We were supposed to go sea kayaking out to Kolocep Island today. Being that it is off season we were told by the company they wouldn't know until 3 days out what trips they were offering that day. I emailed them before we left but didn't hear anything. Once we were in Croatia we watched the weather and kept seeing possibility of rain for Tuesday. On Monday they emailed and said they were doing a paddle and bike trip that day. It was to a different island and I really didn't want to get on a bike. We were already exhausted. Instead, we decided to sleep in until 10 and just putter around Dubrovnik exploring.

We heard that the market a couple squares over from our place was good so we decided to check it out hoping to get some of those great fruit and vegetable shots or at least some good figs. (Zoran gave me one the day before and I was hooked). By the time we had gotten there most of the locals must have already shopped and it was more touristy than authentic. We kept on moving.

By 11 the hoards of tourists from the cruises were coming through the Old Town gates. We decided to exit the Pile (Main) Gate on the other side of town from us and explore more. We got lost a bit winding through the streets. I would consider staying in an apartment over there if I were to come back. It seemed like a quiet more residential area and still super close to the Old Town. We found out that hardly any locals live inside the walls anymore, which would explain why everyone was so loud. I can't imagine how loud the streets would be during peak season.


We wandered back into Old Town deciding to find a sandwich for lunch. I had read about a good place and had noted the address before we left the apartment that morning. I found the address. Even found the name on the sign at the end of the alley. Josh and walked up and down the alley three times before he asked a girl, at where we thought the shop should be, and she said "No. No more. No food. Only jewelry." Hmmmpppfffh. So I knew there was another sandwich shop recommended. Where was it?

As we walked aimlessly around Old Town looking for the now infamous sandwich shop, avoiding tourists not walking where they were going and strange men trying to scale the side of buildings, we stumbled across a few sites. First we found the oldest constantly running pharmacy in the world. Over 700 years I think. They are known not just as a pharmacy but for their local remedies, lotions, etc. We watching in amusement as some ladies learned about cellulite creams and who knows what else. It was a gorgeous space. We had read that during the war dozens of shells went off in the courtyard outside and they kept open. Who else would help these people?

Next we found the Ronchi Hat store. I remembered this from one of my guidebooks. A famous hat designer. Family from Italy. Designer in Dubrovnik. You must remember that the Royal Wedding was only a few weeks before we went on vacation and I already had an obsession with hats. Fifteen minutes later we were leaving with a one of a kind straw hat in tow for me. No clue where I can wear this little gem. Josh was disappointed when the designer told him she doesn't make anything big enough to fit a head his size.

We were now very hungry and I felt defeated with the sandwich search. Old Town food is typically not very good and very expensive. I was  not up for a $40 lunch. We went back to the apartment and checked our book. Strange it says its next to our apartment. Sure enough. We found the "Sandwich Club" sign and got two for us. This was the beginning of our prosciutto, cheese and bread obsession. It was takeout only so we grabbed our sandwiches and started walking to the water. I had read (yes, I know I research everything) that the best place to picnic was at the Porporela out behind the walls and past the Old Port. Josh said he had seen it when walking the walls so we started towards the tip of the walls. We kept wandering around the marina and found ourselves on the other side. It was beautiful. The weather was gorgeous. We ate by the water and then explored further. We came to a bunch of rocks where there was a group of older local men swimming in their speedos.

I thought the man asked me if he could "help me in" as in I thought he was going to push me in the water. Josh thought he said "help me out" as in get me to undress and take a swim. Either way I shrugged it off as a dirty old man and kept going. As usual we took some pictures and went back to our place for a break. We now weren't sure what to do next. We had a few options. Our first plan for the day had been to take a boat out to Kolocep island in the afternoon and explore. We were worried about the timing of the boats and weren't wanting to commit to 5 hours on the island. Instead we decided to take the cable car ride up to the top of the mountain. It was pricey $35 for two, but it supposedly had the best views. We were originally just going to drive once we had our car, but the cable car sounded fun and we had time.

