Lost in Translation

And with that, our cruise was coming to an end. Although the ship would continue on with a few sea days back to Barcelona, Sequoia and I had arranged to disembark in Dubrovnik and spend a few days here before our long haul home.

Being Sequoia's 17th birthday the day that we arrived in Dubrovnik, I made a point to let the staff know at our final dinner in the ship's dining room that we would be leaving and that it was her birthday eve.

Of course, they had to sing her happy birthday right there in the busy dining room...

Such fun!!!

We spent our final night packing and getting ready for our final adventure. The cruise had been a fantastic way to see so many sites in such a short period of time. We met some really interesting people and truly enjoyed having everything taken care of such as all meals cooked, all the cleaning done and the beds made, and always something fun to do.

The median age of our fellow cruisers was a little more advanced than what we would probably choose next time, but we have had an incredible time!

Before we knew it, we were saying goodbye to our nautical home of the past  9 nights and lugging our considerable luggage across the cobblestones of Kings Landing.

What a gorgeous city. Photos and pictures don't do it justice. We made our way through Pile Gate, where our taxi from the ship had deposited us, as all vehicles except emergency services aren't allowed into the old city.

In attempt to avoid stairs, we wheeled our bags into the old port and somehow right around the walls to the edge of the sea before we worked out that if we wanted to get to our little apartment, we were going to have to do some heavy lifting. Fortunately, gentlemen abound throughout Europe and we were assisted up a particularly nasty set of stairs by a handsome young Croat.

As we walked up the cobblestones of our street, we were greeted by the sweetest little family smashing olives on the steps outside whilst they waited to meet us. We were quite early for check in and Ariana, the apartment's owner and the mother of the family's wife, wasn't quite ready preparing the rooms. We were invited to leave our luggage and go exploring.

I mentioned that it was Sequoia's birthday and she was treated to the little 3yo girl singing happy birthday in English.

Although Dubrovnik is no longer a well-kept secret with tourists bustling through the narrow streets, I was truly charmed  everywhere I turned.

Sequoia and I soon found a little cafe to enjoy a cool drink and some FaceTime with family and friends for birthday wishes.

My gorgeous birthday girl:

We took a wander to familiarise ourselves with the town.

The Main Street:

Lots of secret little passages:

We found the secret bar located in the wall with incredible views of the sea:

Although the city was quite badly damaged during the early 1990s, they have done a fabulous job with the restoration.

When we headed back to apartment, we were wonderful pleased to find the most charming little place and meet the very warm and lovely Ariana.

She had even left some birthday treats:

A lovely pace to call home for a few nights.

Dubrovnik was instantly one of my new favourite places. I love the Medieval, cobblestone alleyways and stunning Mediterranean views. So much history!

When we first met our host, we got talking about the war and what it was like to live here during those times. Ariana told us how frightening it was but she had all her family here, who were refusing to flee, and couldn't bring herself to leave them here.

She told us that on the day day before the bombing, she decided that she had to get herself and her young son away. She packed up what she could carry and fled. When they were in safety, it was only then that she realised that she'd packed 12 shirts for her son and he only had the pants that he was wearing with him...

I can only imagine what that, as a mother, would have been like. Ariana stated quite definitely that if there was any hint of another war, she would leave her home immediately. Her older family members have now passed on and she would just go. 

This is the view from the apartment we stayed in:

A constant reminder of what her people had a fired and survived.

Being Sequoia's birthday, it was time to find somewhere special to eat. Ariana recommended a restaurant just outside the Pile Gate. It would be pretty pricey, but the food was delicious and it was set looking over a gorgeous view.

We attempted to make reservations, but had to be content with a 'come back later and see if we can fit you in'. We took a decent walk over to the suburbs and did a bit of exploring. 

Once we'd worked up a decent appetite, we headed back for a most exquisite birthday dinner. I can still taste that amazing Greek salad now!

