Of all the places I have been so far in my life, nothing has taken my breath away like the incredible city of Dubrovnik.
When my mom was in her 20's she traveled Europe and beyond for over two and a half years going everywhere from the Netherlands to Croatia to Egypt. Towards the beginning of her trip she purchased crystal from Dubrovnik (it was called Yugoslavia then of course) and carried it in her back back with her from
place to place for nearly two years. She still has them.
I never have been able to understand why she would want to carry around a bunch of heavy glass with her throughout her travels (I can barely handle trekking around with my clothes on my back) or why she would hold onto them still after all these years when she could just sell them (she seriously never uses them and they're
probably worth something), but after seeing and experiencing Dubrovnik myself I think I finally get it and there's no way in hell I'm letting her sell those things. In fact, I plan on stealing them. (Just kidding...maybe)
When you go out to see the world and all of its wonders, some of the wonders you seek, such as the incredible art at the Louvre or a medieval Cathedral in Ireland, will be made by man while others you seek will be inexplicably made such as the breathtaking Cliffs in Ireland, the beaches of Split, or the mountains in Austria. Dubrovnik, with its breathtaking castle (Kings landing for all you Game of Thrones fans) and turquoise clear smooth waters and cliff-tacular views, is one of those unique cities which offers both. (There's a reason the ENTIRE city of Old Town Dubrovnik is a UNESCO site.)
We arrived via Ferry in Dubrovnik from Split around noon and hopped on our bus to old town. Tara Mitchell, who had been to Croatia before, told us we would probably prefer Dubrovnik and within 10 minutes of arrival we knew she was right.
Our Airbnb was called "Lemon House" and was a 2-bedroom, 1 bath duplex situated just walking distance outside of Old Town on top of what was about 1,000 stairs. (Each day when we would walk those 1,000 stairs up and back to get to old town- I would thank GOD our bus dropped us off at the top with my brick-filled backpack). We were greeted at Lemon House with fresh strudel and lemon aid and were thrilled to find that it had a washing machine (we had started to run out of socks and underwear). We quickly threw in a load. We were not as thrilled to find that the "shower" was actually a giant tub with a shower hose and only enough hot water for one person to take about half a shower. (It also didn't have a shower curtain so every time someone bathed in it , it looked like the bathroom had been hit by a monsoon). Nevertheless, even though we had to bathe like toddlers, it was still a pretty sweet spot.
After getting acclimated to our new digs, the ladies and I hit the stairs (downhill) to head to old town and find the infamous Buza Bar. (Buza bar is a famous bar in Dubrovnik that you'll frequently find featured on buzzfeed and Pinterest articles as being one of the coolest bars in the world. It's a bar located directly on a cliff overlooking the sea and in between grabbing chilled beers, you can cliff dive from 20 to 30 or even 60 feet straight into the ocean).
After some more massive flights of stairs, a bit of getting lost, and a few deadends- we finally found the "cold drinks" arrow pointing into the cliff and arrived at Buza Bar (which I have to admit totally lives up to the hype). After a few cold ones, we watched as a group of wild Aussies coasted the cliffs for a 60 foot jump from the foot of the wall. Though nowhere near as brave or coordinated as the Aussies (especially their ringleader who was tattooed from neck to foot with a bullring in his nostrils), watching them did give Cori and I the courage to climb up to the medium sized cliff (about 20 feet up) and jump in. Tarrah and Tara opted to watch.
I jumped first and was admittedly terrified before landing in the perfect water and erupting in laughter. (An Australian girl caught my jump on video and my screams sounded embarrassingly akin to a pig going to slaughter).
After a few more jumps (sans squealing) and some sea basking, we began our trekk back to lemon house stopping at Mea Culpa to grab sustenance for the climb. (Best pizza and Greek salad I've ever had- if in Dubrovnik, go there!). Our waiter Rocky proved to be delightful and even offered us 5% off if we paid with credit card (I think he probably was getting that wrong but whatever). I'm still not sure if the best part of the meal was the food or when Tarrah asked Rocky (who was maybe all of 18) if there was anything fun to do tonight and he thought my 30 year old friend was personally soliciting him for an evening together. Rocky didn't skip a beat.
