Dubrovnik

I've wanted to visit Dubrovnik ever since I saw footage of it on TV in 1991. Unfortunately that footage was of it being blasted to bits by Serb artilliary. Almost every roof was destroyed and many buildings were completely levelled. It has now been mostly rebuilt to its former glory.

The streets are made of marble and the buildings of limestone. It is a beautiful place, completely surrounded by a massive stone wall. Unfortunately thousands of others have also discovered its beauty. Each day as man as 8 cruise ships berth nearby and the town can become overrun by tourists. Also, being in Eastern Europe, one might hope it's a cheap town. Not-so I'm afraid. Resturant food was not much cheaper than Australia. Most resturants seem to serve the same fare for the same prices.


Our acommodation (Villa Flora) was in Ulica Palmoticeva, in the heart of the old town. As you see from the street sign, there is plenty of wartime damage still evident around town. Villa Flora was very reasonable at 50 euros per night (including breakfast) and was clean and comfortable. Our hosts provided us with some home-made liquers such as cherry brandy and walnut brandy. All-in-all, it was a very pleasant place to stay.

Ingrid bought some hand-embroidered linen, but there weren't many other locally made things of interest.

On our third day, we visited the island of Lokrum (twenty minutes by ferry). It was quiet and peaceful and free of the hordes. We did a 7km walk around the island before settling into a relaxing bar/coffeeshop. They had an interesting menu.






I went for a swim in the Adriatic. It was clear and cool - so refreshing. When we queued up for the return ferry, a girl in a long dress shoved her way into the queue. I closed ranks , but she just pushed anyway. As she moved forward, I noticed I was standing on the hem of her dress while she tried to step onto the boat. It was comical as she almost bounced back. That's karma.

After three relaxing days, we were driven to the airport. The coastline is rugged and beautiful. Its much like the Amalfi coast of Italy without the chaos.

Just an hours flight later we arrived in Vienna for a brief stop before catching the train to Budapest. The Austrian planes have more room than any other plane we have been in so far.