Hello, from Dubrovnik
Im on holiday so it’s time to start writing again. I find this to be quite therapeutic, particularly when done with a cup of tea or a glass of wine in hand. I’ll probably write 4 or 5 times on this trip - depends on how much I have to say I guess.
I’m here in Dubrovnik for two days before heading off on a 7 night sailing trip down through Montenegro. I’ve been to Dubrovnik once before, so I think two days this time is enough. It’s such an unbelievably stunning place, but there isn’t heaps to do other than walk around and look at things. I’m not sure why I don’t remember it being as pretty as this when I was here 9 years ago. Maybe the weather wasn’t as spectacular as it is now, or I was drunk more of the time last time.
My trip to get here was lonnnnngggg to say the least. 30+ hours. Actually so long I lost track of time, day, etc. It was comfortable at least, as I flew business class. After so much work travel, I’ve become accustomed to a certain amount of comfort/luxury and I just couldn’t bring myself to spend 30 hours in economy. This did mean that I had to go beyond my airline alliance and fly Vietnam Airlines, which had a (relatively) cheap return fare in and out of Paris. It wasn’t super fancy, but overall, I have no complaints and for the price would definitely do it again (if paying myself). The planes were both really new, the seats were pods with lay flat seats, the service and movie selection was good, and the flights were on time. The food wasn’t anything fancy, but it was tasty and not much different than what I’ve had on Qantas flights. The only annoyance was a long-ish layover in Vietnam late at night on the way through. I literally could not keep my eyes open. Fell asleep in a chair in the lounge with no one around, and woke up with a family of 5 squished into the 3 seats around me looking at me. The good news at least was I was out cold on the second flight. So for those who were curious, there you go.
When I finally got to Dubrovnik (after 3 more hours in Paris and a two hour flight), I was in desperate need of some exercise. So I decided to walk up the mountain behind the city, rather than do the normal thing and take the cable car. This inadvertently turned into a run, as I was just so impatient from all the sitting around that I just wanted to move. I was sore for it the next day though.
As mentioned Dubrovnik is spectacular. The views from everywhere are just unreal. It’s actually hard to believe the “old town” is actually a real place that people have lived in for hundreds of years, and not something that Disney has build for tourism purposes. Although I understand that a lot of it had to be restored after the war in the 90s, so that’s probably why it looks so fake. They filmed a lot of game of thrones here (I think it was kings landing) so the shops are all capitalising on that. There is an “Offical GoT merchandise sold here” sign on every single shop front. It’s all pretty crappy stuff; wonder what the unofficial merchandise is. Also lots of GoT walking tours.
Another thing I forgot about this city is how many stairs there are. Like I said, the views from everywhere are unreal..... that’s because everything is on a hill. I learnt this the hard way after messing up my accommodation booking. I accidentally only booked for one night when I actually needed two. By the time I realised, the second night was fully booked and the first night was non-refundable. So I had to find something else last minute and move (annoying!). I found an apartment just 500m away, so I figured “that’ll be easy”. I also didn’t pay close attention to what the place looked like.
The first place was “cozy” but very close to the old town (2 minutes away) and new and clean, so I was happy enough there and a bit grumpy about the hassle of having to move. I figured it would be uphill, but I also (incorrectly!) figured it would be manageable given the short distance. I had no idea. 367 steep steps later, with a 19.5kg suitcase and backpack, in the 30 degree heat, and I made it. I was considering a run or some form of exercise that afternoon but after that 20 minute battle, I figured I was covered. Thank god I do F45, although the suitcase shape makes it’s so much harder than if I just had it on my back. I had a brief moment of panic 3/4 of the way up when I thought I hit a dead end, but there was just a hidden turn.
There was, however, a massive payoff. This place I’m in, is INCREDIBLE. I have the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. So much so, that I decided to just spend the afternoon on the balcony reading and writing. Inside is very clean and well stocked, but a complete throwback to 1980. That actually makes it kind of fun, as it’s like being in a museum named “Yugoslavia, 1986”. It’s also two bedrooms and would comfortably sleep 4. Another perk Is that it’s huge it has a well stocked kitchen. Would be a very comfortable place to spend a few weeks, if you don’t mind 367 steps every time you go out. I suppose that’s why it’s cheap. The woman who owned it (late 30s) said she grew up here, so I suspect her parents had to move when they got older (see: 367 steps) so now she is renting it. I should be clear you can get here by car - it’s just a longer way around.
The fact that I was jet lagged actually worked I’m my favour. The old town is chaotic during the day, with all the day trippers and cruise shippers in town. I was up at 5am the first day, so went down to the old town right after sunrise. It was empty and calm. Completely different than when I went back for lunch. It also meant I was able to walk the walls before it got too hot/busy, which was another perk.
The night before the boat, I met up with someone on the tour for dinner and a drink. She turned out to be older (50ish I would guess) but super interesting lady. She’s done it all - sailed the Galapagos, been violently robbed in Venezuela, got dengue fever in Columbia, kayaked Norway, etc. So pretty interesting person to talk to. She’s also a first responder police officer in the UK, so some interesting stories there too.
We had a drink in old town and then went for dinner after. However when we got to the restaurant and were seated we realised we didn’t pay for our drinks at the last place. We just got up and left! We are both used to paying upfront for drinks (in Australia and the UK you always pay first at the bar), so it just completely slipped our minds. So we rushed back and paid and apologised profusely. The waiters were good natured and just laughed at us. Cop trying to walk out on the bill.
For now she seems normal-ish and interesting, and enjoys a few wines. Will report back after the trip is over though - 8 days in confined spaces can change your view on someone really quickly. Other than her, we think we have two couples and two guys on our boat with us. Hopefully some people similar age to me and that not everyone is either 20 or 50.
This morning I also went to the Red History Museum, which was on the way to the marina. It was small, but well done and interesting. They had a typical Yugoslav home set up from the communism era, which you could explore - open draws, try on clothes, turn on the tv, etc. The funny thing was that the kitchen was pretty much an exact replica of the kitchen in my apartment from the day before. Like even some of the plates and sugar/spice jars were the same patterns. Didn’t need to go to a museum to see that!
So that’s about it for now. Like a crazy person I ran up and down the 367 stairs for exercise this morning (5 times). I figure I won’t get much exercise for 7 days next week on a small boat so tried to get a bit in now while I can. Don’t think I’ll have much wifi this next week, so I will stop spamming everyone on instagram with photos, for a while.
Ciao
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