Sunday 6th November 2022
We were lucky to wake to beautiful sun shine this morning. We have been so lucky. Only two days of rain since our arrival in Croatia. So today we will go in to the Krka National Park (entry fee 50 kuna each, boat ride 100 kuna each).

“Krka National Park lies about 10km inland from Sibenik in this part of Dalmatia. Named after the Krka River, the Park covers an area of just over 142 square km and includes two-thirds of the river itself. The top attraction of the Park is its magnificent waterfalls, including the famous Skradinski Buk falls which are one of Croatia’s most famous sights. Other highlights include the small island of Visovac and Roski Slap waterfall. A boat trip through the park is a great way of seeing much of the Park.”

We arrive at the park about 9.30am and walk down about 1km to the waterfalls. The falls cover a very wide area and they are running in all directions, very wide and a continuous flow of water. There are many spectacular falls in this section called Skradinski Buk and we are joined by many other tourists as we walk the 2km boardwalk loop in an anti-clockwise direction. Apparently in the summer it is so crowded it is like Indian File around the loop. There is many vantage points for photography but unfortunately this morning the sun was in the wrong spot for many of the photos. Also it was difficult to get a photo without another few people in it.  Oh well, we did our best. We enjoyed the walk and then found a quiet place in the sun for lunch as we booked the boat ride to Visovac Island with tour of the Franciscan Monastery for 1pm.

“The Skradinski Buk waterfalls are a collection of 17 waterfalls that range in height by over 45 metres. It used to be possible to swim by these waterfalls – a truly wonderful experience – but since 2021 this has been forbidden in order to preserve the waters of the park.”

The boat ride was a 9km ride up the Krka River to Visovac, we were expecting the tour groups to be on the cruise but lucky for us there was only 3 other people. They changed us on to a smaller boat with only outside seats. On the way to the island we were heading into the wind and it was absolutely freezing. After putting on our rain jackets for warmth, I also put on my puffer jacket. That made me quite toasty, so I could enjoy the scenery. It was quite pretty but sometimes our spectacular hikes put a dampener on others. Anyway, it was still a lovely view. The island was beautiful and showcased lovely autumn colours. We were greeted on the island by a tour guide from the National Park who gave us some history about the monks, the buildings and the museum. Following this little history lesson we visited the museum, went inside the church, then quickly walked through the grounds. Unfortunately the tour only allowed 30mins on the island. we headed back in the boat, arriving back about 3pm.

“The island of Visovac is located upstream from Skradinski Buk, in the very middle of Visovac Lake in the very heart of Krka National Park. The island features a 15th-century Franciscan monastery and Church wherein the perfect tranquillity one can look at the valuable library of books and manuscripts enjoying the perfect peace and quiet. The collection also features a small selection of seventeenth-century paintings.”

We then hiked back up to the car and drove to the middle section of the park to the Roški Slap. This was a lovely section that had lots of little waterfalls meandering through a little village type area. After walking around we headed up to the lookout which was up a rocky cliff about 60-70m in elevation. It was quite steep but provided a lovely view of the steps of the waterfall below. We then did a loop walk and headed back to thecae. The light was fading which provided a lovely backdrop for photos and a peaceful walk due to people having left for the day.

“Roski Slap (slap being Croatian for waterfall) is another famous sight within Krka National Park. A series of 12 waterfalls in a space of 450 metres, the largest is just over 22 metres in height and 60 metres in width.”

We then drove home to our little apartment at Skradinski. Another full day. Tomorrow we move on to Plitvice National Park.

Saturday 5th November 2022
Today I am feeling the effects of going continuously for I don’t even know how long anymore. I struggled to wake and then found it even harder to get going. It has rained heavily during the night and it is still raining this morning. So we have decided to take it easy this morning rather than try to see some of Trogir Old Town in the rain and daylight. We will have to be satisfied with last nights visit.

