Day 10 & 11: Dubrovnik!

 I am so excited about being headed to Dubrovnik. I was up early and out of my apartment by 630. It was maybe a 10 minute walk to the pier. I was the second in line to get on the ferry. When 710 came on the ferry I went and got a window seat. The ferry was  completely packed. There was not an empty seat. There was a lot of excitement on the ferry. People were not only going to Dubrovnik but the ferry was going to stop at a number of different islands. I never realize there was so many islands in the Adriatic Sea.

The ferry took off and I had a calm come over me. It felt so good to be moving on. Looking out at the green and blue color of the Adriatic I was realizing I was on a new adventure. As we stopped at each of the islands they were beautiful. They were absolutely there for rest and relaxation. There was no site seem to be done on any of these islands. There was beautiful villas and all kinds of beautiful boats on each of the islands.

The Ferry got in a little afternoon. It was right on time. I was able to grab my luggage quickly and into the main drag in front of the pier. Taxes were lined up just waiting for business and I was happy to oblige. The woman taxi driver took me on a ride for about 10 minutes.And there it was, the Vallemar , My home for the next few days. I was checked into my room immediately. The room was spacious and comfortable however I looked onto the roof of the dining room on the floor below.

Once getting settled, I went out and found some restaurants in the area and have a little lunch. I’m disappointed at the distance from downtown Dubrovnik. There were a few things to see if any in this neighborhood. I was disappointed because the pool  was going to be the only place to go. At 6:45 I met  The rest of the group. They seem very nice and I’m sure as time goes on with all get to know each other very well.

After having dinner in the hotel I walked around outside the hotel and was gifted by the most beautiful sunset. It was truly lovely but now it’s time to go to bed.everybody had had enough and was ready for bed.


Tonight I am really tired from the wonderful day we spent in Dubrovnik. After breakfast the group board and the local bus and headed to the old town. Our guide for this excursion was Eva.  She was particularly knowledgeable and very easy to listen to. We enter the old town along with the throngs of tourists who are also there. The majority of the city is within the walls that were built in the 14 and m1500s. They are truly beautiful. The Croatians are very religious people and most of Roman Catholic.  Thus,  those who want to find a mass on any given day have four or five churches to pick from. Much of Dubrovnik suffered damage during the 1991 1992 conflict in the old Yugoslavia. Many houses were completely damaged and some suffered minor damage during the conflict. All of the damage has been repaired but they do not want you to forget The conflict that took so many lives.

Entering the old city, the first Building that we came upon was the church of Saint Francis. It was a Franciscan monastery and as it was so sunny we went inside to get a relief from the heat. The views in the buildings would truly breathtaking but so wasn’t the heat and the humidity.Eva took us through the main points of the old town. We saw all the cathedrals and government buildings that were inside the wall. She pointed out damage that was left from bullets and bombs that were in someways left to remind us of the horror. Her  Tour lasted almost 2 hours. She gave us history going back to around the 1300s.. UNESCO has declared this a world heritage site and has helped  to preserve It and  fix any damage that is still left.

After the tour our guide, Zoran, decided that it was time for a break and we went to lunch. The restaurant we went to was a very small family run business. The waiter who is the son of the owner painted the murals in the dining room where we were eating . Everyone had fish but me. I had chicken and vegetables and it was just delicious. After lunch we headed out to the main street again and headed down to the stairs that would take us up on the wall. Not everybody in the group decided to take the stairs and Sam decided to sit out the wall. I knew it would be difficult But it was important to get up on that wall.

We made our way to the steps and we each had a ticket in hand to give to the official at the gate. We were going to climb the stairs. They were very steep and I was very nervous but up I went. It took me a while and I was the last one in the group to make it up to the top of the wall but I got there. The view was worth the walk. The views of the Adriatic Sea end of the city itself we’re just phenomenal. It was still difficult to walk across the wall and we walked about half of the wall. It took us about an hour to see all the things we want to see on the wall. They showed us how to pick out new tiles from the tiles that were here before the conflict in 1991. We lucked out onto the blue  Waters of the Adriatic and we can watch the boat sailing enjoy the marvelous weather. The sun was very hot up here even though there was a little breeze. I felt so good when that breeze would come across your face. As we walked you could look into people‘s apartments as many people live in the walls in buildings that were as much is 600 years old. It was just so beautiful.

 Once we came down off the wall we had free time. I started in the cathedral and sat and looked at the beauty of the place.  I went to a local café set down and ordered some type of a full fruit smoothie. It was expensive and it was sour but I got to sit there with Wi-Fi for the next hour. It was so relaxing and felt so good to get out of the heat. When 5:00 PM Came and went.I decided for me it was time to put my feet up and relax a bit. I got my place on the bus and took the bus

Dinner was a small restaurant outback. I’ve been there several times Tonight people now have to get ready To go to Montenegro first thing tomorrow morning. Good night. I can hardly keep my eyes open.

