Dubrovnik -- September 6

We awoke early and dragged our buts down to the ferry terminal and boarded our huge ferry to Dubrovnik . We camped out for the 4 hour trip in the café on the upper deck. Cheap cappuccinos and an incredible view of Korcula as we ferried away made the trip extremely enjoyable. The only "problem" were the gale force winds that buffeted us when we went out on deck for pictures!

The weather was rainy at the start, but quickly cleared offering fabulous views of the Croatian coast, the Adriatic Sea, and many little islands. About 2 hours after departure we docked at the tiny town of Sobra on the island of Mjlet and read up on the many stories about this little green island. Apparently Odysseus spent 7 years shacked up with Calypso here – we can understand why given the green seductive forests on the island. The locals also talk about the island's fertility, and now it all makes sense.

Around 11am we docked in Dubrovnik and said farewell to our ship. If you ever have the chance to cruise the Croatian coast on one of these big ferries – DO IT!! We walked over to the bus station and bought our tickets for tomorrow’s trip to Kotor, Montenegro . We then hopped in a taxi and before long were at the most luxurious hotel of our trip – the new Grand Imperial Hilton Dubrovnik. Sitting right outside the Old Town at Pile Gate, you couldn’t ask for a better location. The rooms run 250+ euros/night, but with Hilton points, the room cost $0.

We couldn’t check in until 2pm, so we made a beeline for the Old Town to start our sightseeing. Dubrovnik is incredibly stunning – the architecture, setting and history (ancient and recent) make it a truly fascinating destination. The crowds here, however, were just overwhelming. This definitely detracts a bit from the atmosphere, but it can’t take away the utter beauty of the place.

We wandered around the city taking in the sites and before stopping for lunch. Strolling down the Stradum we saw the Church of St Saviour and the beautiful Big Onofrio’s Fountain where we filled up our water bottles. We continued down the Stradum and visited Orlando’s Column, the Bell Tower, and the main cathedral . There were tons of monuments and historic buildings in between – too many to name! For lunch we had mediocre octopus salad and black risotto before heading up to the highlight of a visit to Dubrovnik – the walk along the city walls. The ascent was steep and the burning sun made the 1 hour walk around the walls a bit uncomfortable, but the views compensated for any discomfort. Luckily the weather was “cooler” than it was before the rain, but without any shade up on the walls, it was like an oven!

After the walk we ran back to the hotel to check in. Very nice room! They even left little treats for us – how sweet! Instead of taking a shower, we decided to put on bathing suits and head to the little “beach” we spied from the walls. Remember that “beach” is a relative term in Croatia – there really are no sandy beaches. Pebbly ones at best. This one wasn’t a beach at all, but really a cliff from which people could jump (or dive) into the sea.

Efren showed his true Michael Phelps tendencies by swimming way out in the water . A local, however, was diving for fish and pulled up several octopi that he then hauled off – presumably to show up on some tourist’s dinner plate in a few hours. The octopus made us hungry so after the swim we had dinner at the highly recommended Konoba Kamenice. The service was a bit surly, but the fried calamari, fried sardines and octopus salad were delicious.

We then realized it was almost sunset, and knew there would be a fabulous view of the sunset at the “beach” we were at earlier. We ran back there and were treated to one of the most amazing sunsets we’d ever seen. What a perfect ending to a perfect day! By now we were totally exhausted, and returned to the hotel to clean up and tend to our wounds. Craig had gotten some nasty mosquito bites, and Efren was stung by a jellyfish while swimming at Korcula. By 9pm, we were fast asleep….