Croatia

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Arriving in Dubrovnik was an adventure to say the least. The baggage handlers in Athens Greece went on strike so our plane was delayed 4 hours and our plane was re-routed and stopped in Zagreb then on to Dubrovnik. We arrived at 1 AM instead of 7PM, the good news was that the B&B we had arranged to stay in was not surprised and had been following the flight details on line and were at the airport to greet us. Their home was high on the hill above the old walled city and the next morning we were greeted with a picture perfect postcard of the old city. However the walk down was enjoyable thru the neighborhood and small alleyways to the city, where we sampled the local produce markets. The main attraction here is the old city and walking the top of the wall that encircles it. We waited till the afternoon when the tours from the cruise ships had departed and the city was left to the locals and the land travelers. If you want to see this magnificent city don't delay, because the cruise ships and their hoards of patrons will destroy this city as they have Venice Italy. They put ashore too many people in too short a time for a small intimate area.

Renting a car for the next leg of our trip had never been easier, it was delivered to our B&B high on the hill with map, GPS and a very helpful local. We had decided that we would drive north and visit Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The interesting part was crossing in and out of the country, since Bosnia-Herzegovina has only 6 miles of coast line and the road follows the coast, however there was only one long wait due to numerous trucks but other than that the road was good and the scenery was spectacular. We spent the night in the home of the 9th generation Turkish Family who still maintained the property and also used the original home as a small museum. It was one of the more memorable places we have stayed. Employing the knowledge of a local guide, recommended by our good friend Rick Steves, we had a very informative and entertaining afternoon in learning about Mostar and the war that raged in the area. The stories are not for the faint of heart but the people are resilient and energetic in the approach to life. All religions live in this area in harmony at this time and they all have their house's of worship, Cathedrals, Mosques, Churches, Synagogues. One of the entertainments here is too watch the professional divers leap from the Mostar bridge into the river below. They will dive once they collect $20 EURO from the tourists and then provide their death defying leap. This is actually part of their training in the divers school that is next to the bridge.

We met the ferry for the island of Hvar at the town of Dvenik for the 1 hour trip to the island. However we landed on the east side of the island and then drove to the west side where we spent 5 nights at a resort in the town of Hvar on the island of Hvar, this was our vacation from our vacation. A port town with sailing ships quaint shops and restaurants and not overly touristy at this time. We are told that in the summer months the town can be very crowded. There are many 4 to 6 person sail boats that ply the Dalmatian coast and Hvar is one of the many stops along the way. There are also cruise ships but they are the smaller variety and not the mega ships visiting Dubrovnik and Venice.

After a 5 day rest we caught he ferry from Stari-Grad to Split on the mainland where we returned the car and prepared for the next part of our journey. Split, as this entire region was once controlled by the Venetians and their symbol, the Lion, can be seen on many of the buildings. The best part of Split is the old town/fort/castle that is on the waterfront where all the ferries arrive and depart. However we arrived in a driving rain storm so walking in the city was not much of an option but we still managed to visit the shops and of course a coffee shop with free WIFI. We were here in Split to catch the overnight ferry to Ancona, Italy and the next leg of our journey.

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