Today I am taking a bus from Kotor (Montenegro) over the border to Dubrovnik Croatia. I crossed borders by vehicle a couple days ago, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro, and it was pretty easy . But now we are actually crossing into the EURO zone and I guess it gets more complicated. Our bus is 30 minutes late already. No big deal because its supposed to be only a two hour ride; but that was before I found out what crossing the borders actually meant.
Things seem simple enough leaving Montenegro. They don’t even stamp us on the way out. I have to go to the bathroom but afraid the bus will leave without me i decide to wait. We get to the Croatian border and the line is pretty long. We wait at least 45 minutes until they have us exit the bus to go through passport control. Everything seems fine as persons cross the border line one by one. Then they have us get back of the bus to claim our things and get in another line to get searched. Everyone is thoroughly searched. I am towards the end of the line so I don’t really know what is going on until the end. I just assumed they would X-ray our suitcases like they do at the airports. Instead they search each bag and it becomes obvious they are looking for drugs; not only illegal substance but also prescription drugs that are not accompanied by a prescription. I am even asked if I have marijuana multiple times. I have never been searched like this before, especially at the border of the EU. Two ladies from our bus are taken aside and have to paid fines for their antidepressants they can’t provide prescriptions for. One guy is taken in a private room and made to strip down. Another guy never returns to the bus. One can only assumed he is being detained at the border. After a very long wait we finally resume our journey.
The bus station in Dubrovnik is about 20 minutes from the old town by public bus which costs two euros. It looks like the bus station and ferry port are either the same or very close. The bus drops me at the main gate in town and I waddle myself in between the tour groups entering the city at the same time. This is supposed to be the shoulder season of traveling here but the crowds are so thick during the day I can’t see how it can be worse. It would be downright unbearable during season combined with the heat of the summer. The temperatures are just about right for me right now. Very warm during the day in the sun, chilly at night. Not great swimming weather but great for wandering around town.
Luckily my apartment is available for early check in because there are no guests before and after our reservation. I haven’t had a chance to eat lunch because of out extended bus ride. There are a plate of taffy like candies that I end up devouring. I don’t even really tend to crave sweets and I cannot stop eating these things. I must go out and get some food.
My big plans were to get laundry done but the only nearby laundry closes in 30 minutes and is not self-service. Luckily they have a quick turn around so I plan to drop off first thing tomorrow.
Wandering the back alleys you get a feel for how it was in the past walking the stone streets, especially the streets not packed with tour groups.
As expected I reward my long stressful bus ride with a wine and a cheese plate.
I meet up with some new friends I had met in Mostar a couple days ago and they introduce me to Bar Dodo. We enjoy a drink, good conversation and a good view.
My new friends need to leave early because they are flying home tomorrow so I head to dinner. I din’t plan well and pick a pricey restaurant for my first meal. I try the local black risotto and fresh oysters. The risotto is good but I am disappointed with the oysters. Ive had much better oysters outside of Croatia. For being on the water I’ve had disappointing seafood during my travels thus far.
The next morning is laundry and breakfast. I wander around town while I wait for my friend to arrive. I also light a candle for my mom at a local church as a gesture to remembering her during my travels. I am not a christian but it gives me a moment of peace to do this for her.
I notice a statue of a local Marin Drzic’. There are only a few statues erected in town and this is one of them. People rub the nose for luck or such but there is no official lore related to that. We learn more about him later during a walking tour.
Our apartment overlooks the famous stairs featured in game of thrones – a show I have not watched. The one scene in question has a character walking down the stairs while people chant “shame shame shame”.
I will periodically hear people chanting “shame, shame, shame” outside.
My friend arrives and we decide to eat. She’s had a long flight and she is hungry. I drag her to a restaurant that I see on a travel program Barba. I want to try their octopus burger. The bread isn’t exciting but the burger itself is good. My friend’s shrimp burger not good. It looks like the octopus burger is the best choice there.
We check out some stores and an outdoor market. There are some fun dresses I am tempted to buy. There seems to be a specific style of Dubrovnik tourist fashion.
We try to visit the “must-see” bar buzz bar but it is not open for service yet. I decide to take my friend down to the bar I had visited the night before.
We sign up for a free walking tour to get a feel for the city. We learn a little more about the history and get some advice on places to eat and visit. We learn about the orphanages in town and a story the sounds almost like the original “kids to get off my lawn” from a priest yelling at boys playing football.
We go to one of the restaurants suggested by the guide and it turns out disappointing. I guess we are a month too early for mussel season. They are small, gritty and not very tasty. Bad luck agin.
We take our wine bottle back to our room (yeah fridge) and finally notice the bottle of unmarked brandy in the room. The host left some local treats and this bottle that we can only assume to sample. I taste the wormwood right away. It’s a bit rough to get it down but when in Rome (or Croatia). Hopefully it helps me get to sleep quicker!
Tomorrow we plan to kayak and walk the walls. Nite nite.