Hi All,
Kotor into Dubrovnik. Had a lovely new bus which was packed so we were glad that we booked our tickets the previous day. What a stunning drive. This must be one of the worlds most beautiful places with sleepy villages and churches on island in the middle of the fjord. We got to the border crossing and although they took our passports there was no exit stamp. Croatia was even slacker. They just looked at our passports on the bus then walked off without registering our details in a computer or stamping the passports! What the hell ….technically on paper it looks like we haven´t left Montenegro but then again the British don´t stamp you out either as they are conserving ink!
Dubrovnik. An impressive entrance along the coast road. It was hot, hot, hot when we arrived. We had booked a room to rent (sobe) which was not far from the bus station and about 30min walk from the old town. We had a few problems with finding the accommodation as the place was a duplex with rooms to rent and we managed to get the wrong one however the owner Nico pointed us in the correct direction and we were buzzed in by a Croatian speaking Grandmother. She looked confused and a little panicked giving us the keys and saying repeatedly Dianna. We were confused and eventually she went and got Nico who explained that the English speaking owner Dianne would be back at 3pm. Grandma was relieved and headed to bed for her afternoon sleep. We dropped off our bags. The place was really nice and had views over the harbour. We then headed off to the old city. I commented on the way that if this was Australia we wouldn´t be walking around in this heat but as tourists we were!
The old city is impressive. Probably almost as Italian as a Venetian city and situated on the ocean with 2km of fortress walls surrounding it. One great aspect is that you can easily find a cool shadow for some relief from the heat and we found one down near the ocean in the shade of the fortress walls. We went exploring and tried to keep in the shadows heading through the fortified city to the busy boat harbour. Still hot. We explored a little more before finding a wedding party from Ireland struggling with the heat. We decided it was time for something cool and headed to the supermarket and bought a container of icecream ( pistachio and hazelnut ) and sat under a tree and ate it. Did the job. Vanessa got an ice-cream headache quickly allowing me to scoff more while she thawed out. A short relief and then back into the warmth.
Next day. Lokrum island. You must visit this island as it is only 15 minutes from the old town and has an old monastery and best of all a swimming hole called the dead sea lake which is fed by an underwater cave so rises and falls with the ocean swell. There is also a fortress on the island. We started off with a swim in the ocean ….OMG this water is cold… not really at 23 deg C…but it felt cold. The water was so clear and jade green. We had to wear our teva sandals as there were sea urchins but the advantage was that they gave more buoyancy so floating was easier. Our next stop was the dead sea lake which was like a swimming hole in Darwin. Very nice and very popular. Unfortunately I didn´t put enough sunburn cream on and ended up with a salmon pink chest and shins by the end of the day. Nice day out. We spent the afternoon wandering around the old city before grabbing another container of icecream (choc chip) and sitting under the same tree eating it for a bit of relief from the heat.
Booked our tickets for the 10 hr ferry to Split about 100km north of Dubrovnik.
We decided to try out a restaurant that was highly recommended by lonely planet. The crowds were queuing up for it and it looked promising. When we got the food it didn´t look so good. Vanessa had a seafood risotto and I had grilled squid which was just as it sounds with no more. I ordered a side salad and ate the barely eatable baby squid and mixed a bit of the risotto with it. It was probably the worst seafood meal that I have ever eaten. We looked at the crowd more closely and notice the guide books. Amazing how much influence they have over people.
Next day. The weather was looking quite threatening. We walked to the old city and looked around another section. It is a beautiful city and the streets are paved with marble. There is a board that shows that much of the area was bombed in the 1991 war of independence from Yugoslavia. This probably explains why the city almost looks too new for a medieval city.
Then the storm hit. Tropical rain and blowing wind. Tourists running for cover and the streets with running water. It took us a long time to get back to the accommodation. Even with our 2 dollar umbrellas which didn’t handle the wind well we were soaked. The thunder and lightning lasted late into the afternoon. Not that I knew any different. I slept. Now the temperature is pleasant.
We decided to try a local restaurant to hopefully get our faith back. The food and wine was great and a good price. We shared a pizza and I also had some calamari which melted in the mouth. Lovely. Faith restored.
Bye,
David and Vanessa
