Wednesday (Mostar to Dubrovnik)…

The hotel served a very nice breakfast spread including warm eggs and a rich, dark, and surprisingly smooth coffee. Out hostess offered us a free tour of the museum/house. Three floors with progressively impressive living rooms. Each room had Ottoman era furnishings, rugs, and intricately carved ceilings. The museum rooms and hotel rooms intermingle, a clever way to maintain a historic home, share it’s living history, and generate sustaining funds. Shoes removed respectfully at the front door, a welcome drink, and the warmest hospitality created a feeling of being a guest in a home. We even met the descendant of the original owning family.


We had time for a leisurely morning stroll through the old bridge area. And then we were off for our drive to Dubrovnik.


As we left Mostar, we pointed Emily towards the mountains and through the heart of Herzegovina, an area of the country populated by the Orthodox minority population. Quickly, Orthodox churches with rounded crosses and and cemeteries with stone chapels replaced minarets. We passed through the fiercely proud Srpska region, most visibly indicated by the appearance of Cyrillic characters on road signs. The region is dominated by high rocky plains with low scrub trees. The temperature rose to 29C, the warmest of our chilly trip. Not all is cheery in Srpska…we were stopped by road-side “police”…supposedly for a speeding ticket. When the “police” quote incorrect speeds, ask for Eruos (not the Bosnian currency), and provide no written ticket, you have to guess something was up. But 400 Croatian kuna bought our way out of a stressful 15 minutes. Certainly soured our mood and our limited opinions of Bosnia.


We (happily) crossed the border back into Croatia as we approached Dubrovnik along the coast. We veered off to the airport (about 15km in a nearby town) to drop off our car. Goodbye reliable Peugeot. We knew ye well.


A 250 kuna taxi ride took us to Dubrovnik’s Pile Gate. We met Mia, our hostess for our apartment. The apartment was maybe 100 feet from the gate, on the first floor of a quiet building. Clean modern furnishings highlighted beautiful stone walls.


We set out for an orientation walk under fluffy clouds. Warm and sunny…our first chance to break out a pair of shorts. We spotted a perfect table overlooking a busy square and stopped for a beer. And another. Too relaxing to pass up. We enjoyed the great people watching…guessing where people are from and their back story. We even took advantage of the cafe wifi to FaceTime with Jeff’s parents…real time sharing the scene.


Walked thru the thick defensive walls to a point out on the water. Beautiful clear calm water, brilliant in the afternoon run.


Dinner at Konoba “Pubo”, an unexpected delight. We shared a fantastic arrabiatta pasta with crispy pancetta and aubergines. Jeff had a chicken dish with a savory Mediterranean sauce. My mouth-watering beer had an amazing truffle sauce and perfect gnocchi. No room for desert…we left very happy. Drinks at nearby Sky Bar with two warm South African photographers, our new friends Catherine and Wesley. Gabbed and gabbed over beer and mojitos until closing time at 2am.


Such a long satisfying day…in spite of a tiny bit of Bosnian drama. Thrilled to be in Dubrovnik and excited to see what awaits tomorrow.