We get on our way about 11am in the rain, heading towards Krka National Park. We decided to drive via the coast road even though it is raining, the views are still pretty special. We made a short stop for lunch at Rozanica, not was Avery pretty little village with many yachts parked at the marina for the off season.  Every marina we passed along the coast road had millions of dollars of sailing boats and pleasure boats moored, with others in dry dock. The roads here are so much easier than in Italy. David is finding it strange not to mentally prepare to drive every day. I think he is missing the adrenalin rush. Thus the need for the adventure drive on the mental roads the other day. We continue on the short drive day, only 97km and 3 hours today, arriving at our accommodation just after 2pm. We have a nice rest before doing some groceries. We head back to the apartment and do something really foreign. We have a rest and watch a movie. Believe it or not, I didn’t fall asleep.

Well that’s it for today. Plans for tomorrow in the making.

Friday 4th November 2022
Sorry too tired to do a blog post last night.

Three days in one on Broady’s Tour today!
Well it is going to be a big one.

We started at out lovely accommodation just outside of Omis. A shame the weather was inclement and the water temperature has dropped. otherwise maybe, just maybe we could have stayed and rested for a couple of days. To say I am a little tired is an understatement, but only 5 days till we get a rest at Benny’s place. In the mean time, let’s soldier on. Too much to see and not enough time top see it.

This morning we headed down to Omis for a little exploration of another small town at the bottom of some amazing cliffs on the beautiful coast of Croatia. Apparently Omis has a rich pirate history but I haven’t had a chance to read about it. There were kids everywhere so either an excursion or no school today we are not sure. We enjoyed a lovely walk along the river and through the little town, we would have liked to hike up to the Castle but with the wet weather that was not an option today. It was a lovely little town, we enjoyed the first of our traditional food for a late morning tea. A pastry with chocolate filling and one with vanilla which we shared, so we got to try them both. Then we headed for a drive up to the Starigrad fortress on another narrow switchback road but this time with lots of houses up the hill and a little too much traffic. It was a lovely view at the top but unfortunately the road didn’t go all the way to the fortress and it was too wet to hike the km up the hill to it. We had already been drowned on our town walk. So we headed back down the switchbacks and on our way.

“Starigrad Fortress is a beautiful fortress perched 303 metres above sea level and served as a primary lookout point over the entire Brač channel and the Cetina hinterland. It was built in the early 15th century and protected the settlement for hundreds of years. 

In fact, many historians say that it was because of this fortress that Omiš remained unconquered by the Ottomans for its long history.”

Next stop – Split.
“Split is the second largest city of Croatia, the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian Coast. The largest city on the Adriatic Coast, Split has been under Roman, Venetian, Austrian, French, Italian, and Yugoslav rule. What a history. The Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and must-see historic attractions include Diocletian’s Palace, the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, and the striking Grgur Ninski Statue. Take time to stroll along the Riva Harbor, browse through the Green Market, and sample the restaurants and wine cellars.” 

We managed a few of these as we wandered the streets of the city.
“The palace was built with four entrances, three on the mainland and one from the sea. The main northern entrance to the palace is called Porta Aurea or the Golden Gate. The eastern and the western entrances to the palace are called Porta Argentea or the Silver Gate and Porta Ferrea or the Iron Gate. The entrance from the sea is called Porta Aenea or the Brass Gate.”

All with their own beauty. The most dramatic was the Golden Gate with the Grgur Ninski Statue. It was amazing with the most incredible attention to detail. In the photos take a look at his hands and feet, along with the incredible size (about 8m tall) it was spectacular. I had a quick look in St Martins Church. A tiny quaint Catholic church. We also walked in the Vestibule of the Palace of the Diocletian  where we heard 4 men singing acapella which was magnificent. Their harmonies resound within the circular vault of the rotunda. The vestibule is missing the dome at the top of the rotunda. The acoustics in the rotunda were amazing, I could have spent a lot longer in here just listening to them. They performed on cue every time a tour group finished hearing about the area. A very lucrative position. 

We also went in the Domnius Cathedral. It was very different to other cathedrals, it was quite small with a magnificent altar, tabernacle and statues. It was circular and at the rear was another sitting area with the altar in the centre and this was also the crypt.

