Today began the same as yesterday... Austin waking early to enjoy the delicious breakfast buffet, a morning hike, school by the pool and a pasta dinner. All good except for one surprise.
We set out for a longer hike today, passing the castle tower we hiked to yesterday, continuing to the top of the ridge, over the other side and then back. The signs said it would be 4.2 km total, but my phone says 7.2 miles round trip!! Woohoo!
On our way down, we stopped to take a closer look at an olive tree. [Did you know that olive trees are as abundant here in Italy and Croatia as blackberry bushes are to a vacant lot back home?] I heard Austin make a weird sound. As I turned around, I saw a five-foot-long, two-inch diameter black snake slither across the rocky road six feet in front of us. Austin says it was four feet long, but however long the snake was, it made me shriek such a blood-curdling scream that it triggered every Sicilian canine, wolf and coyote in the valley to howl for minutes. This made the encounter even creepier for there was no one else in sight on the hike. Eeek! There is NOTHING scarier to me than a snake!!! Once again, I was proven to be the biggest wimp in the family. Luckily, we later learned that this snake is not poisonous—phew, the hikes can continue!
FUN FACT: Olive trees are incredibly hardy and can survive several disasters in their lifetime. Their lifespan is commonly measured in centuries. Many trees living today are centuries older than Jesus!!!
