The ride was a strange experience. Despite the roar of noise in my ears, I felt like the world for once was completely silent. I felt removed from everything; even though the wind was whipping at my face and the boat was jostling around, the world was silent and completely still. We glided over rolling sheets of glittering blue glass and the early morning sunlight muted all other colors except blue and grey. The haze hid any other islands from view, and we were alone in a world that was unmoving. It was so surreal to know that everything was loud and everything was moving, because it felt like the only thing that existed, the only sense that I had, was sight. We were just observing the world, not partaking, and it was tranquil, surreal, and beautiful.
At some point I did start paying attention to the two women sitting in front of us. They were shrieking in terror every time the front of the boat lifted a little bit off the water when going over a wave and laughing at their own anxiety. They were gripping the backs of the seats in front of them so hard that their knuckles turned white, just in case the next little wave threatened to send them over the side of the little speedboat. It was easy to tell that these women had never done anything like this before, and even easier to see that they cared for each other a lot. It was one of the most beautiful examples of friendship I think I've ever seen - these women were probably in their seventies, best friends, terrified, and having the time of their lives.
The experience was interrupted by the green, green outline of the island of Mljet. We docked and were told to be back by 5pm for the journey back. And so off we went.
After walking around Mali Jezera (Little Lake), Steve and I rented bikes so we could bike along one side of Veliki Jezera (Big Lake) and maybe see where the sea came in to keep the big lake full (which, thanks to a small canal, in turn keeps the small lake full). The ride along the lakes was beautiful, and I wish I'd had the camera out (not that I would've been brave enough to use it while biking...) because at some point the road curved around the trees in almost a full circle, and the sight of my handsome husband smiling as he felt the wind on his face, sunlight making its way through the shadows of the trees to make his golden hair shine... It was a sight that made my heart sing.
We made it past the lakes to the end of the road on our side, and saw a little path on a gravel road that we decided to take.
I remember saying something to Steve while I was walking my bike along, looking up, and having the words die in my throat.
I think I finally understand the meaning of breath-taking.
We were greeted with the most beautiful view. Every color stood out with a vibrancy that pictures cannot capture and words cannot adequately describe. The greenest green led to rocky cliffs(? Not sure what they should be called) of light gray turned white in the sunlight, and the bluest sea crashed in waves against the rocks in a different shade of white. It was beautiful, peaceful, and breathtaking.
After we returned our bikes, we took a short walk to the other side of the big lake and found a small, secluded area where we could walk down and go swimming. The water was a little warmer than the sea and such a pretty color. All we wanted to do (and pretty much all we did) was float around.
We took a boat out to the tiny island in the big lake that was once home to a monastery. Steve saw a guy sitting at one of the outside tables of a restaurant eating a HUGE bowl of mussels and decided he had to have some too. They were delicious.
Rather than take the boat back, Steve wanted to swim ashore so we could walk around on that particular end of the lake. I disagreed, because how were we going to get our clothes, our towels, our water bottle, the camera, our wallets, our keys, and Billy across the approximately 100 meters of lake between the island and the shore. Not to mention we had just eaten. But Steve was insistent. He had done something in Boy Scouts that involved carrying a heavy backpack over his head while crossing a river and was confident he would be able to do it again, now that he was no longer a wee lad. Still not too thrilled with the idea, I gave in on the condition that he would at least let me wrap our bags in my poncho just in case. Steve rolled his eyes at me and haphazardly wrapped our bags up before jumping in the water.
It must have been quite a sight for all the people on the island watching. Steve was about halfway across before I even got into the water, but he was moving so slowly that I caught up right away. Once I did, he asked me to hold the bags so he could catch his breath. It was all I could do to not drown - our bags were heavy and I was basically trying to tread water without using my hands. It's a good thing we wrapped the bags in my poncho because they definitely hit the water a few times. But eventually we made it across without drowning and Steve received a nod of congratulations from a guy who had been on the other side watching us. SO to any Boy Scouts out there: the skills you learn, even the weird ones like how to carry your things across water without them getting wet, DO come in handy sometimes. :P
We took a little side path that went up one of the hills surrounding the lakes and stood on top of the little world of Mljet to gaze upon the blue sea before heading back to the small lake for another swim. Again we found a secluded little area to float around in before it was time to leave.
Between the big lake and the small lake is a little canal; the sea pushes into the big lake, which fills up the small lake, which rushes back out to the sea. Steve and I decided to try swimming against the current up the canal - impossible. It was like salmon swimming up a ladder. But it was a lot of fun to float from the big lake to the little lake. I love how much easier it is to float on your back in saltwater - almost effortless.
On our way back to Korcula, Steve and I sat in the front of the speedboat to catch the full effect of the waves. We, like those other ladies, spent the whole ride laughing.
It was a wonderful day.
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