abandoned Dalmatian village of Topici. The views, as always are amazing from here and once we arrive at the top of the hill, the sun is out in full force and not a cloud in the sky! So much for cool.
Topici is being reconstructed, and has strict regulations on ensuring the village is as close to original Dalmatian construction as possible. It is a beautiful place and we spend a few minutes here, fill up our water bottles from a town tap and then move on.
We follow the contour of the Biokovo mountains high above the coastline and descend part way to a lovely cafe for a cold drink. We then continue on down, down and down a gazillion stairs to the coastline and the lovely village of Brela.
The coastal promenade is a gorgeous city walk and we bump in to several of the ladies who opted not to walk up high. The weather is changing and the clouds are deepening into dark blues and it looks like the promised rain is on its way.
Several of us stop for lunch along the way and Janine, Sharon, Dorothy and I share two extremely yummy pizzas. Satiated, we carry on and walk back to the Hotel Bacchus and Baska Voda. It is relatively early so we relax in our rooms. Shortly after arriving, the winds pick up and the rain begins. It starts to pour and the winds pick up causing the trees to bend over precariously. This wind is called Bura and in the winter can reach up to 200km an hour! Yikes.
Tonight is our gala dinner, and the staff decorate a cake in honour of HF Holidays. The meal is scrumptious as always and we have a short presentation. The staff gather and thank us for staying at the Hotel Bacchus, and we in turn thank them with words and gratuity, as well as for our great guides, Martin & Mary.
The frivolity carries on in the bar for a short while longer and time to pack for our journey back to Dubrovnik tomorrow.
Thankfully we don’t need to venture outside as we can hear the winds howling all night!