Most first-time visitors to Croatia will make Dubrovnik a stop on their itinerary; it definitely dazzles! If you want to visit Dubrovnik, I highly suggest you do it first thing in the morning when the crowds are reasonable. It is a different place then, that's for sure.
Fairly empty Stradun - mostly delivery trucks - at 7am
We stumbled across the small outdoor market place. A growling stomach makes Greg a sucker - she kept stuffing dried fruits and nuts into a bag for us.
Buying local snacks from Gundulić Square Market
Melissa Macaya. Her name came to me immediately, somehow, when she came up to us at the cafe along the Stradum. It took Greg a while to catch up with what was happening - going to high school with her was 15 years ago (ok, maybe twice that)! The weird thing is that Greg randomly said, in Rome, he was expecting to run into someone we know.
High school friend Melissa Macaya
After walking around a little bit, and enjoying our coffee, we hiked up Mt. Srd. (You can take a cable car but where is the fun in that.) It is not a difficult hike, takes under an hour, and has the most magnificent views!
The trailhead for Mt. Srd
There is light tree cover at the start of the trail
Most of the trail is sunny switchbacks
At the very top of Mt. Srd
I've decided Dubrovnik is most striking from a distance - which means the best activities are walking the wall or going up to Mt. Srd.
After moving our bags to our new apartment within the walls (next to Dubrovnik Cathedral), we headed to Buza Bar - a hidden gem outside the city walls. "Cold drinks with a most beautiful view" is the clue you are looking for when you try to find it - literally a hole through the ancient wall to the seaside cliff. Looking out over the sparkling sea, enjoying cold beers and music, was exactly the shaded downtime we were looking for! If you climb down far enough you can even access the water for a refreshing swim - or take the shortcut, jumping off the cliff, which was exciting to watch. Note: There are actually two Buza Bars. We enjoyed our time spent at both, but maybe preferred this one, commonly referred to as "Buza 2."
Going through the hole in the wall to Buza Bar
View from the bar
Beautiful shaded view, cold drinks, and good music
Cliff jumping from Buza Bar
Next we did something completely out of character and made a spur-of-the-moment decision. We changed our plans to walk the wall and canceled our dinner reservations that we've had for months and opted instead to spend the evening with Melissa and her husband Brian. Their host Pero, interviewed and recommended by Rick Steves on his show, "offered" a private sunset tour to the fort on Mt. Srd followed by a special dinner at a nearby local konoba. I will admit we made memories, but had no reason to pay $50 to return back up to the top of Mt. Srd - especially since guest "Sara from Seattle" arrived late to the meeting point, causing us to miss the sunset. I'll focus on the prize - Pero's fascinating recollection and involvement in the 1991 Croatian War of Independence, which he vividly described to us as we walked through the fort's museum.
Just after sunset from the top of the fort on Mt. Srd
For dinner we went to Konoba Dubrava - a fifteen minute walk from the top of the mountain (we drove). The remote, old restaurant serving traditional food is frequented mostly by locals, and I appreciated experiencing the culture with a Croatian. They served a tub of ice with the red wine - Pero explained that they water down the wine to drink more, and it is how they are raised so that they don't abuse alcohol. (A kid would get a finger's width of wine and dilute it with a glass of water.). We would never have known to order the hot "donuts" (like popovers) served with whipped butter. Our lamb roasted for 3 hours in a peka under the hot coals of the fire - until the meat fell off the bone.
The lamb cooks for over 3 hours in a peka under the fire's coals
Croatian popovers
Pero's secret recipe for dressing the salad
The lamb, so tender it is falling off the bone
Plate of mixed grill
Returning to our apartment, I (actually Sara from Seattle) got my first late-night shush. The concept is completely foreign to me because I'm normally in bed before any societal noise curfew and shushing. But at midnight Sara's voice carried right into the neighbor's room, and understandably they didn't appreciate it one bit. Tonight we were up way too late!
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