There are no signs to the cable car. You simply look overhead for the cars and line and walk towards where it appears to start. We then found some stairs that looked like they were private and eventually found ourselves on the next road up in a very new and modern base building for the cars. We saw a car about to leave and I thought the next one would be an hour later. We threw our money at the ticket lady and quickly slid in to jump on the car. And it pulled away. What! We turned around and she said next one. I was furious. Then I found out it was a 15 minute wait and was a little less furious.

The ride up was quick but pretty. The cable car has only been back up and running since last fall I think. It must have gotten destroyed in the fires previously? It's brand new. We got up the mountain and there was the obligatory gift shop and restaurant. We bypassed that and went out onto the viewing deck. Shot pictures and then saw that everyone was headed to the big cross location for more picture ops. Once over there we sat shot more photos and then sat down once some others left. The guy next to me must have been eavesdropping and asked where we were from. He was from London. He was vacationing alone. Needed to get "the shot" but the lighting was on the City yet. He asked if we could get it for him when the sun was in the right spot. Sure we said. He then proceeded to show Josh his camera and the shot he was trying to duplicate but with the right lighting. Josh said he would take it. The guy then explained how not to cut off his feet. He hates that. The sun came back and the man scurried over to the rock. He told Josh to make sure he counted to three. One.... The guy turned a 180 so he was facing the city. Two... I could see him put his smile on. Three.... he spun around cheesing. Okay, again he said. After FIFTEEN rounds of this - I am not exaggerating at all. He came over to have a look. No, no! He told Josh. The horizon is wrong. Josh had to repeat the process again.


Okay, now your turn he says. I felt like I was on America's Next Top Model. He was jumping all over the place getting different angles. I think we got some good ones though. Once he was done we started talking and he asked where we were going for dinner. He said we had to try this place he had gone. It was amazing. Sesame. Of course it was the place I had already picked out for us that night. Then he tells me about the driver he had used that day to go to Montenegro. He was great. 1/2 the price of anyone in town. The details started sounding very familiar. Yep, you guessed it. He had Zoran for his trip the day after we had him for ours. This was getting weird. Josh and I both had the same thought. Where in the world is Jered?

Excited that someone other than myself could vouch for Sesame (Josh really needs to stop second guessing me) we made our way back down the mountain and headed home to get ready for dinner. Sesame was just outside the Pile Gate outside of town. We had almost found it earlier in the day if we had just walked one more block. The inside was cozy but I really wanted to sit on the terrace upstairs. We were the second ones there so we got our choice of tables. We picked the solo table out on the side terrace and they let out the awning so we couldn't get wet when it sprinkled later. The setting was really nice. Candlelight. Flowers around us. The food was by far the best we had the entire trip. The salad was arugula, prosciutto and fig. So yummy. The dessert was a thick chocolate mousse, local olive oil and sea salt. (Does it get better) I don't really remember the middle of dinner but it was really yummy too. We got the cheapest bottle of wine on the menu Krk. The waitress gave us a strange look but when she said white and slightly sweet I knew Josh would like it. They only had two bottles left. Well, now none. Bottle one she managed to break the cork in the bottle. Bottle two was mysteriously opened downstairs by I'm sure someone else. Near the end of dinner a large group came and made our romantic dinner a bit louder. We finished up and headed back in to town.

There was an orchestra concert that night in one of the halls but Josh said it looked too stuffy. Instead we headed over to the outside Jazz Club we had heard the last couple of nights. We grabbed a table, two drinks and listened to a Croatian trio murder American music. It was pretty entertaining. We called it a night and headed to bed.

I will start by saying I hate blogging on an iPad. I spent the last 45 minutes typing up the post to hit a wrong button and lee almost all of it. Ths may be shorter than planned because I'm a bit furious at the moment....

