#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Split Harbor

Early, Frank rises, leaves the docked boat and gets us coffees for waking up. Packing! Easy and quick. It’s rainy for our departure. Everyone is bustling. We are saying goodbye. Our last breakfast in the dining room. Some wind, but warm. Soon we are arriving to the crazy bustle of Split Harbor on the switch day for all the boats; people and baggage and boats galore. Ah! Our goodbyes to all of our friends! Frank and I have a flight from Zurich to catch. But still, we have a couple of hours in the port before getting a cab to the airport. We stow our luggage and I get to take a long, long walk along the cloudy busy harbor. My chest a bit tight. The emotions of leaving. But soon I distract myself with taking photos of morning beauty. Oh! What a lovely time we have had! My mermaid soul is longing to stay in the Adriatic sea! Frank waits for me at a cafe. We sit in the rain under umbrellas having our last coffee. Then, our connection to the impeccable Zurich airport. Great food there, clean, organized, pleasant, smart. Then the eight hour flight to Boston. And the mild ache of leaving something so special. I am listening on Audible to Barbara Kingsolver’s latest, “Demon Copperhead,” which is excellent. And we sleep for most of the flight. Arrive home, greeted by my youngest and her boyfriend, and Charlie, and a clean house. I am woozy and wobbly in the shower; my legs are unsure of the ground after sea and air. No crawling into our cozy little berth. But I am happy to be home, of course. I will swim in the morning, but not in the Adriatic Sea, except in my memory, always.