It is another hot day in Dubrovnik. The weather forecast said cooler with a breeze, but I think they were lying. It felt just as hot walking in to work. We have the air conditioning in our office set to 68 degrees just to cool off.

Friday was our last field trip with the students. We met at 9:00 and were driven to the town of Stun (pronounced Stawn) where there is another old town with wall fortifications. These walls go straight up the mountain, unlike Dubrovnik which built on a flat area in a natural harbor. Well, the art professor hops out of the van and starts trudging up the steps to the walls and all the students followed. Annette and I were horrified because of course it was 90 degrees again and we had had our fill of old towns with big walls that you had to climb.

God is good, because our student Jackie said "I don't want to climb up there. Can you help me find a bathroom?" Annette and I, being the responsible adults that we are, went back down into the town with her. After finding a toilette, we were way too late to rejoin the class, so we settled for cappuccinos under an umbrella at a cafe.

Eventually the rest of the folks dragged in and we piled back into the vans and off to a vineyard that the environmental science professor wanted to show us. We went way up in the hills, parked and started walking, this time through a long tunnel that had been cut through the mountain. On the other side, we walked halfway down the mountain on a hot dusty road to a vineyard that is planted almost perpendicular to the sea. The slope is so steep that the grape pickers have to tie ropes around themselves to keep from tumbling all the way down. The grapes grow in very little soil; mostly the substrate which is porous. There is so little rain that most of the water comes through the roots. The grapes are very sweet because of the intense sun.

We walked back the way we had come, up the road, through the tunnel to the winery. The son of the owner greeted us with a short talk on the history of the vineyard and showed us where the wine is made. Following that, we were treated to a great lunch in the winery restaurant which was below ground and very dark and cool. We had a rustic meal, typical of the region: lentil soup, good chewy bread, anchovies in lemon juice and olive oil, prosciutto and cheese and fried eggplant, zucchini, peppers and onions. It was wonderful!

This meal was accompanied by wine, wine, wine and then some more wine. First we had white, then red, then rose and then a sweet dessert wine. It was a great bonding experience with lots of laughter and teasing. A lot of the kids bought wine to take home - I wonder how much of it will last that long. We have a couple of serious drinkers in the group.

We were home early and went to bed. Then I got sick. Today Annette doesn't feel well, although she swears she is OK. Vincent says we have "departure depression".

Well, today is our last Monday. We have class Mon - Wed and then our student Jackie is going home early to attend a wedding. We will have Thursday and Friday to clean up the office, pack the laptops and tidy up the apartment. Soon we will be on our way home.

Take care and thanks again for your support.
Cathy and Annette