HR and BiH

When it comes to natural beauty, Croatia takes the cake. I don't care if it sounds cliché-- I think Dubrovnik is the most beautiful place I've ever visited. The Adriatic Sea is gorgeous and is surrounded by mountains so that the water almost looks like a lake.

On my first day in port, I walked with Katie and Bonnie to the Old Town and we walked along the city walls. From the walls you can see the entire town of white buildings roofed in terra cotta tiles framed by the sapphire ocean. In the afternoon we took a bus to a beach called Copacabana. I had to get used to the idea of rocky beaches, but it's kind of nice not coming home at the end of the day with sand in your ears and belly button. 

The next morning I took a day trip into Mostar, a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is about a 3 hour bus ride from Dubrovnik. I visited a traditional Turkish home where I left my shoes at the door, and I went inside a mosque. I also walked across the Stari Most (Old Bridge.) The original bridge was destroyed during the war in 1993, and it is now restored and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the tour, I enjoyed a big lunch and some shopping before heading back to Croatia.

On the third day, I went on a snorkeling excursion with SAS. Our group was a small one and instead of being picked up in a bus, we hopped onto a boat that was blasting techno music just outside the ship. The boat took us to a hotel resort, where Katie and I spent 2 hours relaxing on blue and white striped beach chairs. Then we got on another boat that took us to an island where I snorkeled for over an hour in the cold, clear water. I took lots of pictures of the sea urchins and fish that were feeding on the rocks below me. It was the most relaxing and fun trip I've done so far.

That afternoon Katie and I set out to find a place called Cafe Buza in the Old Town. Along the way we ran into our neighbors and some other friends that were looking for the same place, so we all went searching together. We found it-- and I did what I went there to do: cliff diving. (Mom- this just means jumping off a cliff, nobody actually dives in) I was so scared to jump and my legs were still shaking for ten minutes after I climbed back up. But it was a lot of fun, and I'm glad that I went for it and didn't chicken out.

After a cold shower in which I rinsed the layer of salt from my skin, a big group of us went into the Old Town for the opening night of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. The city was lit up like a car dealership, and there were fireworks in the sky. People were out and about in their best evening attire, and live music was blaring from restaurants on every street. My friends and I ended the evening at a beach club called EastWest, where I met a group of people from Wales. It was the perfect way to spend my last night in Dubrovnik.

On Sunday I took another trip into Herzegovina, but this time I went to a small village called Medugorje. This area became the second most visited Catholic pilgrimage sight after six kids saw the Virgin Mary in 1981. I think I deserve some sort of honorary Catholic award since I've now been to the Vatican City and Medugorje. We climbed up Apparition Hill, which was more of a climb than I was expecting as evident from my dress and Birkenstock sandals.

I ate lunch with a new group of friends, and we caught the last 15 minutes of a Mass service. I walked into souvenir shop after souvenir shop, each of them sold the same thing-- there seriously must have been at least a million rosaries and Virgin Mary figurines in this tiny town. Before we left I stopped in a cafe for coffee and dessert, and I tried the most delicious pancakes that were filled with rich nutella.

Dubrovnik is a unique and captivating city. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who spoke English, especially since the only Croatian word I know is zdravo (hello.) It was interesting to revisit some of the history that I learned about in my classes, and to gain different perspectives by visiting two neighboring countries. I can now say that I have been to a nation that is technically younger than I am-- Croatia celebrates its 20th birthday next year. I also learned that Croatia is where the necktie and Dalmatian dog come from (the region we stayed in is called Dalmatia.) Who knew?

Well I'm off to brush up on my Greek. Tomorrow morning we dock in Piraeus.