Day 22– September 23, 2006 – Ferry along the Adriatic...Dubrovnik here we come!
Well today is the next to the last leg of this trip…boo hoo! I can’t believe a week from today we will be home. The time has just flown by for me.
I did not have a restful night’s sleep last night. Maybe it was because I knew we planned to get up at 6:30am and I had set my alarm. Or maybe it was the blasted church bells chiming right next door, or the person banging on the front door of the house to be let in. Anyway, CL said I pretty much tossed and turned all night long.
We did roll out of bed at 6:30AM, did last minute packing and left the apartment shortly after 7am. The bus from Hvar Town to Stari Grad didn’t leave until 7:45am, but we went up to the bus station early anyway and got there about 7:20am. I’m glad we did! The driver stowed our bags under the bus and CL went to get our seats while I popped over to the bakery one last time and got apple strudel for me and a chocolate croissant for CL for our breakfast. By the time I got back to the bus it was really starting to fill up and the driver was now stowing baggage in the doorway of the rear of the bus! The bus was standing room only with people standing in the aisle. I’m glad we got there early to get seats. And CL thought the bus wouldn’t be crowded.
The bus ride from Hvar Town to Stari Grad was pretty uneventful but there were some nice views. It wasn’t the newest bus and since it was loaded down with people and luggage going up and around the mountains was a slow go. But it got us to the ferry port at Stari Grad with plenty of time to spare. We pulled into the ferry terminal area at about 8:20am and we could see the ferry in the distance. The ferry docked at about 8:30am and unloaded lots of people and vehicles. Then we boarded and found our way up to the Salon Deck and found a table and chairs by the window, near the front of the boat.
After settling in, CL got us 2 cappuccinos and soon we were underway. I did a short wander around the boat and went to the outdoor deck…some spectacular views and not too windy. So now we are on the ferry until about 4:15pm when we dock in Dubrovnik.
I am much more relaxed on this travel day then I was on the travel day from Bled to Hvar. Partly because I’ve talked to Petar (sobe owner) in Dubrovnik and today we only had to take a bus to the ferry and get on. Petar will pick us up at the ferry terminal and take us directly to the sobe.
The views along the Dalmatian Coast were absolutely spectacular. I’m glad we took the ferry; it was great being able to step outside and have such a beautiful day and stunning views to help pass the 7 hour ride. Around 1pm the ferry docked in Korcula for about 20 minutes. CL and I went to the bar and got ham and cheese sandwiches, nothing too exciting but we were hungry and didn’t have any other alternative.
The ferry was right on time into Dubrovnik and we made our way through the hordes of people trying to rent sobes. In the distance I saw someone holding a sign with my name on it…”Hello Petar” I was very happy to see him. We put our bags in his car and hopped in. It was a Volkswagen Golf, good thing we didn’t have big suitcases!
Petar whisked us through the streets and to a parking lot just outside the city walls, not far from the sobe. The house he has is located near the top of the wall, so it wasn’t a far walk from the car park. Petar has 3 double rooms (sobe) and 2 single rooms in the house. He does not live on the premises.
After CL and I got situated (we each rented a single room) we met Petar downstairs in his office, which is just below the house. He gave us each some homemade grappa and it was Delish! And then proceeded to ask us what we wanted to see and do while here and gave us tons of brochures, maps, and restaurant suggestions.
Then he showed us around a small part of the walled Old Town pointing out some of the restaurants he recommended. He really went beyond what I had expected. After we parted ways CL and I walked up the main street (Stradun) to check out the Atlas tour of Montenegro. It costs 380 Kuna per person, almost $70. So, we are considering renting a car for a day and driving to Montenegro ourselves. Based on the rental car brochures Petar gave us, it looks like renting a car would be cheaper and we would be on our own time schedule.
Then we decided to have an early dinner, it was around 6pm. We went to one of the restaurants Petar recommended and it was also in our guidebook. The place is called Konoba Kamenice and it is located on the market square. CL wanted the little fried fish (aka sardines). I really wasn’t up for it so I had the squid risotto. Admittedly it was not nearly as good as the squid risotto we had in Hvar, but at least I have something to compare it with.
At dinner we talked about what to do tomorrow and we are going to get an early start and walk the city walls first thing in the morning. Then have our cappuccino at a café Petar recommended at the end of the street we are staying on.
After dinner we decided it would be a gelato night. I had a cone with 1 chocolate scoop and one coconut, it was good.
A few thoughts about our sobe…I love it! Yes, it is a bit noisy but like in Hvar we are in the Old Town and there is a lot of activity here, but at least we are not on the “main drag”. It seems like the houses on the other side of the street are occupied by people who actually live and work here. So, hopefully the noise won’t go on all night. The location of the sobe is very central to just about everything and the owner, Petar, has been great. I can’t say enough good things about this place. The name of the sobe is Villa Ragusa and their website is http://www.villaragusa.netfirms.com/. The double rooms are 60 Euros per night and the singles are 30 Euros per night.
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