“Grgur Ninski Statue – Sculpted by Ivan Meštrović, this gargantuan statue is one of the defining images of Split. Its subject, a 10th-century Croatian bishop, fought for the right to use old Croatian in liturgical services instead of Latin. Notice that his left big toe has been polished to a shine – it’s said that rubbing the toe brings good luck and guarantees that you’ll come back to Split.”

“The Cathedral of Saint Domnius, consecrated at the turn of the 7th century AD, is regarded as the oldest Catholic cathedral in the world that remains in use in its original structure, without near-complete renovation at a later date (though the bell tower dates from the 12th century). The structure itself, built in AD 305 as the Mausoleum of Diocletian, is the second oldest structure used by any Christian Cathedral.”

“St. Martin’s Church is a Roman Catholic church in Split, Croatia. Built into a small space within the ancient Golden Gate of Diocletian’s northern wall, it is one of the oldest churches in the city built in the 5th-6th century. It is valued for its Early Romanesque 11th century chancel screen . The inscription on the screen tells of the dedication of the church to the Virgin, to St Gregory the Pope and to St Martin. Since the 14th century there has been a Dominican convent next to the church.”

We had some pizza for lunch plus a spinach and cheese pastry and gelato. A big day of eating out. We continued walking around the narrow cobble stoned streets. They were again lovely.

Then on we go again. Off to Trogir. We arrive here and check in to our apartment at about 5pm. We have a short rest and then head over to the Old Town of Trogir. Once again a little deserted but beautiful cobblestoned marble streets. There were alley ways to explore at every turn. It was truly very beautiful. We walked for about an hour seeing most of the beautiful features of the town then found a lovely restaurant Kamerlengo for dinner. All we wanted was some fresh seafood as we were right on the coast and it should be very good. We shared a starter plate of Octopus salad which was very nice, then David had the seafood risotto and I had the Prawn and Scampi spaghetti. Both were really nice. We finished off the meal with an almost shared wild berry cheesecake. Then went for a walk back through the Old Town to our home which was only 400m walk away.

Another jam packed day which had me at exhaustion point. I was way too tired to blog today.  So sorry you have it a day late.

PS. I am not sure if I mentioned that even though it was raining the Croatian coastline is spectacular. We followed the coastline all the way today, sometimes absolute water front roads. It was amazing.

Thursday 3rd November 2022
After a couple of night in Oberič we are on our way again. Today we are aiming for Split. We started south as we want to go over the new 2.4km bridge that spans the Bosnia coastline. We could go by ferry from Trpanj to Ploče but being low season it was eaither 6.45am or 12pm, cost 27kn each plus 115kn for the car. So it probably would have been cheaper to go by ferry and save a lot of time but the time schedule was problematic. We enjoyed the scenic drive south to Brijeste where we went over the bridge to Komarna, it was an amazing bridge which only opened in August this year. 

We then headed north to the Biokovo Nature Park where we went on a wild, very scenic drive to the peak of Sv Jure (Mt George) 1762m in elevation. It was a very exciting, edgy drive up over 23km. It is amazing to think that there is even a road up here. The safety railings left a lot to be desired and I am glad David is such a good driver and we weren’t relying on the railings to prevent our fall. When we reached the top we went for a walk to St Georges Chapel, of ciurse there was a church up here. It was locked but you could see inside and there was an amazing mosaic wall behind the altar. I think I would have preferred to walk up as it really was a carseat holding expedition. I feel a little more vulnerable with the car than I do walking.

We then drove back down again which was a little more nerve wrecking as the car rolled down and going up felt a little safer. The drive was very scenic, the sheer rock cliffs and the autumn colours provided a magnificent backdrop to this incredible drive. Once again, David has excelled at tour guide. Always finding the out of the way and unexpected adventures. 

Along the drive we passed many people harvesting the olives in the area. They were parked all along the very narrow road and were picking the olives by hand.

As you can imagine, the time didn’t wait for the adventure to unfold and our tour of the town of Split this afternoon will be waiting until tomorrow. We managed to get to our apartment near Omis which is 50km south of Split just as it was getting dark. A good decision as driving here in the dark means missing out on the most scenic coastline. 

David is once again totally exhausted as he drove for almost 7 hours today. By choice, but still an exhausting day.

