TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

The logistics of travel can be nightmarish. Getting from one place to another can either be easy or so difficult you’ll want to throw your hands up in defeat. So far this trip to Croatia has been so smooth one could get spoiled by expectations. With no steep steps to reach our sobe in the Stari Grad or Old City of Dubrovnik, and just inside the Buza Gate getting in and out has been easy and convenient. We were disappointed at first that we were unable to get a room in the center of everything, but in hindsight it was nice to NOT to be one of THOSE people wheeling their bags through the crowds on the Stradun.

 

LEONE TRATTORIA
on the left our
SOBE on the right

We had to vacate our sobe by 10 am, but we weren’t getting picked up until 1:45 in the afternoon. We left our bags in the little lobby of the sobe and the lingered over some coffee at Leone Trattoria which is just across the “street”. As people milled around us and others looked down from the city walls that towered behind us, we savored our coffees while still using the wifi from our sobe.

We then walked around a bit, filled our water bottle at the Onofrio Fountain and then went to a heart wrenching journalistic photo exhibition called “War” which chronicled the conflagration that shook this area in the 1990’s. Having known Yugoslavia before all the madness made this exhibit especially sad for me.

 

PLOCE GATE

Our driver met us near the Ploce Gate. It was a smooth leisurely walk, through the Buza Gate and down a gradual incline, with no steps, on the outside of the dramatic battlements to reach the designated area. It was a ten-minute drive to where the Infinity was anchored near the port of Gruz. She was anchored side-by-side with several other ships beneath a bridge and to reach the Infinity we had to walk through a few other boats. Our bags were already in our cabin after our introduction to the Cruise Director on a back deck. Janet and I were shocked at our luxurious and spacious cabin. We have never traveled at this level of accommodation before.

 

CRUISE SHIPS MOORED IN GRUZ

The Infinity has 19 cabins, the first 8 at the waterline and the rest on two levels of deck. We are in Cabin 2. When we climb our stairs there is an entrance to the eating area and to the outside decks. There are several seating areas on three decks the topmost has a number of chaise lounges and a hot tub. We’re not used to this level of travel so we oohed and aahed at everything like a couple of schoolkids.

At a specified time, Unforgettable Croatia drove us by bus back to Dubrovnik. There we took the cable car ride up to Kriz, a massive stone cross. From this height we had a dramatic view of the city and surrounding areas. After we descended from the mountain, the company had arranged a guide to give us an abridged tour of Dubrovnik. Then it was back to the Infinity for dinner.

 

Could we get used to this?

Travel doesn’t have to be so luxurious, but it certainly is nice. We are spoiled.

Thanks for reading we sail tomorrow for the Ephanti Islands to swim. Then we'll dock at Slano and tour the oyster beds of Mali Ston and sample oysters and mussels and then visit the salt farms of Ston and the massive wall there. 

GAME OF GIFTS

AND SOME SHOW I THINK WAS POPULAR

Our stay here in Dubrovnik was never meant to be more than a stopover; our first port of call before moving on to the islands by boat. Today we are leaving our sobe, just feet from the Buza Gate to get picked up for our trip with Unforgettable Croatia, a small- luxury cruise line that services this very popular tourist excursion. Sailing through the Dalmatian Islands has always been a thing to do, but the cruise industry began in earnest in 1992 with traditional wooden sailing ships and repurposed cargo ship. Now with ships like the MV Infinity, launched in 2016, offer luxury along with access to smaller coves and ports. With just a 38-passenger capacity, the Infinity is smaller than the Windjammer Barefoot Cruise we took through the Grenadines so long ago.

Gifts go along with our passage with Unforgettable Croatia; one here in Dubrovnik and one for Split. UJE is a Croatian delicacy shop specializing in mostly olive oils and when we handed over our little gift card gave us a bag with sweets like sugared fruit and almonds and lavender soap.

