Always Croatia Day 1-Dubrovnic

Apologies from the lazy blogger. I have been remiss for the last month. The fact is that Lucca in the summer is busy busy busy. As I am embarking on an 12 day trip to Croatia, I will attempt to blog daily because this is truly a magical place. So I left Lucca on Friday morning. I took the train to Rome to fly Ryanair to get to Dubrovnic. We were to board the San Antonio by 1:00 on August 2nd but, due to the flights, I had to fly in a day early and book a hotel for the night. Great decision. I was able to arrive in Dubrovnic by 1:00 that day and had the evening to spend in old town Dubrovnic and the following morning at the pool. The ship then sent a car to pick me up at the hotel Saturday afternoon and off to the ship we went. However, the evening in Dubrovnic was like stepping back in time. This is the country of my grandmother, formerly Yugoslavia. The streets are limestone so polished that you are afraid you may slip and I have been told when it rains that is exactly what happens. I would love to sit with a cocktail and just watch people slip and slide up and down the streets! The narrow streets between the buildings are uphill and charming. They have the Croatian version of the Spanish Steps and loads of tiny restaurants. As usual, I am lost in a language yet again, but luckily they speak English here. My burgeoning Italian is a waste in this country. I was delighted to stumble upon an exhibit by my favorite artist Salvador Dali and spent some time gazing at his incredible works of art. My cab driver (gorgeous!!!) told me about a restaurant Taj Mahal that was supposed to be amazing so I booked a 9:00 reservation. They eat late here as well. I learned that the restaurant has typical Bosnian food and has earned a Michelin start. After strolling the streets and stopping for a glass of wine at a quaint side street cafe, I arrived at the restaurant. It was extremely busy and LOUD! Europe does not do anything quietly. I had an appetizer of meat rolled in phyllo dough and a dinner of stewed meat and vegetables served in a pewter trough with a lid that was ceremoniously opened at the table. Served with a flat bread and a chilled Croatian wine it was delicious. However....I have to say my son Ryan's food is better. I might be biased, but that boy can cook!!! The next day after a delicious breakfast at my hotel and a few hours poolside I was picked up for the transfer to the ship. When I booked this trip I was a bit apprehensive as to who my companions would be. I was envisioning 36 (the number of people on the yacht) 80-year-old couples like you might see on a cruise. To my delight, the first couple I met who shared the ride to the ship with me were Christina and Frank. I could not have been happier. They turned out to be this great couple, both of European decent, who live in Spain. The three of us chatted and got to know each other on the way to the ship. They too had been a bit skittish about what to expect about fellow travelers. Afterall, we were going to be on this yacht for the next 8 days with strangers. Upon arriving on the yacht I was speechless. The ship was stunning the setting was incredible. We were greeted with cocktails and snacks and met 3 couples from Australia who were joining us. So far a great group. A huge yacht, The Lady, was docking. This was a sight. The sheer size was jaw dropping. We all stood on deck with our drinks watching this beast dock for refueling. All tree huggers would be appalled at the tankers that came to fill this bad boy up! The decadence of this ship is the fact that although enormous, it hosts 12 people in 7 rooms and has a 2 story Imax theater inside.

After a short meet and greet with the other travelers as they arrived, we were given the option to go to old town Dubrovnic on a walking tour. Although I had been there last night, I wanted to go with a tour guide and hear about it. Fortunately, only myself, Christina and Kevin opted for this tour so it was intimate and great. Daniella our guide was so informative and we learned so much about the history of Dubrovnic. Much like Greece, the Venetians were not kind to this country either. Dubrovnic, like Lucca, is a walled village. On the tour we were shown the difference in the architecture after the war, how there is now a combination of Baroque and Renaissance structures. Daniella also pointed out a closed up limestone door that used to be an orphanage. There were two windows on either side and women who had babies out of wedlock would ring the bell and leave the baby in a basket at the window. I couldn't help but compare it to the windows in Firenze where you go up to the small window and ring the bell and you get a glass of wine. These Europeans do not miss a trick! Much like Greece, Croatia is not a fan of the Venetians! Boy those Venetians were up to no-good back in the day. The other thing about Dubrovnic, which is quite similar to Greece, is the cats! They are everywhere.

After strolling with Daniella, she left us and we went for the Croatian version of an appertivo before returning to the ship. There the rest of our traveling companions had joined us and we all sat in the back deck getting to know each other. At 7:30 the crew came out an introduced themselves and gave a short safety lesson. Something to note here, Croatians are giant!!! The men are almost 7' tall. Everywhere you look there are these giant men. It takes getting used to and I find myself staring in wonderment at their height. We then proceeded into the dining room for a delicious dinner of risotto, pork loin wrapped in bacon, and pannacotta with berries. Ivana our ship hostess sat with us, which was great, as we were able to pick her brain about what to expect for tomorrow. All-in-all, a wonderful start to what I expect to be a life changing trip. As I am approaching my one year anniversary to my move to Italy on August 5th. I can honestly say that this has been an experience that has been beyond my wildest dreams. I had no idea the places I would travel to in 1 year time. I thought Lucca was going to be it, but in the last year I have been to Switzerland, Zurich, Athens, Naxos, Crete, Bari, Monopoli, Lecce, Rome, Firenze, Milan, and now Croatia. Not to mention the small towns in Italy such as Bagni di Lucca, Cortona, Arezzo, Montelupo, Sienna and on and on. It has truly been a whirlwind. Our ship is set to sail in the morning at 6:30. It is designed that we eat breakfast and lunch on the ship while staying out to sea. We will spend the day swimming and visiting unique swim spots while on the ship and then pull into a different port each evening to explore the town. We will do dinner on our own in each town before returning to the ship to sleep. The rooms are well designed and cozy. The ship was just recently renovated for the summer of 2025 and it shows! Below are some pics from the first day. I hope you enjoy Croatia as much as I am...

Words to live by!