“The long-awaited bridge connecting two parts of the country’s Adriatic Sea coastline while bypassing a small sliver of Bosnia’s territory. The 2.4-kilometre bridge spans the Adriatic Sea to link Croatia’s mainland to the Peljesac peninsula in the south, allowing easier access to the country’s most important tourism destination—the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik. The Yugoslav federation had no internal borders between its six republics, including Croatia and Bosnia. But when it broke up in the early 1990s, the two parts of Croatia’s Adriatic Sea coastline were split by a narrow strip of Bosnia. Both residents and tourists had to pass border checks, which slowed down traffic and left the inhabitants of the southern area feeling isolated from the rest of the country.”

“Skywalk Biokovo is located at the Ravna Vlaška area, at an elevation ot 1228 metres, right next to the info ­centre at the 13th kilometre ot the Biokovo road. The viewpoint plateau is 23 x 3 metres in size and is semicircular in shape with a diameter of 8.5 metres, together with flat parts protrudes beyond the edge of the cliff about 11 metres and is the first skywalk in Croatia. The plateau offers a stunning view over the sea and islands. On sunny, windy days, it is possible to see all the way to Italy. A walk along the clear glass skywalk, over the edge of the cliff, provides a bird’s eye view of the Mt. Biokovo rocks edge of the cliffs. The floor of the Skywalk is made entirely of glass.”

Wednesday 2nd November 2022
Well we have a big day planned today. I am sure you are thinking, “Well what is new!” I am but wouldn’t have it any other way. I think. We have decided to stay here another night to make it easier. No pack up and no travel today. 

We set off at 9.10am, it really needed to be 8.30 but that is ok. Can’t do everything right. We drove towards the starrt of our hike, stopping at St Anthony’s Church up on the hill of Orebič. It was in a beautiful spot, high on the hill overlooking the Adriatic Sea. On a clear day you could see all the way to Mljet Island. Unfortunately it was a little misty and the sun was in thewrong spot. We enjoyed the view anyway. We then headed to the startof our hike. We started at 9.46am, unfortunately we needed oto start at 9ish to make the end of the day easier but we will deal with that later.

Today’s hike was up to the peak of Mt Ilija, with an 961m elevation. It was 5.5km each way with an elevation gain and loss of 823m. It started up and continued up for the next 5.5km. We have obviously gained some leg fitness as it wasn’t too bad. We stopped at the hut for a little break with 150m elevation to go. We then continued to the peak at 961m elevation and enjoyed the 360° panoramic views over to Korčula Old Town, Mljet Island and the mainland. It was truly spectacular. We never get enough of the amazing views we see when we climb a mountain. We then walked the next bit down to the lookout.  It took us 2hr 40mins to reach the lookout where we enjoyed a lunch break with the most amazing view over to Korčula and the many other islands in the Adriatic Sea for the next 30mins. We then hike continuously down for the next 1hr 40mins. It was probably tougher on our bodies going down as there were some quite steep sections. We enjoyed it all the same.

Unfortunately our late start meant that we missed the direct ferry from Orebič to Korčula at 2.30pm, so we had to catch a car ferry to Korčula Dominče (17kn each)  at 3.45pm which was then about 3km walk arround the foreshore to the Old Town. Oh well, let’s just add that on to the 11km we have already hiked today. Yippee! So that’s what we did. The ferry was only about 15mins across to Korčula Dominče and then we enjoyed a pleasant stroll to the Old Town. Once there we were surprised how quiet it was. When their season ends, it really shuts up shop. There were hardly any shops open, only a supermarket, patisserie, a bar or two and that was about it. We walked to the Old Town, through the entrance which was built in the 15th century, then we went to the Cathedral of St Mark. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral and occupies an elevated position in the centre of town. It is the largest church in the city and wss built in Gothic-Renaissance style. Its interior was spectacular and later that night I enjoyed 10mins of a mass service. It was beautiful.

After our walk around the town, we managed to find a Gastro Pub open for dinner. We enjoyed really nice spring rolls for an entree and then burgers, David a fish burger with potato, lettuce and onion and I had a beef with blue vein cheese, walnuts and red cabbage burger. They were really yummy. I also had a banana and peanut butter smoothie which was unusually nice.

