Day 1, May 24, 2008. Prague, Czech Republic

We’re dragging a little bit but a late afternoon nap has refreshed us. Air-travel-wise our trip has been uneventful. Both the BA flight and the CZA flight were on time. The Cedaz shuttlebus was a little amusing. I felt that we were at the whim of the bus driver and left not at the scheduled time of 11:30am but when he had finished his cigarette (s).

K+K is a beautiful hotel. I look forward to having breakfast in the breakfast dining room which looks like a floating island in hotel space. Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived so we walked through Wenclas Square to have lunch at Branicky Skipek and the non-English speaking staff. Jess took her old Czech language skills out for a test-drive. They sputtered and coughed but at least we got the food that we ordered. The waiter refused to even attempt English (just as Lonely Planet had predicted) and when he asked me a question in Czech and I answered with a shrug and a “huh?” he answered with a shrug of his own, jotted something down in his notebook and left us. We persevered though and had our first halusky and gulas of the trip.

We returned to the hotel for our power nap. Later at the Rudolfinum we saw Mengla Huang and Peter Finstrom in concert as part of the Prague Spring celebration. The nearly two hour performance was very energetic and featured no fewer than 6 encores. Not sure if this was something typical of classical concerts or to Prague-ers but it got to be a little annoying for us when they continued to play after the 4th encore during which the performers were given bouquets of flowers and another standing ovation.

Prior to the Rudolfinum we walked through Old Town Square to the Vltava. The Old Town Square is a huge open space that is awe-inspiring for the massive space that it creates. With centuries old buildings framing the square and the Jan Hus statue and Astronomical Clock in the center this was a great first (re)introduction to Prague. Along the river we had a drink and a light dinner. The views were incredible the food was not. But we were there for the ambiance and the beer. At this point I made a solemn oath to not order chicken again on this trip. The amount of chicken on my sandwich was barely enough to register a flesh wound on any chicken. In fact, with the amount of chicken meat on my sandwich – whatever chicken gave up their flesh for me was probably still wandering around some chicken coop somewhere in the Czech lands a small band-aid covering what they gave up for my dinner. Before heading over to the concert we had our first encounter with the Charles Bridge (Karlov Most) on this trip. At dusk the saints on the bridge take on this celestial quality and the sunset views were fabulous.

After the Rudolfinum we walked back to the hotel via a circuitous route through the Old Town Square and Wenclas Square and had a drink at the hotel.

I’m amazed at how quiet this city is compared to other large cities. The constant traffic noise is largely absent from daily life when compared with New York or Boston.

Day 2, May 25, 2008. Prague, Czech Republic.

The breakfast downstairs in the Hotel is quite bountiful. We’re getting used to the Czech style of breakfast involving much breakfast meat. Although there’s plenty of western-style foods like cereal and milk.

It was a bright sunny day and we walked to Hradcany via the Charles Bridge. This quaint neighborhood is near the Prague Castle around the hills and surrounding grounds near the Charles Bridge. There are many outdoor cafes, gardens and galleries throughout much of this neighborhood. The weather was bright with sunlight and warm. We walked around admiring the unique architecture of the neighborhood while scoping out future destinations for eating and drinking.

With the time of our Josefov tour beginning, we hot-footed it over to the Intercontinental Hotel via another bridge to meet our tour. We probably could’ve taken a trolley or other form of mass transit to get there but this mode of transport required less thought. Wittman tours offered us a very pregnant tour guide who was Jewish herself and possessed a wide range of knowledge on the history of the Jewish people in Prague and all the Czech lands. The “Old-New” Synagogue, one of the oldest in Prague, was our first stop. This hundreds year old synagogue still held a place of honor for Rabbi Loew (“Lev”) one of the first great rabbis of the jewish community in Prague. His seat by the pulpit had allegedly never been occupied since his death in the 16th century. This the oldest of the Jewish Quarter synagogues was followed by the astonishingly ornate Spanish Synagogue which was designed in a Spanish style to reflect the Alhambra and not to serve Sephardic Jews. There was a sculpture in honor of Kafka outside this synagogue. Following this we visited the historic Jewish cemetery that housed over 100,000 dead in just around 12,000 grave markers. A very dense and crowded burial ground, it was beautiful on the grounds. Famous Jews buried there included Mordecai Maisel (politician and advocate of the Jews in the Royal Court) and Rabbi Loew , the originator of the Golem myth and the most revered Jewish leader in the history of the community. His seat in the “Old-New” Synagogue is still a guarded place of honor. We saw another synagogue with some of the more recent history of the quarter and then did some light shopping. Golem figures and Hebrew clocks abound. Mostly tourist schlock including much Kafka memorabilia.The Jewish Town Hall is still in operation and guarded against Neo-Nazis during times of festivals or other popular times to visit Prague. This unique building is just outside the center of the Jewish Quarter. We had lunch in the Old Town Square at one of the touristy cafes after a long walk across town. We debated the merits of eating near the Jewish Quarter or walking somewhere else but we had not spent much as of yet, sitting in the Old Town Square enjoying the sights. The unsmiling, supermodel waitress at the café we had chosen served us dark Krusovice beer and delicious spicy sausages. All sausage in this city is amazing and much more tasty than back in the States. We went back to the Hotel and got ready for dinner.

Dinner was a restaurant near the Church of Our Lady of Tyn in a Courtyard. We had Italian style pizzas on a back outdoor patio. There were tables available even though a waitress said that they were full. The dinner was average at best but that’s ok there would a Prague holiday blow-out coming for us. After dinner we found an older authentic style pub that had been too busy for us the night before. We watched a local devour an entire shank of a pig and enjoyed light Pilseners. The pub themed around medieval executions, was very small but afforded us a nice local flavor. Russian ladies sat next to us and enjoyed their pork chops, a local specialty. We wanted to find somewhere else to have a drink but it being Sunday, most establishments were closed including U Tygra – a famous local pub we had been wanting to try that once hosted former President Bill Clinton and super-hip playwright/politician Vaclav Havel.

This was a great end to a beautiful sunny day in Prague. Perfect weather in a nearly cloudless sky with temperatures near 80°F. Good for us as Prague is “no fun in the rain” according to Jess.

Day 3, May 26, 2008. Prague, Czech Republic. Kutna Hora, Czech Republic.

We rose and had a full breakfast in the downstairs breakfast area and then headed out to Kutna Hora. The lovely help at the hotel reception desk had helped us to find the right trains to take to Kutna Hora the day before. We walked to the main train station bought our tickets and watched for our track to be posted on the timetable. The trip out to Kutna Hora was just over an hour. We passed much farmland and gray communist-era housing developments preceded by the more modern housing built in the last decade or so.

