| The first impression of Dubrovnik was a bit awe-inspiring. The imposing town walls encircled the old city, with fortresses and church towers rising above the orange-tiled rooftops. The main street was filled with people, which became a bit overwhelming after awhile. Five nights was a bit much for the town, but the great thing was that we could talk all these little day trips.
Lokrum - A little island that was so much fun to explore, with interesting rock formations, it very close and easy to get to from Dubrovnik's old port. Climbing over the rocks, we discovered a hidden little cove with a ˝window˝ out to the sea. (pix are on a little old disposable... so those will come later)
Bay of Kotor, Montenegro - Kotor was a small old town, with an even more impressive town wall and old fortress. We hiked up about 700 feet for beautiful sweeping views of the bay and town. Overall it was a very scenic trip with a few small quaint towns along the drive around the bay. Montenegro feels much smaller and developed than Croatia, but charming in its own way.
(the view from top of the town walls/fortress in Kotor..sorry, i'm a re-re and can't figure out how to rotate this in xanga)
Restaurant at Morinj - charming, classic setting amidst ponds bubbling from a spring next to an old mill. Nicely grilled scampi (prawns with claws) and buttery toadfish (monk fish) in a delicious gargonzola sauce.
Trsteno - lovely tiny town about 18km from Dubrovnik. We went there for the arboretum, which was just ok since it seemed a bit overgrown, but what we really enjoyed was the hike that led us down to a small dock that was perfect for relaxing and reading. the bus didn't come at it's scheduled time, so the owner of the only restuarant/cafe bar in town offered us a ride as he was heading into Dubrovnik also. Simo was a very nice fellow, and it was a pity didn't get a chance to eat at his restuarant, apparently even the Polish president had stopped in there once.
(little dock for chilling)
Koločep - one of the Elafiti islands. We took the Jadrolinija ferry there, and spent the morning on the little strip of sand until it was too hot. So we went exploring and found a little dock around the corner and grabbed a little spot for ourselves. The water, as is everywhere else, was wonderfully clear and deep. J dove in and took a little swim, but I was a bit more hesitant since the rocks were littered with spikey sea urchins. I'm such a wimp! But I dived in as well, the water was so cold and refreshing.
(J trying to convince me to get into the water... real persuasive)
Town Walls: Not as much of a hike as the town walls of Kotor, but a great view of the town and surrounding ocean...
Food: The food in Dubrovnik was ok... everywhere we've been, the menu is the same. Pršut (which is similar to prosciutto), cheese, more cured meats, grilled seafood, etc, just the quality varies greatly. We did have excellent and filling pizza at Mea Culpa, and yummy gelato at Dolce Vita. People LOOOOVE their ice cream here! Everywhere you look, you'll find someone with a cone in their hand!
Lucky us, the first night we arrived was the beginning of the Dubrovnik Festival which meant that the streets were extra packed and loud and we were able to hear the fireworks as we were trying to go to sleep. Seems like this was just setting the standard for the rest of our trip (so far, at least.)
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