We then caught the small passenger ferry (16km each) directly from the Old Town back to Oberič at 6.45pm. And then headed home. Totally exhausted as always.

Tuesday 1st November 2022
Good morning, on another beautiful day.

We were awake early as we had a daylight savings change a couple of days ago. So I was awake at 6.30am. We were up and organised and ready to leave at 8am. Not being used to being ready so early, we went for a short walk to the point to enjoy a little more of the view of Soline before we headed off. The lake was pristine this morning, absolutely no wind and crystal clear. It was beautiful.

So we were on our way by 8.30am and enjoyed the drive along the very narrow one lane road to Pristanište. Had a short stop there to enjoy the view, then headed to Polače. The village has a number of ancient ruins dating from the 1st to the 6th centuries. However, of greatest significance is the Roman palace hence the name “Polace” from the 5th century whose walls dominate the village. This is one of the largest buildings in Dalmatia from the Roman period. We walked through the Palace walls as this is part of the main entrance to the village, then up to the church. It was a lovely view from the church ruins.

We then headed on our drive out of the National Park. We drove to the southern part of Mljet Island today stopping along the way at some gorgeous viewpoints until the sea mist rolled in and then we felt like we were above the clouds. Unfortunately the sea mist took all our coastal views today but we enjoyed it all the same. We drove to the southern most tip of Mljet Island and visited two beaches. What we could see of the view was very hazy.

After lunch we headed back north along the coast to Odysseus Cave. “The path leading to the beach that touches the turquoise sea leads through vineyards and olive groves. After about 30 mins, you reach the place that once charmed Odysseus with its beauty. The cave is accessible by land through a set of steep stairs, but jumping into the sea and swimming inside just like Odysseus is always a better choice. During the summer months, around noon, when the sun is at its strongest, the sea displays so many shades of blue that you’ll wish you could stay at least seven years like Odysseus.”

We only had two hours before our ferry back to the mainland, so it was a quick 20min walk down to the cave, unfortunately it was still a little n=misty and the sun was hidden behind mist and cloud. When we arrived at the cave we decided we would swim anyway. A quick jump in and swim through the cave to the other side. The colours were incredible and we can imagine hour magnificent ist would be with the right light playing on the rocks and water. Oh well, maybe next time. We swam back out, climbed up the rocks, got dressed and hiked back up to the car. We picked up some friends from the cave, a guy from France and his girld=frriend from Slovakia and gave them a lift back to the accommodation.

We then drove the 10mins to the port of Sobra and caught another ferry back to Prapratno (188kuna this time). We arrived at the port and headed on our drive north along many brand new roads which only opened in July this year. We enjoyed some lovely views, stopped for a beautiful sunset and arrived at our new home for the night in Orebić just before dark. We were checked in by the host who only spoke Croatian and Deutsche, but we managed. She tried to give us some wine and as always we should just take it but we never know whether we will have to drink it with them and then we would be under the table. Hehehe!

We had a lovely full day yet again. We will sleep soon, maybe!

Monday 31st October 2022
Well, I am sure you can guess what we tried to do last night. Our tax! Of course it was fraught with problems. Surprise, surprise. Hehehe!
1. – No phone signal in the National Park so we can’t get our password code for MyGov
2. – David’s Digital identity wouldn’t work without a code. I managed to set up a Digital identity.
3. – David’s efforts were a complete fail. I managed to get my tax done but can’t lodge it as I need David’s income.

This morning David made 2 or 3 trips 1km down the road to where you can get phone signal to try and sort out his tax log in again. Total fail. Oh well! We tried, obviously a little late. Time to go explore Mljet Island’s National Park.

We stayed in a lovely little apartment on the water at Saline last night. We woke to a beautiful sunny day and decided we would explore this part of the island by bike today. So Martina organised for bikes to be delivered to us at 9am this morning. Right on the dot, they arrived (100ku each, we think for the day but we are not sure). So of we go at about 10am on a bike for a welcome change.

