July 11: A Cave, a Wall, and a Vineyard

We started off our day today bright and early. Our first stop was a was cave which is the home of not only 30 plus species but also fossils dating back to over 150 million years ago. After a brief introduction to the caves history, we got to take a step inside and see the cave in all its beauty. Lining the walls as we entered were fossils of ancient creatures, and once we were in the the main cavern, we were surrounded on all sides by the caves amazing features. Lining the ceiling and walls above us were the caves stalactites, to the sides we saw entrances to some of the caves still unexplored tunnels, and below us were two dark pools of water over, each 20 feet deep. After the tour we got to take a closer look at some of the animals living in the caves waters in a nearby aquarium.

Once we finished in the caves, we walked back to our hostel to get ready for the rest of the day. We were all ecstatic when Carmen informed us that we did not have to pack our concert clothes, and that we’d be performing in our khakis and swirl shirts. We got on the bus after filling up our waters again and drove to a beautifully peaceful park by the water where we ate lunch and rehearsed.

After lunch we hopped on a bus and headed toward the Wall of Ston. The wall was built in 1333 to defend the republic of Dubrovnik, which to this day is still considered one of the best planned and best structured cities in Europe. Once we got to the city, we got to walk up some of the city’s once 7000 meter long wall, catching some breathtaking views of the city along the way.

Cookie, Hannah, and Enahm at the Walls of Ston

On the Wall

We were all exhausted after climbing the walls and frolicking around the salt farm, so it was a great relief when we got on the bus to the Terra Madre vineyard. When we arrived, I could not believe my eyes at the amazing view. The terrace was overlooking rolling hills full of grape vines and beautiful mountains, as well as a large body of water that reflected the sunlight amazingly. The food was wonderful, and the pictures we took even more so. We also learned a lot about how wine is produced through a tour of the wine cellar. To say goodbye, we performed a concert right outside the terrace, where we were framed by the view. We were all in such good spirits after the concert, (quick shout out to Somachi, our amazing soloist, he was amazing, as usual!!), that we sang for most of the drive back to the hostel.

An phenomenal venue for our concert at the winery and vineyard:

To finish off the night, the peer leaders organized a BCS beauty competition between each of the family groups. Each group chose one person to be judged on their runway walk, answers to 2 creative questions and a special talent of their choosing. The people chosen were Andrew, Somachi, Jinho, Sophie and Siveny, and in the end, after a fierce competition, the winner turned out to be Andy, with Siveny as runner up.

-Enahm & Emmie