Dubrovnik, Croatia - 5 May
It is a beautiful day in Dubrovnik. Thursday may 5th. Election Day in the UK filling the CNN news. Today will be our last one here and tomorrow we're headed back north to Split (about a 4 hour drive) to take an overnight Ferry to Ancona Italy.
To pick up from the last update, Split turned out to be an interesting place after-all. The old town is Roman place from about the 4th century and the inside was filled with medieval houses. The outside of the wall, on the sea side it is lined with waterside cafes which sell nothing but beverages. It seems to be local hangout for young and old, a place to see and be seen, gossip and catch up. The inside of the walls has some of the old Roman ruins, alongside with residences, nice shops, ice-cream stores etc. The streets near the old part of town are really narrow and steep and enough for only one car to pass. I was quite relieved when we left the car by the little bed and breakfast place and proceeded to walk around. It was slow paced; we had time for a nap and reading even.
In the evening we visited the town of Trogir, another medieval town with great walls and ruins. Seeing all these little walled towns make you realize how ancient the area really is, and how long civilizations existed. The ruins that date to only 15th century seem quite new. Trogir was smaller and very lovely, with a cute harbor with pleasure and fishing boats. We got there in the evenings and the lights reflected from the water added to the charm. The squares and cafes were full of people sipping cappuccino, beer or eating ice cream.
On Tue morning we headed down the windy coastal route to Dubrovnik, stopping for breaks a few times in cute coastal villages, all with cafes lining the waterside promenades with little and larger boats tied close by. Dubrovnik as you may have guessed by now is also a walled city. The wall is huge, tall and impressive with many watch towers, and inside lots of shops restaurants, ancient palaces and churches. The walls here seem to be in perfect shape. There is one very narrow street that goes the length of the old town that is completely lined, end to end with a series of restaurants, all with tables outside, between the walls, and shaded with awnings. Quaint and expensive. We are staying in a nice room with a private bath and balcony in the home of an old Croatian seaman who has lived in this same home from the time he was born. Very friendly and told us a bit about the history of the conflict in the area. Being here and seeing the land, makes it a bit easier to understand the recent wars, and makes us see them on a much more human level.
Yesterday we drove south to an area that is part of Montenegro (Budva, Kotor, St. Stefan) and we had to go through 4-boarder crossings and change money all in a span of about 70 miles. We saw a few more ancient coastal walled cities, all similar and yet with very different flavor, each with it's own surprises. The City of Kotor had the most amazing wall climbing to the top of a huge mountain with fortifications and churches at the very top. The weather keeps cooperating and it is actually very warm and sunny aside from a couple of brief showers in the afternoon.
Once we get to Italy on the 7 May we'll probably stay in Bologna and Verona, after picking up some luggage we left in Venice, on the way to Lake Como where we arrive on the 9th.
To pick up from the last update, Split turned out to be an interesting place after-all. The old town is Roman place from about the 4th century and the inside was filled with medieval houses. The outside of the wall, on the sea side it is lined with waterside cafes which sell nothing but beverages. It seems to be local hangout for young and old, a place to see and be seen, gossip and catch up. The inside of the walls has some of the old Roman ruins, alongside with residences, nice shops, ice-cream stores etc. The streets near the old part of town are really narrow and steep and enough for only one car to pass. I was quite relieved when we left the car by the little bed and breakfast place and proceeded to walk around. It was slow paced; we had time for a nap and reading even.
In the evening we visited the town of Trogir, another medieval town with great walls and ruins. Seeing all these little walled towns make you realize how ancient the area really is, and how long civilizations existed. The ruins that date to only 15th century seem quite new. Trogir was smaller and very lovely, with a cute harbor with pleasure and fishing boats. We got there in the evenings and the lights reflected from the water added to the charm. The squares and cafes were full of people sipping cappuccino, beer or eating ice cream.
On Tue morning we headed down the windy coastal route to Dubrovnik, stopping for breaks a few times in cute coastal villages, all with cafes lining the waterside promenades with little and larger boats tied close by. Dubrovnik as you may have guessed by now is also a walled city. The wall is huge, tall and impressive with many watch towers, and inside lots of shops restaurants, ancient palaces and churches. The walls here seem to be in perfect shape. There is one very narrow street that goes the length of the old town that is completely lined, end to end with a series of restaurants, all with tables outside, between the walls, and shaded with awnings. Quaint and expensive. We are staying in a nice room with a private bath and balcony in the home of an old Croatian seaman who has lived in this same home from the time he was born. Very friendly and told us a bit about the history of the conflict in the area. Being here and seeing the land, makes it a bit easier to understand the recent wars, and makes us see them on a much more human level.
Yesterday we drove south to an area that is part of Montenegro (Budva, Kotor, St. Stefan) and we had to go through 4-boarder crossings and change money all in a span of about 70 miles. We saw a few more ancient coastal walled cities, all similar and yet with very different flavor, each with it's own surprises. The City of Kotor had the most amazing wall climbing to the top of a huge mountain with fortifications and churches at the very top. The weather keeps cooperating and it is actually very warm and sunny aside from a couple of brief showers in the afternoon.
Once we get to Italy on the 7 May we'll probably stay in Bologna and Verona, after picking up some luggage we left in Venice, on the way to Lake Como where we arrive on the 9th.
posted by Dahlia and Lance Riley @ 6:40 AM
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