Hail the Snail

Highlights of today: I ate a snail. Actually two.

Other than that, today was pretty dreary as far as weather was concerned. We traveled to a quarry to see some evidence of the Messinian Salinity Crisis, which basically was when the entire Mediterranean Sea dried up 5 million years ago. We bushwhacked through the BIGGEST thorns I have ever seen and made it to a quarry where we could see the vast deposits of salts that were left behind.

A wet day amid the thorns and gypsum turbidites.

After the quarry, we headed toward the Adriatic coast to have lunch at a wonderful little restaurant. There, we were offered fresh seafood. We had anything from seaweed (or sea-rock-grass) to the best mussels I have ever eaten, snails, shellfish, regular fish. I have learned by now that you don't need to know the name of the food before you eat it; if they offer it, you eat it. It is good form to do so.

But yes, I ate two snails. They were like curly-shelled snails, too. As a non-adventurous eater, this was a big step for me. They definitely aren't my preferred texture in foods, but I am glad for the experience.

My first view of the Adriatic Sea.