#allisonstravel

CROATIA

August 7 The flight to Dubrovnik was fairly uninteresting. The most annoying part was that we had to go through security again in our layover in Madrid, as I was ordered to frantically find a bathroom to dump my water bottle then hurry back to the metal detector. Otherwise, it was a typical transatlantic journey—lots of movies, mediocre food and barely any sleep. After arriving at the Excelsior Hotel, we dropped off our bags and headed out to find some food. The hotel had an outdoor restaurant on the water with an amazing view of the Old City. We ate on the patio, feet away from the Adriatic Sea. The food was decent; seafood and pasta prepared elegantly but with simple flavors. That afternoon other members of our clan arrived from Paris. We had cocktails at the hotel and watched the sun set over the city before strolling down the street for dinner. If you haven't realized it yet, this trip is centered around eating and drinking. I, of course, had pasta—the closer to Venice I get the stronger my love affair with Italian cuisine grows. As the moon rose, a small group returned to the hotel for the night and the rest of us went to explore the Old City’s nightlife. We explored the polished, cobblestone streets, taking it all in. It was a short walk but overall a great introduction to the city. By the way, any Game of Thrones fan will find lots of familiar sites walking around, starting with the main castle (pictured above).

August 8  Thursday, we met our Dubrovnik guide, Timi, who loaded all 15 of us into her bus and we took off for the small towns on the outskirts of Dubrovnik. Unfortunately, I got sick on the way and it kind of left a grey shadow over the whole day. Despite that, the places we went to were very interesting and I’m glad we got to see them. The first city was Ston, a town known historically for its salt beds. For hundreds of years, salt had the same value as gold and was extremely protected. In Salzburg, another historically important salt city, the citizens built a castle; in Ston, they built a wall, the second longest wall in the world (I’m sure you all know what #1 is). While salt doesn't have the same value it once did, the town was still extremely cool and a unique place to visit. Looking around, you can still see old salt beds and train tracks used to transport the collected salt. The next stop was Mali Ston, or little Ston. Here, the son of an oyster farmer took us on a boat and showed us how he cultivates oysters. While on the water, we sampled grappa (not the best idea for a person with a sick stomach) and ate oysters and muscles that were pulled from the water minutes earlier. For lunch we ate at the farmer's family restaurant but it didn’t compared to the fresh mollusks we just had. That afternoon, after getting back to Dubrovnik, we finally went swimming. The water was crystal clear and blue but also very cold. Most of us jumped in and spent the rest of the afternoon floating around until it was time to head to dinner. We dined at Nautika and enjoyed a delicious seven-course meal in the Old City. The 'children' stayed in the City as everyone else walked back. We had a few cocktails at a small bar hidden away in an alleyway with what appeared to be an army of Australians (there were literally shiploads of them) and then we ended the night at a club in one of the town's castles.

August 9 Our last day in Dubrovnik included a walking tour of the Old City, starting with its impressive outer walls, built to protect the city from marauding pirates, then moving into the city itself. It was an extremely hot and sticky day but that didn't deter us from enjoying the incredible view of the city below. Beneath us stood a sea of red roofs, standing out against the fewer darker brown roofs—the lucky ones that survived Serbian war bombing.

Next, a stop for lunch and another grappa/brandy tasting, followed by a few more hours of exploration throughout the town. Late afternoon, we finally embarked on the SeaDream, our home for the next week. We got a big welcome of champagne and massages (and quickly realized that this wasn't your typical cruise) before spending the rest of the afternoon out by the pool. After our first of many fantastic dinners, we returned to our cabins to discover everyone on board was gifted personalized pajamas. Once the first of our group saw the pajamas we all jumped on the idea of a pajama party. Quickly we changed and reconvened at the bar. The night was spent singing and dancing and drinking, it didn't take long for us to be known as "that family" (or the fun family as I prefer to call it). Pajama fever caught on and other passengers changed into their pajamas too and joined us! Overall, a very successful first night aboard.