We set off from Soline, it was a beautiful peaceful ride along the water’s edge on a bitumen road. Only wide enough for one car with the occasional passing bay along the way. This is the road we travelled in the dark last night. I really enjoyed being away from the crowds, the hustle and bustle of the city and back in nature. We arrived at Pristanište, paid our National Park fee of 70kn each (about 14AUD each) as the office was closed last night. Our fee included a boat ride to Sveta Marija Island (St Mary’s) which is a pretty little fairy tale islet featuring a picturesque Benedictine Monastery which once served as a creative hub for artists of various vocations. The ferry was just arriving so we hopped on and went to the island and enjoyed a little walk around seeing most of the things on offer. Then we hopped back on the ferry and did a little trip to the north western part of the large lake. It was very pretty and peaceful on the water, even more so because the boat was solar powered. So quiet. David managed to sort out his password for his tax so we will be able to get that done tonight. Yay!

We then hopped back on our bikes to contine our loop of the large lake. We headed on the edge of Mali Most (Small Lake) and made our way to Pomena. This was a tiny fishing town with many restaurants and cafes but unfortunately the season is over and most of them were closed. We went for a walk in search of a cafe but ended up at the fast food take away cafe. It worked out okay as we sat under a shelter on the water’s edge and enjoyed our first hamburger and chips since we left home. The fries were really good.

After a very filling lunch we rode to Sparožni rat where we went for a short hike and happened upon an old cannon in a shelter, anotherr shelter and a long tunnel. David went for a walk in to the tunnel and explored for a little bit. Then back on the bikes to complete the rest of our loop around the large lake. It was picturesque all day. We arrived back home about 3.30pm and had a rest this afternoon. Both of us actually had a sleep which was well needed. We had planned a hike about 4pm but we might do that tomorrow, maybe.

Sunday 30th October 2022
Another day in Croatia. What a beautiful place!

After a little bit extra sleep because of the daylight savings time change, we headed on our way out to do a quick trip up the cable car to see Dunbrovnik from the Srd. We would have walked the 2.2km up the hill but David still wasn’t up to it. We instead paid 220kn ($44AU) in total for us both to go up one way in the cable car. Eek! Well, you do, what you have to do. It was a beautiful view and we enjoyed this view for the next 40mins walking down the switchbacks to the base of Dubrovnik again. It was a lovely couple of hours in Dubrovnik before we headed on our way north.

We managed to get out of our parking spot at the apartment without any damage, it was a really tight squeeze, and the road out was just as squeezy. Once on the main road though, it is heaven. The traffic is a lot slower, the roads wider and the going a lot easier and less intense than the last few weeks in southern Italy. David is a little bored already, he loved the intensity of the driving in Sicily. Oh well, I am enjoying it a lot more, even though I am not driving. Being a passenger was pretty stressful in Italy, so I am looking forward to a lot more enjoyable drive now.

The view on our drive today was beautiful, we drove along side the water most of the way. The water was a gorgeous blue and crystal clear. Along with the blue sky we are blessed to be enjoying, it was a lovely day. After a short while driving we stopped at Plaza Veliki Val (the beach) for some lunch and a swim. The water was so clear although quite fresh and the beach was white pebbles. A challenge to walk to the water. Oh well, we did enjoy a refreshing swim before we continued north.

Along the way to our destination we stopped at Ston, where we climbed a wall similar to the Great Wall of China. It was a a steep climb out of Ston up lots and lots of steps. Unlike the Great Wall of China, today’s steps were an even height making for a lot easier walking. The view at the top was beautiful looking down to both Ston and Mali Ston. From Mali Ston we had a 1km walk along the road back to the car.

After our walk, we headed on our way again as we had a 45min ferry (177kn) to catch from Prapratna to Sobra before our 50min drive to our accommodation at Saline, within the Mljet National Park.