The day started out fairly early. We had made arrangements to meet our guide at 9am by the entrance gate to the city. We made a successful trip to the bank to cash some travelers checks. Well successfulbis relative. Everyone in there was Croatian except us. There appeared to be a number system for the order but we couldn't figure it out. There was an ATM looking machine but it was all in Croatian. I stared at it for a bit and the local lady next to me looked at me. Never bothered to help so we waited patiently. Patiently for 15 minutes. Then some other foreigners came in and the local lady pointed them towards the funny machine and helped them get a ticket. Soon they had jumped in front us. Josh jumped the line and played dumb. The bank teller told us she couldn't help us since we didn't have a number. I asked how we could get a number since everything was in Croatian and no one would help us. We were next... That was the only time I had felt disrespected in this country so far. Inthink it must have been an age thing rather than country background.

We got our money, found some cheap danishes and were right on time. Zoran pulled up at 9am on the dot and we jumped in. Immediately I was at ease with him. We are used to nice and knowledgeable guides, but they all usually feel a bit like a salesman or are working for an American tip.

Our first stop was a village that mixed Muslim architecture with Christian architecture. Apparently it was first Muslim and then the Christians took over and added renovations and additions. At least I think that is right. Josh and I somehow managed to get lost in the tiny hillside town and found a path the connected us back to the roads. It set the stage for Mostar.

I didn't realize it but Bosnia has a small strip of land on the coast. We exited Croatia. Entered Croatia. And exited again to get to Mostar. The Bosnia folks didn't pay any attention until the last checkpoint. I excitedly asked Josh if he thought we would get stamps. Zoran turned around grinning and said he already asked. He also confirmed that only Americans get so excited about stamps. Nontheless, I was thrilled with mine.

We parked in Mostar and Zoran started spewing history as we walked towards the town. I knew two things about the town prior. It was pretty and had been destroyed in 1993 by the war. As we walked I saw a lot of the damage but very little beauty. Almost immediately after thinking that the old town came into view.

It's hard to put everything into words or even show with pictures. I could hear the sadness in Zoran's words as he described the prewar and postwar Bosnia (and Mostar). Before it represented acceptance. Anyone could befriend, marry or live as they pleased. Race and religion didn't matter. Now everything is based on segregation. Even Mostar is visibly east of the bridge versus west of the bridge. Even though the Muslims and christians live together pea fully, the mosques and cathedrals compete to see who can be higher.

We went and viewed a photo exhibit that showed photos from the war. We watched live footage from the bridge tumbling. It was very sad. I wasn't expecting that from the day. The town was beautiful and quaint but subtle reminders of the devastation were everyone. I'm so glad I got to experience that.

The lighter side of the day was making it through the tourist section and not getting accosted by the vendors. I was tempted by the vintage coffee grinder though.



Zoran led us to a small out of the way restaurant and gave specific instructions on what to order. I had heard rave reviews about "his restaurant". After a failed ordering attempt with the owner who spoke no English I got up and pointed out the actual food. I must say it was one of the best $12 meals we have had. Two Burris. Phyllo dough filled with something. Potato and spinach. And an order of cepicaci (close enough) which are sausage like things served in pita with onions and a roasted red pepper paste. Yummy, yummy yummy.

After lunch we toured an old Turkish estate that was turned into a national monument. The architecture was impressive and we learned that back in the day the mothers were not allowed to sleep in the same room ad their husbands for 40 days but instead had to sleep with their baby alone. Interesting...

We took a bazillion more pictures and headed to find Zoran. We headed out of Mostar and he asked if we wanted to see waterfalls. Sure! Who doesn't like waterfalls? It was getting later in the afternoon so I wasn't sure if were going to still get our oyster farm in. We went with the flow.












By this point we had beat the odds. The forecast for the day had been heavy rain. Other than a few sprinkles we had lucked out. It was actually gorgeous while we were at Mostar. When we got to the waterfalls it was starting to rain so Zoran drove us down to the viewing site and we hopped out. When he said waterfalls I wasn't expecting anything this big. I never envisioned this when I thought of Bosnia!

