Up, dressed, backpack packed and at the train station by half 8. Got a coffee in before boarding a bus for Dubrovnik - a 6 hour bus ride. Unfortunately the air conditioning on the bus did not cater to the heat of the day, both Al and I were suffering from lack of air and the heat along the way. To make matters worse, it was an incredibly windy road along the coast - spectacular views mind you but did make the stomach a little queasy. The landscape has really changed so that the mountains meet the sea which is spectacular but also a bit hard to take if you have an issue with heights. One exciting thing was that we had to pass through the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina but I have not added this to the list of countries I visited - 20 min drive through does not really count.
Anyway, thanks to Sudoku and an ipod for me (Liz A, sudoku has been brilliant!) and the kindle for Al, we made it through eventhough we only got a total of 15 min rest stop the whole trip.
On arrival at Dubrovnik we were confronted with a harbour with big cruise liners docked - doesn't take much to realise this is a place that will have loads of tourists. We got off one bus, jumped on another for 3 stops then got onto another local bus to come to our accommodation - a family home with a room to rent in Srendren, 15 min south of Dubrovnik. At the time we were having a lot of difficulty booking accommodation in or near Dubrovnik, and this was one of only a few options. We so lucked in! Dubrovnik is a big town so would've been chaotic, whereas because this place is out of the main town and right on the beach, we love it. I will show photos later, but picture a town on the water, with mountains rising high on the left hand side, loads of friendly people etc. We were initially thinking our apartment would be really basic, but it is great for the price. The owner of the property is lovely and was telling us that his son is in the Croatian water-polo team trying to qualify for the olympics, and how the house we are staying in was severly damaged in the 1991/1992 Yugoslavia War. It required extensive renovations.
Across from the house and in the surrounding area are stark reminders of the war eg former hotels that were bombed and still now in ruins. Apparently the capital (Zagreb) holds the funds for restoration and they decide what gets fixed and when. Understandably, Dubrovnik's old city was one of the first to get funding for restoration.
When we arrived in Srendren we had not eatens since breakfast - and that was fairly basic! We therefore went and had a beer at the cafe below the apartment, then went next door to the restaurant recommended by the owner of our apartment. I had a salmon linguini that was incredible!! We will definitely go back to the restaurant again. We then headed to the beach at the end of the street to relax and cool down. It is school holidays in Croatia at the moment, and other parts of Europe, so there are many people escaping the heat. Unfortunately they don't have sand, just either concrete strips or small pebble beaches. The water is again refreshing. Ropes keep the boats away from the swimmers, the mountains loom large at the side of the beach with houses dotted part way up. Vendors sell popcorn, corn on the cob, icecreams and drinks. A couple of groups of guys are playing in the shallow of the water a version of volleyball but with a small ball that they bat with the palm of their hand - enjoyable to watch.
After the beach Al and I went to the supermarket for supplies then chilled out on our balcony with beer, cheese and biscuits. I was talking to friends on skype (Lizzie, Catherine and Andrew) for awhile who are in Paris - it was so good to hear of their travels and to see other familiar faces.
Anyway, thanks to Sudoku and an ipod for me (Liz A, sudoku has been brilliant!) and the kindle for Al, we made it through eventhough we only got a total of 15 min rest stop the whole trip.
On arrival at Dubrovnik we were confronted with a harbour with big cruise liners docked - doesn't take much to realise this is a place that will have loads of tourists. We got off one bus, jumped on another for 3 stops then got onto another local bus to come to our accommodation - a family home with a room to rent in Srendren, 15 min south of Dubrovnik. At the time we were having a lot of difficulty booking accommodation in or near Dubrovnik, and this was one of only a few options. We so lucked in! Dubrovnik is a big town so would've been chaotic, whereas because this place is out of the main town and right on the beach, we love it. I will show photos later, but picture a town on the water, with mountains rising high on the left hand side, loads of friendly people etc. We were initially thinking our apartment would be really basic, but it is great for the price. The owner of the property is lovely and was telling us that his son is in the Croatian water-polo team trying to qualify for the olympics, and how the house we are staying in was severly damaged in the 1991/1992 Yugoslavia War. It required extensive renovations.
Across from the house and in the surrounding area are stark reminders of the war eg former hotels that were bombed and still now in ruins. Apparently the capital (Zagreb) holds the funds for restoration and they decide what gets fixed and when. Understandably, Dubrovnik's old city was one of the first to get funding for restoration.
When we arrived in Srendren we had not eatens since breakfast - and that was fairly basic! We therefore went and had a beer at the cafe below the apartment, then went next door to the restaurant recommended by the owner of our apartment. I had a salmon linguini that was incredible!! We will definitely go back to the restaurant again. We then headed to the beach at the end of the street to relax and cool down. It is school holidays in Croatia at the moment, and other parts of Europe, so there are many people escaping the heat. Unfortunately they don't have sand, just either concrete strips or small pebble beaches. The water is again refreshing. Ropes keep the boats away from the swimmers, the mountains loom large at the side of the beach with houses dotted part way up. Vendors sell popcorn, corn on the cob, icecreams and drinks. A couple of groups of guys are playing in the shallow of the water a version of volleyball but with a small ball that they bat with the palm of their hand - enjoyable to watch.
After the beach Al and I went to the supermarket for supplies then chilled out on our balcony with beer, cheese and biscuits. I was talking to friends on skype (Lizzie, Catherine and Andrew) for awhile who are in Paris - it was so good to hear of their travels and to see other familiar faces.
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