Dubrovnik, by land and by sea

I had splurged on breakfast yesterday and since I'm not a huge breakfast person, I decided to just eat at "home". I picked up some yoghurt at the grocery story for the next two mornings, as well as milk so I could have a proper morning tea! I hadn't had that the entire trip and I missed it! I also decided I would just pick up a croissant when I was out and about. There weren't many choices of yoghurt at the grocery store, a strawberry with a hole in the lid, vanilla and lemon cake (sounds gross to me), and pistachio with almond (I had been eyeing this flavour the whole trip and finally decided to go for it, plus it was the least unappetizing of them all).

It was actually quite tasty! I ate as I got ready and organized myself for the day. I had a list of things I wanted to see but no real plans. I had a ticket to go to Fort Lovrijenac, which comes free when you do the city walls. I headed there first as I wasn't sure if I only had 24 hours or not. There were quite a few stairs to climb but the views of the old city were spectacular. I had gotten rather used to doing stairs the worst was how hot it made me...maybe I have some kind of issue with being able to breathe properly when I exercise? 

The "patio" on the left is where I had breakfast the day before!

That's Lokum on the right.

There wasn't much to the Fort besides the views so I was done fairly quickly. I had been advised to see Lokrum by several people. Lokrum is an island just off Dubrovnik's coast, and is only a 10 minute ferry ride away. I went to the docks and the first ferry of the day was loading up. The ride over was quick and provided some great views of the coast. 

I learned on my walking tour that this port has been built up. The waters now are quite shallow, but it used to be the main port where huge ships would dock. And those three arches were ship building and repairing areas, so imagine how much higher up the doc is now if that used to hold ships!

Peacocks everywhere!

The island has a pretty interesting history. For 800 years monks lived and worked the island, totally self sufficient, they were rich in wine and olives, and provided themselves everything they needed. Richard the Lionheart was shipwrecked on the island and because of the hospitality of the monks, invested 100 million galleons to build a church for them in Dubrovnik. Eventually the higher ups told the monks to evacuate the island. Legend says that on their last night there, the monks walked, single file around the island 3 times, each holding a lit candle, aimed at the ground so the wax dripped off and chanting. Apparently there is a curse on the island and the only way it will be over is when the last drop of wax is picked from the earth. Everyone who has owned the island since has had tragedy. Now the state/country owns it. It is a natural reserve and is beautiful. Although I was quite disappointed to see how many trees they were cutting down to build areas for tourists. Not a huge amount in the big scheme of things, and perhaps the trees were dead or something, but it seemed like they were commercializing the island. I spent several hours learning about the island in the visitor centre and exploring the area around the monastery.

Game of Thrones has filmed all over Croatia, there was a bit of an exhibit of it here.

 By this time it was lunch time and I was starving. I went to a small cafe near the pier and ordered a sandwich, olives and a cider. It hit the spot.

I still wanted to see a few things on the other side of the island, the ferry was just picking up and so I knew I had an hour. I didn't want to spend too much longer there so I hustled. The walk was a gradual uphill, though I met some tourists who said it was very steep with lots of stairs. I wouldn't expect anything else in Croatia. It started to spit a little, and I considered going back, but it seemed to stop. At one point, as I was at the bottom of a steep hill where the Fort was located, it started to rain. I stood under some trees for a little bit (don't worry, there were lots of trees for lightning to strike besides mine). It wasn't stopping or coming down that badly so I just continued.

 The Fort was pretty cool, but all around it were the cut down trees and piles of rubble. I'm not sure what was happening but it definitely took away from the ancient feel of the place. I headed back a different way, and I understood why the people I had met along the way said it was really steep. The way I had gone up was much more gradual, but on the other side, it was straight up and down.

I saw some more beautiful old buildings, tons of peacocks and some bunnies. Birds and bunnies, my favourites! You might as well just add frogs! 

I made it to the pier with 10 minutes. I had to go to the bathroom but the one nearby was under construction. I didn't want to risk missing the ferry so I held it until I got back.

On the ferry I met a lovely British couple who started to chat with me. I've been getting a lot of people asking me a if I was American, what is that about? Anyways, they were quite funny because when I told them I was Canadian, they right away commented about Trump. They said an American on a tour they had done claimed to have voted for trump and told them he's amazing and just misunderstood. Whatever floats your boat! We continued to chat until the ferry docked and then to the main square where we parted ways. I was really close to my room so I ran up to use the bathroom and put on some layers, it was quite chilli in the rain. 

It was close to 2:30 and I wanted to go up the cable car. I went first to the tourist information to ask about airport buses as I had had no luck at all with Google. There was a ton of information but none of it led anywhere. They had times posted and recommended I take the 2:35 bus for my 4:20 flight. The trip to the airport would only take 30 minutes. That would give me tons of time to explore the next day. I walked up a steep set of stairs to the gate in the North walls and bought myself a ticket for the cable car. I then had to climb a staircase, a steep hill and then I was at the entrance to the cable cars! Phew! The ride was smooth and the view was breathtaking. 

Once at the top, I went and saw the Museum of Croatian War of Independence. It is in an old Fort which was crucial during the war as it overlooks all of old Dubrovnik.

From there, the opposition would be able to easily attack the old city, which they did. I know only bits and pieces of the war in Croatia. And it wasn't a very long war, only a few months. Or that's what I got from the museum. It's sad to see that in this day and age, countries still need to fight to be independent. It was a somber experience. It was storming outside so when I left to go back to the cable car, I decided to stop and have a hot tea to chase away the chill.

 The view in the restaurant was of old Dubrovnik. But sadly, the tables were all reserved right by the window. I returned via cable car and went back to my room for some rest before dinner. 

For dinner, I decided to try a restaurant that was recommended several times. It's called Taj Mahal and is traditional Bosnian cuisine, in Croatia. When I arrived, it was much too chilly to sit outside, so I asked to sit inside. The tables were reserved so he offered for me to sit upstairs, but warned that I'd be sitting alone. HAHA he wasn't kidding. He was kind enough to turn on some music and he offered the wifi password. But, before my food had arrived there were people already sitting with me. I ordered the half and half plate.

It was half Cevapi (yum) and then a shish kebab (which may have been veal) with meat and veggies. There was also a wedge of something that may have been couscous or polenta, a small salad and a baked potato with some sort of cheese. It was so delicious. He also recommended I get some bread to go with my Cevapi, which I did. I decided to order a radler to go with my amazing meal. It really hit the spot since it was real food that wasn't pizza or pasta! Just as I was finishing, the Irish couple next to me began talking to me. They were lovely. I had already paid but ended up sitting there for about 20 minutes chatting with them. They had ordered this smorgasbord of food. It was massive! I wish I could have gotten a picture! 

On the walk back to my room, I enjoyed the sights and sounds of Dubrovnik. I've loved my time in Croatia. Such an incredible trip!