Post #19: Dubrovnik, Croatia

The ship from above

Dubrovik and the walled city from above
Janna, Lynn, our taxi driver, and Rich

On the Stradun

Roofs of housed within the walled city.

One of the many spectacular views from the wall.

And another...and others

Reading menu before deciding on lunch restaurant

At lunch

Looking up a 'side street' in the walled city

Lynn filling her bottle from the perpetual well.
What a handsome couple

Red and black can be fun

A martini sampler before dinner
The after dinner show.
Up at about 7:30…approaching Croatia
Got coffee in the aqua spa, walked around, checked out breakfast locations…
Brought JB a decaf mocha
Were to meet Rich and Lynn at 9:30, running late
Moved it to 9:45...had omelets for breakfast…both overcooked…oh well (pun intended)
For those that know Millennium, found the sewer smell now and then…but not by us
Thought we were anchoring near Walled City and tendering…not.
Docked by the new bridge and ship port instead…bus tix can be purchased on ship
We opted to take a taxi and do a panoramic tour…they are queued up at dock.
50 Euro for an hour. Great driver. Was 12 during 1991 war. What an experience.
He shared a lot about history, politics, education…very interesting.
Made it much more personal to then see Dubrovnik
Went up to the cross above the city and looked down…AMAZING
The steep narrow winding road made me long for my bicycle!
There had been a forest fire this summer, so lots of blackened trees
Saw remains of structures built by Napoleon…yes, THE Napoleon
The hills are terraced with many hand-placed rock walls
Several centuries ago they were used for grapes and olives
too much work today…tourism is now THE industry of Croatia
We walked the length of Stradun, and then walked the Fortified Wall
7.50Euro each…Kuno is the Croation currency but everywhere takes Euro
Every few steps was a Kodak Moment…simply amazing
I filled up one chip (over 500 pictures) and started another
MANY steps to climb, some ‘elderly’ folks struggling…not us ‘kids’!
Had lunch in a restaurant on a side street of the Stradum
3 salads for the others, but grilled squid for me…when in Rome!
Beer and wine of course…very relaxing (only 40 Euro)
Bought a pin for hat and some beautiful material for a table runner.
Also bought two bottles of Croatian wine (one blanco, one red-o)
As with Venice, one needs to be reminded this is a community
It has rich history, but you see kids, laundry, and people just ‘living’
Sort of like how Mickey and Minnie really live in Disneyland…or not.
No problem getting the wine back on-board (for those wondering)
Got back in time for a nap before sailing at 5:00pm
Sat on the deck during ‘sail away’, typing blog and drinking prosecco…
Formal night…oh goodie…we were both in red and black
That drew several nice comments from complete strangers
My new red tie and cummerbund were perfect!
Met Gerry/Marcia and Rich/Lynn for drinks before dinner.
More great music and people dancing.
Our new table mates are great. Lots of lively conversations.
Mixed up the seating so to talk with different people.
Filet Mignon night…oh darn. (very nice)
Captains reception after dinner to meet the head staff
Then medley of Broadway show songs: Les Mis, Phantom, Chorus Line, West Side Story
Excellent singers, great lighting effects, very nice presentation (I’d go again!!!)
Too late and too tired to post blog…tomorrow…we’ll be at sea all day
What else will I have to do???!!!??? Bingo, shopping lectures, bridge…NOT!