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One of these days, I am going to upgrade to a Word Press blog; but for now I'm with Google Blogger.  As such, the most recent posts appear first.  To see older posts, you can either scroll all the way to the bottom of the current page and click on "Older Posts" or you can go to the Blog Archives on the right side of the screen, where posts are listed by month and select a particular post. 

Dubrovnik, Croatia

 Beautiful side street heading up to the walls

George Bernard Shaw was enchanted by this beautiful city, about which he said "those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik and see Dubrovnik", as well as, famously, describing it as "the pearl of the Adriatic". Dubrovnik will not disappoint as I can attest!   According to Celebrity's website, you will be docked, which will require a transfer to Old Town (when we last visited, the cruise line offered a free shuttle).  But note, that this can change at any time.  If it turns out that you tender, then the tender dock is located in the old port, about a 3 minute walk to the old town.  On the main street, the Stradun, you will find several ATM machines to obtain Croatian Kuna.

Tender dock in the old port

The old town, with its well preserved city walls is a destination unto itself. Be sure to walk the walls - Due to my fear of heights, on my previous attempt (yes attempt!), I did really well but didn't make it all the way around (or all the way up in some cases). The walls and towers begged to be climbed and explored and they completely encircle the old city. This is quite an exhilerating experience with superb views of the city and the coastline. It will take about 2 hours to walk the walls completely and you will be charged a small fee. Be sure to take your camera!

Exploring the side streets

The old city is fun to explore with its maze of small streets. As you explore, you should take some of the side streets to go higher and higher. You will see many outdoor cafes, boutiques with local souvenirs, wines, etc., and residences. You will be smiling as the residents of Dubrovnik are so friendly... and the food is so good! The Stradum is the "main street", often called the most beautiful street in the world. It begins with a monastery and ends with a great square with a Venetian-style palace and a beautiful church... but venture onto the side streets and the streets that run parallel to it, on the water side. There you will find more unique restaurants and shops.

Outdoor cafe along the Stradum with the walls above
 

Shopping anyone? One shopping find is at the working pharmacy in the Franciscan Monastery, just inside the Pile Gate. The pharmacy makes several face and hand creams and infused water (rose and lavendar) to original recipes from 1317 and sells them in the shop. If you tell them its for gifts, they will put them in special bags too. Examples are lemon hand lotion, rose face cream, and a moisturizer with jojoba and menthol that smells like lemon yogurt. Other local items include home made honey, Croatian neckties (neckties may have originated here!), embroidered linens, and filagree dangly earrings.

Dubrovnik refreshment of Croatian wine and yogurt - yum!

 Click here for a map of Old Town Dubrovnik or here for another map

Just for fun, here's an excerpt from an email that I sent to my family from an internet cafe in Dubrovnik... as you will see, I was having a time with the keyboard!

"good morning from beautiful dubrovnik, croatia. itćs sunnz and beautiful here... please excuse mz spelling because this croation kezboard is not cooperating with me. we are at an internet cafe beside a piyyeria and novices we are, we are the help desk staff at this cafe. i think the z and y are misplaced but just hang with me and donćt laugh too much. croatian music is plazing everzwhere... accordians, dancers, folk songs, and more. the views are extraordinarz and i just maz have to walk the walks again. the first time i walked the old citz walls, i couldnćt make it all the waz around because of mz fear of heights. so perhaps i will trz it again... we will definitelz check it out. croatia is so verz beautiful and the people are so friendlz alnd helpful. we will have lunch here... once again seafood specialties and piyya and pasta along with local wines are top notch. the selection of fun restaurants is so numerous that it's decide to decide."

Split, Croatia

Dober dan!  That’s Croatian for good day!  Overlooking the Adriatic Sea and backed by the Dinaric Mountains, Split was founded when Diocletian, a ruler of the Roman Empire for two decades, built his retirement home here in AD 295. Most of Split's monuments are located in Grad, the old town, where you can see Diocletian's Palace. Grad is pedestrian only so you will have fun wandering in the old city.

Diocletian's Palace:  view from the ship

 Croatian Cat!

Boats  in Split Marina

Words can't begin to describe the physical beauty of Split, Croatia! Incredible. Split gets its name from a flower, sometimes called the broom, but in Dalmatia, it is spaleto hence Split. These are beautiful yellow flowering shrubs that grow everywhere here.  This area is known as the Croatian Riviera and I can see why. Palm trees, seaside promenade, sidewalk cafes, azure sea along with the ancient walls make for a sort of a storybook feel. Speaking of story books, I searched all over for those 101 Dalmatians (Yes, reportedly Dalmation dogs originated in Croatia), but never found even a single one! The focal point of Split is Diocletian's Palace, built in the 4th century. The entire of Old Town is within the palace walls!

 Croatian Laundry Drying in Beautiful Garden Setting

We “did” Split on our own rather than take a ship’s tour.  Once ashore, we caught a local tour bus for a 90-minute tour of Split, followed by a walking tour of the old city of Split, Diocletian’s Palace, and such.  After that, we wandered on our own and found a lovely spot for lunch.

 

View of Adriatic from High Atop Split

As always, a highlight for me is sampling the local cuisine and local wines!  We found a lovely typical local restaurant for lunch. Croatian specialties are seafood, Dalmatian brodet (fish stewed with rice), pasta and pizza. Croatia is also known for wine...which we enjoyed with our lunch.

Croatian Pasta Bolognese and Wine

Croatian Tomato Salad - Yum!

If you venture east of the town walls, you will find the colorful markets. The official word for open-air markets in Croatian is Trznica, but in Split these markets of local food shopping are called Pazar and they are open daily.   You can stroll around the tables laden with fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, meats, seafood and cheeses (don't miss the opportunity to try Livanjski sir or paski sir, local cheeses). Here you will also find fresh honey products ranging from Kadulja honey from Biokovo to Lavender honey from Hvar.

A bit of Croatian trivia: The original “Croata” tie - a neck tie was first worn by Croatian horsemen who fought on the European fronts from the 17th century to the French revolution; at which time the French adopted this fashion and gave it the name “cravate” (meaning “Croat”).

Click here for a youtube video of Split, courtesy of Rick Steves!
Click here for a website with lots of great information on Split!