Our drive to Prapratna was problematic. David took us across the salt flats and google decided to take us along a not so great dirt road which in the end turned out to be roadworks, after driving for about 20mins the road was unfinished and we didn’t know if we could get through. So with only 40mins to get to the port, we turned around and drove back up the dirt road. A little more difficult in our Peugeot 208 front wheel drive than we are used to. We made it to the ferry with 10 mins to spare, bought our ticket and boarded just before deparrture at 5pm. The boarding process of these ferries is seamless. The ferry ride was uneventful and quicker than expected. Although it was still dark when we disembarked.

Now for the drive to our accommodation. It is only 28km but 50mins drive. It must get a bit hairy along the way. At one stage David decided not to take the dirt road (I think he had enough of dirt roads today) and drive an extra 15mins, luckily for this decision as we were informed when we arrrived at our home, that it was closed. Phew! We finally arrived at our accommodation and werre greeted by a lovely young lady who has organised our bikes for tomorrows adventure. Anyway we have had a big day again today. So nighty night. BGig hugs to you all.

Saturday 29th October 2022
Today we will spend the day in the Old Town of Dubrovnik. We have bought a 3 day pass to some of the sights of the Old Town, so we will visit some a Modern and Contemporay Art Museum, the Rector’s Palace and the Franciscan Monastery.

As we walked down the Main Street we chanced upon a procession of flag bearers in Army and Police uniform marching down the street, we are not sure why but we felt very lucky to see it.

Our First stop today is the Rector’s Palace – We enjoyed our time walking through the museum looking at all the old relics, paintings, furniture and other interesting objects, plus a display about the war in 1991. We also spoke with a girl who worked there and found out about the procession down the main street earlier this morning. Apparently October marks the anniversary of The Seige of Dubrovnik.

Friday 28th October 2022

Friday 28th October 2022
Well, this morning we woke up in Croatia. We travelled for 12 hours overnight on the ferry from Bari in Italy to Dubrovnik in Croatia. We now begin another adventure. We both slept well last night on the boat and were grateful for our cabin.

After disembarking at about 8.30am, we hired an Uber to get us to our hire car. We hired with Sixt this time and their office was in the fancy Rixos Hotel about a 10min drive away. After collecting the car, checking it over and sitting in it for a while as David wasn’t feeling up to getting started. It is always difficult to get moving in a new country, with new signs, a new language and a different vehicle. I booked the same car as we had in Italy, but as always they say a particular car or similar. This time we got a Peugeot 208, unfortunately, it is a little bigger making driving a bit more difficult. Oh well. Here goes.

We managed to make it to the supermarket without too much difficulty. A shame we can’t say that for the shopping experience. Another country, another language and different grocery packaging, makes for a very slow shop which ended up costing us 4 euro for parking. Oh well. We will eat healthy for the next couple of days. We had to replenish the essential things like oil plus a normal 3 day shop as we only had minimal left from Italy.

We then headed to our accommodation. This was a little apartment in a good location. About 10 min walk from the Old Town and also a beach. As always, this means narrow streets, minimal parking and a big headache. After much manoeuvring David managed to park, too close to the car next door for comfort but it was what had to be done. Fingers crossed we will have no damage tomorrow.

After lunch and a rest, we headed out for a walk. Dubrovnik is well known for its magnificent Old Town that is encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century. These ancient City walls with their intricate and complex system of forts, bastions, towers and detached forts are quite amazing with the most incredible views. The city walls are the most important feature of Dubrovnik and a world renowned iconic symbol of the white stone beauty and they are the main reason why Dubrovnik is now known as the Pearl of the Adriatic. The characteristic appearance of Dubrovnik is unmistakable as no other city in the world has retained their medieval walls so perfectly and that is why Dubrovnik is included in the World Heritage List from UNESCO as far back as 1970.

Most of the buildings have had their tile roofs replaced due to the whole town being bombed in 1991. You can see the new roofs are the vibrant colour and there are very few of the older ones left.  We enjoyed a walk on the wall for a couple of hours, enjoying the view, experiencing in your mind the feelings you would have had defending your people from intrusion. It was such a magnificent structure, its size and position on the water’s edge as always making it difficult to penetrate. As always, I struggle to understand how they managed to build such enormous walls, so long ago.

The town has also been made famous from the TV series “A Game of Thrones”. You can even do a Game of Thrones tour.