GFY 12 Month Sabbatical

Today we took a 2 hour catamaran ferry to the small (15 square km) Croatian island of Silba. The whole island is a car free zone and it has a beautiful mild sunny climate. The island also has a very interesting history including, at one stage, ownership by a wealthy Venetian family (it was on the main sailing route to Venice) and then much later ‘bought’ by the local people for independence. This island was not based so much on fishing or farming (as other local islands are) but dominated by sailors and captains - often world travellers. Interestingly this particular island has a history of the women having a higher standing and power than the men (more of a matriarchal society) - not the usual situation in these parts.
On our first night we found ourselves at a party hosted by a Norwegian couple in the gardens of a magnificent villa (originally built for a captain) they have lovingly restored. We mingled with the locals, drinking their homemade wine and eating roast pig from the wood oven.Read more