Kutna Hora is a small unremarkable town with an enormous Phillip Morris plant at its center. The smell of tobacco was present throughout. The site of Kutna Hora itself was about a 10 min. walk from the station and near a hostel. It is a monument consisting primarily of bones that memorialize the victims of medieval plagues and casualties of the Hussite wars. Bones were inside a church and arranged as chandeliers, pyramids, tombs and other displays. When we arrived this small site was not very crowded but by the time we were preparing to leave a tourbus had showed up discharging about 30 tourists of indeterminate European origin. We walked back through the town and took the next train back to Prague stopping at a small market/convenience store along the way for water. Kutna Hora was very impressive and worth the trip. It’s a unique sight, something that’s unmatched anywhere else in the world. The bones and the sculptures that were created using the bones have been remarkably preserved after these hundreds of years.

We returned to the hotel in Prague to make dinner reservations which turned out to be earlier than expected. We’d be sitting down at 6pm in order to be guaranteed a table on the terrace of Kampa Park restaurant overlooking the Vltava. This left us little time to see the Prague Castle the next item on our itinerary. We changed for dinner and went straight to the castle.

The mammoth Prague Castle has beautiful grounds, an impressive cathedral (St. Vitus) and several courtyards in addition to the Golden Lane, a section of refurbished houses formerly serving as the homes for Royal Guards and at one time Franz Kafka whose sister once owned one of the houses in 1917. Entering from the west we appreciated the main courtyard and the Czech government buildings in operation on the castle grounds. We then entered St. Vitus cathedral, an incredible sight with many side chapels including the most impressive, the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of Prague. The most impressive views were yet to come as we ascended the nearly 300 steps of the bell tower to the lookout point of the cathedral. These steps had a dizzying affect on most people and it was challenging working up a sweat in “nice dinner” clothes for the view. But oh what a view! Looking out across the river and down onto the rest of the castle grounds afforded us the most breathtaking views of Prague. Getting up and down these steps was no easy task navigating crowds of winded tourists and also dealing with trying to ascend or descend these stairs in clothes fit for a nice dinner out. The Golden Lane has numerous shops selling unique arts/crafts and crystal and we passed through it on our way out. Dinner time was approaching.

The Kampa Park restaurant and terrace was a gorgeous vantage point for looking out onto the Vltava and was located right near the Charles Bridge as well. The waitress seemed to warm up to us eventually as we started with local Czech wine and tuna sashimi and a seafood bouillabaisse. Our entrees were Pepper Steak and Fish. The entire meal was superb! The rain held off and the sun came out for a perfect atmosphere. This was my all-time favorite steak meal. In a subtle encouraging way the server convinced us to order dessert, Lemon Tart with Rhubarb Sorbet and white chocolate. This restaurant, famous for its past patrons like Mick Jagger and Dave Matthews had extreme prices to match. This was our honeymoon dinner and it was unforgettable! We had seen this restaurant our first day here and noted its desirable location and prime real estate. Without hesitation, we both knew that this was where we wanted to have our Honeymoon Dinner.

With a great meal behind us and this being our last night in Prague we visited U Kocoura for Pilseners, a bar at St.Nicholas Church with many American ex-pats for Slivovice (a very strong plum brandy) and then a café near Old Town for Bekerovka before returning to the hotel. We probably didn’t need to sample ALL of the alcoholic drinks that Prague is known for but – what the hell – this was our vacation!

The meal at Kampa Park was so memorable, destined to be a highlight of the trip. Well worth the planning and an incredible experience.

Day 4, May 27th, 2008. Prague, Czech Republic. Zagreb, Croatia. Pula, Croatia.

We crawled out of bed and had a quick breakfast at the K+K breakfast area and then set out for the Cedaz Shuttle bus to Ruznye Airport. This time our driver was more prompt but didn’t ask us to which terminal we were going. When we got to the airport he was idling on the median trying to find out where we were going while we were trying to tell him Zagreb, Croatia, Hrvatsko. Nothing worked until he pulled over to one of the terminals, dashed out of the van and into the terminal and somehow figured out what he should do with us. He seemed quite irritated with us throughout all of this but we couldn’t get through to him. The flight on the propeller prop plane was fine and we arrived in a very warm Zagreb a little early. We tried to reschedule our flight to Pula but we were told that “it was not possible” to do so without buying a completely new ticket. We also discovered that we couldn’t store our bags but we could, however, check in for our 10:15pm flight 8 hours early, which we did. With all of this time to kill we tried to locate the bus to Zagreb and spend the afternoon seeing the city. With a few buses to choose from we were able to connect the dots between our pre-travel itinerary that specified a busline and the buses idling at the curb outside the main terminal. The bus put us at the main Autotrans Kolodvor not an overly busy bus station by any means. With some careful navigating we were able to find our way to the tram that would take us into the Upper Town section of Zagreb. We waited for a streetcar just outside the bus station in what had suddenly become a very hot afternoon. The streetcar slowly traveled into town passing some more industrial and graffiti-covered neighborhoods before leaving us in a main square.

There was a tourist section in the main square and their agent was helpful in sending us on a walking tour of the most historic sections. First was their cathedral at the top of a hill where the earliest inhabitants of Zagreb first put down roots. The cathedral was dark and cool compared with the bright sun of the afternoon and we bathed in its tranquility before venturing back outside for some lunch. Across from the cathedral there was a nice café frequented by local students and we stopped there for lunch. The rest of the tour continued into the common market in the Centar of town which had been closed for the day. We had hoped to catch the end of this market but were too late by what looked like about an hour or so. Then we cut down a narrow café-lined street to a larger thoroughfare that was very common and busy. This pedestrian street was lined with cafes on both sides and was a central location for people-watching and sipping Jannica, Karlovacko or coffee. The cafes on this street were busy towards the center of town more sparsely populated further away.

The older ornate roof-painted church near the Croatian parliament building was next. The roof was vibrantly colored with red, blue and yellow colors. While the exterior walls of the church were being restored the roof itself was exposed allowing us to see just how unique its design was. The walking tour then took us down a historic cobblestoned street to a small square with an High School building and a church named for St. Catherine. This brilliantly decorated church was breathtaking on the inside with highly detailed paintings behind the altar and exquisite pink and white carvings and paintings along the ceiling. We treasured the peace and solitude the church afforded us. We left just in time to miss a throng of Russian tourists who were entering the church as we exited. We left the church and crossed behind the High School to an historic tower that once guarded the city and took panoramic pictures of the Zagreb skyline. We descended the hill back down to the busy square where we started our tour.

