Pearl of the Adriatic: Dubrovnik

My first thoughts upon arriving in Dubrovnik swirled around the comprehension that this was the last stop on the voyage. I am really not sure where the entire summer went; it just went by in the blink of an eye. Knowing that realization was bittersweet. Dubrovnik was also one of the shortest ports, in terms of time spent, so the group was determined to soak it all up and just enjoy the last three days we had in port!

A few interesting facts about Croatia and Dubrovnik, specifically. As socialist republics within communist Yugoslavia, Croatia, along with Slovenia, declared their independence as their own republics in 1991. In October of ’91, the city of Dubrovnik was held under siege for seven months while the entire city was shelled by Serbians. While now an independent, democratic country, Croatia is still tending to its wounds from a war-torn past that no one wants to acknowledge.

The city of Dubronik, second largest in Croatia, is located in the extreme south of country in the state of Dalmatia (yes, where Dalmatians originated). Labeled as the “Pearl of the Adriatic,” by Lord Byron and others, Dubrovnik is the most visited city in the Adriatic Sea. Croatia is also over 90% Catholic. Dubrovnik is also completely encased in limestone walls, left over from the fortresses that now serve as museums in the heart of Old Town.

Armed with this information, Marco, David, MJ and I set out to go to Old Town. At this port, the ship was not docked in a berth, but out in the middle of the harbor, so we had to rely on tender boats to actually get us over to land. After mastering our tendering skills, we first stopped off at a fruit market and withdrew some cash, then we were on our way. On our hike into town, we walked along a boardwalk of sorts that looked out into the Adriatic Sea. Several people were perched on cliffs, diving off into the sea. It looked pretty amazing. Unbeknownst to us, the walk into town was about 40 minutes. By the time we arrived in Old Town, the temperatures hit 100 degrees and we were dying for water and some shade. We went to a delightful little restaurant, Dubrovnika, which was quite tasty. After our walk into Old Town, the islands off the coast were calling our name. We stopped by a ferry operator, bought our tickets and hopped on the first ferry that was leaving port, destination unknown.

After a 20 minute boat ride, we disembarked on the island of Lokrum, which is a beautiful nature preserve, thick with wooded areas and rocky beaches. MJ and David found some spots on nearby rocks, so we headed down for a little R and R. The water was absolutely fantastic, so blue and clear, I felt like I was in a bathtub. We enjoyed ourselves immensely during our time on Lokrum and spent the entire afternoon sunbathing and swimming in the Adriatic.

We trekked along to the other side of the island, where MJ and I discovered a nude beach. After pondering for a few minutes "should we" or "shouldn't we," we decided to shed our inhibition (and our bathing suits) and bared it all for the rest of the nudies on the rocks. Hilarious because not only were we two of a handful of women, but the youngest ones by at least 4 decades. Those factors enabled us to be a bit more confident in this adventure. MJ jumped in first, but before diving off, a ferry boat went by and snapped some pictures! Scandalous!

We took the late ferry back to Old Town, where we did our first share of sight seeing. Old Town is absolutely incredible; it’s streets are gleaming white marble and all of its buildings are made of limestone and marble. When the sun hits just right, it feels like you are literally walking on sunshine. Many of the old castles and fortresses have been converted to gift shops, hotels and churches. There is no shortage of outdoor cafes in Dubrovnik, either. We stopped at a tiny shop for some gelato (because sunbathing and swimming is very grueling) and were able to watch the last 20 minutes of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics….it looked awesome, but couldn’t really get a feel for the action as it was in Slavic. But a nice treat nonetheless, since those moments are the only ones that I have of the Olympics thus far.

Upon recommendation from some Croatian college students on the way back to Old Town, we went to an amazing seafood restaurant in the harbor area. The mussels rivaled those found in Brussels, the seafood risotto was amazing, as were the shrimp. To eat shrimp in Croatia takes a little bit of effort, as they are brought to your table whole, but so worth it. The sun was beginning to set in Old Town as we walked through the streets. Soon gas lamps were lit at outdoor cafes and the city took on a beautiful pink hue. I bought some blackberries from a market and the four of us watched the sunset while savoring a little treat. It was truly a picture perfect moment. A great end to a great day. We took the tender back to the ship, where I promptly crashed.