UJE SHOPS 

They also gave us a Privilege card that gave us a 10% discount at several restaurants all up and down the Dalmatian coast. We took advantage of the card last night at Kopun. It was the only restaurant listed in Rick Steves guidebook that also honored the Privilege card. We had a bottle of Coletti Rose. We shared our meals switching plates halfway through. I had capon with porcini mushrooms. Capons are castrated roosters raised only for their flesh and an obvious specialty of a place called Kopun with a rooster as their symbol. Janet had Sea Bream that was grilled whole and our waiter deboned the delicately tasting critter right at the table. We gave back the 10% discount to our pleasant server.

KOPUN RESTAURANT DUBROVNIK                                                                                       

         

An added bonus, I guess, to the location of Kopun was that this area served as some famous scene in the Game of Thrones, called the Walk of Shame.  We are not fans of the show, but after seeing all the official shops we might have to give it a chance viewing. Dubrovnik was featured prominently in this Game of Thrones so watching it will be like watching home movies of our trip.

Sidra su veca…Anchors Aweigh. Thanks for reading.

IN DEFENSE OF DUBROVNIK

HITTING THE WALL

The Walls of Dubrovnik have done their job extremely well. The thick stone walls have protected the citizens of Ragusa, the original name for Dubrovnik, for centuries. The walls in some places are 25 feet thick and have never been breached by a hostile army. This lovely city has survived sieges and attacks by Saracens and Ottomans and Venetians and the Russians during the Napoleonic Wars and Yugoslav forces during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991-92. The walls have even survived a massive earthquake in 1667. There are four fortresses protecting the wall and the old city of Dubrovnik: Bokar, Minceta, the Fortress of St. John and Revelin. The city and the walls are added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 and to this day the walls of Dubrovnik continue to serve the city as they are the greatest tourist attraction.

Coffee at Leone Trattoria

We decided the hit the wall early today to avoid a crush of tourists and the heat. The entrances open at 8 a.m. and after having some coffee at Leone Trattoria directly across from our Sobe at the top of Ulica Boscoviceva and then another at Congo on the Stradun we were sufficiently caffeinated and ready to climb the stairs at the Pile Gate.

On a side note. Our two Café Lattes at Leone Trattoria were just 30 kn and more than double, 70 kn, on the Stradun.

Still very early the Stradun was empty and though the sky was a perfect blue it was not yet hot. It’s expensive to climb the walls at 200 kn each, or a bit more than $30. Only Kunas are accepted, or the use of a credit card. Only one entry is allowed per ticket; one cannot leave the wall and reenter without another paying another admission. Even at the early start time there were plenty of people moving at several speeds, but all were thankfully in the same direction; the route is counter clockwise. At times the parapets are too narrow or too steep and only one direction is smart. At the forts, there was quite a mash up whenever there were people shuffling up and down stairs at the same time, slowing movement to a crawl or even a standstill.

 

An empty Stadun
(wearing an official
Vacations From Home
T-Shirt)

The initial climb to the parapet was especially steep, but as we stopped to catch our breath, we were rewarded with spectacular views of Minceta Fort in one direction above us and the Pile Gate below. Minceta Fortress is the highest point of the wall and is powerful and majestic, but because of the direction we had to travel it would have to be at the tail end of the roughly 1.3-mile historical hike. From our perch, we watched rented kayaks paddle into the Adriatic from the seaward side of the Pile Gate before moving on to marvel over the distinctive terra cotta roofs of Dubrovnik, jealously eye her secret gardens inside the walls and breathing the salted air from the sea. There were several refreshment stands and cool shade respites from the heat, and a couple of first aid stations dotted around the walls. It can get very hot in the sun, but we were blessed with a mild day for our climb and were graced often by cooling breezes when we neared the harbor, halfway through the walk

Our room from the wall

We lingered above the Buza Gate and our Sobe was almost close enough to touch and here the wall climbed towards Minceta Fortress, the highest point and it was here with the sun getting fiercer was where I finally broke a sweat. Through this whole latter stretch of the landside there was only one refreshment stand and she was also renting cushions to sit on the wall. On the seaward side there were tables and umbrellas providing shade, but nothing protecting us from the sun on this side. It was hot and the wall was getting crowded and still we lingered at points and photographed everything and nodded at interesting things and marveled at this magnificent strong wall. It was worth the discomfort and the 200 kunas.

