Some lovely spots along the Dalmatian Coast

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I took another bus, this time from Mostar in Bosnia to Dubrovnik in Croatia. The border crossing between the two countries was rather routine, as each border guard just looked at my passport. They stamped a few other passports of travellers on the bus, but mine and the other Canadian on the bus were just glanced at. Quite a bit different from travelling into and out of Serbia, my previous country. The bus was completely full, and since I got on half way through the bus trip at Mostar, I didn't get first choice of good seats, but I had to sit at the very back. And you know how sensitive I am to motion. As we got closer and closer to Dubrovnik on the coast, the more the road started to wind and curve and go up and down. I had to concentrate on the road the entire time, never taking my eyes off the constant horizon. I didn't feel sick on the trip, but I had to work hard at staying straight and sober, that is not feeling any motion sickness. We arrived in Dubrovnik after about three hours on the road. We got to the bus station and was immediately swarmed by the Sobe owners offering rooms to let. I needed a room. One onwer passed me over because I was only a single, another misunderstood me and didn't offer me a room, and the third little old lady did offer me a room for €42 per night. I took her offer. A little expensive compared to hostels, and I was to stay 4 nights. Her son drove me to her house. A sobe is just like a bed and breakfast, minus the breakfast. We are basically staying in someone's house. There were two rooms in her house, and we had to share a bathroom. I had a private balcony with a partial view of the sea and ferry terminal. On the coast it really cools off nicely in the evening. That first day, she was very courteous and friendly, offered me lemonade when I arrived, but with each day I stayed, she seemed to get progressively grumpier. Perhaps that was just her style, because by the second to last morning when I was going out for the day, I said a cheerful goodbye, but she only grunted and didn't even look.

My first full day in Dubrovnik, I went to the Old Town. My room was on the Lapad pennisular, about 2 miles from the old town. I was expecting to take the bus into town but it was full, and some of us didn't get on. I waited for the next bus and even more of us didn't get on the bus. So I walked. It took about 1/2 hour to walk, not too bad but it was hot and uphill for much of the trip. There are so many tourists in Dubrovnik, many Italians on a simple ferry trip across the Adriatic Sea, and many other Europeans for their sunny summer beach holidays. And in addition to all these independent tourists, once in the old town extra tourists are added from the cruise boats. The old town is absolutely packed, and in the midday sun baking hot with the marble main street, the Stradun, reflecting and concentrating more heat. I must have bumped my camera because my lens cap has jammed and stuck on. I did this the first morning in Dubrovnik. I can still take photos, fortunately, but I have to unscrew the UV filter each time, rather than simply remove the lens cap. I went to a war photography exhibit, which had some stark war photos by some famous war photo journalists; not only was the Balkan War of the '90s exhibited, but also Chechnya, Lebannon, Iraq, and Afganistan. I walked the narrow streets all day, and in the late afternoon I walked the city walls for a panoramic view of the old town in the softer and more red light. The roofs of Dubrovnik are in red tile, and in the late afternoon simply illuminate and shine radiantly. Most of these tiles are newly replaced after the war of the 1990's.

My second full day in Dubrovnik, I went to the beach near my Sobe. These beaches here are all pebble beaches, so I needed my sandles on just to get into the water. I am not much of a beach bum, so I only stayed a couple of hours or so, and when not in the water I was in the shade. But there were some extremely tanned people who stay out in the sun all day getting a crispy golden brown. I later went to a beach side cafe and ordered a hamburger and orange juice then read the two day old Daily Telegraph. This was a relaxing day, and quite a bit cooler than the two days I spent walking around the Old Town. Three of the four evenings in Dubrovnik I spent along this beach and I had dinner here too.

