Blogs from Dalmatia, Croatia, Europe - page 77

Orbach and I are just wrapping up our time in Dubrovnik, we leave tomorrow morning by bus to start heading up the coast. Dubrovnik is probably best known for it's city walls. It has a beautiful old walled city with very high walls. The old town is very beautiful with many churches, cafes, and restaurants. There is even an old synagogue there. Other than the old town there really isn't a whole lot to do in town as it isn't yet high season and we haven't had the greatest of luck with the weather. So the last two days (today and yesterday) we decided to take some day trips to neighbouring cities, Yesterday we went to Mostar - a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina about 1.5 hours from Dubrovnik. Mostar was heavily bombed during the war ... read more

Geo: 43.5127, 16.4424The town of Split is built upon the remains of Diocletians Palace. The original Palace built by Diocletian for his retirement was huge with incredibly thick walls and large basements. Today you can walk around the remaining basement halls and see the thickness of the walls and foundations. There are lots of market stalls within the walls lining the way to the stairs up from the foundations. The Cathedral of St.Duje the patron saint is worth a visit but if you want to go up the tower or to the Treasury or crypt there is a charge of several more Kuna. We went round the local art gallery which has some renaissance but mostly wierd modern art so only go if you are a real art fan.There were plenty of outside market stalls selling ... read more

We have 15 days to do this trip in and will be camping in a quick throw up tent. We would like to have a long drive there on the 1st day (through Germany), and a long drive back on the last (through France). Then we can enjoy more time there and a few days camping in the best places. We have a friend who we will stay with in Parma, Italy for a few days. Does anyone have any good tips on where to stay, places to go, places to miss? I would love to here any comments and suggestions anyone has please. We were calculating that the total trip would be about 1000 GBP. ... read more

Happy Easter! If there was any doubt that Croatia is one of the most Catholic nations in the world, I confirmed it this morning. My walk down the hill from the hostel to the bus station reminded me of a Friday night in Tiberias--nobody is walking around. Only now I can't find a McDonalds. Come to think of it, I don't think I have seen any fast-food joints in Dubrovnik. I think it is hard for Americans to grasp how religious other parts of the world are. Statistics will tell you that the US is the most religious but that is simply a result of the strong regional concentration of rednecks in certain parts of the country. I saw a pack of people walking up the street from the station but soon realized they were exiting ... read more

DUBROVNIK Day 73 Today I woke and headed out to visit the old town. As I walked I tried to call Vjera but I couldn’t get the phone numbers to work; I hope she isn’t too worried. I wandered around the old town and along the old city walls. There was an Easter market inside the square so I went to check it out and bought a few little souvenirs. I left the old town and headed back along the road towards the beach. I stopped and took a path down the cliffs to one of the grottoish places. I lay on the rocks for an hour or so listening to the wave crash into the sides of the cliffs. It is such a lovely day with the sun shining and the beautiful blue water. I ... read more