e_header.jpg)
We left Kotor in Montenegro and headed north to Croatia, in rain. It was delightfully cool after so many hot days. However with Hayden and Andrea due to fly in the next day for their precious summer holiday, we were concerned about how long the rain would last. This is the Adriatic – hot and dry in Summer. Sure enough, after a steamy morning we were back to intense heat.
Our first day was for housekeeping – Bruce needed a haircut, the car needed cleaning, bills had to be paid. Then it was time to pick up Hayden & Andrea from the airport. How exciting. We hadn’t seen Hayden for 16 months and hadn’t met Andrea, even though their relationship was already two-and-a-half years long.
Dubrovnik is a charming city, just made for tourists. Beautiful buildings and gleaming pedestrian-only streets, with the full swag of tourist stalls, all enclosed by a stunning wall. The walk around the wall is 2 kilometres, a long way in the midday sun. From there you can catch views of the sea, the nearby islands and the “yachts” that idle in the blue sea, the red rooftops and the church spires.
It was also worth a ride on the funicular to look over the city, which takes up a narrow strip of land between the sea and Bosnia Herzegovina.
We stayed in a resort style hotel a little out of town with its own rocky beach, decent swimming pool and ordinary restaurants. There was parking there – an important consideration in the ancient cities of Europe.
Hayden & Andrea had brought along their travelling companions, Pepe and Paco. Pepe originated with a donation to a good cause to save lemurs in Madagasca four years ago. He has been Hayden’s companion on many trips, sending photos home that are a little more interesting than just buildings and mountains. Paco is a more recent edition to the Hayden/Andrea travelling entourage.
