14. Apr, 2016

SUNDAY 10-5-15

Up at 07:00 to a lovely clear blue sky. Weather like this just inspires you to get up and make the most of it.

Off to the shower block again. Now there's one thing I can't stand and that's the noise of old men loudly snorting etc to clear their tubes, what a disgusting noise, dirty sods. You get it back home but it seems to be a habit most practiced by those over the Channel. If I had my way they'd be made to drink kettle de-scaler or Fernox central heating rust inhibitor. It would do the job far more efficiently. OK, so there would be the screams as the acid burned the internal soft tissue of their tubes, but I’d much rather listen to that, and I bet the next time they consider a clear out using internal compressed air they'd bloody well think twice before doing it........... Now where was I?

We thought we'd go for a wander down to the port today (I've been referring to it as the marina, but according to the signage here it's a port). It was hot, my chef and soul mate had done some hand washing before we left and had hung it all over our nice comfy reclining chairs before we set out.

Following our noses and instincts we were down at the marina, sorry, port in about 15 minutes. A lovely spot marred only by another group of keep-fit loons running something like a half-marathon around the 'New Town' and port. It seems that no matter where we go on our travels some group of people or other want to impress us with their physical prowess. Down the road we clocked a supermarket and so bought some bits and pieces before walking home again. It was hot, it must have been 30°C again. The Chef was struggling a bit in the heat on our return up-hill journey, but my description of what the interior of a Nursing Home looks like somehow spurred her on.

This afternoon has been very pleasant, being able to enjoy it after doing the weekly housework ready for moving on. We had a barbecue early afternoon followed by the luxury of sitting out in the sun and snoozing.

This evening is to be spent watching a bit of DVD TV. I've been trying to get The Chef in to 'Doc Martin' ,we started watching it together in Spain and are now up to series 4.

Tomorrow we leave lovely Dubrovnik to take our chances on the roads up to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzi- whatever, for a look at the famous bridge that had huge significance with the local population in the Balkans War, and was destroyed in the shelling and subsequently rebuilt. I thought I'd found a campsite up there but now maybe I haven't. So I need us to leave in good time so that we can complete the 70-mile journey up there and then back down again in a day, just in case we can't find somewhere to rest our heads for the night.

14. Apr, 2016

14. Apr, 2016

14. Apr, 2016

SATURDAY 9-5-15

This morning we set off for the local, rather small supermarket for some fresh provisions before relaxing around the campsite. The plan was to have a barbecue and then make our way back in to Dubrovnik Old Town for the evening. The afternoon was spent waiting for very dark clouds, thunder and lightning to pass us by. Unfortunately it did eventually land on us rather than pass us by, and all the waiting around meant it was too late to bother with having the barbecue before going in to town. We decided instead to have a meal at a small local restaurant we had seen on the way to the bus stop. We both had soup of the day followed by barbecued chicken, fries and vegetables followed by a nice ice cream dessert. The piece of chicken looked as if it had been beaten to death with a large hammer, a bit like HGV road-kill, but tasted very nice, and with a glass of wine each, plus a tip - £20.

On arriving at Dubrovnik Old Town we entered through the fortified wall. What a difference. It was lovely and peaceful, and we were able to witness a wedding party going around the town singing songs as they went.

We found ourselves sat by the marina waiting for the sun to set when I got chatting to an American couple. These were different Americans; these were able to walk around on their own quite independent of the need to follow somebody with a number held high on a stick. In fact there were no groups at all. After sunset the town centre was absolutely enchanting, the crowds had long gone home and the 'Cafe Culture' came to the fore with many restaurants employing their own musicians to entertain customers outside.

I can certainly recommend Dubrovnik for a long weekend visit. I think B&B would be preferable accommodation since you would then have the pleasure of eating out in the city centre in the evenings. Allow a whole day for the Old Town and another for perhaps going on an excursion trip to somewhere like Mostar to see the bridge, or a day cruise around the islands - £25 including lunch, or failing that a look around Dubrovnik 'New Town' down near the port where the cruise liners dock and where most people live and go about their work.

Which brings me to the very point of these insane ramblings - it's about sharing information. When I started to plan our trip through America in 2008 I faced a blank sheet of paper, I had to work out where we wanted to go and why, and how long that would take us, how we would get there, what we would pass along the way, and how much roughly it would cost us. Like the trips to America, we are by no means the first people to undertake this particular trip using this particular route, however, if previous travellers had shared their experiences then it would have been a huge help to me and I would probably have done things differently. So after the trip I will use my daily diary notes and photographs to put together a blog, probably with the America stuff first, followed by this trip, and God-willing further trips in the future.

The bus back at about 21:30 was very busy and in the darkness we made the mistake of getting off at the wrong stop. This entailed a long walk around hotel complexes and a path by the beach in total darkness, but having been told by hotel staff that we would be quite safe as there was no crime in Dubrovnik (now how many people can say that about their home town?) we carried on and eventually arrived back at the campsite.

14. Apr, 2016