"Yes. I have second shift tomorrow so we can spend the night together". (Apparently in Dubrovnik, age ain't nothing but a number)
Later that night, following a breathless hike back to lemon house and a few cold baths, the three stooges headed to Revelin (Dubrovniks "hottest castle nightclub"). Ounce ounce music, LED lights, and Molly-d out Aussies bounced from castle wall to wall as what looked like an "empire of the sun" knockoff dance crew did the robot on the stage in spacesuits. I might've been less than impressed except that within 3 minutes of arrival my Swede from Split had arrived to rendezvous with me and I was on him faster than gravy on a Swedish meatball.
My Swede proved to be an even worse dancer than I was, so I was pretty much in heaven. We danced, chatted, and I briefly imagined what life in Sweden would be like. (Do they have a Habitat for Humanity up there? Is Swedish hard to learn? Could I survive off Swedish fish and pancakes alone? What else do they eat?). A few hours later, Cori and Tarrah arrived smothered in glow sticks to interrupt my romantical Swedish musings. As I looked up at my brunette Alexander Skarsgard I couldn't understand for the life of me why they weren't having as good a time as me- but I reluctantly bid my Swedish Adonis goodnight.
DAY 2: We awoke and slept off Revelin on Banje beach for a few hours before heading back to Buza (our new favorite place). After a few beers, we decided this was the appropriate time to inquire with the locals (aka our bartender Goran) about the infamous "SOB" parties my Croatian-American friend Lidija had told us about. ("The sex is optional, of course", Lidija said in her message).
Undeterred that another waiter might think she was soliciting him for evening adventures, Tarrah bravely (or drunkenly , whatever you choose) asked Goran where we could find the SOB party. The conversation went something like this...
Tarrah: "Goran, we are trying to find the SOB party. Do you know where it is?"
Goran (visibly confused): "SOB?"
Tarrah: "Sex on the beach...don't worry, we heard the sex is optional"
Goran: "I do not know. I think you usually just find someone and bring the wine to the beach. Maybe the islands? Maybe Montenegro, but four girls should not go there."
Tarrah: "Why? Is the sex not optional there?"
It was around this point that we officially became Goran's favorite customers (I swear we really did. He loved us and we loved him.)
"You are like an awkward comedy", Goran lovingly told Tarrah before handing her some free cookies (either to profess his love for her or maybe just to sober us up).
Our beers began to catch up to us and given the state of the outhouse at Buza, Cori and I literally decided jumping off the cliff would be a better option. After a glorious reprieve, we climbed back up to find that Tara and Tarrah befriending a group of rogue yacht week Aussies. We quickly became fast friends and tossed back beers and laughter until the sun set and one of them convinced Tarrah to do the jump (I personally think she was just too traumatized to use the outhouse again and was looking for an alternative option.)
I don't really know how to articulate what happened next so I'll just put it this way. After Tarrah landed in the water (buttox first) a Croatian man felt so bad for her landing that he gave her a beer. The next day, her bum looked like in a night of passion that she must've forgotten the safe word....
We ended up inviting our new friends to drink with us that night and hit up Revelin again. Without the hunky swede to stare at the entire time, I had the opportunity to look around and realize why Tarrah and Cori found it so underwhelming. That being said, we still had a pretty good time and danced the night away.
DAY 3: We awoke bright and early on day 3 as Tara Mitchell had reserved jet skis for us from a place called Garitransfer and they would be picking us up at the close by Hilton bright and early at 8:30am.
After giving us some life jackets and a brief 3 rules of the sea tutorial we were off. We had the jet skis for the entire day and could take them anywhere (which for us would mean every surrounding island and the infamous blue caves).
Deciding to rent jet skis proved to be a brilliant idea and probably one of my top 10 favorite life experiences so far as we cruised along the glasslike turquoise water, stopping to swim and explore as we saw fit. If I could say there was one aha moment on the trip, it was most definitely this.
Besides losing an anchor to the sea (after getting it caught 30 feet underwater and wrestling with it for 20 minutes we decided to let it go) and poor Tara busting open her toe, it was a perfect day and one which I will undoubtedly remember for the rest of my life as one of my happiest moments.
