When you look back at a week that’s gone by all too quickly you realise just how far you’ve come. The initial trepidation at the first gathering; introducing yourself and hoping you will fit in and will find your people amongst the 14 other strangers sat in the round. And find your fit you will; like-minded swimmers, technically proficient and less so with differing goals and aspirations, all pulling together, motivating each other and egged on gently by expert guides and coaches who give us the greatest gift of all: the gift to believe in ourselves, relax and enjoy our swimming, manage everyone’s expectations and obtain what we set out to do, without ever realising it.
Friday comes around all too soon and we say goodbye to turquoise-coloured clear waters. We say auf wiedersehen to gentle boat journeys that cool down the sun’s rays and rest weary limbs. We bid a sad farewell to deliciously healthy lunches and the end of day beer to wash away the cleansing taste of salt in our mouths. We say a bientôt to deep-set friendships from far flung corners of the earth and take solace that no matter how long it’ll be until we meet again, our friendship is founded on a combined experience that no one can take away from us. That’s what SwimTrek Swimming holidays are about, every time.
Fellow SwimTrekker, Eric Chasanoff sums up our week in Croatia.