Dubrovnik, Croatia

On my last day in Bosnia, I listened to one of the guys advice to check out Dubrovnik, Croatia since it was close by. And so, I figured I can take an early bus since the travel was 6 hours. Last move of attack was to catch the last bus from Dubrovnik going back to Sarajevo. It all sounded doable. 

I quickly dashed for the train station and hopped on the bus. The bus ride was going through Mostar too, since it was close to the border to Croatia. Fair enough. I was thinking, why the heck did I not continue on the other day when i was in Medjugorje. But I figured, I just couldn't be hassled to find another hostel and take my big backpack  with me. In retrospect, using Sarajevo as my base was the best way to go. 

coastline

I was supposed to arrive in Dubrovnik around 1 pm but because it was a Saturday, the traffic was horrendous. A big swarm of tourist buses were in line at border control. But I guess the bulk was with the locals in vacation. I found it sometimes annoying when border officers would stare at my passport longer than the others. But then again, I'd say it wasn't everyday that they'd see a New Zealand passport. I recall my first border check was crossing from Slovenia to Bosnia. The girl officer was seriously folding, checking and scrutinizing the photo page of my passport. At some point it gave me a scare she might rip it off. 

After all of the traffic craze, we arrived in Dubrovnik around 3 pm, and believe me, it felt like it was a zoo. The whole ferry and bus terminal was busy crazy. Because of my late arrival, my desire to swim in the ocean was quickly erased from my afternoon's plan. Also, instead of catching the bus from the terminal I decided to walk all the way from there to the old town and eventually up the castle walls. I know it wasn't that close by, as I've had the same reaction from Charlotte when I told them about it. They did give me a few tips and pointers, like places off the path where I can have a side of the beach to myself and have my peace and quiet far away from the crowd. Anyway, I believe it was around 2-3 kms to the old town, I didn't mind at all. 

Dubrovnik is on the side of the Adriatic Sea towards the southern part of Croatia. Looking at the castle and its walls, I believe it does live up to the belief that it could have been one of the best medieval walled cities in the world. On October 1, 1991, Dubrovnik was attacked by JNA or also known as the Yugoslavian People's Army. This lasted for 7 months and this also impacted the UNESO World Heritage sites, which believed to have damaged 56% of the city or perhaps the old town. It was only in 2005 that the repairs were completed.

I walked along the coastline and got a little bit lost finding the entrance to the old town. Go figure. I don't know, I felt a little bit woozy with the heat to be honest. Anyway, by the time I found the entrance to the old town, I was just amazed with what I saw. The walls were majestically staring at me and the cobbled streets and even small alleyways inside were just charming and lovely. Of course it was packed with people but I still felt the vibe of the place. 

I visited the St.Blaise Church which was the right one you'd see as you walk the main street of the old town. It was the perfect time to hear the Saturday mass even though it was in a different language. There were a few elders in the mass and that was it. Of course you can't really expect the young ones anymore to have the same interest to be hearing mass most especially in such a touristic place.

After mass I hang out for an hour coz I was in the perfect position on top of the stairs to watch a local

wedding take place. From the main gate of the old town, there was a guy waving the Croatian flag, followed by the groom and the father, and then followed by this massive crowd.. I reckon the guests of the couple. The whole event was really good to see and experience. They had a local band and singing by the stairs as they waited for the whole ceremony to start. A lot of the tourists lingered around just to watch the whole event happen. and of course, just like any other wedding, people were checking out what the Bride looked like and how her dress was tailored.

I later on started to go up the wall. I thought to myself that I had to, or else I would have missed out compared to going for an afternoon swim. It was a stroll along the wall though the only part of it that I didn't like was that I felt there was a line to move along because of the crowd. I believe it took around 2 hours for me to walk the perimeter. But the whole thing was amazing, as you watched the sailboats and the coastline, hugging the castle and the old
town. It was just amazing. I listened to the crowd of yet another wedding take place in the smaller church. Apparently there were houses occupied inside the castle. I was smiling as I saw clothesline and the locals just hanging in the heat of the afternoon.

I finished off the walk and headed back to the bus terminal as I watched the sunset.  I passed by the local supermarket and bought the night shift guy a can of beer for his 27th birthday, hopped on the bus and was on my way back to Sarajevo.