I flew into Dubrovnik (direct flight from stavanger - under 3 hrs, love it!) and made my way into the old town. You get a spectacular view of the city as you drive along the coast from the airport. Dubrovnik is an ancient walled city, with civilsation dating back to the 6th century. It is rich with history. We had a night in Dubrovnik and took a walking tour, our tour guide's family has always lived in Dubrovnik could trace the lineage back to the 1400's!
Photos of Dubrovnik
We wanted to see some islands and found a boat tour that we could join for 3 nights up the coast. We stopped at the island of Mijet, which features a beautiful national park with two lakes and an old monastery. We stayed a night in the port of Vela Luka (not terribly interesting) and faced some less than perfect weather for our trip to Hvar. There were a few pale faces and queasy stomachs, mine included! But Hvar was worth the trip. We were meant to stay the night at Hvar but due to the rough seas and an unsheltered harbour at Hvar, we had to make our way back to Vela Luka, but we managed to fit in some express shopping as the rain stopped.
our boat the monastery at Miljet
miljet vela luka is an olive producing region
boats in the harbour at Hvar
We left the boat and took a ferry to Split. We stayed a night there and were again amazed by this ancient city, formerly a Roman Emperor's palace which is now the living, breathing heart of the city. People live throughout the palace, including in the city walls, and it was fascinating to see how it has changed and evolved over the centuries.
We rented a car in Split and drove along the coast heading north to Zadar. The coastline is absolutely beautiful and reminded me a lot of the French and Italian rivieras. Beautiful blue water, a curving road following the coastline with little towns nestled in the inlets and points. We stopped off a few times to explore and found a gorgeous cathedral which sat atop a hill in the middle of a tiny town with the most amazing views. Generations of families had been buried in the grounds and we all felt that it would be quite a place to be laid to rest.
a church yard with a view
In Zadar we met up with my mum's colleague's sister (!) and her two children. They were so warm and hospitable, and they showed us around Zadar, including the roman ruins and the sea organ. An artist created pipes along the sea wall which when the sea laps against the wall it forces air in and out of the pipes, and creates a sounds. You can hear examples on you tube (type in sea organ zadar). In Zadar we also went to a concert featuring traditional croatian music, it was predominantly men, about 10 of them, singing love songs, it was really special, a fantastic sound, and a great way to really get a feel for the 'real' croatia - a little away from the tourist traps.
We then drove down the coast and stopped in at Krka national park where we saw some beautiful scenery and waterfalls, and then along the freeway at 130km per hour to get back to Dubrovnik where I flew out on Sunday and Mum and Dad the following wednesday.
waterfalls at Krka national park
We had a great time, we ate and drank a LOT, the seafood particularly was sensational and it felt so good to be back in a country where drinking a bottle of wine with dinner doesn't set you back $80, so we really lived it up and enjoyed every minute.
Highlights? Walking tours of Dubrovnik and Split, shopping in Hvar, eating, drinking, our evening with Jasminka, Anamarija and Bojan, the massive slab of parmesan cheese I brought back to Stavanger with me! Spending time with Mum and Dad, and feeling the sun on my face after a very lackluster norwegian summer.
So now its back to work again! And of course after an hour in the office you forget you ever had a holiday :). Thanks especially to Alistair, our wonderful friend who did a sensational job of dog and house sitting.
Missing you all and hope you're enjoying some lovely spring weather. The leaves are changing here and its quite beautiful. Keep in touch!
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