Hidden treasures of Dubrovnik

Making up for lost sleep ins today we slumbered well into mid morning before peeking out through the shutters at the sea view. By this time the kids were in school ( the activities of the students - senior secondary from all accounts - dominate the cultural resonance of this locality). Breakfast on the balcony - thanks to astute pre-planning by the non-blogger and the fact our accommodation has a community kitchen - was thoroughly enjoyable. Highlighted by the aspect of course. The Adriatic Sea was resplendent in the mid morning light - a miriad of sparkles led off towards the horizon. It was a cool breeze which slowly faded over the course of the day. We then hopped onto our feet and took the long 15 minute trek into the old city. This hides behind a hill when viewing from out balcony. As we got closer the volume of people thickened.

When we hit the drawbridge that leads into the old city and then into the marshalling courtyard prior to actually entering the place the crowds were simply extraordinary. A sea of tourists was flooding into the town like an invading horde of Venetians intent on conquest and plunder. If this place was an island it would've sunk today, and the last thing to be heard as it disappeared below the waters would have been the concophany of camera clicks capturing every moment (and perspective). Alas this place is extremely well built. Incredibly so on closer inspection. Assuming dollars have been spent recently the walls look impenetrable. There are only 3 gates to the city. 2 of them look like they have perfectly functional draw bridges, which I must say was very tempting to activate. Just to stop more of the marauding hordes coming in. It was bedlam. Never seen such a throng of hat wearing, camera wielding, short-pants and short-shirt sleeve wearing mass of people anywhere. And I reckon this blogger has seen a few. The best form of camoflauge is to blend in. So that's exactly what we did. Looked and behaved just like all the rest of them. We even spent money on overly priced coffee, food and attractions just keep the the image up. Our main aim of booking dinner at the best seat in town (as recommended by the Ellis's) was deftly dealt with. Next was sussing out washing facilities. This happened eventually but we got distracted along the way by roadside jewellery stalls and coffee where the consumption price is view based. The ramparts of the fort have a walking trail around them whick looks extremely similar to the great wall in China (less wide but the same amount of steps). We chose not to do this and instead took the cable car to the top of the hill overlooking the area. Blending in with the throngs beautifully we waited patiently in the queue before being whisked to the top of the mountain in a swinging gondola.

The views were worth the trip. Inland the stark mountains disappeared into the hazy distance whilst below the old fort town lay resplendent in its armoured glory. Perfectly protecting its harbour in the prime position along the coastline, that when looking northwards showed the miriad of islands and waterways that we'll be heading into shortly. Taking a punt we wandered away from the masses and their manicured environments (which cost just to enter) and walked 50 meters across gravel pathways, around the old fort, up some old ruins and onto an unobstructed view of the entire coast with only couple of other adventurous souls to share it with. Just goes to show that sometimes it's worth walking away from the crowd. After a few happy snaps and a quick lament at the grave at the top we rode the glass car back down to the fortress and eventually caught the local bus home. This was more fun and challenging than simply walking for 15 mins. Because we can, stocked with local goodies from the local convenience store, we returned to the balcony for a pre dinner sesh - which rolled into pizzas for T as the sun set towards the west and the Terminator slowly encased the sky in darkness from the east.

And then a bonus... Figuring backs were sore due to the age of the mattress and with two more nights to sleep on it it was determined that the best course of action was to flip it over. That we did and lo-and-behold! What better parcel to find stuffed underneath but a plastic bag stuffed with cash! Given the state of the never turned mattress this could've been there for many years. Pay Day comes to those who think outside the norm. Chinese Yuan. Obviously being secreted away from the government to avoid taxes. Feeling pretty happy with our new found wealth we are looking forward to spending all $23 Aus equivalent on something really worthwhile. Like maybe a Croatian fridge magnet.. or maybe (really getting excited now) a T-shirt that says "I went to Dabrovnik and all I bought was this lousy T-Shirt". Priceless. Just can't wait to hit the old town again just to while away the hours deciding what to purchase.