Dubrovnik Day 2 & 3

Throughout the night my mind dreams of gliding over calm clear blue water and visiting the tranquil and remote  islands of Elaphite.  I wake up and realize I am high in the hills overlooking Dubrovnik.   I jump out of bed, excited to get started on my boat tour.  I should say I tried to jump out of bed.  When I stand up my feet hurt so badly I have to immediately sit back down.  Apparently, an entire day of walking on stone paths of Old Town was more than my poor feet could handle.  I tiptoe to the kitchen and am grateful that I am going to spend most of the day on a boat to minimize further injury to my feet. I inhale my breakfast of sliced cheese, a tangerine and 2 cups of coffee and tear out the front door. 

After practically running down the 340 steps from my apartment to the  Ploče  Gate, I show up to the dock only to be told that I am 2 hours too early.  "Sit and have a coffee" is the employee's recommendation.  It is Croatia, for goodness sake.  Do you really need a reason to have more coffee?  So, I do  as I am told tapping my foot impatiently the whole time.

When it was time to set sail, our captain and assistant who speak no English, take a head count of passengers.   We must be all here because without any introductions, instructions or a howdy-do we push off.  We leave the Dubrovnik harbor on course for the Elaphite Islands.  The calm sea I had fantasized about turns out in reality to be very choppy causing the boat to pitch sharply.  I begin to appreciate just how small our boat is.  As we get away from the mainland the waters clam down and I can now sit back and enjoy the beauty of the Adriatic.

The first of the islands we stop at is Koločep.  Again, our boat's crew say not a word to us.  They just write on a black board the name of the island and "35 min".  I take this to mean this is how long we have on this island.   April is still considered the off season and as a result not one single thing on the island is open.  Not a shop, restaurant, restroom or anything.  There appear to be homes in the hills but I'm not sure how any people can survive without supplies? The only hotel on the island is under construction, obviously getting ready for the real season.  So I spend my time sitting on  the edge of the harbor.  My view is of pretty clear blue water decorated with anchored boats and mountains for a backdrop.  I look up at the houses in the hills and think how lucky those people are to live in such a peaceful place.  Why did I think I needed shops and a restaurant?

Koločep

I stumbled on this very old chapel hidden behind some brush.

When we get back on the boat we are fed fresh grilled fish, veggies and drinks.  I don't know how they cooked it on that tiny boat but it was delicious.

We finish eating just as our boat pulls into the next island of Šipan. We  have a full 45 minutes to walk around.  There is one tiny café serving coffee and sodas and the rest of the town is made up of residences. The area around the harbor is adorable lined with white stone buildings and docked fishing boats.  Children sit along the pathways and sell their sea shells to tourists.  I'm not sure how well they are doing since this is the "off" season.  Another woman sells her crochet as she sits there and tats in front of you.  As I am walking down a path in front of a home, an old lady pokes her head out of a window.  I am dying to take her picture so I ask her if I can.  "Me?" she exclaims.  The only word I can come up with is "bellissimo". (My Croatian still stinks) She waves me off with an embarrassed hand but lets me take her photo anyway.  She has no idea how beautiful she is.



Šipan

  

We finally arrive at our third and my favorite island, Lopud.  We have a whopping 2 1/2 hours to explore. It is a  more inhabited port with nice shops and restaurants.  I start up the paths and, as usual, find myself completely alone within minutes.  I think it's so funny that no one is ever interested in the same things I am.  Citrus trees line the path with oranges and the biggest lemons you have ever seen.  I really want to pick one but I show some self control.  At one point I see a sign for a church so I continue up the path in that direction up hill.  (Let me emphasize UP HILL).  I walk and walk and I can hear my heart pounding in my ears like a drum.  Each time I am ready to stop, I think I've come this far, surely it can't be much further.  When I get to the point I think I am going to collapse I give up. When I turn around I see the most fantastic view.  I may not have ever found the church but I was definitely closer to God.

I practically fly down the mountain (it's so steep it's hard not to) and find a café to rest in.  I sip coffee mere inches from the sea and the let the sun warm my face. As I stare out at the hypnotizing water, I feel so at peace in this very profound moment.

Sadly, our 2 1/2 hours come to a close and I drag my feet back to the boat.  I am the last one to return, as usual.



The view from where I was climbing...looking for a church that apparently didn't exist.

Citrus trees grow everywhere.

When we port back at Dubrovnik I realize I am starving.  I stumble into a seafood restaurant, Moby Dick.  When I ask them if they take credit cards they say yes but they would rather not.  I just want to take the waiter by the shoulders and shake him.  I tell him it is the only way I can pay so he reluctantly agrees to accept it.

My dinner was baked fish, mussels and black seafood risotto.  I start with a mixed salad and my choice of salad dressing is oil and vinegar or oil and vinegar.  Every bite melts in my mouth and I would lick the plate if I was sure no one was looking.

The owner, a chain smoker,  sits next to me and tries to chit chat.  He says HE is Moby Dick.  I leave that one alone.

When the bill comes it is 266 Kuna. By Croatian standards, this is a small fortune  for a dinner.  And because I am paid in the local currency it is a small fortune for me as well.  However, to justify it I tell myself,  "But that's only $48."  I do a lot of that kind of justification on this trip.

My last day in Dubrovnik is on Palm Sunday.  I had seen local street vendors selling braided palms for 2 days now.  It strikes me as odd since today they would be handed out at Mass. So why buy them?  It's because in this country you bring your own palms to Mass.  I am sure glad I figured this out before I went to Mass and started asking around where to get in line for the palms.  By the time I  try to buy one, most of the street vendors have sold out.  So I had to buy a very sad one that had been picked over by everyone before me.  It was the Easter version of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.


Local church parishioners with their palms.
  I bet they are discussing a football game!

After Mass, I take the quick 15 minute ferry to the green and lush island of Lokrum. This is a peaceful and lazy island known for its Benedictine monastery and botanical garden.  Families of peacocks are the only residents.  After a couple of hours walking the island I have a relaxing lunch at the one restaurant on the island.  Peacocks hover at my elbow waiting for scraps of bread.  Recently, Lokrum has become well known for being the location where Qarth scenes of Game of Thrones was filmed.

My picture.



Scene from Game of Thrones

Early the next morning, I say my goodbyes to Dijana and Marko.  I get a big hug from Dijana and Marko gives me a sweet grin as he peeks out from behind his mother's legs. She tells me which bus to take to get to the main bus station. 

While I am excited to leave for my next adventure I am sad to leave such a fantastic city.  My words in this blog can never adequately describe the impact the city had on me.  The history, the architecture, the sea, the food, the people...all rolled up in one perfect package.  If you plan to visit Dubrovnik, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to see everything it has to offer.  Trust me, this is one gem not to be missed.