We landed and then walked from the plane into the airport. Once inside, we were stamped into the country, grabbed our bags and then exited. We boarded a bus headed for the Pile gate, as our hotel was just down the street from it. To get to the hotel, my crazy (I really love her) mother dragged her suitcase up two huge flights of stairs. Apparently, we could have gone up through the driveway or parking garage, but we didn't know that. The hotel was gorgeous, with views of the Adriatic Sea and the old city of Dubrovnik (the part inside the stone walls).
We dumped our stuff and set off in search of lunch. We both had omelets, which were as thin as crepes. Then we walked the 1.5 mile long wall (it's a big circle around the city). The views of the water and city were spectacular. Along the walk we stopped to take pictures and look at the houses. We could see a large cruise ship and an island just off of Dubrovnik. We stopped to rest, in one corner of the wall, after having climbed a steep flight of stairs (one of several).
Afterwards, we had more gelato! (Okay, we had just walked a lot, so we allowed ourselves to be bad....) Then, we ducked into the cathedral, but it was Palm Sunday and there were nuns inside praying....so, no pictures. Then we stopped to use a bathroom by the harbor. This was our first encounter with a turkish toilet. For those who have never had to use one, it's a lot of fun! (Just kidding.) You have to squat and aim over a small hole in the floor and try not to get your shoes...wet. These turkish toilets were actually luxurious. Inside each stall there was a sink, toilet paper, paper towels and soap. Usually I come across these toilets in Morocco or Bolivia where these luxuries are not provided. My mom found the toilet challenging, but she got better as the week progressed.
After relieving ourselves we went on a boat tour to see the coast from the sea. It was my mother's idea, which surprised me because she hates boats. From the water, we could see a hotel damaged during the 1991 siege. Serbian forces had damaged the facade, but the building still stood overlooking the sea. It's been abandoned ever since.
Back on dry land, we tried to find the synagogue, which wasn't open because it was the weekend. Instead we stopped into an embroidery shop and looked at some local handicrafts. Finally, we wandered back to the hotel, where room service delivered a "welcome treat," three little desserts, to us. We took naps and then went back to the old city for dinner at a restaurant in the harbor. I ate risotto and local oysters which weren't at all gritty and had a much less slippery texture than their Wellfleet cousins. Mom ordered grilled shrimp which arrived in their shells, head and all. She managed to peel and eat them without gagging too much. I was really proud of her for this (and the toilet experience!).
We happily slept late. Mom stayed in the room while I went to get breakfast. The woman in the breakfast room asked me where my mother was. I told her my mom was still in bed, to which she responded, "Oh, bless her!". Next, I returned to the old city to go to a very small market, where lavender, dyed eggs, dried fruits and some veggies, including weird, stalky asparagus were for sale. It was crowded with tour groups and I didn't buy anything.
After browsing, I went to the Dubrovnik Synagogue which was built in 1652 during a time when Jews were forced to live in a Ghetto inside Dubrovnik. Many Sephardic Jews came to Dubrovnik from Spain and Northern Africa after they were forced off the Iberian Peninsula. The synagogue was hit during the war in 1991; it's roof was damaged and had to undergo repairs. Inside I found a small space decorated in rich, blue colors. Many interesting metal sculptures surrounded the bimah and I was able to climb up to the women's gallery. The synagogue was located on the third story with the museum on the second. To access it, I had to climb up two flights of steep stairs (like everything else in Dubrovnik). At the top of the stairs were four mailboxes for donations. Each had a different Israeli city's name written on it announcing the destination of the money inside.
En route to the hotel to pick up my mother, I stopped at an internet cafe where two Italian 50-something women were also using computers. They chattered about in Italian: I realized they were talking about their Facebook news feeds. Yes, my mother had a Facebook account, but listening to these women made me chuckle. Middle-aged Italian women on vacation....what are they concerned about? Facebook!
I also peaked into a Catholic church, the one at the San Francisco Monastery. The church was nice, but nothing special. It wasn't built in the form of a cross, but was one large rectangular room. Before getting back to the hotel, I stopped into a DM (Drogerie Markt), a combination CVS and health-food store. I was delighted to find gluten-free pretzels and chocolate soy milk boxes (juice-box size). I stocked up on goodies and went to get my mom for lunch.
We ate overlooking a cove with sparkling teal waters. She had another omelet, I had octopus salad, and we split some veggie risotto. The food was delicious, but the spot was even better. From our table we could see the old city (we were just outside) and hundreds of tourists boarding their buses. We were not jealous of them. As we ate, we wrote post cards which we then mailed. Then we got more gelato and wandered through an Easter market held in the courtyard of a monastery. At the market there was a seven-foot tall Easter egg. It was painted with scenes of the four seasons. Easter eggs are painted and given as gifts in Croatia because the "hatching of chicken from eggs symbolizes Jesus Christ's coming out of the grave, resurrection and eternal life" (according to a booklet from the Croatian tourism board). We took our ice creams down to the water's edge and pick some rocks and sea glass. Then we headed toward the bus station.
We took a city bus to get to the international bus station, which was on the other side of the new part of Dubrovnik. Along the way we got to see more of the city, including the new harbor. It was nice to get a sense for the place, and to see that there's more to Dubrovnik than just the old, walled city. At the bus station, we bought tickets and mom knit while we waited for our bus to depart.
No comments:
Post a Comment