Today was our last day in Dubrovnik, and after the ton of walking and climbing we did yesterday, we opted for taking advantage of our terrace and its view, and we ended up spending most of the day out there. This is very contrary to my usual mode while traveling (see and do as much as possible), but one of the best things about this trip (and this country) is that we are able to feel so relaxed and not under pressure to see everything. Dubrovnik has a number of museums, galleries, churches, etc – the usual array of European offerings – but we are choosing to feel like we’re on vacation and just take it easy. It’s been so necessary for me after my summer of preparing for the bar exam. I have a feeling that when I get home I will be partially unrecognizable not only because of how tan I am but also because I will look so well rested and relaxed.

I did leave the terrace for a little while for a solo adventure to try to pick up our ferry tickets for tomorrow; I successfully used public transportation to get back to the fort, but Jadrolinija told me we have to pick then up tomorrow morning. It was still nice to have some private time around the city – not because I’m getting tired of Rachel! but because it just makes me feel more like I live here or something.

We watched a lovely sunset while drinking wine on the terrace and then went into the city one last time for a really great dinner – one of the best meals I’ve ever had (and I just spent eight months in Paris). We ended up splitting a bunch of appetizers, including cheese from the island of Pag (my favorite!), pickled peppers, fish pâté, stuffed squid, black cuttlefish risotto, and lamb in honey and lavender. (Oh my gosh. The squid and the lamb.) it was all delicious, and I just wish we could have ordered the whole menu! It was also really reasonably priced.

We’ll be spending most of tomorrow on the ferry to Split, where I will finally get to reunite with my friend Iva! I’m so excited to see her and to experience Split with a native. 🙂

Much of today’s activities are better expressed through pictures rather than words. We walked the wall encircling the old city (which takes several hours depending on how long you pause for pictures), had a yummy late lunch (stuffed peppers!), took the cable car to the top of Mount Srd to see the incredible view of the city and coastline, visited the small museum about the war in Dubrovnik, spent a few hours drinking Croatian wine and eating de-lec-table Croatian cheeses and prosciuttos, tried a few types of rakija, and watched a tamburica concert in the Stradun. GREAT DAY.

We arrived in Dubrovnik around 12:30 today and took a cab to our apartment, which is on the hill overlooking Old Town. The view from our terrace is nothing short of spectacular; it’s going to be hard to force ourselves to leave during the next two days, especially because once again getting home requires a real hike. This one mostly involves stairs – several hundred – so it’s rough! We’re going to be in amazing shape when we leave (and we were both already in pretty good shape before coming here).

We eventually left the view on the terrace and walked down to explore Old Town. I remember it fairly well from our trip eight years ago, but of course I didn’t see every single alley and street. We escaped the hot sun and had a late lunch near the water, then we walked down the Stradun (main street), surveying the various shops. We spent a while in a bookstore offering books in multiple languages, including English, so I was able to get something to replace my Kindle. They had a number of books about Croatia, Yugoslavia, and the war, but I overrode my inner nerd and opted for something more vacation-oriented. We also picked up a small book called “Flirting in Croatian,” which unfortunately for is is written to make audiences, but it’s still really funny to leaf through. My favorite was “posudiš mi telefon? Mama mi je rekla da je nazovem kad se zajubim,” which means “can I use your phone? My mom told me to call her when I fell in love.”

At the far end of the Stradun we found one of my favorite things in Dubrovnik: it’s a rain spout located on the wall of a church about two feet above the ground. It’s shaped like a head, and eight years ago there were always people attempting to stand on it and retain their balance, which is really hard. I think I only made it five seconds or so last time. Today it was practically impossible – I have a video showing me trying and failing miserably to stay on for longer than a second!

We explored further into the city in search of what I remember as “the holes in the wall that lead to swimming.” As you can see from the pictures, Dubrovnik’s Old Town is circled by a very thick stone wall. Rachel wasn’t quite sure what to make of my assertion that there are just random openings in the wall, but sure enough we found two! Both lead to small cafe areas where there are also people leaping off the rocks into the sea – from quite high; we watched two guys shuffle along the wall and then leap from about 15 meters above the water. It’s very cool to see!

We got a basic orientation to the rest of the walled area before heading back up to the apartment. We stopped on the way to get a few groceries for our chill evening – the idea was to recover from last night and Hvar generally by just staying home. We ended up going down once more to do laundry at a cute launderette recommended by Rick Steves; we threw our salty clothes into the machines and then crossed the street to sit on a bridge and have a drink while we waited. That’s one of those beautiful things about Europe… you can drink anything, anytime, anywhere.

We’re now back in our room enjoying Dalmatian prosciutto and cheese while we catch up on writing (me) and photo sharing (Rachel). Not sure yet what’s on the agenda tomorrow. We’re going through a bit of Hvar withdrawal, but Dubrovnik is wonderful, and we both felt really happy and relaxed as we walked around today.

It’s amazing that we’re only halfway through the trip!