Dubrovnik, Croatia... so awesome...

still enjoying the local laundry :)

Hello there!  

Hope you are well!  I am having fun here in the western Balkans :).  Yesterday my roomies had to run some errands in Dubrovnik, Croatia so I tagged along, happy to visit a city I'd heard was gorgeous.  I was not disappointed!!!  The "pearl of the Adriatic" is about a 1-1.5 hr drive from Herceg Novi, Montenegro.  Historical lore indicates that Dubrovnik, once called Ragusa, was first settled as a port by the Greeks.  After the crusades, the city was under the rule of the great Republic of Venice & then later on it was an ally of Venice's Italian rival, Ancona.  It became it's own republic around 1300.  Croatian language is spoken & the currency is the Kuna.  I haven't been able to fully figure out the language in these parts, seems like all these Balkans basically speak the same language, with regional differences.  I am still at a loss to comprehend anything.  Dubrovnik is very touristy & I heard a few Americans around, even one wearing a University of Wisconsin t-shirt!  Croatia is a country with many islands along it's gorgeous coastline.

Here you see Dubrovnik in the bottom, that little bay below in Monte is where I am living.

looking down the steep stairway to the red roofs

steep and narrow alley leading into the old town center

main street, you see everyone is crowded in the shade strip because it is already roasting @ 9am!

main piazza

the streets are so polished they are slippery in my tractionless flip flops

cathedral

tiny, sweet apricots

the figs i overdosed on

tiny yellow plums

marina

highly scenic swimming area

cannot imagine a much better spot to cool off!

happiness!

Really, one of my favorite foods are FIGS!  YUM!!!!!  You can imagine, I'm overjoyed to be in the fig zone of the world.  They are just coming into season & I am actually, unhealthily, obsessed with figs!  Yesterday in "Dubrovie" I went to the open marked & purchased a kilo of fresh figs & a big bag of dried figs (mmm...  preserved with anise seeds & bay leaves...).  Walking around I ate the entire bin of fresh figs & then a bit later I started pigging out on the dry figs.  I hate to admit this but, I almost started feeling sick & was definitely having fig overload & I had to throw my remaining figs away to save myself from eating every last one.  Could not stop.  It was a moment of extreme weakness & lack of self control, I am ashamed to have thrown away the tasty figs but really, it was all I could do to save myself.  Then later in the afternoon, not having learned any lessons in self control, I nearly killed myself leaning off a tall wall trying to pick some fresh figs.  When I walk around Herceg Novi I am staking out fig trees that I will be able to pick when they are ripe.  I am obsessed.  Can't wait for the next time I go to the market, I will surely buy figs.  :)

they are huge & delicious!!!

this lady is just having a read on her high, shady balcony

a popular cafe in a shaded alleyway, folks are hanging out all over the stairs, cool scene!

fill er up!

my roomie had told me about a bar overlooking the sea where you could venture down for a glorious swim, i was intent on finding it!  randomly ambling along the shaded interior walls i came upon a small unmarked portal leading out to this sweet bar!  success!

you walk down some stairs to find the most amazing spot for a dip!  this is me saying CAN YOU BELIEVE HOW GORGEOUS THIS IS??????  

 When I arrived I had the little spot to myself & gradually some others came down to join me.  Most people came down from the bar, not knowing that it was a sweet swim spot.  Then, despite not having brought swimwear they were enticed to strip down and go in because it was irresistable!  Then a young pair of thrill seekers, from Australia & Iceland, came to do some cliff jumps.  These dudes were fearless & a lot of fun.  They took some seriously high leaps such as the one below.  I was feeling a bit chicken for the tall ones but, they did help me overcome my fear to do some dives off some smaller rocks.  FUN!

crazy Aussie!

This was definitely a 10/10 life experience swimming in the Adriatic sea at Dubrovnik.  Thinking along these lines I took a moment yesterday while waiting on the hot & stuffy bus from Dubrovie to Herceg Novi @ the Croatian border control to compile a list.  Indulge me (really, if you can't be self indulgent in your own blog, then when???)!  I did put some thought into this, sometimes you really have to think about what's important...  :)

TOP 10 SWIMMING EXPERIENCES/SPOTS:  (in random order)

1) Adriatic sea, Dubrovnik
2) Owen's river, Bishop CA (river jogging)
3) Crater Lake, Oregon
4) Devils Lake, Baraboo WI (rock jump)
5) Kaweah River, "toilet bowl" Sequoia Nat'l Park (natural rock slide + dive)
6) Kehena beach, Puna Hawaii (dolphins)
7) South Point, Hawaii (cliff jump)
8) Roatan, Honduras (snorkeling)
9) Lake Washington, Seattle
10) Lake Tenaya, Yosemite Natl. Park

honorable mentions:  El Cap bridge jump, Yosemite.  Polignano a Mare, Puglia Italy.  Bay of Kotor, Montenegro.  Apple River tubing, WI.  St. Croix river cliff jump.  Blue Springs st. Park, DeLand FL, swimming with manatee.  Rio Beni, Bolivia (raft).

typical lace & embroidery work

brought along the trusty crossword book to pass the time during a break :)

 Then, I took in the top tourist activity in Dubrovnik, walking along the ancient city walls.  They really capitalize on this activity, charging about $12 to make the 1h loop.  It was totally worth it, despite my cheapskate inclinations.  I went at about 5pm to try to miss the intense heat of the day, this was a moderate success.  Super unfortunately, my camera battery crapped out just when the views of the red roofs of the city were really starting to pop.  So, this was all I could manage.  I know it's been a scenic day when I kill the camera battery before I am finished with my sightseeing (also, I know I need a new battery because shouldn't it last a few days??)

main street

yay!  I had bought this new panama style hat because my other hat had gotten super floppy & flaccid, obscuring my vision.  This new one is awesome but large so it was always flying off my head due to winds, I will have to fashion a chin strap.

looking down on the epic swim spot I'd been at earlier.  now it is overrun with teens & the water is no longer calm.  

another excellent swim spot.  

here is the one photo I could get of these red roofs just before the camera shut down.

And, that was my day in Dubrovnik.  Excellent!  I hope to go back.  

I've really been thinking about my pals in Colorado where they are having the worst fire season in history.  The city of Colorado Springs is burning & fire is encroaching on Boulder.  I'm thinking of you all there & wishing for the best.  Stay safe!!

Also, in health news, my eye problem lingers on...  It is no longer painful but still unsightly.  If it doesn't resolve I may have to seek a small Montenegran surgery procedure.  What a pain in the A.

Yoga classes have been a bit slow to start but I am enjoying teaching my early morning classes.  We are hoping to do a big promotional sweep with fliers & posters to bring in more students.  Also, we've been scouting out other locations.  We'll be using outdoor spaces & the heat & sun are our main factors to work around.  It is not really comfortable to do yoga outside after 7:30am or before about 7:30pm.  If you are in the shade & doing a class with minimal movement it would be doable in a wider time window but, shade is of the essence here.  

Thanks for reading :)  xx