While having a quick refreshment in the main square we noticed how many of the homeless and destitute in Zagreb were usually old and hobbling about not crazed and raving like many of the homeless in the states. Perhaps these were the segments of people being left behind as the country continues to rebuild after the Balkan Wars of the 1990’s. We began to walk down the main parks, south of the city Centar where there was a jazz concert going on beneath a gazebo. This matched the goings-on in the main city square where a band had been playing. We rested on the lawn and listened to music absorbing the brilliant sunshine. The parks were linked together and were each lush with grass and vegetation. This link ended at the train station. Walking through these parks was taking us closer to our eventual destination, the main Autobus Kolodvor. Along the way we visited the nearby Hotel Esplanade, the grande dame of Zagreb, to drink in its glamour. At the main Autobus Kolodvor we caught a bus to return to the Zagreb Airport and catch our flight to Pula. We were a little early and had to wait in a small waiting room in the Croatia Airlines terminal which was in the process of being renovated. After an hour and a half we were on our way. The small plane landed in a very quite Pula Airport at nearly 11pm. With a relatively large line of cabs waiting for us as we left the airport we had no problem catching a cab to our Hotel. Given the lateness of the hour we were a little concerned with the fact that reception at Hotel Scalletta would be closed but since we had forewarned them of the lateness of our arrival, one of the hotel employees was waiting for us outside and checked us in.

An exhausting day but overall we were both very happy with Zagreb and glad we didn’t get to Pula early. We enjoyed the city and its history and thought much of it was quite beautiful. Some parts, however, looked a little rough around the edges but others possessed a youthful exuberance that we could appreciate.

Day 5, May 28th, 2008. Pula, Croatia.

A day full of brilliant-sunshine in Pula. Not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day to see the Arena. One of only 4 still in existence in the world, this colosseum (known locally as The Arena) is the only remaining one in Istra and was built by the Emperors Claudius and Augustus. We spent time on an audio tour taking many pictures and viewing the relics in the underground level where the beasts used to be kept. An architectural marvel, this Arena could hold hundreds of Romans at a time. We tried to imagine the mezzanine level of seats above where our tour took us as well as the narrow pathway running alongside the main performance space. Remarkably preserved, this structure is an icon of the city and can easily allow one to imagine what the Arena must have looked like at its peak period of usage. The Arena, a scene of many gladiator battles, was nearly destroyed or dismantled a couple of times but has been saved these hundreds of years. One of its main benefactors was a Venetian Senator whose efforts at saving the Arena have been memorialized on a stone tablet by one of the side entrances.

This city is covered with Roman ruins. There are probably a lot more that have not yet been discovered. We walked towards the center of town and saw the Arch of Sergius which preceded a café-lined, narrow, pedestrian only street that served as the center of our afternoon. Along this street Sergelenijca (?) we stopped and had a drink at a café near the Arch which was the original spot of a favorite haunt of James Joyce. Joyce lived there from 1914-1915. Sergelenijca led us to the Old Town Hall and the Temple of Augustus which were side by side in a main square. The Temple of Augustus was relatively small and kind of shabby looking. The structure itself had suffered through some fairly serious bombing in the 2nd World War and was showing some wear and tear. Tours of this temple could be had for 20 kuna but I felt like I had seen it all from the outside. We walked down Sergelenijca until the end and then after consulting a map decided to find the Roman Floor Mosaic. Eventually, after much dogged searching, we found the Mosaic, left intact and preserved in a very out of the way location off the street. It’s preservation was remarkable and you could distinctly see the scene depicted (with the help of Lonely Planet tourbook, of course). A cousin was being punished for the attempted murder of a relative and the story played itself out on multiple panels. Seeing a live Roman ruin hidden beneath the city was very exciting.

The Archaeological museum was next and it lay up on a hill overlooking Sergelenijca street. In a building formerly used as an Austrian private school, this museum houses a treasure of Roman and Neolithic/pre-historical artifacts. The Roman tablets and other commemorative items from cemeteries and temples were too many to count and were displayed both inside the museum and populating its outside garden. The museum lacked a lot in presentation (and probably funding) but the artifacts were so precious that it didn’t really matter. The cases and signage accompanying the exhibits seemed to have gone unchanged and un-updated since the 1960’s. Mostly devoid of people, this museum felt like an unrecognized local treasure ignored by locals and also, for the most part, tourists. There was a Roman amphitheater on the grounds of the museum, behind the main building and it too was breath-taking. The views of Pula from the top were spectacular and panoramic. The Arena was clearly visible from such a high vantage point and it was also awe-inspiring. The seats of this theater had slowly aged but the ones closest to the stage remained. By looking at what was left of the theater one could imagine where the Romans entered the theater, where they sat and perhaps even how many spectators. But your imagination was all you had when visiting this theater as there were no tour guides, signage or other brochures to educate the musemgoer unlike the self-guided tours at The Arena. Throughout Pula there are Roman ruins of varying significance and it is amazing that the inhabitants of this city live on top of and amongst them having grown accustomed to their presence.

Our dinner was back on Sergelenijca street after we freshened up at the hotel. A restaurant we had passed a few times before, Barbara looked nice and cozy from the street. Not very busy at dinner, the restaurant was a little lacking in wine and the appetizers we were served. The entrees, however, (sea bass on the bone and a local meat specialty) didn’t disappoint. We stopped at a café in the main square nearby and had a glass of local Istrian wine in the glow of the Old Town Hall and the Temple of Augustus afterwards. On the way back to the room we stopped at another café down the street for a beer (Lasko). This was the same café where the Hotel Scaletta employee who was waiting for us on the Tuesday Night of our arrival had been sitting when we arrived from the Pula Airport.

The Arena is a brilliant piece of history of which I personally have never seen before. It is an experience I will never forget. It’s amazing to me that people here in this city on the Adriatic are living amongst all of this great history. The history itself helps to make the Croats who they are today and informs their sense of national pride.

Day 6, May 29th, 2008. Pula, Croatia. Fazana, Croatia. Brijuni Islands, Croatia.

The breakfast area at Hotel Scaletta was kind of like a bedroom that had been outfitted for eating. There was a door that could close off the room and only one small window looking out onto the steps that led down to the main street. The food was outside this room on narrow tables in the hallway. Despite this Spartan arrangement the breakfast could be quite refreshing. We had a light breakfast and then found directions from our hotel (with the help of Team Scalletta) to the bus via local routes that would take us to Fazana a beautiful little town/fishing village. Guided tours on scheduled ferries leave Fazana at regular intervals for the Brijuni Islands. The local bus we picked up from the Autobusni Kolodvor took us directly to Fazana with a few stops along the way. Fazana is a very cute village by the Adriatic Sea with beautiful views of the islands and fishing boats with a few waterside cafes. This place is not unlike some of the large beach towns on the Cape in that there are plenty of people vacationing/visiting as well as many others just going about their daily lives. We bought our tickets at the national park tourism ticket office (The Brijuni Islands are a national park) for the ferry. The brilliant sunshine and numerous fishing boats made for a very picturesque scene as we waited for the ferry to take us on this 30 min. journey.

