This is a blog for a trip Paula and Armando did starting in Venice, Italy and finishing in Drubovnik, Croatia visiting Rovinj, Opatija, Rijeka, Plitvice Lakes, Zadar, Split and the islands of Brac and Hvar. We also visited Montenegro where we rode around the bay of Kotor and visited the cities of Budva and Cetinje.
And just like that, today is the last day of our Croatia (and Montenegro) Tour. And a grand Tour it has been. We have thoroughly enjoyed Croatia, it's people, it's food and it's beauty still in a raw form. The beaches are beautiful and the Adriatic sea colors are amazing. We have enjoyed riding in Croatia roads which are in excellent condition most of the time.
Going back to today, the highlight of the day was going up and coming down the mountain just next to Kotor and then ride next to the bay from Kotor to catch the ferry. The pictures and videos we took are amazing and it shows nature in its purest form.
Going through the border was again very fast with no hassles and we were back in Dubrovnik at 7 pm which gave us time for us to eat before we caught the ferry to Bari in Italy.
The ferry was full of Italian pilgrims that were coming back from their pilgrimage so you can imagine the noise level as they spoke excitedly with each other. It was amazing just to sit and see the action. The hands, oh the hands ...
The ferry was quite old and very weak compared to the ones in the Nordic countries. We missed the esplanade floor, the very large deck and the shop to buy perfumes. Cabin was ok and we were able to sleep well and ready to tackle the next day Back In Italy.
Today we continued our trip South and entered a new country in our tour, Montenegro.
Montenegro has 622,000 people and is on the Top 10 Tourist Destinations. It is very young as independent country. The status of the union between Montenegro and Serbia was decided by the referendum on Montenegrin independence on 21 May 2006. A total of 419,240 votes were cast, representing 86.5% of the total electorate. 230,661 votes (55.5%) were for independence and 185,002 votes (44.5%) were against. The 45,659 difference narrowly surpassed the 55% threshold needed to validate the referendum under the rules set by the European Union. According to the electoral commission, the 55% threshold was passed by only 2,300 votes. Serbia, the member-states of the European Union, and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council all recognised Montenegro's independence.
The Flag of Montenegro was officially adopted with the Law on the state symbols and the statehood day of Montenegro on 13 July 2004 at the proposal of the Government of Montenegro. It was constitutionally sanctioned with the proclamation of the Constitution on 22 October 2007. It is a red banner with broader golden edges all around the red field with the Coat of arms of Montenegro in its center.
Trip took us from Dubrovnik in Croatia to Budva in Montenegro.
Highlight of trip was the bay of Kotor in Montenegro. We travelled around the bay in a clockwise direction with mountains on our left and the bay on our right.
We had lunch in a restaurant close to the northest part of the bay and dinner in Budva in a restaurant just outside its walls.
We are enjoying Montenegro. It is a small country and people are quite nice although they are not as tourist focus as the Croatians and level of English is much lower. We did get a sticker and a flag ;-).
Tomorrow we go back to Dubrovnik to catch ferry back to Bari in Italy.
Today we spent the day in the island of Mljet. Over 84% of the island of 98.01 square kilometres (37.84 sq mi) is forest. The island's geological structure consists of limestone and dolomite forming ridges, crests and slopes. A few depressions on the island of Mljet are below sea level during the rain seasons are filled with water and turn to brackish during dry seasons. About a third of the island is national park.
It is one of the few places that has some sandy beaches and we spent one hour towards the end of the day relaxing next to the sea.
Today we spent most of the day at the resort, reading, listening to music, watching some videos and relaxing.
The resort is amazing. Its location is great and we just have a magic suite. The views are of the best we have experienced.
Weather was quite overcast until about 1pm at which time the sun came out and we had a beautiful sunny afternoon, totally showing the inability of the weather guys to predict what is going to happen.
At about 3:30pm we took the bus to the old town. Our hotel is about 100m from the bus that stops right in front of the old town. About a 15-20 minute ride.
We had a great lunch in a restaurant that has been there since 1836. Location is fantastic and we took many pictures. The food was fine. We both had salads. Paula chose grilled chicken and I tuna. The views from the table were stunning.
The highlight of the day was walking the walls of Drubovnik.
The Walls of Dubrovnik are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected its citizens since the 7th century. With numerous additions and modifications throughout their history, they have been considered to be amongst the great fortification systems of the Middle Ages, as they were never breached by a hostile army during this time period. In 1979, the old city of Dubrovnik, which includes a substantial portion of the old walls of Dubrovnik, joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
The oldest systems of fortifications around the town were likely wooden palisades. Today's intact city walls, constructed mainly during the 12th–17th centuries, mostly a double line, run an uninterrupted course of approximately 1,940 metres (6,360 ft) in length, encircling most of the old city, and reach a maximum height of about 25 metres (82 ft).
We took many pictures and also videos to remind us once we left.
I just love this picture !
And these ...
And many others that could not fit anymore ...
By the time we had walked the wall the sun had set and we stayed in the old town (inside the wall) walking and one of the most amazing experiences we had was to visit a large room that has been dedicated for the resistance fighters that died defending Dubrovnik during the civil war that devastated this city. As you visit this beautiful city that has been fully restored it is so easy to forget that it survived and it is free today because of the ultimate sacrifice of many. This visit gave to me a special meaning and I leave more attached to this city than to others we have visited.
We had dinner in an outside esplanade very close to the theater and it felt amazing sitting there, having good food and enjoying the evening literally next to a building that is hundreds of years old that somehow survived heavy bombing.
We loved Dubrovnik. It has a mountain guarding the city, it has the sea next to it and in some places entering it, it has a old town area where you can walk, eat, people watch and listen to music, it has a wall around it which you can actually walk and most important it is there for us to partake of its beauty because of sacrifice of many who loved it so much they laid their lives to protect it. And all that in our book makes it a must visit city. The best of Croatia.
Posted by Armando
