Dear Art lover,
I am convinced now that I am an idiot. Or at the very least, losing my thoroughness.
At least during the winter / non-tourist season
(which starts after Easter, apparently), ferries from Montenegro to Italy only
run on Thursdays and Sundays. Ok… but
they leave at night and arrive in the morning.
I need to be in Roma by the 20th, but I cannot legally enter
Italia until the 19th. The
only ferry I could take is on the 19th. I thought it was perfect… until I realized
the ferry left at 10 pm instead of 10 a.m.
The ferry runs from Bar, Montenegro to Bari, Italia. The next train to Roma is not until
afternoon, and no fast trains from Bari.
I would be a day late!
Also, I cannot stay in Croatia longer than 90
days. I cannot return to Italia or any
part of Schengen territory until after 90 days have passed. I had planned to leave Croatia just before my
90-day limit and explore Montenegro for a few days before taking a boat over
the Adriatic Sea to return to Florence.
So, now what?
Plans B: Should
I fly to the UK? Well, I might if I could, but there are not many
flights this time of year. But mostly,
my friends are on holiday then and not in the UK. I found a flight from the capitol of
Montenegro, and a bus to Dubrovnik, but I could not find anything for the next
leg into Montenegro. I thought to go to
Bosnia, but the bus only takes me to the edge of Croatia. I would have to take a taxi for 20 miles… hmmm..
I thought of so many things, but always there was some piece missing. Or missing to someone who does not understand
the local languages.
I guess living in the south US most of my life did
not help me get a clue that March is still winter, and public transportation is
not necessarily a given even in Europe.
Then . . . mathematics triumphs again. One night, I got a good, long sleep and
around 6 a.m. I had an idea. When I
actually crawled out of bed two hours later, it took only an hour to have it
all come together. The math rule? That the simplest solution is often the best/right
one.
I remembered that I had friends. I did not need so much to see some place
new. I could be happy to reconnect with
a family I visited two years ago.
And thus, I was on my way to Serbia by bus. And frankly, I did see some new places. And SNOW!
The bus took me almost straight east and I was able to see something more
of Croatia! I include a few snapshots
here and yes, that is a pastel drawing I started from one of my photos I had
printed in Umag before I left. I did not
want to dig my laptop out of my backpack during travel and the battery was not
that long-lived in any event. And yes,
that is snow in the background!
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| Trying out new pastels I bought in Oz. |
The bus was warm.
I finally got some sewing done, and reading, and some much needed
sleep. And the bus driver was so nice to
me. I assumed that I was the only
passenger he did not already know.
My Serbian friends are wonderful and I am grateful
for so much. Today I go to see the Tesla
Museum in Belgrade!
The deadline for my first crowd funding project
seems too close for comfort considering that thus far, I have only reached 13%
of the goal for getting the wax sculptures cast. Kickstarter tells artists that is normal to
have a lull in the middle, but … it makes me nervous. However, I am happy to see that there are
fifteen individual backers!
Will you help me spread the word by sharing the
Kickstarter “Casting Call: I’m Melting .
. . Melting! Into Bronze” link:
and pledge if so desired!
Thank you so much for helping me make some bronze
art a reality,
Kelly
~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor,
painter, writer, teacher
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| Blatant plus: Please send me the money; Let's make some BRONZE! |
