For Mum’s birthday we decided to have
a family holiday away in Dubrovnick. Terry and Gill came along with us and stopped
the night before at our place before driving early to Gatwick for our flights.
Day 1 (Friday 17th July) – We
arrived in the afternoon and a friendly pre-arranged taxi driver drove us to
the drop off / pick up point outside the Hilton garage entrance (there is no
vehicle access to the old town – apart from emergency and deliver). We were met
by the apartment agent and escorted across the drawbridge and through the
imposing gateway into the old town. Our apartment was a couple of floors above
the gallery of its owner and access was through his small shop and up the
stairs passed some rather unusually costumed mannequins and examples of his
graphic artwork. The apartment itself is very classy and modern furnished and
decorated in whites and greys accented with wood finishes. There are three
double bedrooms, the upstairs one we took including a small seating area and
ensuite bathroom; the others had separate bathrooms. There was a large open
plan dining/lounge with pictures of the old town and a map on the wall. There
was a small but well appointed kitchen along a corridor. Once freshened up we
explored some of the old town including the Dubrovnik Cathedral and ended up
eating in a seafood restaurant in the old port called Konoba Lokanda Peskarija.
The food was fine but a stray tomcat spoiled Gill’s bag with his spraying.
Day 2 (Saturday 18th July)
– We had present-giving for Mum’s birthday over breakfast before heading out. We
decided to walk the walls first thing in the morning hoping to miss the crowds
and heat of the day, but it was already busy and very hot. The walls were long
with several sections of stairs that took some climbing, but the views were
spectacular of the town and of the world outside of it.
Later we walked around the peaceful
Franciscan Monastery and the old apothecary, noting the framed shell hole in
the wall, and that evening we dined at a restaurant called Aquarius (for Mum’s
Birthday) that Gill had spotted during our walk around the walls.
Day 3 (Sunday 19th July) This
morning we took the ferry across to the nearby Lokrum Island where we explored
the botanical garden looking at the palms, cacti, and listening for and
spotting cicadas. We looked in at the little chapel before wandering down to
the shore for a quick dip in the water. The place that Gill, Terry and Sue swam
at was rougher than they expected and both Terry and Sue suffered grazes on the
sharp rocks that later became infected. I took a dip in another location that
was not so rough and mum watched safely nearby. We ate a lovely lunch of pizza
and salad in the olive tree shaded patio next to the old ruined monastery. After another short walk Gill and Sue had
another dip in the calmer waters of the bay before we re-boarded the boat for
our short journey back to the old port. We saw some magnificent ships at anchor
including the five-masted Royal Clipper.
While mum had a rest at the apartment
the rest of us explored the lovely Dominican Monastery with its burgonvilia and
citrus trees in the central courtyard. We tried to get a table at a well
regarded restaurant called Taj Mahal, but it was full so we ate next door at
the Konoba Lanterna which served disappointing plain and boring food.
Day 4 (Monday 20th July) We had
arranged a couple of excursions while in town the day before and our first was
to Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina). We met at the Hilton garage and headed off
north exiting Croatia and crossing through into Bosnia and Herzegovina to stop briefly
at Neum for a comfort break before re-entering Croatia and back into B&H
proper. We stopped at the little mostly ruined village of Počitelj where
we saw a lovely reconstructed mosque before heading onto Mostar. We had lunch at
the Restoran Teatar that overlooked the famous rebuilt bridge. After lunch we
explored the bustling market street and stopped at one of the mosques where
some of us climbed the minaret to get a spectacular view over the town and the
river and bridge. There was plenty of evidence of the war in the ruined
buildings and poignant graffiti. It was so hot here and we were told it was at
least 45C and the hottest place in Europe at that time, and had been for
several days
Back in Dubrovnick it was a ‘cooler’
35C and that evening we ate at the Rhea Silvia I where we had some of the best calamari
of our trip.
Day 5 (Tuesday 21st July) In
the morning we walked over to take the cable car up the mountain for a
panoramic view of the old town which was spectacular. Later we explored the Rector’s Palace with its interesting collection of furniture, sedan chairs and lovely
architectural details (such as the hands holding the handrail). While the
others took a break in the apartment Sue and I visited one of the many Game of Thrones shops – one that had a mock up of the Iron Throne, and that evening we
all ate a delicious meal at the Taj Mahal, which contrary to its name
specialises in Bosnian cuisine.
Day 6 (Wednesday 22nd July)
Our second long day excursion was south to Kotor (Montenegro). The route took
us through this small country and into the deep and picturesque bay before
stopping at the wonderful old walled town. Afterwards we were driven down to
the coastal town of Budva where we had lunch at the waterside café called
Jadran Kod Krsta before exploring the small walled town and our return trip.
In Dubrovnik we had a just found a
place for our evening meal when we had a sharp shower that did little to cool things
down. We had one our best meals at Zuzori with great flavours and beautifully presented
food.
Day 7 (Thursday 23rd July) As
this day was to be our last full day in Dubrovnik we went on full sightseeing
mode and visited the Marin Drzic (local playwright) museum, the Etnografski Muzej Rupe (with its interesting collection of local historic items in an old
grain store), Saint Ignatius Church, Maritime Museum (demonstrating how strong
a maritime power Dubrovnik had been), and the Tower Lovrjenac. Our last evening
meal was at Revelin with a grand view across the old port as the sun went down.
During our time in this lovely and
busy historic town we found refuge from the heat and crowds in several cafes including:
- - Poklisar(stopped here a couple of times as it was great for watching people parade down towards or from the old port. Had beers the first time and lunch another time and listened to music here)
- - Café Festival (for beer, cakes, evening music and a great view of the Stradun – main street)
- - Klarisa(beer and jazz music in the evenings)
Our accommodation (Apartment Bianco) was
on the third and fourth floors of an old palace that was burnt to the ground
during the Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin conflict in the 90s. Home to local
artist Ivo Grbic who reacted to the tragedy in a surprising way, buy painting
murals on doors and windows of the boarded up buildings in an effort to
brighten up the lives of his neighbours. He has a detailed display on the
outside of his building that explains what occurred and still sits in his small
gallery even though he is not able to paint any more. A brave an generous man
he is quick with a smile and a friendly gesture.
Day 8 (Friday) – This morning we just
relaxed around the apartment as we had an 11am pickup to take us to the airport
for our return flight home. When we arrived home it was fully 20 degrees cooler
and lashing down with rain. Welcome home!
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