The rest of Dubrovnik is pretty much a blur of pure joy. We continued to eat wonderful meals, drink wonderful wine, wander around the old city, and climb A LOT of stairs. It was the longest amount of time we spent on a single city on our entire trip and it wasn't nearly long enough.
I'm not sure when I'll be back (well maybe yacht week 2017 if I can swing it and convince some people to join me), but I will definitely return one day.
Dubrovnik you're amazing.
Now onto another of the worlds wonders... Venice!
When my mom was in her 20's she traveled Europe and beyond for over two and a half years going everywhere from the Netherlands to Croatia to Egypt. Towards the beginning of her trip she purchased crystal from Dubrovnik (it was called Yugoslavia then of course) and carried it in her back back with her from
place to place for nearly two years. She still has them.
I never have been able to understand why she would want to carry around a bunch of heavy glass with her throughout her travels (I can barely handle trekking around with my clothes on my back) or why she would hold onto them still after all these years when she could just sell them (she seriously never uses them and they're
probably worth something), but after seeing and experiencing Dubrovnik myself I think I finally get it and there's no way in hell I'm letting her sell those things. In fact, I plan on stealing them. (Just kidding...maybe)
When you go out to see the world and all of its wonders, some of the wonders you seek, such as the incredible art at the Louvre or a medieval Cathedral in Ireland, will be made by man while others you seek will be inexplicably made such as the breathtaking Cliffs in Ireland, the beaches of Split, or the mountains in Austria. Dubrovnik, with its breathtaking castle (Kings landing for all you Game of Thrones fans) and turquoise clear smooth waters and cliff-tacular views, is one of those unique cities which offers both. (There's a reason the ENTIRE city of Old Town Dubrovnik is a UNESCO site.)
(The view from the top of the old citz)
We arrived via Ferry in Dubrovnik from Split around noon and hopped on our bus to old town. Tara Mitchell, who had been to Croatia before, told us we would probably prefer Dubrovnik and within 10 minutes of arrival we knew she was right.
(Our first taste of Dubrovnik. Happy campers!)
Our Airbnb was called "Lemon House" and was a 2-bedroom, 1 bath duplex situated just walking distance outside of Old Town on top of what was about 1,000 stairs. (Each day when we would walk those 1,000 stairs up and back to get to old town- I would thank GOD our bus dropped us off at the top with my brick-filled backpack). We were greeted at Lemon House with fresh strudel and lemon aid and were thrilled to find that it had a washing machine (we had started to run out of socks and underwear). We quickly threw in a load. We were not as thrilled to find that the "shower" was actually a giant tub with a shower hose and only enough hot water for one person to take about half a shower. (It also didn't have a shower curtain so every time someone bathed in it , it looked like the bathroom had been hit by a monsoon). Nevertheless, even though we had to bathe like toddlers, it was still a pretty sweet spot.
(Our cold toddler bath)
After getting acclimated to our new digs, the ladies and I hit the stairs (downhill) to head to old town and find the infamous Buza Bar. (Buza bar is a famous bar in Dubrovnik that you'll frequently find featured on buzzfeed and Pinterest articles as being one of the coolest bars in the world. It's a bar located directly on a cliff overlooking the sea and in between grabbing chilled beers, you can cliff dive from 20 to 30 or even 60 feet straight into the ocean).
(Buza bar view)
(Chilling at Buza Bar)
I jumped first and was admittedly terrified before landing in the perfect water and erupting in laughter. (An Australian girl caught my jump on video and my screams sounded embarrassingly akin to a pig going to slaughter).
After a few more jumps (sans squealing) and some sea basking, we began our trekk back to lemon house stopping at Mea Culpa to grab sustenance for the climb. (Best pizza and Greek salad I've ever had- if in Dubrovnik, go there!). Our waiter Rocky proved to be delightful and even offered us 5% off if we paid with credit card (I think he probably was getting that wrong but whatever). I'm still not sure if the best part of the meal was the food or when Tarrah asked Rocky (who was maybe all of 18) if there was anything fun to do tonight and he thought my 30 year old friend was personally soliciting him for an evening together. Rocky didn't skip a beat.
