Apr 20
It only took half a day in Dubrovnik for me to slow down and embrace the laid back atmosphere the Croatians had to offer. As a result, I woke up late, leisurely ate my (free) breakfast, and then realised I was too late to catch the walking tour at 11am. No matter. Obviously I was meant to go to the rocks / beach! I joined my new Irish friends there until 12:30 (when my very white self could no longer manage the heat) after which I returned to the cool of the stone hostel for a bite to eat and rest from the sun. The girls left for Montenegro, and I walked around town, taking pictures. Along the way, I found the supermarket (although for its size, it can barely be called super) and bought some groceries. I also bought a gelato – After Eight flavour. I’m hooked! Spent the evening with others at the hostel and blogged & showed you pictures 🙂
Apr 21
Caught the walking tour this time (with 1 min to spare!) Our tour guide told is all about the ancient and recent history if the town. She was 8 when the Homeland War started, and they fled to Old Town because they thought they’d be safe there, seeing as its a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sadly, they were wrong, and they were under seige tjere for 3.5 months. However, because of UNESCO and other donations, the damage is not immediately obvious. The easiest indicators are the terra cotta roofs: the bright orange ones are new, the faded ones are original. The devastation was more apparent when I walked the city wall. In the 2hrs it took me (in the sunny heat) I saw gorgeous views but also some buildings that had never been restored. It hit home for me as the Homeland War was the first war I remember actually happening as “real” for me. Yet the scenery was still stunning, even in disarray.
After taking TONS of pictures and buying some local artwork, I headed back to the coolness of the hostel again, ate, blogged, and skyped mom & mikayla. Out for my daily gelato – Cookies flavour, then tried to walk to the beach, but it was blocked for movie (Game of Thrones? Or Dwayne Johnson‘s new flick?) So instead I sat by the dock, finished my gelato, then hung out for evening. I had planned to kayak the next day, but it was calling for rain, so I changed plans to a day trip to Mostar, in Bosnia & Herzegovina.