The night bus to Dubrovnik was on a par with the other night journeys I’ve done recently, A couple of boarder stops on the way, and the F1 driving style of the bus driver, kept sleep to a minimum. As the sun rose it became apparent that we were travelling through some fantastic countryside. We stopped around 10am in Mostar in Bosnia. Noticed when passing a cemetery on the way in that a large number of the gravestones were dated 1993, quite chilling when you think what was going on there in the early 90’s. In Mostar the three of us on the bus who were going to Dubrovnik were suddenly herded onto another one, this one without a.c.. We had to pay for luggage again and then got stuck in traffic on the way to the border…frustrating as hell in the heat. Eventually hit Dubrovnik 3 hours over schedule after passing through various other border stops between Bosnia and Croatia.
Got a shuttle bus to the old town where my hostel was, the old town of Dubrovnik is a walled Medieval city on the shores of the Adriatic. After walking around the city it became apparent that Dubrovnik was a tourist trap with meals and drinks being comparable to London prices. My search for cheap food proved to be in vein and I decided to treat myself to a rare meal…… had soup , lasagne and a beer, came to about 14 quid…sheeeiiiiit. Upon walking around town some more though it was clear why the tourists come. Winding alleys and hidden courtyards with amazing views from the city walls ( don’t think my photos will do the place justice.)
Later in the hostel met a guy from London and three Brazilians, we all headed out to the local bars to spend more money on overpriced booze. That evening met a really cool Aussie girl (again) called Fiona and ended up making a night of it in town, including a trip to the local Irish pub. ( always fun )
Eventually got back to the hostel after sunrise and crashed out for a couple of hours before having breakfast at 11am. Said goodbye to the English / Brazilians who were leaving and wandered round town in a daze. Having arrived in mid afternoon the day before I was unprepared for the midday heat . Dubrovnik is easily the hottest place I’ve been so far on the European leg of my voyage round the Universe. After bearing the heat for a couple of hours succumbed to a Siesta then went to the bus station to buy a ticket on bus to Sarajevo the following night.
That evening met up with Fiona to walk the city walls at a price of 9 quid. Was worth it though, the views of the city and surrounding coast from the top of the fortifications were impressive. Ended up buying another expensive meal again for dinner …..oh well at least a decent eat was helping to remove any lingering affects of the “Sofia stomach”. After saying goodbye to my Aussie friend, who was on a bus tour, had an early night listening to Radio six in my almost unbearably sweaty hostel room. ( the hostel was really sound but had only been open a week so there was no air con or fans yet )
Next morning checked my bags and went to the beach…water was lovely but it was hot as hell again. After a few hours decided to do a swim right round the city walls and back…took about 25 mins each way and was a struggle on an empty(ish) stomach. When I got to a beach at the halfway point and swam ashore it became apparent that the water here was semi stagnant and I was fairly sure upon reaching land that I discovered a dried sewerage runoff point. The feeling of un-cleanliness overcame my tiredness and I pretty much jumped straight back in to the sea to find some cleaner water. By the time I got back to where I started felt well knackered but relieved (for some reason kept worrying about shark attacks in the open water ). Spent the rest of the afternoon chilling round town before heading to the bus station for a 10:30 bus that was scheduled to arrive in Sarajevo at 4:30 am. This time a three hour delay would be perfect……..
Despite it being mega expensive had a really goodtime in Dubrovnik, met some really cool people, had a memorable night out and got some good exercise…with recent history in mind think Sarajevo will be a slightly more sombre.
It was fairly warm when we were there at the beginning of April so can only imagine how hot it was.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Town's great, but yeah, not cheap. Which Irish pub was it? We went to two - one wasn't good, but one was (where I watched Newcastle seal promotion). There was a third one but it looked as though it had closed down - possibly just closed out of season though.
Walking the walls is pricey but there's no way you can visit without doing it - well worth it. Did you get to Buza (the bar on the cliffs) or Cafe Troubadour (the tiny late night 'jazz' bar with the crooning barmen)?