I spent four days in Dubrovnik because I was waiting for the big car ferry to leave for the coastal town of Split. The big car ferries only travel two of three times per week along the coast, the smaller high speed passenger ferries are more frequent, but I won't go anywhere near those boats, that go up and down and up and down and up and down. The slow car ferry goes at a more relaxed pace, barely noticable. This ferry was full of cars, and walk on passengers, most of whom spent all day on the deck working on their sun burns. The trip was a leisurely 8 hours, most of the time I spent inside in the air conditioned and non-smoking Lido lounge. I had breakfast in the morning and lunch in the restaurant. The hours for this restaurant were rather meagre, only open a little while at each interval. You couldn't eat when you felt hungry, but on their schedule. A few people were turned away because they showed up to eat at the wrong time. I guess I was lucky to get food because there was no schedule posted. The scenary was spectacular, there really are some lovely spots along the Dalmatian Coast. The sky was blue, the sea a deep blue and the vegetation a bright green. The mountaineous coast was always within sight, and we passed many islands, some tiny, barely enough space for a lighthouse, and some other large islands, including Korčula where we made a stop. Sail boats were scattered all along the coast, some wonderful looking small sailboats with their white sails. Always small boats, though. The large yachts we see moored in the expensive harbours are never actually seen out at sea. I guess you can't be seen in you multi-million dollar yacht if you are far out at sea. Our boat was old, and you could tell it has had many coats of paint to protect it from the salty air, but is floats and it moves and that's the most important thing.

I arrived in Split, and didn't receive the warm welcome I expected. There were no Sobe owners trying to get us to stay. I walked from the harbour and there was no one. I walked toward the main town and through the bus station and there they were. A lady who spoke quite good English offered me a single room for €28 per night. Air conditioning, a TV, a fridge and kettle and a shared bathroom. I took the place. It was rather nice, and the television was the added bonus, because I was able to watch Husain Bolt run 9.58s in the 100m World Championships yesterday. My Dubrovnik room didn't have a television, but did have a cool balcony. My place in Split had a TV and for much less money, almost hostel prices. All this and within walking distance of everything.

As I arrived in Split on Saturday evening there was the Procession of the Madonna. But all I could witness were the sounds of car horns and ferry horns blasting through the city. I was being shown my room as the actual procession took place. After I had settled, I immediately went to Diocletian's Palace, the main draw in Split. Diocletian was a Roman Emperor in the 300's AD. His palace has been in some sort of continuous use ever since. Most arches are now filled in with houses and other sorts of buildings. As you wander the palace, you can see washing hanging out to dry, and children playing. A truly remarkable place. There is a main walkway full of tourist shops selling trinkets, paintings, stoneware and jewelery. And there is the basement that you enter for a fee. This was filled in by the medieval users of the palace, long after the fall of the Roman Empire, and it wasn't discovered until the 19th Century. The entire complex is quite large, about 60m x 60m. And it is a bizarre mix of architectural styles: Roman arches, Corinthian capitals on columns, a church, old stone buildings filling in the spaces, narrow streets, granite columns and a Sphinx and a couple of courtyards. So much to explore.

I only had one full day in Split, and in the heat of the afternoon I returned to my air conditioned room and watched television. In the late afternoon I returned into town and did some people watching, exactly as everyone else was doing. In the evening I was quite happy to return to watch more of the World Championships of Track and Field. I had no idea that they were in Berlin this year. Imagine how much difficulty I would have had if I showed up in Berlin during the games, I was there 6 weeks ago. After two nights in Split, I split for Zagreb by train. After spilling my tea in my lap, we left the train station. The train was surprisingly small for such a long trip. But once I saw the terrain, it became apparent why. The train climbed and twisted its way through the mountains. Trees, scrubs, mountains and more trees. The land is virtually unspoiled by any development. I sat and watched the scenary roll by for hours. We arrived in Zagreb nearly one late. I have left the Dalmatian Coast, and it feels so different here in the small big city, few tourists, cooler and more business like. I walked into a hostel and got a bed for two nights. Easy and the cheapest place for quite a while. After two weeks of a single room, it's time I returned to the shared life of hostel life.

Please look at the previous entry because I have now added photos.

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Photos

Stradun, Dubrovnik
Marble streets in the midday sun