Page 62 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION

When we departed that night, the crew raised mostly for sleeping because we were out and
the sails to the tune of “Conquest of Paradise” by about in the ship and on shore excursions most of
Vangelis. Then we explored our relatively small the time.
vessel - at least compared to monster cruise ships We sailed the first night from Venice to the
that can carry as many as 6,000 passengers, fishing port of Rovinj on the Istrian Peninsula in
2,000 crew members and be up to 18 decks tall. the northwest corner of Croatia. Shore options
By contrast, the Wind Surf had but 150 state- included truffle and wine tours, but I chose a bike
rooms for up to 360 guests, 200 crew members ride on the Parenzana Bicycle Trail, a former nar-
and six decks. When we docked in Rome at the row gauge railroad line that once connected the
end of our trip, our vessel looked like a small sail- Croatian city of Porec with Trieste in Italy.
boat compared to the humongous cruise ship The outing started after a shuttle to the walled
docked nearby. (I’ve sailed on both kinds and will village of Motuvan, an artists' colony with narrow
gladly take the smaller boat, hands down.) streets and a Medieval ambience thanks to its
We were berthed on the second deck of the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance buildings.
Wind Surf and were greeted with a bottle of Then we hopped on our bikes and rode on a path
champagne, flowers and strawberries dipped in that overlooked vineyards and orchards in the
chocolate when we found our 188-square-foot Mirna Valley.
stateroom, which was more than adequate for The trail also led us through tunnels and over
our needs. Especially since we used our cabin bridges to the town of Livade for a fun and mostly

62 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2023