If you can imagine, my second day in Croatia was even better than the first one. Megan and I set off early to see if we could head to another island a little further out from Dubrovnik, but to no avail. So we found a great outdoor café and enjoyed a morning cup while we just chatted on a variety of topics. By the time we finished cup two, I looked at my watch and realized we had been sitting there for two and a half hours. But coffee with a good friend and good conversation is always a great idea J

We took a bus into Old Town, where we ate a fabulous lunch seaside along the city walls. Afterwards, we strolled through Old Town, browsing in book stores and other shops for the last of the souveniers. Croatians are beautiful jewelry makers as well, and so we stopped into several jewelry stores looking at amazing creations, mainly constructed from Adriatic coral, which was just breathtaking. After shopping, it was time to hit the beach. We ended up circling back to a staircase that took us 163 steps down to a secluded area amongst the rocks where about 10 people were sunbathing and swimming. After laying our towels down, we went for a great swim in the Adriatic, again, it was just fantastic water. MJ and I watched the cliff jumpers for a while, people literally diving off rocks, and diving off the platform where all of our stuff was; probably a 40 foot drop off. MJ, being more adventurous than I, wanted to try it. After watching a brother and sister, whose combined age couldn’t have been more than 16, diving off of rocks like they were diving off a springboard, she climbed right up on the rocks and dove back down into the water. I myself, not so brave, trying to calculate the risk to my life, decided to keep on swimming.

And that’s how the majority of the afternoon went, we would lay out and swim, Megan would dive off large rock (the same rock in my facebook pic), while I would read US Weekly. After awhile, I started to think that perhaps it didn’t look too bad, that perhaps it was relatively safe……after making a couple of failed running starts off of the cliff, a young Croatian woman, who had been watching in unveiled amusement at my fright, walked right up to me, pointed straight out into the Adriatic, and the next thing I saw was a flash of leopard print descending from the cliff into the sea. I waited for her to be out of reach and then on the count of three, I made a mad dash to the end, plugged my nose and dropped for a good 3-4 seconds. What an adrenaline rush, I tell you! Omg, while probably pretty stupid in the grand scheme of taking care of myself and being safe on the trip, it was exhilarating! Soon enough, I was launching myself off the rock and 1 other time off of the cliff. It is just such a rush; and apparently a national pastime for Croats, according to the leopard bikini-clad local that made fun of me. The sun was starting to set as we made our way back to the tender ferry. The rest of the night for me was strapped to the ship as I was on call, but had my final conversation with Brian on the phone, which was fabulous.

Day 3 came and went way too fast. I met up with David and Marco and we made our way into town one last time for some pictures of the city and for them, to get rid of their Kunas, the Croatian currency. We grabbed a quick bite to eat, took some great photos and then it was time to head back to the ship. The weather was just stunning, the Adriatic sparkling. It truly is a gorgeous country and Dubrovnik is just such a fascinating city all on its own, with its red-tiled roofs and marble streets. There is nowhere in the world like it (or at least that’s what some faculty experts said).

My last duty while on land was to work gangway duty, making sure that everyone was board before on ship time at 7 PM. By this time, the ship had pulled into an empty berth and we were able to board without tender boats. The last group of students came just under 7 PM and with everyone on board, Justin and I took a final look around the harbor. I got a bit emotional, knowing that this was the last time I would be boarding the ship and the next time I would leave it, would be for good when we disembarked in Norfolk. A lot of emotions overcame me at that moment; I felt ready to come home….but where had the summer gone? Was that really our last port? What the hell am I going to do on this ship for almost a 2-week stretch? I couldn’t call anyone….it was overwhelming to think about all that I have been able to see and do over the course of the last ten weeks. Through tears, I walked up the gangway and headed onto the MV Explorer for the last time.