The wall during July is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Looking back at Minceta Fortress

When we descended from the parapet the entrance at the Pile Gate was choked with people trying to get in and the Stradun was also bursting with people. It was a shock to see so many people because when we climbed the walls just a few hours earlier this main thoroughfare was empty. Just across from the entrance to the wall we filled our water bottle with cool refreshing water from the ornate Onofrio fountain. The fountain was built in the 1430 as part of the city’s dedication to providing fresh water to her citizens. There are 16 “maskerons” or carved stone faces with 16 spigots sprouting water. Yesterday when we first arrived in Dubrovnik, we were not sure about the fountain but after some research decided to try this free and invaluable resource.

Nike, our hostess at our Sobe told us about a little bar to have a great and inexpensive lunch of Balkan smoked ham and cheese sandwiches made with bread they baked themselves. Buffet Skola is literally just off the Stradun on Ulica Antuninska. It was an excellent and filling sandwich and altogether with a beer and a water and a very meager tip came out to 130 kn or just under $20.

Thanks for reading.

DUBROVNIK

FROM BUZA TO BUZA

BUZA GATE

Our first day in this city was successful. We finally reached our apartment for our short two-day stay at the “Dubrovnik Interlude”, a Sobe or apartment we rented for the time. The cab dropped us off right at the gate and our host greeted us there. We must have walked all of a couple of yards to reach the apartment doorway. Getting our bags up the narrow spiral staircase was harder. Right on the corner of Ulica Peline and Ulica Boscoviceva, the apartment is in a great location, but Dubrovnik is small and everything is close. The convenience of the close proximity to the Buza Gate and not having to climb any stairs was wonderful.

Buza means “hole” and it is a “modern” gate that was opened in the early 1900’s, when Austria ruled the area, to allow its officers easier access to tennis courts that were built in the trench works of the city. I had heard stories that it was Napoleon Bonaparte who commissioned the hole, and though that does sound sexier, I can’t confirm that. Anyway, the walls were first erected by the Republic of Ragusa, Dubrovnik’s original name, in the 1300’s, to protect the city and her trade interests from first Venice and then the Ottoman Empire and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Today the wall of Dubrovnik continues to serve the city well as its greatest tourist draw. 

OUR VIEW OF
U. BOSCOVICEVA

After freshening up we descended the very steep steps of the picturesque Ulica Boscoviceva, marveling at the worn stone steps and flinching at the incessant hordes of people clamoring up and down this incline. We had a wine at the very sedate quiet Primo bar on this street. Janet tugged on my shirt sleeve when she saw Primo and insisted that we stop. We drank wine. My red looked like it came from a home brewed bottle with no label. Janet had a white. The only other patron in the nautically themed bar was a man who was sullenly smoking a cigarette in one corner when we entered Primo and left shortly after he finished it. The world swirled outside, oblivious to our eddy, for which we were thankful. It was a good local stop for a glass of wine.

 

Sitting pretty at Primo, Dubrovnik

Conversely, the Stradun is a beautiful thoroughfare that extends through the town all the way to the Pile Gate. Its paving stones are smooth almost glazed in appearance; that is if you can see it at all. Wave upon wave of tourist waddled and selfied and weaved their way along the length of the Stradun. A Babel of voices and a lack of common courtesies within feet of our entering the Stadun and we were done. Evidently the show Game of Thrones shot a lot in Dubrovnik and the city’s popularity has soared with visitors and has threatened to burst through the walls. We’ve never watched the show so the enormity is lost on us, although the beauty and history of Dubrovnik is very appealing.

Resolving to return early the next day to see the Stadun without a lot of tourists we made it out to the harbor and walked the wall there for a bit as the cool sea borne breezes cooled us. It was already mid-afternoon and the day was hot. In the narrow streets of the Stari Grad or Old City of Dubrovnik, where the sun really doesn’t reach, it can be cool, but along the sun-splashed Stradun or atop the City Walls it can be blistering.

