Friday 16 May 2014

Dubrovnik, Croatia, Day 5




Day 5, May 16, 2014

Jill planned our day, while I slept in again.  After exiting the Pile Gate we climbed eighty steps up to the bus stop to catch the number 10 bus to Cavtat, a town of 2,000, half an hour down the coast ($5 each). 
Half of the stairs we climbed to get to the bus

The bus let us off in the new town and we took a beautiful one-hour stroll along the waterfront promenade to Cavtat Port located at the end of the bay. 


New town port

New town port

New town port
Along our way to Cavtat Port

Typical pebble beach

Along our way to Cavtat Port

Along our way to Cavtat Port

Along our way to Cavtat Port

Along our way to Cavtat Port

Another pebble beach

Along our way to Cavtat Port


Looking out of the bay from Cavtat Port
We carried on past the restaurants and cafés and walked as far as we could before turning back to have a bit of lunch.   
Cavtat Port
We took a half-hour ferry ride back to Dubrovnik for $10 each, a bargain when you consider I pay $8 to take myself by taxi to O’Brien’s, a five minute ride. 

We decided on Konaba (restaurant) Toranj since my third tick of food to eat was grilled sardines and Toranj was the only one that had them on the menu. We were seated and they brought a beautiful soft blanket and draped it over Jill’s shoulders, a nice touch since it was a bit nippy. 

Unfortunately, they were sold out of sardines. Sardines come to the top of the water when the moon is bright, but the seas have been rough and not many were caught.  I settled for grilled squid, now an addiction and Jill had a chicken club. Jill said it was the best club sandwich ever and I concurred after one bite.  The bacon was deliciously smokey and the grilled chicken was delicious and abundant.  My squid was once again delicious, but this time served with chunky warm potato salad mixed with cooked spinach, garlic, and oil.  It was so good we decided to make this the next time we have a gathering. 


My new friend who shared some of my squid

We washed lunch down with a half litre of white wine which was reasonably priced at $12 all in. Before we headed back we popped into a store and bough a $3 litre of white wine. Sure beats prices back home. 

Our boat back to Dubrovnik had about 40 people on board.  It was a nice ride and gave us the opportunity to see the coast from the water.  




Leaving Cavtat Port










The mountains are very close to the shoreline with houses and apartments sparsely hugging the mountainside. We entered Dubrovnik Old Town via its southern port, which meant we didn’t have to navigate any more stairs.  
  
Dubrovnik old town



Dubrovnik old town port
I blew out my right knee days before leaving home after lifting one of the band’s 82lb subwoofers.  I am on strong anti-inflammatory meds that are helping me cope.

On the way home, we walked along Stradun, the main street, and for the first time noticed the shrapnel damage on the walls and smoke stains above the windows from the fires that ragged during the Homeland War of 1991.   
Shrapnel damage

Indelible smoke stains still remain after cleaning


Man that was a sad time. People fled to Old Town Dubrovnik when the war started because it was a UNESCO world heritage site and wrongly assumed it would be spared by the aggressors.

Dubrovnik Observations:
  • Very little police presence due to almost non-existent crime.  We felt very safe, day and night.
  • We saw no litter in the town or along the roadways.  None!
  • Youth were respectful and not rowdy.
  • Very friendly helpful people.
  • Most dogs are trained to follow their owners without a lead.
  • Overall unemployment rate is 17.3%.
Tomorrow morning, we get picked up and head to our new home in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. Our adventure continues.

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