The ferry arrived and we boarded with about 50 other people. The ride was beautiful with the water a clear blue/green and plenty of fish visible from above the surface. Since this was a National Park still in use by the Croatian government, the only way to actually see these islands is as a part of an organized tour. We joined a small English tour with about 15 others (most of the people on the boat were either German or Hrvatski) and started our tour of Vijelka Brijuni the largest of the Brijuni Islands. Our tour guide, a petite blonde woman, led us to the first stop on our tour which for the first hour would be conducted via tourist train. This train chugged up and down the island hills spewing exhaust and shaking as it ascended some hills. We saw many of the old build ings now used by the Croatian National Park Service and stopped at the safari/zoo area that housed elephants, cattle, donkeys, horses etc. all of which were either gifts for or offspring of gifts given to Tito, the former dictator of Yugoslavia. The stop included ice cream, animal petting and then back in the train to see the remains of a Roman Villa, a 1700 year-old olive tree and finally back to where we started by the Hotel Café near where the ferry had originally left us. The tourguide was very good about communicating our itinerary to all of us. In fact she repeated it so often that I thought for a moment that she was looking forward to the time when we would actually be leaving. After the tourist train segment of the tour had concluded we resumed our touring on foot. Now on foot, we saw a historic and small church with Roman frescoes and the museum that housed historic photos of Tito’s life including his meetings with many foreign dignitaries and also many of the animals that were given to him after they were taxidermied as well as some animals he had taxidermied himself. The walk for a close-up view of the 1700 year-old olive tree finished our tour save the last stroll back to the large hotel and quay where Tito used to greet and bid adieu to his honored guests. The Croats seem partially torn about how Tito’s legacy should be viewed. At times they seem to revere and respect him as a sense of national pride. His ability to keep the ethnic tensions between Bosnians, Croats and Serbs from boiling over is also widely respected given the ethnic wars that took place in the vacuum of political leadership that was created after his passing. We caught the ferry back to Fazana and had a snack at a local café there after which we found the bus back to Pula and to our room.

For dinner we went to a place recommended to us via the Lonely Planet book and it was called Kantina. Our server was very attentive and we sampled Istrian wine, both red and white, Istrian cheese, truffles and honey brandy all in one meal. It was spectacular! Once again, for some reason, we were the only people in the dining room with all other people upstairs in the café. The dining room itself was in a basement level of the restaurant and was very tastefully decorated. This place was a pleasant surprise especially after the at times questionable nature of the previous night’s meal. Since we had both dessert and an after dinner drink at Kantina we decided to head back to the room immediately afterwards.

After spending all this time in the Brijuni Islands it became apparent to me that the Croats are proud of Tito and his accomplishments including uniting the various ethnic groups that made up the former Yugoslavia while glossing over his tyranny. The islands themselves are serene and very tourist worthy. There could be more development to bring Fazana and the Brijuni Islands into a more modern tourist sphere if the local residents want such a thing of course. The island is very charming now relatively undeveloped, but an island with good weather and decent facilities is extremely desirable. So there is potential for much more. Like much of the precious history and natural resources we’ve seen here, the Croats are lagging a little in how they are presented to tourists and the like. Being able to see these beautiful islands via pre-arranged guided tours only limits how the island can be visited and who can visit. These types of restrictions keep the island feeling very quaint and intimate. Many of the tourist services in Croatia leave much room for improvement which could be why this country is largely unvisited by many westerners.

Day 7, May 30th, 2008. Pula, Croatia. Rijeka, Croatia.

We rose, had a light breakfast downstairs with Team Scalletta (and globe-trotting Australian tourists) and then left to pick up a bottle of fine Istrian wine to konzum on our ferry ride from Rijeka to Split which we’d be taking later that night. The gift shop was one on Sergelenijca where we had purchased a bottle of olive ulje two days before. The same young woman was there to help us and she pointed us in the direction of a fine red Teran and some honey brandy similar to what we had sampled at Kantina the night before. We walked back to the hotel, said goodbye to Team Scalletta and with bags in tow, departed for the bus station for the Autotrans motor coach that would take us to Rijeka. This ride was spectacular! At first it was merely a journey through the suburbs and villages of Pula with local kids getting off at their respective towns along the side of the road but then the ride turned quite scenic when we entered the Dinaric mountain range near the town of Labin. The crowd on the bus was light and was never more than a ¼ full. Our driver handled the numerous S-curves and switchbacks with great aplomb and our views of Kvarner Bay were excellent. For some reason this bus that we thought had only 1 stop (in Labin) actually had several. Many riders on the bus made special requests of our driver to make a stop that was more convenient for them rather than wait for a proper bus stop. Similarly, some riders hailed the bus from the side of the road as if hailing an overgrown, shared taxi. Our ride also passed through the resort town of Opatija and other similar towns like Kraj and Lovoran. These bayside resorts were densely populated along the shore and very charming. They looked like Croatia’s version of the Jersey Shore or the Cape – self-contained seaside towns with large resorts and many people. One look at these resorts and one could tell that if you stayed here there would be no reason to leave. Anything you could possibly want on a vacation would be there. We found out later that many residents of Rijeka would often make the drive to Opatija to drink and socialize during the summer months making the drunken drive back to Rijeka in the middle of the night.

The bus pulled into Rijeka not at an enclosed bus station but in what can only be described as a “bus area” that made this relatively small city seem much more chaotic than it actually was given all of the other buses and passengers that were there at the same time. With a few hours to spare before our ferry left, we deposited our luggage with the Garderoba left luggage service which was situated in the back of a takeout pizza restaurant. The strange location for this service cast the whole idea of the Garderoba in a peculiar light but Jess assured me that our bags would be fine. There were plenty of bags already checked so it must be perfectly safe. After leaving our luggage, we checked in with Jardrolinija and found a place for lunch. It was a Belgian themed restaurant in the middle of a very noisy square. The square itself was somewhat crowded but with loud music cranked up at the restaurant and a local radio station minivan parked caty-corner and attracting attention to itself by blasting cheesy pop it was a little unsettling.

After lunch we followed a walking tour from the Lonely Planet book to the top of the castle overlooking the city. We began the tour by crossing the noisy square and then a bridge traversing a small river that fed into Rijeka Bay and found ourselves at the foot of a very steep set of steps going straight up to the top of the mountain overlooking the city. These steps were more like a pedestrian street as they were lined with the backyards of houses and apartments all the way up to the top. The long walk in the hot sun was tough but the views along the way were worth it. A light yellowish haze persisted over the city as more of Rijeka and the surrounding hillsides came into view. At the top of the hill, a small neighborhood had taken shape around the castle and its cathedral. There were several small caffes and restorans as well as a small park. The cathedral had a plaque near its front entrance commemorating the visit of Pope John Paul II in the 1980’s. We entered the castle grounds and walked through the park that led to the castle and caught magnificent views of Rijeka and Rijeka Bay. Our ferry was huge and we could even make it out from the top of the hill. There was actually a caffe at the top of the hill at the castle. Quiet and relaxing, the castle gave us a perfect opportunity to cool off so we stopped and drank in the views. Our descent was much quicker and we walked through the city to collect our bags from the Garderoba and aimed for what we thought would be an early check-in at the terminal.

