Dubrovnik Croatia

This was our first Port on the cruise and one of my favorites. We took a tour bus up from the bay to a small mountain village. We visited a winery and got a real taste for their culture (not a literal taste, we had water) we got to sample their local cheeses, figs, and smoked meats. There were waterfalls and little streams everywhere. There was a grain mill with a water wheel where a man in their traditional attire ran the mill, they also had live entertainment during our luncheon, which was fun to listen to (gotta love the accordian).



From the village we headed back down the mountain to "Old Town" in the port of Dubrovnik. It was a medieval city with a huge wall around it. There were a few towers they were reconstructing when they were bombed during their recent civil war in the 90's. Crazy to think about such recent violent events in some of those countries. The inside of Old Town was so charming. The entire street was paved with beautiful cream marble, and we are not talking cobblestones, they were cut fitted blocks that were smooth and shiny. No cars were allowed on the streets obviously, but the streets just glowed, and the entire city was so clean. Around every corner in Old Town was a postcard picture. It was so beautiful. There were traditional wooden boats in the harbor you could take tours in. I purchased some gorgeous photographs from a local photographer of the city and the boats. We met a lady from washington state while standing in line for the bathroom. She and 7 other people were sailing the mediteranean in 5 sailboats, what a life! The bathroom was my first expreience with an eastern toilet. Literally just a hole in the ground. It was clean and entirely made of marble and stainless steel but there were just two treaded spots for your feet, some railings to help you squat and a hole, that flushed. Come on people save the marble just give me a porcelain toilet bowl! What an experience. We didn't have long to tour the city (the only downfall of cruising is relatively short port o' calls) so we were busting butt to get back to the tour bus. I could have easily spent the entire day in Old Town. There were quite a few people who lived there and you could just wander the streets and get a taste for their daily life. Kids playing soccer in the squares, women making jewelry and lace. We even passed an old lady's house that had tons of cats. She was cursing her neighbor at the top of her lungs in Croatian. It was so funny! She had a scarf on her head, and an apron, it was like we were watching some old foreign film or something. So cute!