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 sam
aritan” 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.
“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 sam
aritan” 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. 
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