Travels in Dubrovnik – Day 6

This was our last day on the Dalmatian Coast.  Tomorrow we begin the flight back to London Gatwick airport which entails that we spend the night at Zagreb airport and eventually arrive Tuesday morning via Frankfurt.  We must have been mad to have chosen this route but at least it will get us in training for future long haul trips.

To get us limbered up for airport confinement we set off to circumnavigate the Babin Kuk peninsula which was a much longer walk than yesterday’s but not so arduous as the coastal path we followed was pretty level.  Babin Kuk shares the same hump of land as Lapad where we are staying and is also cloaked with trees offering more spectacular views.

The gentle path we followed round Babin Kuk

View of our hotel (Dubrovnik Palace) across Lapad Bay during our walk round Babin Kuk

Cruise Ship moored in Port Cruz on the far side of Babin Kuk

Travels in Dubrovnik – Day 5

Saturday 25 August

This part of my blog should probably be called Travels on the Dalmatian Coast near Dubrovnik because we did not venture towards the walled town.  Instead we took a short walk up a hill and through the trees opposite our hotel which the receptionist told us offered stunning views.  And the receptionist was right.

The path behind our hotel (The grandly titled Dubrovnik Palace)

Picturesque view from path

Lapad Bay with a cruise ship docked in adjacent Port Cruz in background

We returned to the hotel shortly before lunch and I went snorkelling again to cool down.  There are a variety of fish of different shapes and sizes, some with stripes and some with just a single dot near the tail.  I have no idea what they are called but they certainly held my interest.

My companion and I shared a pizza for lunch.  Its arrival was greatly delayed as it smelt like the first offering had been burnt.  When it arrived the second offering was okay.  The waitress asked us how it was and confided that there were problems in the kitchen as the cook had never cooked a pizza before.  But we were in no hurry and spent the rest of the day resting and reading before venturing down to Lapad Bay again for our evening meal.

Travels in Dubrovnik – Day 4

After the excursions of the last few days it was time to take it easy so we walked to Labad Bay for some much needed provisions (ie some inexpensive bottles of the local wine).

On the way we saw a variety of means of transport.

Two wheeled city tour

I have seen these strange vehicles on the south bank in London.  Motorcycles are more my preferred means of two wheeled transport.

Croatian bus

Nowadays I love buses and this is how we have travelled from our hotel to Dubrovnik much in the same way as I go from Knaphill to Woking using my bus pass.

Croatian paragliding

I really do not like contemplating this means of transport even though it has a smiley face.

 Once back from our shopping expedition, I did more snorkelling in the cool Adriatic and  saw some brightly coloured fish.

Travels in Dubrovnik – Day 3

Thursday 23 August

Caught the 10 pm bus into Dubrovnik and it was hot so we decided to take the ferry to the Island of Lokrum.

Entering Lokrum harbour

We wandered along the wooden paths.  There is a nudist there but my companion forbade me go.

Wooded paths through Lokrum

There is a small inland salt water pool called the Dead Sea which looked far from dead to me as many people were bathing there.

Lokrum’s Dead Sea

We stopped at an old monastery which was pretty run down but there was a restaurant there where we stopped for a cold drink.

Lokrum Monastery

We aimed for Fort Royal at the northern end of the island but in the heat of the day it was a distance too far so we return to the port, exhausted by the day’s heat and caught the ferry back to Dubrovnik.

Travels in Dubrovnik – Day 2

Got up early and caught the 9pm bus to the famous walled city where we walked the wall gazing at rooftops and surrounding sea as we walked.  It was hard work in the heat but we managed to completely circumnavigate the city arriving back at the Pile Gate where we started.

Dubrovnik from city wall

Dubrovnik Harbour from city wall

Then after a light lunch we returned to the hotel to rest up followed by another swim in the cool sea.  And as the sun set we set off for another meal at picturesque Labad Bay.

Sunset from hotel window

Travels in Dubrovnik – Day 1

Tuesday 21 August

Arrived at hotel on peninsula just along from this historic walled city at about 11 pm last night having spent all day travelling (mostly stuck in Zagreb airport), consequently spent most of the day relaxing by pool and rocky beach.

Hotel Pool

View from Hotel Pool

 I had a lazy swim in the Adriatic Sea and did some snorkelling which made me feel like a boy again.  In the evening we walked down to Labad Bay where I ate a delicious seafood risotto, drank a cold beer and watched the sunset from the restaurant balcony.