Busch Gardens Europe

C and I got up early this morning to take a run. We ran up to the top of the cable car mountain, then down the back of the mountain and along the highway (like, in the shoulder) for a bit until we were able to get back onto regular surface streets. The run took us about 1:10 and lasted just under 6 miles, only perhaps 1/4 mile of which was flat surface.

Our first stop as a fearsome foursome was to walk the ancient walls of Dubrovnik. The old town is surrounded by a huge wall, which has been in place for hundreds of years but has only been used in combat once (in the early 1990's). The walls are a major tourist attraction, so we had lots of company on our journey in the hot hot sun.

Good views from the wall.

Sports facilities adjust to the walls, not vice-versa.

Apres-walk, we were hot, tired, dehydrated, and hungry, so we sat down for some pizza at a place that the apartment owner Dino recommended.  C & E had a margarita pie; S & I ate mushroom. Then, fortified, we wandered in search of an art gallery and a music shop that S found in her guidebook.  Both shops were closed, but we did find some other jewelry shops that were quite lovely. Both ladies got a little something.

Then, ice cream and a siesta!

An observation: Dubrovnik is the most Busch-Gardens-Williamsburg-like place I've ever been. The Old Town is manicured and pristine. There are well-marked (in English) places to meet tours, buy food, buy gifts. The attractions are clearly labeled, the main part of town is ADA-compliant... There is an exceptional amount of effort put into making this town tourist-friendly.  There's even a cable car!

After the siesta, C, E, and I went to a beach half a block away for a swim.  'Beach' is a generous term, as it was really a rocky ramp with cement and a ladder. Still, it was a beautiful swim. The water was clear and comfortable. It was sunny when we swam, but I snapped this later.

Before dinner, we had a drink at Buza bar, a bar sitting on the edge of a cliff, literally through a hole in the fortifications. We sat at a table drinking our drinks, staring at the Adriatic, watching people jump off of rocks into the water below. Awesome.

Then, a dinner of gnocchi (for the ladies) and stuffed squid (for the guys). The food was tolerable, but the venue, a terrace covered with vines, was exceptional. Then, a walk home down the main street with some ice cream.

Tomorrow we leave Dubrovnik for Split. Five hours on a bus, passing through Bosnia on the way. Whee!

Dubrovnik HDR

I took a few HDR shots yesterday and processed them this morning.  Dig:

On to Dubrovnik

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO DADS OLD AND NEW!

12.21pm - We got up shortly after 3am to get to the airport to catch our flight out of Cluj to Dubrovnik by way of Bucharest. The flight to Bucharest was fine, and we've spent the last 5 hours in the international terminal waiting for the connecting flight. Here's how we passed our time:

- Figure out how to get to the international terminal (hint: the words 'arrival' and 'departure' are used interchangeably when posting directions)

- Watch an episode of Mad Men (Don and Joan get drunk, Megan throws spaghetti, Lane has money problems)

- Read a book. 

- Eat overpriced airport food. 

- Wander the duty-free shops. Did you know there are SIX different kinds of Martini & Rossi vermouth? Rosso, Rossetti, Extra Dry, Bianca, d'Oro, and Golden. Yes,  know d'Oro means 'golden,' but I swear they were different bottles and different prices. I wonder - what do the last three bottles do?

- Watch the Tuscany episode of No Reservations. Yum! Now we've watched the programming for all of our destinations. 

- Play video games. 

We carefully managed our cash, and we just spent the last 5 lei in a vending machine. We are officially done with Romanian money.

1.05pm - in the airplane en route to Dubrovnik. Below us is either Romania or Serbia. Or both!

There are two in-flight magazines. Insight is your standard inflight mag, bilingual in Romania and English. The text was clearly translated from the Romanian - there's a lot of Engrish in it. Also, apparently Bucharest is getting its first Benehanna restaurant. It's in the ground floor of the Howard Johnson's. Suddenly, it's 1965!

The other inflight mag is called Sky Lady, and it's just for women! Because women like to fly places too! It's full of articles about where to go on vacation with your girlfriends and what kind of swimsuit will suit you if you have a grandmother-shaped body. 

10.14pm - We're here, safe and sound. It's now quite late and we're all tired, so I'll be brief: Dubrovnik is beautiful. Rocky, arid, formidable. C&E met us at the airport and we took a cab into town. We dropped our stuff, had an excellent seafood feast (grilled tuna, swordfish, squid, octopus, shrimp, and more!), wandered Old Town Dubrovnik, rode up the cable car to watch the sun set over the city, and then came home. 

When we got home, we had to pack up and move into another apartment, as the shower in our unit was leaking and causing damage. We were grumpy to move (none of us had slept more than 4 hours in the last 24), but move we did. Our new apartment is nicer. Tomorrow will start with a run for me and C.  Here are some photos:

S, E, and C outside the hotel.

E & C stare in awe.

S is dubious...

...but is pleasantly proven wrong.

Old things are pretty.

Old Town Dubrovnik from the top of the cable car.