The ferry was waiting for us where it had been docked all day.There was no line when we checked in nearly 3 hours early but that did not necessarily mean that not that many people had checked in because there were many cars already on board. When we got to reception we found a decent sized line waiting for us. A slow moving line. We were finally checked in and shown to our room. Now, I knew that we could potentially have roommates and as a result I was not expecting our room to be that small. If 4 people were going to inhabit the room it would need to be big enough to accommodate them one would think. But this was definitely not the case. Two bunks were made up while the other sleeping arrangements consisted of a padded bench and a pull down panel for a bed that had been left folded into the wall. I couldn’t possibly see how 4 people could coexist in this space even for a night. I could almost touch the opposite ends of the room with outstretched arms. Our only consolation was that most people had already checked-in at this point so we were hopeful that if we did indeed have roommates they would’ve already been in the room had they even existed. But as of yet we did not know for sure. We went up to the 4th level café and looked out over the water and the city absorbing the sunshine. We watched two different sets of men’s and women’s crew teams rowing in the Bay. Their boats however, were not typical of crew teams but were in fact large wooden boats that looked they could’ve been rescue boats on the Nina, Pinta or Santa Maria. After about an hour or so the mighty ship began to depart. It backed into the bay and then did a ponderous 3-point turn to head out. Once we passed through the Bay we had the island of Krk on our left and the very long and skinny island of Cres on our right. We stayed out on the deck until 9:30pm or so, went down to our room and found that we had no roommates (yay!) and went to dinner. The dining room was trying to be elegant but had a somewhat dirty imperfect underbelly that we found to be uniquely Eastern European. The 3 course meal was beef-themed with Beef Broth, Spaghetti with meat sauce and Beefsteak with potatoes. Afterwards we found the bottle of Istrian wine that we had brought along for the trip and konzumed it up on the deck. At this point most of the active seniors on our trip had gone to bed so we were up there largely by ourselves. The ship itself was overall pretty nice, especially for a ferry. Probably because this was an overnight ferry, our boat, the Marko Polo, was more like an Oceanliner than a short distance ferry. It was clean and made us confident that we would actually get where we were going in a reasonable amount of time. The other tourists on the boat were mostly German with of course plenty of Croats, some English and a handful of Americans.

Day 8, May 31, 2008. Split, Croatia. Supetar, Brac, Croatia.

The ship pulled into Split at 6am on the nose but Jess and I were already up. We got our stuff packed at 5am to see our approach in daylight. I guess we figured we’d be tired anyway so why not see our approach into Split harbor with the sunrise as a backdrop? What’s one hour less of sleep? None of the active seniors had the same idea as us however, and the upper deck was largely deserted except for a handful of other nutty people equipped with digital cameras. From a distance it was hard to tell where exactly Split began on account of our not being familiar with the area and the thick haze that was hanging over the city. But when we did identify Split on the horizon we were treated to a beautiful sunrise. Upon de-ferrying we found the left luggage and bought our ferry tickets to Brac for later in the afternoon. We were surprised to find that the left luggage actually didn’t open until 7am so with time to spare we also bought our bus tickets to Dubrovnik for later in the week. Split would kind of be our travel hub for the next few days. With those travel arrangements taken care of (including a wait for the Garderoba to open which was slightly more than an hour) we set out for Diocletian’s Palace. On the way, we stopped for a light breakfast at one of the bakeries just opening for business. These bakeries sold fresh baked goods that were absolutely delicious. They were warm and delectable first thing in the morning. We took a moment to eat our breakfast and then set out for the palace. But before entering the palace, we stumbled upon several tables being set up outside a fish market. Upon further inspection we realized that this wasn’t just an isolated group of fishmongers but the Split fish market already in full swing at this early hour. We took a few minutes walking up and down the aisles of the market gawking at the strange undersea creatures being offered for sale and trying to guess what they were. We saw skate, rays, plenty of prawns, tuna steaks being cut from a freshly de-boned fish, sea bass, sardines, and numerous other fish we could not identify. The market was just getting started so it wasn’t too crowded for us to wander about before finally making it to the palace. Built by the Roman emperor Diocletian as his summer hideaway, he eventually lived there full time in his later years. Diocletian’s palace itself has been integrated into the fabric of the city with other palaces contained within its walls and many retail shops, banks and other markets. Our walking tour began via the Lonely Planet book at the north entrance. The Mestrovic sculpture of a Croatian Archbishop welcomed our arrival. This archbishop is a hero in Croatia for having fought the church for the right to have mass in their native tongue in addition to Latin. The Lonely Planet tour took us from this main gate to the Paplic Palace, the main cathedral (once Diocletian’s mausoleum), the palace entryway and then a side tour of the basement halls. The cathedral was quite impressive and very ornate in its decoration. The belfry, part of the cathedral, was the most impressive. We climbed the stairs all the way to the top to see the city of Split and the harbor. A beautiful, modern, tropical scene was before us. Still early in the morning even for the tourists, we had been trying to savor the relative calm of the palace and were able to see these wonderful sights at our own pace. At the top of the belfry, the haze of the early morning had long since burned off and the brilliant light of the morning bathed the city in a bright light from the mountains to the harbor. The steps to the top of the belfry seemed to go on forever but the trip to the top was well worth it. The earliness of the hour did however cause a slight problem when we discovered that there was no way for us to have our picture taken together unless someone were to join us at the top of the belfry. Eventually we did find someone willing to take our picture. We descended and found the temple with John the Baptist inside. This temple presented us with a very striking portrait of John the Baptist as a stone sculpture. One original column remained from the original temple which was itself located just off the main palace square. Later, we descended beneath the palace to tour the basement halls. These halls showed the inner workings of the palace including evidence of innovative Roman plumbing systems, cisterns and food production mechanisms as well as sculptures of Diocletian and other artifacts. Some of the basement rooms were clearly visible from the ground floor of the palace through sky lights as well. It was ideal being at the palace, one of Split’s most frequented tourist destinations, early in the a.m. because as the day went on it became more crowded with tourists. The bright sun and the heat of the day were also starting to establish themselves as a factor in our sightseeing. But overall the tourists, not just individual tourists but large groups of them, had started to clog up the narrow passageways and other spaces in the palace. This onslaught made us realize that we hadn’t really eaten much lately and decided to stop for lunch. Lunch was as per the Lonely Planet recommendation of the best pizza in Split and it lived up to its reputation. Pizza Galija served us pizza with a crisp, thin crust and was delicious. It was very cool inside and provided us with a brief respite from the warm weather in the city. Suprisingly, Galija was also fairly crowded which we did not expect given that we were a little on the early side for lunch. We walked back to the palace and got directions for our next destination, the Mestrovic Sculpture Gallery on the outskirts of Split. A long walk away from the city centar, the walk to the gallery took us past a couple of city beaches while walking along the water and the Split harbor. We also passed the park of which the beaches were a part. The gallery lay across from the water on an old refurbished building on a hill. The gallery grounds were beautiful and serene. This was obviously not on the hitlist of the tourists who descend on Split from the various cruiseships docked in the harbor. The experiences at Split’s Diocletian’s Palace when compared with the Mestrovic museum were polar opposites. We ascended a set of stairs and found a sculpture garden laid out before us. A handful of Mestrovic’s works were out on the impeccable grounds and after touring them we went into the building itself. There was no one inside save a security guard and tour guide waiting for a group of school children we later found out. The two floor gallery exhibited Mestrovic’s sculptures in bronze, stone, wood and some of the pencil and other drawings these works were based upon. Many of his works are religious in nature and we liked how he was able to show movement. Mestrovic died in the 1930’s and was very active throughout his life. We relaxed in the sculpture garden and enjoyed the soft breezes coming in off the water. This gallery was literally a much needed breath of fresh air and gave us a chance to rest and catch our breath during what was already becoming a very active day. A small basilica was nearby but off the gallery grounds and our tickets allowed us to visit it as well. The views of the coast and the sea and down onto the beach were ever more breath-taking from the Basilica than from the gallery. Inside the Basilica was a 28-panel relief carving in wood of the days of Christ also by Mestrovic.

