After an exhilarating four days of sailing, our next destination in Croatia was Dubrovnik. Funky Tours arranged transportation back to Split where I picked up a van for the three-hour drive to Dubrovnik.
I booked a four-bedroom apartment about a half hour outside Dubrovnik but only five minutes from the airport. This was important because the kids all had a 6:30 a.m. flight on Sunday morning.
Dubrovnik is known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, and it certainly did not disappoint. Old Town Dubrovnik is a walled medieval city that is free of motorized vehicles. It is astonishing to think that during the Serbian-Croatian conflict in the early 1990s, Old Town was under siege. Although all of the major war damage has been repaired, there are still buildings bearing visible shrapnel and bullet scars.
Our time in Dubrovnik began early Saturday morning when we drove in and parked just outside Old Town. Lela and Avery sought out an internet café while the five of us took a two-hour walking tour. Since we were the only participants, it effectively became a private tour. We learned about the history of Dubrovnik, the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Bosnian War, interesting and personal background stories from our guide as well as the city’s role as a filming location for Game of Thrones.
Soon after the tour, we ran into Lela and Avery, and the seven of us had lunch on Žudioska Ulica, which translates to Jewish Street. We happened to eat next door to the Dubrovnik Synagogue, which I explored while the others finished lunch.
After lunch, we split up for a few hours. Lela and Avery searched for better Wi-Fi, Hannah and John purchased the Dubrovnik Pass and visited several museums, and Jane, Kyle, and I bought Dubrovnik Passes as well. Kyle and I visited the Maritime Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, and the Marin Držić House. Držić is often considered the Croatian Shakespeare and is the country’s most celebrated playwright.
At 3pm, the seven of us met again. Jane, Kyle, Hannah, and John did the 1.2-mile Dubrovnik Wall Walk, while Lela, Avery, and I returned to the van to drop off their laptops. Along the way, we enjoyed some delicious gelato. We met up once more afterward for a celebratory drink on our final evening together.
Based on a recommendation from a friend of a friend, Jane made reservations at Taj Mahal restaurant. Despite its name, Taj Mahal does not serve Indian food but instead specializes in authentic Bosnian and Balkan cuisine. Once again, we ordered family style, giving everyone the opportunity to sample a variety of dishes. The meal and service were outstanding, and we are grateful to our friend Alisa, who connected us with her college friend who lives in Dubrovnik.
Because the kids had such an early flight on Sunday morning, we made one final stop for gelato before heading back to the van and returning to the apartment. At 5:00 a.m. Sunday, I dropped them off at the airport and then returned to the apartment for a few more hours of sleep. Jane and I checked out at 10:00 a.m., and I returned the van to the Sixt rental car airport location.
With the kids gone, Jane and I checked into Bed & Breakfast Andio, located less than a block off Stradun, the main street in Old Town Dubrovnik. Our unique room was two levels, with the bed tucked into a loft on the upper floor and large living room on the main floor.
We continued making good use of the Dubrovnik Pass by visiting the Friars Minor Franciscan Monastery Museum, home to one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. We were told that the pharmacy is still operating today. As the son of a pharmacist, I found that especially fascinating.
We also toured the Rector’s Palace, which we both enjoyed, particularly the war photo exhibit documenting Old Town during the Serbian-Croatian conflict. We then walked outside the city walls to the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik which, in our opinion, contained surprisingly little art, modern or otherwise. On our way back, we passed Banje Beach before returning to Old Town to explore several more churches. After a casual dinner and a beer, we headed back to our charming apartment.
During our first walking tour in Zagreb, our excellent guide taught us the Croatian word, fjaka (fay-ka), which (according to a bag we saw in a souvenir store) means relaxed state of mind and body. Known as the sweetness of doing nothing, it is not something you learn, is something you naturally fall for. While we did a little more than nothing during our time in Croatia, we definitely fell for it.
By the end of our second day, we felt we had thoroughly explored Dubrovnik, so late that afternoon we booked a day trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
More on that in the next blog.
Traveling Walters 