Days 13 & 14: Delightful Dubrovnik
Our tour of the Adriatic ended in Dubrovnik, one of the destinations I was most looking forward to!
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We began our day with a short ride on the local bus to the Old Town, where we met with our local guide, Roberto, for a walking tour. Roberto was an absolute fount of knowledge, full of information about Dubrovnik's history, as well as anecdotes and insights from his life as a local (he lives right within the Old Town).
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We had started our day early and were lucky enough to see Old Town without the tourist crush. Dubrovnik's tiny back streets are so charming!
Morning walking tour
Listening to our guide, Roberto
Morning walking tour
Morning walking tour
Near the end of our walking tour, we paused to take a group photo. We started as strangers but ended the two weeks as friends! What a fabulous group of people to travel with.
After our walking tour, we had the rest of the day free to explore Dubrovnik as we wished.
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A friend of mine had recommended Buza Bar to me, so we decided to check it out first. Follow the signs for "Cold drinks with the most beautiful view" (they're not lying on either count!), pass through an opening in the city walls, and you will find a little bar perched by the sea. It was the perfect spot to rest and regroup before continuing our day!
Once we had relaxed for a bit, we continued our Dubrovnik explorations. We grabbed lunch at Restaurant Kopun (I had oysters and calamari), poked around the back streets some more, and did a bit of last minute souvenir shopping. We also saw the infamous "Shame! Shame!" staircase from Game of Thrones, pictured below on the right.
A Very Fond Farewell
In the afternoon, we hopped on the bus and headed back to our hotel, where it was, alas, time to pack for our return flight home (*cue weeping*). I also took some time to relax and read by our hotel's pool, pictured at left. I dipped my toes in but it was pretty chilly (it was October after all!)
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In the evening, it was time for our farewell dinner. We gathered in the courtyard of our hotel for drinks, then headed over to the lovely Hotel Kazbek for our meal.
Upon our arrival, we found a little gift from Sašo at each of our seats (pictured below at left), a bookmark with the quote: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." I agree!
It was a bittersweet evening: great food, great conversation, and great reminiscences, coupled with the sad realization that it would all be over tomorrow morning!
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Click through the gallery below for photos of our final toasts and our dining companions:
One last toast from Sašo
Afsaneh & Sholeh
Miranda & Doreen
One last toast from Sašo
And with that, our tour drew to a close! The next morning, we woke up bright and early to catch our flight back to the US--vacation was over (and by the time we outright sprinted through the Frankfurt airport to make our connection home, it was well and truly over!)
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So what's my verdict on Rick Steve's Best of the Adriatic in 14 Days tour? It was fabulous! I left our trip blown away by the stunning natural beauty of Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Croatia, having learned so much more about the region's history, and feeling very, very well fed. I gained a newfound appreciation for this region, and I'm sure I will be back someday!
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Now, the only question that remains: where to travel to with Rick next?!
Scroll below for extra photos from day 13
(You can click on any image to learn more!)
