After a long day flying from Cappadocia to Istanbul then on to Dubrovnik, and then a slight hiccup in Istanbul with the need to change planes for one that wasn't faulty. We made it in at 1130pm. Everyone was tired and Toby was quite unwell with a rip-roaring fever so it was a long day!. We had a neat apartment in the old part of Dubrovnik, within the city walls. It was an old converted loft so we all banged our heads a lot!. We pitied the neighbours underneath us as it had the squeakiest floors. Tob's got the master suite due to his poor health while Matt and I bunked down in the lounge on the sofa bed (the things you do for your kids!)
We all woke that next day a little battle weary after what seemed like a short night with a wake up from the church bells at 6am. The forecast for the day was great so after breakfast we headed up to get our bearings and circumnavigate the city walking around the walls. What a stunning sight cobblestoned traditional village houses with terracotta roofs on one side and the flanked by the sea on the other side. We easily filled the morning and headed back to the apartment after lunch. Toby was still feeling pretty rough with intermittent fever and stomach cramps and Holly followed down the same path a short time later (We tracked it back to some chicken schnitzel in Urgup on our last night). The rain for the next day and a half was actually a welcome chance for them to recuperate and catch up on some homework.
The old town from the walls
Bella and Matt went out for a wander one night and were drawn to the main square where a full orchestra were playing. They also managed to chat to another tourist and got a recommendation for the next nights dinner at the very lovely "Lady Pipi" restaurant looking over the town.
A rather unusual orchestra with piano accordians front and centre
Some more musical treats
Toby shows us how it's done much to the amusement of the other tourists
Cruising with these cool cats
Whilst we loved Dubrovnik it was very expensive after Turkey and was packed with tourists especially tour groups during the day. On the only other fine day we enjoyed a boat cruise of the Elaphiti Islands. We got to spend time in the gorgeous little Island villages of Kolocep, Sipan and Lopud. Sipan being our favourite we stopped on the beach for coffee and the kids helped a lady pick up plastic off the beach. I hadn't really appreciated the enormity of the plastic problem until our recent travels. Seeing particularly the microplastics in the water it's not a surprise the fish mistake them for food. It was a very enjoyable day out complete with a fish lunch and free Croatian wine. Matt and I passed on the wine after the first sip and caustic aftertaste however much of our entertainment that day was watching others overindulge in bottle after bottle and then stumble off the boat at the end.
I tried hard to like it!
Whilst stunning there was a limit in things to do in Dubrovnik. Many come as " Game of Thrones" fans - with every second shop selling memorabilia. It was all somewhat wasted on us who haven't so much as watched an episode. Our time there might have ordinarily been too long it was perfect for the kids to rest, recover and hit the ground running for Montenegro
This featured blog entry was written by Watson5 from the blog Watson Family Travels.
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