Dubrovnik City Tour / Island Hopping

  Dubrovnik, Croatia
Friday, May 25, 2007

Friday, May 25, 2007
Dubrovnik City Tour / Island Hopping
 
Dear Readers:
 
The day begins with a city sightseeing tour. We start by taking the bus to a panoramic overlook with amazing views over the old city. The weather is absolutely perfect. Our guide, Daniella, takes us on a walk around the old city atop the massive fortifications. Around each corner are views that surpass description. I will have to allow the photographs to speak for themselves.
 
In addition to walking around the walls, our guided tour includes the Rectory, which has guards in traditional costume at the entryway. We also see the Cathedral and the Treasury Room, which contains old relics from saints, including arms and other body parts believed to hold special powers.
 
After the walking tour concludes, several of us decide to stay in town and board a ferry to the nearby island of Locrum, which has a nude beach. While waiting for the boat to depart, the old city is buzzed by a squadron of planes flying in formation. After they have done their maneuvers, parachute jumpers appear and land near the old port. We find it amusing that the parachutes look like they are made to represent gay flags.
 
The island is absolutely gorgeous, with manicured trails and grounds. It is like a peaceful Italian garden. There is a monastery where now exists a restaurant. We have lunch, and as usual service takes forever, but it was restful and they had wonderful smooth jazz playing in the background. 
 
After lunch we went directly to the nude beach. Our mothers would have a fit since we didn't wait an hour after eating before jumping into the water and swimming. A local man showed us all the best places to swim, and we frolicked for a couple of hours jumping off cliffs into the crystal clear water and posing for photos. We were really like school kids again, and a day like this goes a long way towards keeping a person young at heart (just ask the septuagenarian and octogenarian who with us).
 
This evening we went to a local restaurant recommended by the Gay Dubrovnik travel agency folks yesterday, and we were so glad we did! The name of the restaurant is "Sesame," and the website is www.sesame.hr. If you are ever in Dubrovnik you must not miss it! Misko is the proprietor, and he set up a private seating area for our group, and at our request prepared a special "taste of Croatia" menu featuring seafood. All the dishes were incredible, and too numerous to recount.
 
The restaurant is right outside the city walls, so afterwards many of us took one final walk in the old city at night to see it illuminated. There were costumed guards posted at the gates, live music was playing in the square, and a festive atmosphere was everywhere. The city is alive, and not just with tourists.
 
I have been on a lot of tours in the past 17 years, but I have a difficult time remembering a day that was on the whole as spectacular as was today, from beginning to end. There is no place else on earth I can compare to this city, except perhaps Ibiza. I think perhaps the next time we come we should end the tour here, as it is difficult to imagine anyplace more heavenly. But that remains to be seen!
 
Hugs,
Dan