Dubrovnik, Croatia

4 countries in 4 days... We must be in Europe!...

We left Turkey, flew all the way to Belgium, hung out in the airport, then flew back down to the southern part of Croatia-Dubrovnik!!. Kind of a silly route...but much more budget friendly.

Arriving into Dubrovnik, Croatia at 2200, in the dark, was not ideal.. But we managed to find our accommodation thanks to public transportation ..and google maps! ;) we were greeted by an older man who immediately offered us beer or coffee.. We opted for a bed!

The next morning the same man welcomed us and gave us a city map, explained a few key locations
and told us that him and his wife live on the main level.. His 3 sons and their families all live upstairs.
 Lots of grandchildren running around. As well, they rent out 5 attached rooms.

He brought out a sweet liqueur and poured us a generous "morning treat"...:)

Our two days in Dubronick were beautiful! Sunny, clear blue sky and hot hot hot!

 We eagerly walked the residential streets, coming across small cafés and a scenic marina which already had two HUGE cruise ships. We were in awe of the cruisers, but the family just shrugged and said, that's nothing, some days there are 6 0r 7 parked there!! (Omg).. That means the population of the city increases by10,000 people in one day!,! Crazy!!

                                          That cruiser has a water slide on top!!

We bought a day pass which included walking along the old city walls, a few museums and public transport for 24 hours. Perfect!

  After 10 minutes of walking Ashton turned to me and said "I think were going to Like this place!".. I totally agreed. This city has "great vibe" written all over it.

Dubrovnik has a population of 29,995. The city was founded 1300 years ago by refugees from Greece. Years of history later, it is a tourism magnet! It is elegant, clean, alive and marvellous. It has been reconstructed of a few times, due to an earthquake in 1667 and a couple of wars, including the
deliberate shelling by the Yugoslav army in 1991...

                                              (Inside the old city walls..Main Street)
No visit to Dubrovnik is complete without a walk around the city walls, the finest in the world and Dubrovnik's claim to fame.
The views were great, showing off the old town and the coast line...

Built between the 13th and 16th centuries, the walls enclose the old city in a protective wall 2km long and up to 25 m high.

 Croatia definAtly isn't known for its Sandy beaches, infact, most of the coast line is rocky. It's the ultra clear blue water that makes swimming here a pleasure!

A couple local beers and our first swim in Croatia was an excellent way to spend the hot afternoon. We soaked up the rays on Banje Beach.

   The sea was actually quite cold! Colder than turkey, but much more clear and clean and refreshing!

While we walked around exploring churches and coastline, locals were preparing big outdoor screens to show the World cup!!

Big deal here!,!,! Soccer is huge! And ironically the first 2014 World Cup game was Brazil versus Croatia!
We took in the hype and cheered on Croatia with the red and white wearing locals.
At half time we ran back to our place where we had been invited to watch the game with the family. Only the grandkids and one son was around, so we cheered on Croatia while fireworks and yelling filled the streets.

 Croatia lost! 3-1
The night was pretty quiet and the next day the locals vented about the poor ref'fing.

Morning two we were once again greeted with a tasty morning liqueur...

We waltzed around the area and found rocks to lay on while taking frequent swims in the water... It's kinda odd, to find a slab of concrete or a big rock and lay your stuff on while you jump into the chilly water.. As much as I'd prefer a white sand beach, the clear water is alluring and almost on par.

  Ashton arranged for us to rent a car for the remainder of our trip.. So we spent some time figuring all that out.

Morning three we had made friends with a brother sister couple from Montreal.. We visited with them, ate breakfast from the market and... Once again... Had a shot with our Croatian grandpa...he taught us a few words and sayings, however the only one that stuck was "Dubra!" Meaning "good"..so we spent he morning exclaiming how "Dubra!" Everything is. "Thank You for the liqueur, it is Dubra!.. Your home is Dubra! Your family is Dubra! The weather is Dubra! Croatia is Dubra"!.. Lol..

 As he was frying up fish he told me... "A fish swims three times before it is eaten... It swims in the sea, it swims in the cooking oil, and it swims in the wine"....-words from the wise Croatian man who passes out liqueur to his guests at 10 am ;)

We paid up (30€ per night!!/$45can) and said goodbye then got in our snazzy new Car "Nelly".. And headed for the southern Border....

We were both a little nervous to cross the border.. First land border crossing ever! Ok.. Ashton was a lot more nervous then me, as he had read that he would need an international drivers licence in Montengro (which he doesn't have)...

Stay tuned to find out if we got thru the border crossing or not!...