Day 31 - Dubrovnik

After a fantastic nights sleep under a table in the onboard casino, I went to the deck to watch the sunrise and take my first look at Croatia as we sailed into the port. I was impressed immediately by the beauty of Croatia and I knew that I would love it. The water, the trees, the buildings and houses, even the people were amazing to look at. This is one of the photos I took from the boat as we entered the harbor.

I got off the boat and made it to my hostel by about 9. I walked in and was greeted by one of the owners, Milka, who immediately sat me down at the table for breakfast before even checking me in. She had made some Croatian cheese pastry and French toast and coffee. Once breakfast was finished, Milka's husband came around to check me in and give me the scoop on Dubrovnik, which took about 30 mins and included 2 detailed maps and a welcome shot. A shot of very strong Croatian liquor at 930am is a real eye opener...

After breakfast I tagged along with some British and Kiwi friends to a beach nearby. The beach was a rock beach with medium sized pebbles and the water was beautiful. Dubrovnik is every bit as gorgeous as Greece if not more so. We hung out there for a few hours and then back to the hostel for some more food before a snorkeling excursion.

The couple that owns the hostel have a son named Ive (pronounce Eve and is short for something else long and Croatian) who took us about 30 miles outside Dubrovnik, almost all the way down to Montenegro, to a good snorkeling spot. He took some great pics with his underwater camera.
When we got out of the water he took us on a drive around the area to show us some of the countryside and locals:
and to the top of the hill where I took this neat photo of the old town:


That night the crew from the hostel went out on the town and ended up taking a late night dip in the ocean before we came home. They were a fun bunch.