Our dinner view:

Cocktails in hand, we soaked up the atmosphere and watched our ship (and all those damn day tourists hahaha) sail off into the sunset on it's way back to Barcelona...

Surprised that we could still walk with our bellies so full. of amazing food, we took an evening stroll back through the old town...

And now with my newly minted 17 year  old, we made our way back to our apartment for a restful sleep.

Tourists are coming...

Post birthday celebrations, we had a pretty low-key day. It's certainly no fun when you are travelling and don't take the time to just stop and enjoy where you are.

We started out in search of some breakfast sustenance and found a little place within the walls of the Old City with affordable breakfast. Hmmm. I was aware that the Croats aren't big on traditional breaky, but Sequoia was rather miffed when she ordered a hambur and this is what she was served:

The waiter helpfully pointed out that she could make a burger using the side toast we had also ordered...

Keep in mind that butter is not a given in this part of the world and we were getting used to adding this on to our order. Not sure what the locals do...dry toast anyone?

We spent the majority of the day wandering and exploring. All I can say is that there sure are a lot of day tourists, mainly from the cruise ships. I must admit, I was looking forward to later in the day when most had moved on and we had the town back to ourselves again.

We did a few of the touristic things, such as the old monastery, which houses the oldest working chemist in Europe. Some weird and wonderful concoctions can be found along side your paracetamol and bandaids. Not sure I'm keen to give them a try however.

Inside the monastery grounds. No photos are allowed inside the working pharmacy though.

We tackled a few of the stairs around the city.

We played a game called 'take a photo with no tourists in the frame'. Should be a new Olympic sport. I'll leave it to your imagination as too the throng of people buzzing just out of shot...

After our wanderings, we had built up quite a thirst. The rains and a decent thunderstorm had set in and a bit of quality time in our lovely apartment was the order of the day. Fortunately, we found a little place just off the main square that sells Mojitos (and hotdogs, if you are so inclined). For tips, the server will make your Mojito a bit extra 'special'. Of course I ordered the mojitos 'with tips'.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a fit of giggles. How I love Dubrovnik!

A bit later, we found a little pizza place right at the end of our street.

Most delicious!

And with weather settling down, we took the opportunity to head on up the Finicular for some spectacular views of Dubrovnik.

A cocktail overlooking the city was utter perfection!

I'd like to also add here that the service in Europe can be amazing at times. It was getting a little chilly as we sat out drinking our cocktails and taking in the view. The staff brought out a freestanding heater and we wrapped ourselves in blankets they supplied. I could have stayed there all night! Alas, the funicular was closing so we took the last trip back down the mountain.

With all the tourists gone, we had the old city pretty much to ourselves!

Montenegro is not in Africa

Before seeing the itinerary for our cruise, I had never even heard of Montenegro. If I were to have guessed where it is, I certainly would not have placed it across the Adriatic Sea from Italy between Albania and Bosnia/the tip of Croatia.

All I can say, what an amazing place! I believe when they say that it one of the most beautiful harbours in the world.

My photos do not do it even the remotest justice. As the ship wended its way through the fjords towards, Kotor, one could not help but be absolutely stunned with the quaint majesty. 

Once we were in port, we were tendered to the dock and made our way into the old city. Although we have visited so many different ancient ocean-side villages, each one has its own distinctive character and flavour and Kotor is no exception.

Wonky photo of the old city: (complete with pesky tourists...oops that's us as well!)

The streets of Kotor:

Sequoia got a little excited when we spotted a sign advising the way to a cat museum...

Until we realised that it had been closed for renovation only a few days earlier.

We were quite amazed at how many cats  reside in many of these walled cities we were visiting. And obviously very well cared for cats at that!

Next we had an obligatory sample of the local wine. Cinque Terre wine is still our favourite, but Montonegran wine is not too bad at all. 

Taking advantage of the wifi:

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to this amazing spot.

Definitely somewhere I'd like to visit again!