BUZA BAR SCENERY

Another cool place was at another “hole” in the wall, the Buza Bar. To reach this cliffside aerie that throbbed with a unique excitement we had to search for a carved notch in the seaward wall with a wooden arrow on the wall opposite it that read “cold drinks”. A series of hand railed steps lead you to a rustic collection of tables and umbrellas on several perches leading all the way down to the Adriatic. If you’re lucky to get a table, as we were, you are graced with beautiful views of boats and kayakers plying the Adriatic before Lokrum Island, an entertaining array of characters and cooling breezes. Attentive waiters fetch drinks but you never feel rushed. We had wine and the bottles and our plastic cups were put in little cradles to prevent the wind from lifting them away. We sat, legs on the railing happy with this perch. Janet hadn’t heard of Buza Bar before and was thrilled we had stopped here.

 

BUZA BAR SCENERY

We took our dinner along restaurant row on Prijeko Street of the Old City. Table after table, block after block, were restaurants stretched the entire length of the narrow street, all with menus displayed and hucksters trying to cajole patrons into dining at their particular place. After reading menus and determining prices and fare were fairly identical Janet decided we eat at the next restaurant, which happened to be a place called Zaduzenje Stola. The food was okay, I had pork medallions and Janet had fish and we shared an appetizer of meats and cheeses, but we had a nice conversation with a couple and their young daughter who sat next to us at the outdoor tables. Both now work in the U.S. as economists, but originally from Kosovo. They wanted to bring their daughter here enough to help her understand and appreciate their roots. They were off to Mostar and Sarajevo the next day. Until our planning for this particular trip, Janet never ever considered the Balkans as a place to visit, now she’s talking about seeing Montenegro and Kosovo… what’s next … Sofia?

A ROOM WITH A VIEW

Thanks for reading

See you tomorrow!

Love Janet and greg

SAILING AWAY

CAROUSING IN CROATIA  

This July your favorite traveling duo is off to Croatia. I’ll warn you it’s a costly trip but we have quite a bit of freebees and mooching going on to make it happen.

  

DUBROVNIK

Here’s our itinerary. We fly to the walled city of Dubrovnik and stay there for a few days. We then board a luxury cruise ship that will sail us through the Dalmatian Islands for a week. Disembarking in Split we rent a car to travel a few days to see Plitvice Lakes National Park. Then it’s back to Split for a day and then it’s on to Trpanj to stay with a friend whom I worked with at the Sarajevo Olympics in 1984.

 

PLITVICE LAKES

Here’s the freebee.

Our airfare is free, because we signed up for an American Airlines credit card that gave us enough miles to fly to Dubrovnik. American Airlines just started flying into Dubrovnik this June. It’s quite a savings anytime you can get free airfare to Europe in the middle of summer.

Here’s the mooch. 

Through Facebook I’ve kept in touch with my friend over all these years and for years he’s been sending me pictures and imploring that I should come visit he and his wife during the summer. So, how could we refuse him?

We haven’t seen each other since I traveled back to Yugoslavia in 1987 after the Frank Sinatra Italian Tour ended and I took three days out to fly into Sarajevo. Lot’s of living and sadness for us both since then, and this will be our time to reconnect.  

Here’s the ouch.

The sailing is expensive, but that’s been a bucket list item for me, to sail through the Dalmatian Islands in the Adriatic Sea. It’s through a company called “Unforgettable Croatia”. They operate a small fleet of cruise ships with varying degrees of luxury. We could have gotten down and dirty with a trip, but that would have involved a lot of drunken naked younger folks, so we settled on a wrinkle in time…ahem.

Here’s the wow.

Our ship is the MV Infinity that has just a 38-passenger capacity and we will sail to islands like Mljet, Korcula (where Marco Polo was born), Vis and Hvar. There are many amenities included in our approximately $4,000 sailing adventure like meals with beer and wine included, tours to an oyster farm and a wine tasting, free WIFI, and all port fees are paid. It’s worth it!  

Much more details to follow! We leave soon, follow along

 MV INFINITY