Now late in the afternoon, we walked back to the Ferry Terminal, collected our luggage from the Garderoba and found berth 27 where our ferry would take us to Supetar, Brac. We were more than ready to go by this time and were early. Originally we thought we’d spend the day in Split not leaving until the early evening but by 4pm we were ready for a shower and a bed. The ferry eventually filled up and took us to Supetar. Another gorgeous approach to a small orange-roofed Mediterranean town and it never gets old. We found the tourist office and got directions to the Waterman Club resort. This was the week we traded for our timeshare. It was a little longer of a walk than expected, made worse by the fact that we had our luggage. When we tried to check in at the Waterman Club we found the line of other timeshare owners to be quite long and further separated us from a shower and rest. The folks operating the front desk seemed like they were Russian and took their time checking everyone in. We made it to the room before melting down completely and then returned to the Supetar harbor for dinner. A pizza place called Riva Pizzeria (probably because it was along the Riva) served us adequate pizza and sub-par wine. After a full day and not so much sleep, we called it a night.

Split is a great coastal town with lots of history. The Palace of Diocletian is one of the most exciting archaeological examples of Roman architecture and building prowess in the world. I’ll never forget this impressive site and the scope of the whole structure and how it’s been incorporated into the city of Split itself. Historic floors from the palace make up the Bank of Zagreb branch in Split and boutiques and shops exist along the narrow streets and passageways. It seems as though this palace is a piece of history that will never be lost because it a vital component of so many buildings in daily use today. Just as significant for us was the Mestrovic Gallery which was notable not just because it was beautiful and the art inside was striking but because it was a well timed break from Split proper and we appreciated how peaceful that part of the city seemed when compared with its centar.

Day 9, June 1st, 2008. Supetar, Brac, Croatia. Bol, Brac, Croatia

We slept in after a long day traveling and running around yesterday. The late morning turned into early afternoon and we picked up some breakfast at the local Pekarna and set off for the local rental agency to rent a scooter. From reading about the island and in the little time we had already spent on Brac we decided that the only way to really see the island would be by scooter. Unfortunately, the rental agency owner decided he would not rent a scooter to us because we did not know how to ride one. He figured that Brac was not the right place to learn how to operate a scooter for the first time. I guess I was thinking I could learn from him and then take it from there. But he was adamant. You should take a taxi or rent a car he said. If on a scooter for the first time, when you come to an intersection or pass too close to a car you’ll get nervous and fall and then there’ll be damage to the scooter and the police must be involved…He was sure any experience we would have with a scooter would be a bad one. So, accepting our fate and not wanting to negotiate with any of his competitors, we rented a car from him for a similar price. We drove to Bol, a resort town on the other side of the island, to see the beautiful beaches at Zlatni Rat. The roads on the way were very curvy. With several hairpin turns and numerous steep drop-offs as well as narrow spaces to navigate while other cars were coming head-on, the driving was quite treacherous. Along the way we stopped at the small town of Nezvednicje where we believed we could pick up the road to Vinova Gordo, the tallest point in the Adriatic Islands that would offer us great views of the Brac coast on the Bol side including Zlatni Rat. After several trips through Nezvednicje we were unsuccessful in finding the correct road. Each road led to either a private residence or seemingly in the wrong direction. Making matters worse, the map we were using to navigate was woefully inadequate. Many unsuccessful attempts yielded nice views of bucolic Mediterranean towns in the mountains of Brac but nothing about Vinova Gordo. The search being fruitless, we gave up and continued on our way to Bol. But on the way out of Nezvednicje, we saw a sign for Vinova Gordo. The long drive to the peak (including a stand off with a bus) took us up the mountain to its highest point. Up there were a handful of tourists and a Konobar manned by a couple of locals who looked like they lived in the nearby caravan year round. The smell of freshly burned coals surrounded this encampment. The views of the coast and Zlatni Rat were extraordinary. Zlatni Rat is perhaps the only beach in the world that is perpendicular to the shoreline. It sticks out into the Adriatic like a tongue and was glimmering in the sun. The wakes of the numerous wind surfers and parasailors were also visible from such a high point. The surrounding rocky shoreline and the tops of the houses and hotels created a picture perfect scene. There were only a handful of other tourists on this mountain near the Konobar. We descended the mountain happy to have finally found what we had been searching for and finished the drive to Bol. The rest of the drive was just as challenging as before and forced us to wind our way through the mountains to the coastline. The town of Bol is actually a few km from the beach so we didn’t actually get to see the town until later.

Being on the beach was thrilling. The sand really extends out into the water with essentially “two” beaches created with one on each side. The wind was of course very strong as the sand itself was essentially more level with the water than the rest of the beach. The windier side of the beach was sparsely populated with bathers and had only a handful of beach chairs facing the sun, all of them empty. The very tip had virtually no bathers but plenty of wind surfers and parasailors who harvested the power of the wind with great skill attaining very high speeds or soaring 20 or 30 feet into the air as the case may be. The strong wind did make it a little too chilly to swim even on the warm side of the beach which had considerably less wind on account of the trees growing along the beach that were between the windy side and the less windy side. We relaxed on the beach reclining on two beach chairs. Instead of returning to Supetar for dinner and the Waterman Club, we decided to stay in Bol. Our Lonely Planet tour guide had some viable options but the one we chose proved to be unlocatable. Either a poor map or sub-par navigation skills forced us to choose a place on our own which ended up working out well anyway. This was a very nice restaurant overlooking the harbor with the resort town of Bol in the distance. This was the nicest dinner either of us have ever had while wearing our bathing suits. We split a first platter for two with fully boned bass, gilthead, shrimps (prawns), squid and mackerel. It was very good but the views and the location could not be beat. We watched the sun set on the restaurant’s expansive terrace while drinking white wine and enjoying our fish platters while listening to local Croatian music. I had become quite adept at eating whole fish – knowing how to de-bone and pick the fish apart. It was no easy task and one we had to master in order to actually eat.