"Yes. I have second shift tomorrow so we can spend the night together". (Apparently in Dubrovnik, age ain't nothing but a number)
Later that night, following a breathless hike back to lemon house and a few cold baths, the three stooges headed to Revelin (Dubrovniks "hottest castle nightclub"). Ounce ounce music, LED lights, and Molly-d out Aussies bounced from castle wall to wall as what looked like an "empire of the sun" knockoff dance crew did the robot on the stage in spacesuits. I might've been less than impressed except that within 3 minutes of arrival my Swede from Split had arrived to rendezvous with me and I was on him faster than gravy on a Swedish meatball.
My Swede proved to be an even worse dancer than I was, so I was pretty much in heaven. We danced, chatted, and I briefly imagined what life in Sweden would be like. (Do they have a Habitat for Humanity up there? Is Swedish hard to learn? Could I survive off Swedish fish and pancakes alone? What else do they eat?). A few hours later, Cori and Tarrah arrived smothered in glow sticks to interrupt my romantical Swedish musings. As I looked up at my brunette Alexander Skarsgard I couldn't understand for the life of me why they weren't having as good a time as me- but I reluctantly bid my Swedish Adonis goodnight.
DAY 2: We awoke and slept off Revelin on Banje beach for a few hours before heading back to Buza (our new favorite place). After a few beers, we decided this was the appropriate time to inquire with the locals (aka our bartender Goran) about the infamous "SOB" parties my Croatian-American friend Lidija had told us about. ("The sex is optional, of course", Lidija said in her message).
Undeterred that another waiter might think she was soliciting him for evening adventures, Tarrah bravely (or drunkenly , whatever you choose) asked Goran where we could find the SOB party. The conversation went something like this...
Tarrah: "Goran, we are trying to find the SOB party. Do you know where it is?"
Goran (visibly confused): "SOB?"
Tarrah: "Sex on the beach...don't worry, we heard the sex is optional"
Goran: "I do not know. I think you usually just find someone and bring the wine to the beach. Maybe the islands? Maybe Montenegro, but four girls should not go there."
Tarrah: "Why? Is the sex not optional there?"
It was around this point that we officially became Goran's favorite customers (I swear we really did. He loved us and we loved him.)
"You are like an awkward comedy", Goran lovingly told Tarrah before handing her some free cookies (either to profess his love for her or maybe just to sober us up).
Our beers began to catch up to us and given the state of the outhouse at Buza, Cori and I literally decided jumping off the cliff would be a better option. After a glorious reprieve, we climbed back up to find that Tara and Tarrah befriending a group of rogue yacht week Aussies. We quickly became fast friends and tossed back beers and laughter until the sun set and one of them convinced Tarrah to do the jump (I personally think she was just too traumatized to use the outhouse again and was looking for an alternative option.)
(Sunset over Buza Bar, our new unofficial home)
(After the jump...)
We ended up inviting our new friends to drink with us that night and hit up Revelin again. Without the hunky swede to stare at the entire time, I had the opportunity to look around and realize why Tarrah and Cori found it so underwhelming. That being said, we still had a pretty good time and danced the night away.
DAY 3: We awoke bright and early on day 3 as Tara Mitchell had reserved jet skis for us from a place called Garitransfer and they would be picking us up at the close by Hilton bright and early at 8:30am.
After giving us some life jackets and a brief 3 rules of the sea tutorial we were off. We had the jet skis for the entire day and could take them anywhere (which for us would mean every surrounding island and the infamous blue caves).
(Cruising by castles, no big deal...)
Deciding to rent jet skis proved to be a brilliant idea and probably one of my top 10 favorite life experiences so far as we cruised along the glasslike turquoise water, stopping to swim and explore as we saw fit. If I could say there was one aha moment on the trip, it was most definitely this.
(Best day ever)
Besides losing an anchor to the sea (after getting it caught 30 feet underwater and wrestling with it for 20 minutes we decided to let it go) and poor Tara busting open her toe, it was a perfect day and one which I will undoubtedly remember for the rest of my life as one of my happiest moments.
(More pictures of a wonderful day)
I'm not sure when I'll be back (well maybe yacht week 2017 if I can swing it and convince some people to join me), but I will definitely return one day.
Dubrovnik you're amazing.
Now onto another of the worlds wonders... Venice!
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