Day 15 & 16: Dubrovnik

Tuesday 17 & Wednesday 18 September

Up at 7am. Bus to Dubrovnik at 8.30am.

Nice American ladies next to us at the very back of the bus, but we did manage to spot two seats on our own we could move to, and took the opportunity. Sorry nice American ladies! You spread out and enjoy!

Absolutely gorgeous views from the bus, cos we were meandering down coastline I think. Quite sleepy.

Checked in to our “apartment”, about 15/20 minutes from the bus station; maybe a bit of a compromise in terms of location, and it’s more like room in a big house. There is a fridge door on a cupboard; it’s so bizarre. We’ve called it the Frupboard. The actual building is lush.

Vegan place for lunch. Actually very tasty food (I had a frankly alarmingly large mushroom focaccia sarnie) but feels like cheating: there’s definitely more tourists than Croatian people here. (If I hear too much English being spoken on a trip like this I get antsy, I think.)

We have a little wander round the harbour we are next to (nice harbour but just not tons going on around it) and go back for a 2-hour nap and a dip in the pool.

Lying around then get ready and go out for dinner: Taverna Loggia, nice and close. I get on my soapbox about the right order to have drinks and food (i.e. wouldn’t have a cocktail with my main course.) Anyway, rightly ignoring my lecture, T has the Magic Mix cocktail even when food comes, while I move on to wine: a great accompaniment to my sea bass with prawns, chard and potatoes (weird but really nice).

Then we had lovely chats in a weird, station-like bar (sorry, it might have been Caffe Bar MaBelle? Google Maps thinks so)over two mini bottles of red wine (me) and two bottles of beer (him). Can’t remember what we discussed but it was funny and good, and it’s a good sign when you’re sleepy but want to keep ordering drinks so you can talk more.

Next day: A very pleasant lie-in before I bravely don some shorts and we walk to the old town — this is where all the nice stuff is meant to be.

Stop for a lovely coffee on the way: I get an iced oat latte with apple pie syrup, from the place inside the uni. (Random).

Through the gates and it’s busy busy with tourists. But it isn’t impossible to find a place for lunch and we both get burgers (at Mama’s Pot Tavern).

Wandered a bit more, stopped for beer. Think it was actually at this seafood restaurant, but it looked like a bar. Had three beers, in the end, cos it started to rain. Also cos we were loving the chat. Covered SO much, including the importance of paying for quality journalism, as I recall. (I subscribe to the New York Times and the Times and the Guardian, but I play Wordle a lot more than I read the news.)

Tiny bit more exploring. Lavender ice cream. Why not! (The guy says we don’t have to pay if we don’t have cash, so OF COURSE we go and take money out and go back and pay MORE than we would have. Is it a scam? Am I just cynical? Two things can be true.)

Beer in a beer garden (Beer Factory I think) and then shared a looovely mushroom pizza for dinner (Pizzeria Oliva). Is this the first time I’ve NOT taken a picture of a meal!? Deep apologies.

Two wines. So in love.

Long walk home but it’s nice and warm. Mmmmm!