After dinner, knowing we had a long challenging drive ahead of us, we left Bol for Supetar. Driving these roads at night was more difficult especially with wild goats, cows and marmots wandering into our path. There were no highways to guide us and the roads were not lit at all. Fortunately, we drove carefully enough and returned to Supetar. However, it took some tricky navigating to figure out how to return to the Waterman Club once we actually got to Supetar. With a seemingly endless maze of one-way streets, our return to Supetar was not the end of our return journey. We were trapped amongst these one way streets in Supetar far from the resort. A return to the main road solved our problems and helped turn us in the right direction.

Zlatni Rat is one of these rare beach formations we may not have the chance to see again so rare is it. We both appreciated how beautiful it was, how rare it was and with all of the water sports activity how exciting it was to experience.

Day 10, June 2nd, 2008. Supetar, Brac, Croatia. Skrip, Brac, Croatia. Milna, Brac, Croatia

We woke up late, not sure how late and left to make arrangements for renting the car again for another day. Our shit car had served us well thus far and we wished to use it for another road trip. Despite our misgivings about having to use a car when we wanted a scooter, we decided that the car we had would be necessary for another day. Some means of mobility was necessary on Brac and if a scooter wasn’t going to be our mode of transport, car it would have to be then. This time we had Milna (a small fishing village) and the historical town of Skrip in our sights. After breakfast from the same local bakery along the Supetar harbor that we had sampled yesterday morning, we got in the car and drove to Skrip.

All roads, not just the ones to Bol, were narrow and hard to navigate. We were confronted with more hair-pin turns and roads not really wide enough for two-way traffic. A steep climb onto the top of a smaller mountain in the middle of the island led us to Skrip. A small town with only a few hundred inhabitants we came across one of them the minute we got out of the car. An older woman welcomed us into her home with a wave of the hand and a warm smile but not a word of English. We saw that she was living in the remains of the Citadel fortress that we had come to see. She showed us an old Illyrian wall from when they occupied and settled these lands and then took us to her warehouse/production space where she made Grappa, Olive Oil and wine. A sales pitch! None was really necessary and we bought a large bottle of homemade olive oil for the equivalent of $10. This was the local color our trip had been missing! We thanked out tour guide/sales person and found an old cemetery still being used by local inhabitants that was over looking the surrounding mountains and farms. This and the church on the same land led us to the Archaeological Museum in the town.

The Skrip museum was modern in its presentation and featured a dynamic tour guide who was a fountain of knowledge. She told us all about the local history, the history of the fort itself and of all of the artifacts found in the town. She also explained the history of the island and answered questions having to do with Brac not just Skrip. We left with a deeper knowledge of the island and of its people. The Romans had made wine and olive oil in the town and a wine press was on the museum’s premises. The tourguide showed us how the Romans might have utilized such a contraption and also provided us with a full explanation of the rock piles we had seen from Supetar to all points on the island. Used to trap moisture around Olive trees or simply gathered in piles to create a tract of arable land these rock piles served a purpose on more than one level. Additionally, some huts in the fields of Brac were made with these stones, mostly for shepherds and their flock to shield from rains.

Our drive to Milna took us to the eastern edge of the island and through many picturesque towns including some built right onto the face of the mountains. We stopped at various points of interest along the way to Milna and snapped photos. Milna itself was a quiet but largely rebuilding town on the western edge of Brac. Short on pedestrian activity but heavy on fishing boats, this little town was very pleasant and dominated by the Illyrian Resort Hotel just on the outskirts of Milna. We walked through town and found a small rocky beach on the shores near the Illyrian Resort Hotel. The water was cold but the views of the only working marina on Brac were beautiful. We laid on the rocks and watched the yachts and sailboats come in. We laid out on these rocks for several hours lounging and relaxing enjoying the bright sun shimmering in the water as the boats sailed past. The walk back to the car found us tempted by the cafes along the Milna marina and we stopped at one for a drink. The drive back was uneventful unlike the drive to Skrip when we ran into a seagull trying to feed off of a snake on the road. The damn thing wouldn’t move and when we swerved to avoid it, it flew directly into our path and collided with the roof of our car. Luckily there was no damage to either party. It dropped the snake.

After changing and freshening up in our room we tried to find dinner in Supetar. The options were somewhat limited. One of the restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet was fish but we didn’t really fancy fish. Another we had already sampled. We tried a third and it was a bit lackluster. Perhaps pasta was not the thing to get. We finished up and headed back to the room. Another big travel day awaited us on the morrow.

Both Skrip and Milna were charming little towns in their own way and we found them both endearing. Milna is a little fishing village not unlike Menemsha on the Vineyard. Skrip is a tiny little mountain town that surprised us with its well-organized museum and enthusiastic, bright tour guide. Perhaps its not as out of the way as we thought since we saw a tour bus pass us as we were leaving heading directly for the Archaeological Museum we had just left. Overall this was more of a relaxing day than we had experienced thus far and enjoyed a minimum amount of physical activity as we soaked up the history and culture of Skrip and Milna.

Day 11, June 3rd, 2008. Supetar, Brac, Croatia, Split, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The staff at the Waterman Club were a little disappointed to see us go.
“Leaving so soon? Was everything ok?”
Most guests with a timeshare week stayed the whole week but we were checking out after only 3 or 4 days. We had other plans. We returned the car and boarded the 10:30am ferry to Split. The returning of the car was a little touchy though. When we loaded our bags into the back seat of the car we put them in after they had been sitting on the dirt parking lot of the Waterman Club. When we removed the bags from the backseat (We should’ve just put them straight into the trunk) the bags left dirt marks on the backseat. The same guy at the rental agency who wouldn’t rent us scooters 3 days earlier was looking over my shoulder as I removed the bags and he tsked tsked me when he saw the mess. Fortunately, no additional charges were assessed. On the ferry back to Split it was a little hazy and cool as we sailed. The weather in Split however was still warm and hazy. With only 1 hr. and 30 min. before our bus to Dubrovnik departed, we checked our bags with the Garderoba and set out for breakfast. We sat along the main promenade Riva (?) and ate a light breakfast while enjoying the sunshine along the Split harbor. A large cruise ship had docked and the city was alive with hundreds of tourists clogging the narrow streets of Diocletian’s Palace. Having already seen the palace we were fine without seeing it again and took this opportunity to enjoy the busy harbor and promenade.

