Dubrovnik

Day 7: Trogir - Dubrovnik - Part 2

Back at Apartments Batala we finally could check in. It was charming with a spacious room and bathroom (including even a washing machine) plus a balcony. It had a modern air-con and a Flat-screen-TV with a load of channels, there was also free Wi-Fi in the common room, the kitchen and living room. The owner took her time with us, gave us a city map and even some very welcomed tips for sightseeing. You could also see in the apartment and the common room that they really care and try to think of everything to make it a pleasant stay for the guests (there were even books and a computer).

We were still exhausted from the travelling as well from the heat outside and needed to rest. So took some time before we started our Dubrovnik sightseeing tour. We took a bus at the barely recognisable bus stop next to the apartment (the owner told us that every bus from there, and there are many, goes to the old town). When we arrived at the gate to the old town a few minutes later, there was already a throng of people running around. After entering through the "Pile Gate," we came to the "Onofrio Fountain" and the St. Savior Church before we went inside the Franciscan Monastery, which was not included in the "Dubrovnik Card" we bought before. But we were let in free by the friendly guy after looking at us heartbreakingly disappointed. And it was quite interesting, not only architectural but because they have an exhibition, showing paintings and jewellery.

Before doing more, we saw a narrow alley with a restaurant and quickly decided to eat first. Unfortunately, the food in the restaurants in Croatia (esp. in the touristic areas) is generally pricey. (Try to find real Konobe outside the main tourist's thoroughfare for really cheap and good deals) We then followed the busy, but somehow still elegant main street "Stradun" until we reached the Luza Square with the Clock Tower, the Sponza Palace, the Rectors Palace and the Orlando Column. We also went inside the impressive St. Blaise Church.

We wanted to visit the Maritime Museum, but it was closed already. So we went up to the City Walls. You can go on the walls around the whole town, and the admission price was included in the "Dubrovnik Card". We had a great view all over the old town, the port and the sea. The path on the wall was slowly ascending, so the view got even better. In the end, we were really high above the city, and it was fantastic. Dubrovnik turned out to be a fascinating town with much to see and an extraordinary, elegant ambience despite the masses of tourists.

(*ed.19.11.2017 - Dubrovnik is now a very popular destination esp. for the fans of Game of Thrones).  

Back at the hotel we just went out shortly for a night view of the marina then went back to sleep. We had to sleep anyway, because we needed some rest to wake up early the next day, to get the ferry, leaving at 8 a.m., for our next destination, the island of Mljet.

Trogir-Dubrovnik

Day 7: Trogir - Dubrovnik - Part 1

Unfortunately, we still had a long way to go to our next destination Dubrovnik. As we had planned to stay in Dubrovnik for one night only, we wanted to be there early to have some time to see the old town, which is another World Heritage Site. So we had to get up very early to be at the bus station at 5 a.m. When we bought the ticket for the autotrans bus at the bus station a day earlier (it cost 182 Kuna or about 24 Euro per Person for this 5-hour trip), the saleswoman told us to be there early, because the long-distance bus might come earlier or later. We did, and that turned out a good thing, as the bus indeed came and left 10 minutes early. But before that, we had a problem to find the right terminal. All the 1-8 platforms are on one side where the 9 was on the opposite side and no clear distinction as a platform.

We had gotten seat numbers, and the bus was already relatively full. The conductor came back to us after we already sat for a few minutes and told us that our ticket has the wrong date. But it then turned out fine, - after a little confusion - explained and showed that we had the right date and the other date written on the ticket was only the date of the day we bought that ticket. We then had a stop in Split, where we could go out of the bus for a few minutes. When we came back, there were two girls sitting in our places, with our stuff lying on the floor. Their father, a Frenchman, rudely told me that these are their seats. When I told him, that these were actually our seats, he annoyingly demanded to see my ticket, before reluctantly ordering his daughters to change their seat.

When we left Split on our way to Dubrovnik, the bus was already full. Many passengers at our next stop in Makarska were not able to get in. That was thankfully not our problem. We travelled along the Adriatic coast and then entered for a short time a strip of highway in a town called "Neum" that belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we needed to show our passports at the border. The bus made another short stop at a restaurant later on. We just bought some cookies there before we nearly left without the French family, who came in back to the bus last and when the coach was already starting to drive away.

Finally, with a one hour delay, we reached Dubrovnik in early noon - a bit exhausted after the six-hour journey I must say. We walked from the bus station to our overnight accommodation, "Apartments Batala", which we had found and booked with BookingDotCom (we used booking.com actually for the first time for this vacation because many accommodations didn't really have their own online booking systems - but everything turned out fine). The Apartments Batala is located at the end of the bay, in walking distance to the ferry pier, where we would leave the next day for the island of Mljet. They are not in the old town, but on the Lapad Peninsula with a bus station for buses to the old town just a few meters away.

We were still too early for the check-in but could leave our stuff there for an hour and used the time to go shopping, including new Compeed for my friend`s blistered feet, which turned to be a wound by walking all the time on flip-flops which he was not used to it. We also came to a little market, the ferry pier and then again the bus station, when we went along the coast to get a better view of the interesting bridge, I wanted to photograph. At the bus station, we also bought something, we should have purchased earlier: a new Croatian SIM-card for the cell phone and prepaid card, which made the phone calls (to Germany) a whole lot cheaper (just about 1 Cent per minute for international calls).