Hatch Family: Depart Split, Croatia - Aconda, Italy

Lots has happened since my last post. We spent a final day in Croatia. Woke up early in Omis, took a Long walk. A morning swim in the Adriatic, and that was before breakfast.

Drive to Split (30 mins). Tour of the city and palace there as well as the old town and the marina.

How about a really big sailboat?

View of Split harbor.

Lunch in Split. Really the only marginal meal we ordered in Croatia. You can't win them all.

We bid our goodbyes to Tino our guide early in the afternoon so he could spend time with his family. We locked our luggage in the train depot locker (15 kuna/24 hours) and headed out to hike to the top of the mountain in Split. The zoo is up on top.

After a few more rounds through the old city we collected our bags and boarded our ship.

Here is our goodbye view of Croatia. Hopefully we will return-we loved it.

After a good nights sleep on the boat in our little tiny cabin with bunk beds we arrived in Ancona,Italy. We needed to get to the train station from the ferry dock and had the time so we hiked a little over a mile with all of our stuff to wear Florence down a bit for the train ride to Venice.

Oh Venice. Hot. Crowded. But fun.

We took a tour on the slow water taxi boat that takes 45 mins to go up the grand canal. Here is the Doge palace from the water.

We even saw a wedding. Don't worry. Not the groom. I presume good old dad getting ready to walk her down the isle.

Campanile bell tower in St. Mark square

The archway up to the hotel where we stayed with our kids 10 years ago. Oh the good memories.

The hotel where we stayed with our kids 10 years ago on our trip to Venice.

It was a full moon over Venice but an iPhone camera just doesn't do it justice.

Leaving our hotel headed to church before heading to lake Como. I got on LDS.org and found the address to the stake center here. Here being Venice Italy.

The meetings started at 9:30 am with sacrament meeting at 11:20 am. At least according to the LDS.org website.

We left our hotel at 9:30 am with a plan to make sacrament mtg. By 11:20 am plenty of time. Right?

First a five minute walk with full packs to the train station we bid our goodbye to Venice. Then ten minutes on the train to the first stop. We had not bought our ticket to Milan yet knowing we would buy it after church so of course we got in a little trouble with the conductor but it was all straightened out quickly.

Then a taxi to the building. A stake center. When we got there it was obvious it was under repairs and not in use. All locked up tight with construction equipment everywhere.

There was a sign with the address of where the temporary location they were holding church. I had the taxi driver look at it to take us there.

So another five minutes in the taxi and we arrived at a rental hall of some sort. Total cost of taxi was 30 euros ($40.00 US dollars).

Good thing we were running ahead of schedule since due to their temporary space they hold only sacrament mtg at 10:30 am. We had arrived right on time.

4 sister missionaries assigned here. Two shared their testimonies. 2 other speakers were assigned. One of the sisters translated for Florence as well as two female cousins traveling as well and at church.

Members from Chile in attendance as well as other nationalities such as Ghana , and other african nations.

The missionaries had 3 investigators at church all with baptisim dates.

They do have a local member who plays the piano.

The stage of the hall the church is renting while their building is renovated.

One of the sister missionaries talking to a member.

Two other sister missionaries who rode their bikes to church.

When we arrived at Lake Como in the village of Varenna where we are staying it started to rain and cloud up. A nice change after 9 hot sunny days in Croatia and Italy. This is our view over dinner. In the distance across the lake is the village of Belligo.