The bus ride to Dubrovnik was largely uneventful but very scenic. I snapped several pictures along the way a few of them decent. The drive took us down the coast via long very narrow winding roads. The drive was so challenging that it required two bus drivers. One took the tickets and rode shotgun while the other drove. They switched about 1/3 of the way through but I think the first bus driver had driven in from somewhere else north. The ride took us through many seaside resorts like Makarska and the Bosnian resort of Neum. Customs entering Bosnia was not like at the airport, in fact no stamps were necessary, just a visual inspection. No multi-lane highways seem to exist in this country. We’re not exactly sure why that is. It could be that there’s no room to build them with the mountains hugging the coastline and the other side of the mountains being another country (Bosnia). Another reason could simply be a shortage of funds with the government still paying off other priorities such as the rebuilding after the Balkan wars. Then there’s the environmental impact the highways would have. It’s interesting to think about especially when you’re on a 3.5 hour bus ride that could’ve been 1 hr. or so via a more direct route. When we arrived in Dubrovnik we got off the autobusni at the kolodvor and were immediately besieged by older women, younger men and middle-aged women alike looking to rent out their sobe or accommodation. This torrent of requests was never ending even after we called Renata to make final direction-related arrangements for our room. These salespeople held out little homemade brochures depicting the views from their accommodation and other unique aspects. We stayed the course and hailed a cab to the Pile Gate of Old Town. The ride was comparatively quick and the walk to Renata’s not as long or as difficult as we had feared. She met us at the door (after her neighbor had helped us find her place) and we lugged our bags up the stairs. Her apartment complex is quite charming and her street borders an excavation site of a 13th century monastery. Just as we had heard, Renata’s place was hard to find. If not for that “good samaritan” neighbor, we definitely would’ve had a hard time navigating to the apartment. We showered, walked around a bit and found dinner at Kamenice, a local seafood establishment specializing in shellfish. The calamari and mussels were out of this world. The calamari perhaps the best I’ve ever had. Mid-way through dinner it started to rain. When it became clear that the storm was not going to pass through quickly, the staff at Kamenice finally sprang into action and put up umbrellas. A drink at a café off the main stradum finished our evening. This café was in the ground floor of one of the government buildings in the grad. It was very elegant and art deco and we sampled the local grappa – myrtle and fig – both very sweet and very good.

Dubrovnik is a beautiful city that has us spell-bound. It’s charm is remarkable and as photogenic as Prague. The stone streets and medieval buildings are a sight to behold. Our interest has been appropriately stoked for the next 3 days here.

Day 12, June 4th, 2008. Dubrovnik, Croatia. Lokrum, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Our first full day in Dubrovnik and we started our day by immediately doing what all first time visitors to the city should do – walk the city walls! Beautiful views and vistas greeted us around every corner as well as Japanese tourists. We were able to look out over the terra cotta rooftops of the entire city from all angles and from within both the Pile and Ploce gates. Our tickets even granted us access to the Lovrenj Fort which is opposite the walls and creates a little cove between it and the Old Town. The walls of the Old Town are very thick but much thicker on the side that faces land vs. the side that faces the sea. The point of this would be greater effectiveness against a land invasion by invaders who didn’t possess advanced navies. We began this long walk around the walls by picking up the route right near our room at the Renata House. We could actually see our room from the walls and see the walls (and the people walking on them) from our room.

After touring the walls we ventured over to a small art gallery upstairs from the main tourist avenues and a block from the main stradun. This gallery showed us in vivid phot-journalistic style the horrors of the Balkan Wars and was a grim reminder of what this region of the world endured in the early 90’s. The city of Dubrovnik was actually shelled by the Serb-Montenegrins who destroyed nearly half the city in 1991. This was an award-winning gallery that had been positively reviewed by numerous art critics. Started by a journalist originally from New Zealand, this gallery also included photos of the unrest in Burma and Iraq. Another part of the exhibit was a film that recorded the reaction of Serbs who saw the Balkan War exhibit when it debuted in Belgrade in 2002. The film documented how Serbs are dealing with the aftermath of the war and displayed some repressed feelings still held by the general population sparking lively debate amongst many of those who saw the photos.

Later, we went and had pizza at a recommended pizza restaurant via Lonely Planet. The Lovrinj Fort was just across from this walled city and we crossed over at the Pile Gate and into the fort. The fort was quite large and gave us the picture-postcard expansive all encompassing views of the Old Town and the cove itself along the harbor. By this time, it became time for us to get ready for our sunset paddle on the Adriatic with Adriatic Kayak Tours. So we returned to the room to change into our swimsuits.

We walked out of the Ploce Gate in a southward direction down the coast toward Cavtat and out of the Old Town. It had turned into a bright sunny day from an overcast start and we passed impressive luxury hotels and plush villas on our way to a secluded rocky beach where we were to meet our guide. Adriatic Kayak Tours is a company run by an American woman originally from Westwood, MA. Her daughter was our guide. Here for the summer, Nina briefly told us how to dress for the kayaking and how to get in but curiously nothing about the act of paddling itself. Most of this we learned from watching her while we were already in the water. The tour took us from the beach beneath the main road to a rocky beach on the island of Lokrum. Jess and I thought our journey would just take us to the island and back but much to our surprise we ended up circling the entire island. Not something we expected to do as beginners. Before arriving on the island we hit some relatively rough seas as we made our approach to the beach on Lokrum. This far side of the island was farthest out into the Adriatic Sea. When we finally reached the island we stopped for the wine and cheese. The wine was local and fabulous, the cheese not so much. There was also bread, crackers and olives. We walked around the island, saw the botanical gardens and the ancient monastery that was being restored and then returned to the water to finish our trip. Before getting back in the kayaks though we saw many peacocks that roam the island and have done so since the 19th century when they were left on the island by an Austro-Hungarian royal. This royal initially claimed the island for himself and kicked out the monks in the monastery. Asking monks to leave a monastery that they had inhabited for centuries turned out to be a bad idea. Shortly after settling the island, strange calamities befell this royal as he suffered through the death of his wife and children. With his family devastated he vacated the island and Lokrum returned to its previous state. But in the aftermath of this drama, the island earned a reputation for being cursed. The royal has long since gone but the monastery never returned to its former prominence and as a result locals never stay overnight on the island thinking that revenge will somehow be enacted upon them. We paddled back (with Jessie barely carrying her weight) and said goodbye to Nina. It was beautiful being out on the sparkling water and seeing Dubrovnik from that vantage point. Before heading back to our room we stopped at café Buza for a drink. A famous café in the actual walls of the city, we had a drink while looking out over the bay and the island of Lokrum that we had just circled on kayak. It looked like an impressive feat! The cool breezes swept up the walls and relaxed us as we reclined at café tables and sipped Karlovacko beer. This was a truly beautiful place and it was very hard to leave. We could have spent the rest of the day there drinking beer and looking directly out onto the water.

Later that night, we found dinner at Wanda, a highly recommended restaurant from Time Out that had top notch food on a narrow street a block off the stradun, the major thoroughfare in Old Town. Jessie’s salmon was maybe the best she’s ever had she boldly stated. A drink at a café on the stradun ended our night. Sampling the local grappa has also been a fun pastime of ours.