Days 7, 8, 9: Split, Croatia

Well the morning came, and  I made my way to the train station to get the train to Split. It was a two hour ride that was filled with much anticipation. Speaking of full, train was full of young people going to different spots along the way. Half the train was filled with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts  going camping. By the time the train got to Split there were very few people on the train.

This will be my last train for a while. I can’t say I’m sorry that the train traveling is coming to an end. In general I found that people have not been friendly traveling on the train and I’m not the only one that finds it stressful. Since I’ve been in Croatia, I have not found people to be friendly at all and English is very difficult to find.  The peoples tone is always very demanding. I find it difficult to deal with. On the train to Split, The only people who seem to speak with the people from England. They were friendly and they were helpful. As I get older, it gets more difficult to meet people on the train or traveling anyway that are willing to sit down and talk.

Getting off the train, I walked through the train station and got out onto the main street and try to find directions to my Airbnb. Train station is directly across the street from the port.  I couldn’t believe the number of people on the streets. I could be early walk down the road with my luggage. You just kept barreling through people and kept on going. It only took about 10 minutes to walk to my Airbnb. That was the easy part.

I found the door  to my apartment and I rang the buzzer. The owner let me in and told me to come up to the fourth floor. Remember in Europe the floors start at zero. This was not an easy task. It took me as long to get up to the apartment as it did to get from the train station. But once in the apartment and the landlord Were are delightful. And air-conditioned!. She sat down with me and went over the area and gave me some suggestions for restaurants. She was very helpful. The apartment itself was perfect I had a living room kitchen combination with a good size bedroom. The apartment itself  was in the middle of the old town.

The old town was contained within what was that one time Diocletian‘s palace. It was built in around the year 200 and has been altered and changed through different kingdoms and rulers. Much of the original wall and floors remain. Much of it was also renovated In therrow but each road leads into a beautiful square which today has some type of a café or restaurant that is set up tables and chairs  and especially at night they are lit up and a very festive. Once you go around the old town you end up at the waterfront.

The waterfront is not anything like I had expected. There is no beach. There is a moderate seawall and benches along the waterfront. Between the Palace and the waterfront our stalls selling  souvenirs, ice cream and food. There are benches along so that people may sit. At night the waterfront really comes alive. They had a band playing one night and the next night the Hare Krishnas were singing and dancing on the waterfront.  The restaurants were crowded and the waterfront was almost impassable with the number of people. It really made it to the point that I almost wasn’t enjoyable.

Each night I was in early. The crowds get you after a while. The second day I was there I have a headache which is very unusual for me. I did take a walking tour of the old town  which was pretty interesting. The tour guide, Ivana, had a wonderful sense of humor and she was funnier than she was knowledgeable. That was fine. It was nice to see that somebody in this place had a sense of humor. I grab some lunch and it started to rain so I hang in for the afternoon. I was supposed to take a Sunset cruise but it was canceled because of the weather.  Another early night.

The next morning I was supposed to take an all day cruise to three islands. Unfortunately it was raining and I canceled. Although I lost my money I would’ve been miserable in open boat all day in the rain, because they did takeoff that morning. About mid morning it stopped raining so I decided to walk up to Marian Park. This is a hill on the side of the old town that has a lookout halfway up. It gives you a panoramic view of the harbor and of the old town. I started to walk up and of course it started to rain. I ducked into a church and I stayed there for a while and when the rain let up a little bit I started up again but didn’t get too far when it started to rain again. I stopped and had a little lunch at a café . It was a pretty decent little place, the 58 café.

Once I finished lunch I started back up the hill. This time I made it all the way to the top. I turn to take in the view and there’s when the clouds opened up. I got drenched.I tried to find a place to get away from the rain but most of the spots were taken by the time I started looking. I went back to my apartment as I was soaked through to the skin. I felt it was time to call it a day.

Later on that evening I change my clothes and I went out to a lovely Italian restaurant in the old town. They had the best carbonara. They also made a wonderful fresh salad. After dinner I walked around and checked out the waterfront. The weather was still not stable so I felt It was time to Call it night, As I had an early morning the next day to catch my ferry to Dubrovnik.

 Here are a few reflections on Split. I was really disappointed. I thought it would be in someways romantic and more historical than it really was. It seems the history of the area is lost to the crowds and the commercialism that is there. The stalls of cheesy souvenirs and the unbelievable crowds Make it a place that is not really fun to visit. I expected to see the old town more set up for its historical significance than as a place for a honky-tonk nightlife. I was hoping to see a smooth and glassy Adriatic but what I was met with was a shoreline filled with commercial pleasure boats. Really disappointing! I hope Dubrovnik has more to share!
By the way, I’m starting to get used to Kunas. It seemed like play money at first but my bank account says differently.  Also as an aside, I bought myself a pair of blue suede shoes. I couldn’t resist.