We hopped back in the car and started back towards Croatia for our oyster stop! Josh was given the okay to take an hour nap. Shortly we were headed over to Ston on the peninsula. You could see the oyster farms everywhere in the bay. Zoran warned us that we might not get to eat them right out of the water like we were all hoping. Something to do with inspections, diahrea and a 20 day no sale period for the entire region. The farmer he knew was very safe, sustainable and by the books. We might have to go to a local restaurant to actually eat them. Confused I asked where those oysters came from. Oh, the same area farms we were passing. Apparently most cheat the system, sell the oysters and orovide fake certificates of sale from other regions of Croatia. Awesome. Zoran expained the health issue was no big deal. Part of the natural oyster cycle. Hmmmm.

We made our way down a hairpin driveway and pulled up to a house on the water. Zoran greeted the woman of the house and we made our way to the oyster shack and equipment. They wouldn't budge on the rules. They couldn't risk being shut down by the inspectors. We told them no problem. We really just wanted to see the operations. Zoran pulled up the holding containers of oysters and mussels. Showed us the work that goes into cleaning everything and let us take photos. I could have relaxed there all day with the breeze on the water. What a life.

We thanked the owners and set out for the restaurant. We made a quick stop at the old salt factory and got to the restaurant in Ston. I shouldn't have been surprised ut was all locals. The food was about 1/2 the price as in Duvrovnik and much better quality according to Zoran. (he had been a chef for 15 years at the restaurant sister of our first night pick. He said he had to get out of the business when the industry lost it's integrity. His belief is that if h doesn't see the chef at the market every morning, they are getting their food elsewhere and it isn't fresh. He's obviously opinionated with his restaurant choices). The oysters we ordered were the best I've ever tasted. You could taste the salt water in them. Delicious. We chided down and hoped we wouldn't be punished with the diarrhea.

It was after 6 so we sadly paid and headed back to town. Zoran gave me a list of wineries to visit on the way to korcula, noting which ones had good wine and which ones were just cool to see. He told us the acceptable restaurants in town and made arrangements to get us in to the national water polo championship on Wednesday. We said our goodbyes and headed to the apartment.

We kept our promise to Zoran and got ready for dinner rather than take a nap. Moby Dick was his rec. We found our way there and grabbed a seat. They were packed which is a good sign. They also brought out their fresh fish to see. Another good sign. We opted for a seafood plate. It was nothing short of massive. Mussels, prawns, squid ink risotto, calamari. And two barracuda fillets. The mussels, risotto and calamari were all to die for. I've never had squid prepared so well. It was a pricey meal but I can't imagine how much something of that quality would be back home.

After dinner we visited our new favorite, dolce vita. We had discovered the ice cream parlor the night before and cones for $1.20 were a steal. Zoran confirmed to us it was the best in town. All the others use water to make theirs. Not sure what the proper way is but we were proud of ourselves. Quite full we headed hone and were happy there wasn't a discotheque going on outside. Just a movie crew. Really? Are we back in Greece. Another great day.

When we arrived at the airport it was about 1:30 in the afternoon. We stepped off the plane and it was so refreshing. The air was cool. A breeze. Much better than the state I was in by this time. Customs was al,ost nonexistent and minutes later I was looking at a man holding my name on a sign.

Our biggest problem was that we still had no money. We were told to pay in Kuna. We could take money from the ATM but it only issued kuna (local currency). We finally got kuna and were going to exchange that at the currency desk for euro but our driver said the rate at the place near town was better. We jumped in our car and headed off.

Our driver was silent. That was fine. We were exhausted. We made our way up the coast and were a bit in awe of everything. Dubrovnik is a pedestrian old town so our driver dropped us off at the closest gate, Ploce Gate. After all that trouble he told us he could take kuna so we paid up and headed through the gates.

