Travel Series: Dubrovnik
5:23 am
T R A V E L S E R I E S
DU B R O V N I K
Croatia
Goodbye Prague
--
Hello Dubrovnik
Although the time spent in Prague was short, it was lovely to relax and check out the city tour own slow pace. Extremely excited for that warm weather and beachy feels, Dubrovnik had us jumping up and down in the Airplane.
TOUCH DOWN!
We arrived in Dubrovnik at around lunch time. Just intime to check in into our Airbnb apartment. Initially,we wanted to stay nearby the old town, so that we can be closer to the restaurants. In the end, the opted for a more local scene. The location of our airbnb was in the local area (Lapad), we had local neighbours which gave us such a lovely and warm touch to our trip. We were walking distance to a ala ala Tesco/ Sainsburys as well as the Lapad Beach.
Day 1
We explored the old town of Dubrovnik on the first day. It was approximately a 40-45 minute walk. Could be a 35 minute walk, but it would probably depend on how fast you're walking. The weather that was lovely. If can recall, it was about 21 degrees when we arrived. One of the first things I noticed about Dubrovnik was that there were many cats casually walking about. Some look stray and some look like they are house cats because they are fat and their coats look well groomed. They are just so so so friendly. I just can't get over that!!
Old town Dubrovnik looked quite similar to Prague's old town. Walking around the old town made me wondered how this fully functional walled town was built. Even more, how it has survived through out all these years. You then begin to realise and understand the resolve and capabilities of these proud Croatian citizens. In my opinion, this place is definitely the Golden goose tourist trap for every visit, however it is still a win win for tourists and locals as the Old Town is simply magnificent. We also hung out a little, and explore the harbour site of the city. The view of the mountains in the background of the boat was magical.
We had dinner that night in one of the Old Town Restaurants called the Revelin. Having it being our first meal in Croatia, we all wanted to have something seafood. After going through the menu, the two boys decided to go with meat and jamal and I decided to go with fresh seafood. The restaurant is beautifully located with a menu offering a wide range of Croatian delicacies. On top of that, you great a fantastic view of the harbour and a sunset!
Chicken Pesto Pasta
Fish and mussel soup
Tuna Tatare
Lamb Shank
Crab and Lobster ravioli
Beef Tenderloin
Grilled fish of the day
Day 2
The second day was us spending the whole day at Lapad beach that is located not too far from our apartment. It took us approximately 15minutes to walk from our place to the beach. Of course, before hitting the beach, Jamal and I just had to have a little snack, so we shared a bowl of mussels at a restaurant nearby.
Bowl of fresh mussels
The view of the beach from the restaurant
After our slight snack, the boys wanted to smoke their cigars and have a cup of coffee at a cafe but I really just wanted to go tan by the beach already. So they sat a cafe near by (on in which they were able to keep an eye on me) whilst I made my way to the beach to tan. I found a nice spot on the pebbled beach and placed all my stuff. Got my bronzing oil and shades on. Operation tan, ON. Out of no where (ok I lie) when I was walking on the beach trying to find the perfect spot, I did notice these two boys there, but that was it and out of no where, they came up to me and asked me for the time. I told them it was 2pm and he said thanks and quickly sat two feet away from me whilst trying to ease his way into a conversation. I was just being nice and just answered his questions. They were normal innocent questions like "where are you from?" "do you like dubrovnik" "how long will you be staying here?" mind you, that this boy couldn't really converse in english and the three questions I typed above were grammatically modified by myself for the purpose of helping you readers to understand what he actually asked me that hot sunny day.
It was only a matter of time for the boys to realise that I'm not alone on the beach. Jamal came over and I introduced Jamal to them army boyfriend. I even emphasised the the boyfriend. Yet, they didn't move, and continued talking to me. This time, I tried to ease Jamal into the conversation because I honestly was not in the mood to be friendly friendly and nice nice to people, I just wanted to tan in peace. Not long after Jamal came, Hilman came as well, and I introduced him to them. They still did'nt leave!
Let just say they left at 4 something and my tan lines were history...
Scallops
Humus and polenta
white truffle pasta
beef tartare
beef tenderloin with potato fondant
Day 3
Today was 'I don't want to do anything besides island hop and chill and swim and eat' day!! The day that we've all been looking forward to since the start of the vey first trip. We rented a boat from 130pm to 9pm that would take us anywhere we wanted in Croatia. We could go to any island for how long we wanted and we could do anything we wanted. He provided us with water and some soft drinks, a waterproof go pro, bluetooth stereo system and wifi. yes PEOPLE, wifi on a boat. Strong wifi as well hehe
The whole trips amazing, we were able to see hidden caves, dive and jump off the boat into the nice cold water (although the water was cold, it was refreshing because the sun was scorching hot!) Our first destination was the cave, we could swim into it and explore the insides of the cave. The second destination was a sandy beach front. That was considered our first dip into the ocean. Jamal jump it first. We attempted a graceful dive (head first) from the boat, but unfortunately failed. Second was Hilman. He too decided that it was going to be a fun idea diving into the water head first. Third was me.. I didnt dare dive in head first cause.. i don't know i just don't want to hit a rock or something, so i casually sat at the edge of the boat and gracefully (gracefully lah sangat) pushed myself off. I "fell" in and swallowed so much salt water! On top of that I was panicking in the water cause it took me a good 2 seconds to break through the surface of the water to regain breathe. Petra stayed on the boat because he said it was too hot. SO the three of us played ball and swam for a bit before making our way back to the boat. One thing I noticed was that there were no fish swimming in ocean.
According to our boat driver, Croatian beaches are one of the most saltiest beaches in the world. That explains why there aren't any corals and fishes in sight. Our next stop was this other island where we did some exploring and had a short lunch. Afterwards, Hilman and Jamal wanted to cliff jump. Our drier then took us to this deserted cliff where we could jump without being interrupted by other people. When the two boys climbed half way up (about 5 feet of more) they started to get cold feet. I mean, I wouldn't blame them!
a) the water is cold
b) you don't know what weird creatures lurk under the waters
c) you might hit a rock and potentially break something or die
Our driver did mention that this is an extreme sport and it takes a lot of guts to jump off that cliff. Though the cliff may look as if its not that high, but when you're actually way ups there, looking down into the waters can be very frightening. Took them a solid 10-15 minutes before someone finally jumped. Jamal took the first leap, follow day Hilman. The adrenaline rush was surreal said the two boys as they swam back to the boat.
"once is enough"
Moving on, we then explore the other island further. He took us to many deserted and hidden gem of Croatia which was definitely amazing. The crystal blue and green ocean was magnificent. It was definitely a worth while trip. We got to enjoy each others company and have fun in the sun. The whole boat trip costs us each 65 euros.
Our last stop of the day was dinner at the famous restaurant called Villa Ruza located on one of the islands. We were not disappointed one bit. The setting and scenery was breath taking. The sat us at this table close to the edge (don't worry you won't fall) , one of the best seats in the restaurant I must say. Where we were able to see the sun set.
beef tenderloin on homemade toast with beetroot
Beef strips on a bed of rockets and parmesan cheese
lamb cutlets
Croatia was beautiful,
I will definitely see you again soon.
Sara
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