Day 6: Riding through the Alps

By the way,  I can honestly say I was not sorry to leave the hotel. It truly was another sleepless night and I was just exhausted. Another amazing thing as I was packing my bag to make my 7 o’clock train I found sitting on the top of my suitcase my other train pass which I thought was lost. Saint Anthony you’re fantastic but just  $400 too late. I’ll see if I can straight the whole thing out when I get back to the states. But man he works doesn’t he.

I went over to the train station extra early just because I was afraid I would have all kinds problems. I had to print the tickets which is always been difficult. Not today went as smoothly as possible and I have an hour to wait for the train. I would be taking two trains today. One from Munich to Central Austria and then Central Austria to Zagreb. I would stay overnight in Zagreb and continue my train ride to Split.

The first day was going to be a very long one. Actually left Munich around 8 AM and got into Village in Austria at about 1: 43 and my next train left at 1:53. The scenery on this train was absolutely magnificent. It seems like the train was meandering but It was going over 100 miles an hour. The fields and farms lead into beautiful snowcapped mountains and lovely Alpine Villages.  The windows are relatively clean and I was able to take a few shots of the window. It’s very difficult to take pictures at that speed. The people sitting around me on the train were all very nice and although not all spoke English we were able to communicate just fine.

The next train is the different story. First of all, it reminded me of a train from the 1940s. Each compartment had six seats three on each side. It had the door closed to give the compartment privacy. Suggesting that it came from the 1940s should tell you something ahead of time about the lack of air conditioning. I never want to ride on anything in the heat again that is Not air conditioned.  However I was able to put the window almost all the way down inside the compartment and in the hallway and I got unobstructed views of the scenery. I have a compartment all to myself and a researcher from the University of Leyden in the Netherlands was in the compartment next to me. She was not going as far as me but we had some great conversation.  Most of the compartments were occupied by only one person and people were not terribly friendly. That was fine I was very content just sitting in my little compartment sweating to death.

I was in Zagreb by around 530. The place where I was staying was a five minute walk from the train station. It was A large apartment  with air-conditioning. It was really quite comfortable. I actually could’ve stayed there for a while however as I walked around a little bit in Zagreb I found there wasn’t much there for me to see. I grabbed a sandwich the local supermarket and broke back to my apartment and went to bed nice and early having not slept the last two nights. It was just so comfortable.

Day 5: Munich

After a sleepless night, I set off to see Munich. Although my hotel room was unsatisfactory because of the heat, the hotel was in a wonderful location as it was in walking distance to downtown Munich. It took about 15 minutes and it brought me right into the middle of Marionplatz. The side of the  City Hall was breathtaking. The intricate façade Of the 15th century building was magnificent. What was good too was that I was there before the crowds get to big.

 The fountains surrounding the building were pouring out refreshing water and many people were washing their faces in it. The heat was just so oppressive. There were street  musicians playing in shaded areas. Street vendors were everywhere. The square also had restaurants which had seating underneath watch umbrellas. It was a pretty happening place.

From here I walked down to see Saint Francis’s church.  Right next to there was a large food market. Locals were all gathered around the stalls having coffee and rolls for breakfast. Here is with the crowd started to roll In. Many backpackers and people staying in hostels all gathered around this food market to take advantage of the inexpensive food. Although I had breakfast at the hotel, I took the opportunity to sit down in the shade, have a cup of coffee and watch all the people.

They seem to be convention of men with lederhosen. I can’t imagine how they were wearing. It was so hot and the lederhosen are made of heavy leather. As I saw them throughout the city I think what was happening was that they were just going from bar to bar To keep themselves hydrated. It was entertaining . Now I decided it was time to take the train because it was too hot to continue walking.

The train stations were elaborate underground malls. They had food stores and clothing stores centered around the openings to go for the different trains. There was so many different lines it was a bit confusing as I was not able to understand all of the words and names. I finally figured it out and made my way to the area called the residences. Here was a beautiful English garden, government buildings that at one time been palaces and the residence of Ludwig I. They were setting up for some type of a festival Add stalls were being set up and much of the area was roped off. I stopped at Starbucks, yesterday was the Starbucks right there next to the English garden, and grabbed a coffee. I went in to the English garden and sat in the shade of the area along with locals having their lunch and people just sitting there reading and enjoying the beauty of the garden.

By this time in the afternoon I was truly beat from the heat and took the subway back to the train station and walk back to my hotel. Unfortunately my hotel room was no relief. Tonight I grab pizza down in the main square for dinner. I sat next to a 15-year-old student from Italy who is staying In Germany for a month by himself taking a course in German. He told me he’s looking forward to going home and is in no hurry to come back to Germany. I found the people pretty friendly and I really can say I could spend more time in Munich.

In the evening, I have the local park. They were setting up the beer garden and it was getting crowded with people after work. The bar set ups were portable and they will lounge chairs and beach chairs all over the park for people to sit. They hung lights in the trees end it almost look like it was makeshift but I do believe it was them every night. I walked around a little bit  and had a Coke and called it a night. Back on the train in the morning. Another sleepless night in the heat.