We had no clue where to go other than "to the cathedral". We were supposed to go there and then call the apartment owner on her mobile. Walking through the gate was surreal. The gate was huge, extremely old and like something out of a fairytale. We found a map on our iPad and figured out the cathedral we needed to get too. Luckily, that was very easy. The hard part was how to call. Josh's phone didn't work and land lines apparently can't call cell phones here? The options were to convince a stranger to let us use their phone or find the apartment. We had the address.

We went with option two. Thank goodness for the iPad and that Dubrovnik pocket guide we downloaded at the last minute. None of our guidebooks showed the detail we needed. We found the apartment building pretty quickly. Now what? After debating who had to knock, we saw a man pull some hidden wire and get in the front door. Josh followed suit while I watched the bags. A minute later he was waving me in. Apparently the owner was on the first floor doing wash. What luck!

We followed our owner upstairs in an old building that reminded me of someplace we stayed in Florence. She let us in and I was so relieved. Just as cute as the pictures. The bed was even okay. (normally European beds are rock hard) we remembered to take pictures before we unpacked, figured out what all the switches were and set the computer up for wifi.

We were finally here! How should we spend the last few hours of daylight? We had a lot of ideas but settled on walking the walls. Climbing the walls of the city and walking the mike loop is the number one activity. We had heardvthat the best time to do it was either firstvthing or evening when the cruise ship crowds aren't around and it's not too hot. This was a great idea. Being that we take a bazillions chutes and the walls are narrow, we needed less people around.

Walking the walls was a wonderful way to be introduced to the city. The walls go in a complete circle with all sorts of special lookouts, hidden nooks, forts to climb, etc. I spent a good deal of time playing withbmy new camera and just enjoying the views. My favorite part was getting to see a slice of real Dubrovnik life. High up on the walls you felt like you were secretly watching as people hung theirvlaundry, trimmed vines, kids playing soccer, people sitting down for a glass if wine.




You can start your walk in one of three locations. We picked the perfect corner. The last quarter of the walk was the side over the cliffs and the Adriatic. It was now 6 and the walls closed at 7. We didn't see another person on the walls that last half an hour. It was pretty magical. I hadn't been overly excited by the walls when we were planning the trip. I guess no one explained it well enough. I'm sure that will be a highlight for me. Right before we reached our starting point again I spotted the very popular cliffside Buza Bar. We made note of where we were on the wall and headed down.

We knew that if we stopped we would crash. We headed back to the apartment and after a quick stop to drop off cameras and to grab grain coats we headed back out. First stop - Buza Bar!

This place has an amazing location. To get there you go through a hole in the tunnel by a sign that says cold drinks. There are tables perched on the ledges above the cliffs. We grabbed a front row seat and were definitely not the first ones there. I can't imagine the crowd in peak season and when it's not overcast!

We had heard it was pricey and with little selection. For about $15 I got a glass of Croatian white wine, Josh got a Croatian beer and we got a view to die for. No complaints. After our drinks it was starting to sprinkle so we headed out to find dinner. This is where it got interesting.

Earlier in the day we had taken out enough kuna for the driver and our apartment. It wasn't until now that we realized a lot of places didn't take credit cards. We went to one of the many ATMs on the stradum to get dinner money. No luck. Our card was locked for the day. We had US money. No one takes that. We had travellers checks but it was too late to cash those. After lots of tummy grumblings and looking at all three guidebooks we headed for the port.

In the rest of Europe everyone has eaten super late. Here we arrive at 8 and all the tables are full. We looked pitiful and the staff at Lokanda Pje... Put up the umbrella over sn unused outdoor table. We were unadventurous and ordered olives, cheese in olive oil (why don't they just say cheese?) and an order of seafood risotto. The books were right and it was plenty of food. Despite the ominous sky we stayed dry and they turned out to take credit cards. We actually had enough kuna but we decided to hold on to those.

We finally headed home. We were able to Skype with the kids and after I downloaded a white noise app and took another Ambien I fell asleep despite being a block away from the bars...