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Pearl of the Adriatic Sea : Dubrovnik, Croatia
Flying from Athens to Dubrovnik, we met some fellow travelers from USA. In “It’s a Small World” news, they are from Portland and Cannon Beach! We share travel plans and are surprised to learn they are on a 9 month travel. Once we land, we share social media information and plan to meet up in Split later in the month. Cheers to more new friends!
These intrepid travelers also informed us we could have issues violating the Schengen 90 stay limitation, possibly incurring fines and/or bans. I knew about the 90 limitation before traveling but had been misinformed that departing from France would not be a problem. In order to keep our stay at 90 days, we will need to step out of Schengen region for 5 nights. We decide to course correct and visit Mostar, Bosnia instead of Trogir Croatia, since our 5 night stay in Trogir had already been cancelled by the hotel just a couple days before.
Anyway, back to Dubrovnik. Our transfer arrives at the airport to deliver us to our hotel. We then take a brief walking tour of Old Town with a local, recommended by Tom’s niece (thanks Shannon!). Katarina is a fount of knowledge, effusive about her city, and quick with using my phone to get some sweet pics of us. Katarina also is quick to show us the Game of Thrones shooting locations, which is great for me – since I’m a HUGE fan of the books and show.
We enter the church of Saint Ignatius to see spectacular frescos. Katarina shows us all around Old Town. If you’re in Dubrovnik, we highly recommend a private tour with her.
The next day we opt for a cruise excursion to get out of town, since there is a gigantic cruise ship in town and we don’t particularly want to vie with them for the cable car & walking the wall. It’s an all-day cruise and only €50 each, they provide lunch and transfer to and from the port. The vendor assures us that even though the cruise can hold up to 100 people, it will be more like 20. So we agree. It turns out there are only 11 of us (plus the crew).
Our first stop is an island they claim to be the most beautiful, with a white sand beach. Eager to see, we get a golf cart ride to the beach. The beach club is long shut down and there is garbage everywhere on the beach. Perhaps in high season it may be beautiful.
The second island is also mostly shutdown (which we expected, since it’s the off-season in Croatia. We find a hill to climb, which is now our thing. Vineyard signs invite us for free wine tasting (Tom) and olive oil tasting (both of us). We timidly enter the “shop” which is really the patio where an elderly woman grunts in our direction. We interpret that has have a seat, which we do. She disappears and returns with a generous pour of red for Tom. Nothing for me. Which is fine because I just remembered we didn’t bring any euros so we can’t escape her glare. We mumble “sorry” and goodbye.
The third island is also shutdown, but probably our favorite. The beach is loaded with rocks perfect for skipping, so of course we have a rock skipping contest. Spoiler, I win!
The next day we take the bus into Old Town and ride the cable car ride to the top of the hill next to town for a magnificent view. If you’re visiting Dubrovnik, the cable car is popular, but the real draw for us was the Imperial Fort. It’s now a museum, depicting the devastation and courage of the Dubrovnik people from the Homeland War 1991-1995. We had heard of this war, but didn’t really know much about it, so we felt honored when the museum caretaker spent several minutes with us, explaining his view and his participation in the war. Katarina, the tour guide, told us her perspective on the war and how the flag flying atop the Imperial Fort during those years was always a sign of hope for the townspeople, as it meant the Croatian troops had not yielded to the enemy. It was a somber museum visit, but glad we went to learn.
We ride the cable car back down and start walking the wall. Both Tom & I had expected it to be wider, for some reason. In the heat of summer and packed with tourists, I don’t think either of us would have enjoyed it as much. Along the way, we met another new friend, the delightful young Andy from New Zealand, who is also on a 3 month tour of Europe. We take turns taking photos for each other at one of the Wall corners with a great view. Side note: whenever you see someone trying to get a photo of their group, offer to take the pic for them. It’s always appreciated and usually they want to return the favor. It’s good photo karma!
Returning to our hotel on the bus, more and more passengers keep cramming in, every seat and every standing position, people were packed in. The driver was speeding, then slammed the brakes. Everyone fell forward into a pile. One woman came out of nowhere and bowled everyone down it seemed. Neither Tom nor I were hurt, nor the people around us. The instant concern everyone seemed to have for others was a beautiful thing to see. Everyone asking each other if they’re okay, helping people up off the floor. One woman seemed to have a badly broken arm, but she was helped by her companions. Tom had everyone laughing when he said his bottle of wine was not hurt.
Our last full day in Dubrovnik was rainy, so we mostly explored the hotel and grounds. Dubrovnik Hotel Palace is our first actual resort. Typically we prefer smaller lodging or boutique hotels, but it was nice to have some amenities like a huge breakfast offering and my favorite, a sauna.
Next up, a short ferry trip to Korcula.
Always read your blog. Seems like a good foundation for a travel book.
Loves from us and good vacationing!
And it is always a treat to read your comments. Thanks, Dan-o. Hugs in different languages.
Always read your blog. Seems like a good foundation for a travel book.
Loves from us and good vacationing!
Can’t believe you’ve already been on the road for more than a month. You and Tom have seen and experienced so much. What an incredible journey.
Thanks Sue. Your many trips & adventures have, I must say, been some inspiration for us.
You both always have a positive spin for whatever is thrown your way. It’s the best way to approach traveling, of course, but not always easy. Good on you!
Lots of hugs….m
Hey Tom and Julianne❣️ What a lovely way to share your journey in close to real time. Thanks for sharing❣️😘💚💜
Thanks Kath,
We have seen autumn in Croatia, and while the leaves aren’t as colorful as ours back home at least we don’t have to rake them. 😎
Miss you and our autumn yards.
Hi,
It looks like you enjoyed Dubrovnik. It sounds like it would be overwhelming in the summer. I remember the path on the wall being wide and my mom and I on it by ourselves. But.. that was many,many , many moons ago😂
The war museum sounds interesting. My parents and relatives assisted in the war. Mostly with money to re-build. It was a very big event in our family.
Your photos are wonderful!! The paving in the walled city is amazing!!
You definitely have the beginnings of a travel book !!!
Thank you for posting so that we get to travel along!!
Maryann, we were happy to be there with small crowds & cooler weather..and when locals had a little more time to engage with us. They are so proud of the defense and sacrifices they made to save Dubrovnik. It is weird to think how recent it all was, and how little the world learns from these tragedies. Leaving with a sense of resilience rather than harbored resentment is our choice. Get that from most Croatians too.
Hi,
It looks like you enjoyed Dubrovnik. It sounds like it would be overwhelming in the summer. I remember the path on the wall being wide and my mom and I on it by ourselves. But.. that was many,many , many moons ago😂
The war museum sounds interesting. My parents and relatives assisted in the war. Mostly with money to re-build. It was a very big event in our family.
Your photos are wonderful!! The paving in the walled city is amazing!!
You definitely have the beginnings of a travel book !!!
Thank you for posting so that we get to travel along!!
Reading your blog is the second best thing to being there. Julianne, I see a new future for you in writing. You and Tom just like you’re having a blast!!!
I accidentally sent the message from “y” and why I don’t know!!
I especially like your flexible spirit while traveling … choosing to skip rocks is delightful! This quiet simple moment should remain in your memory bank forever. Remind Tom often that you won haha.
I LOVED the wall walk and the history lesson about the homeland war of 1991-1995; going to research this more on the internet.
❤️ your blog
Thanks for your feedback and continued encouragement, Julie. We’ve been skipping rocks whenever we can. ♥️
Definitely a reminder of keeping it simple and going with the flow.
Recent history on the war, somewhat depressing, but impressive that the Croatians seem to take pride in their resilience. They fly their flag proudly.