27 September Lepetane – Hercog Novi – Dubrovnik (C)

The ferry is free for passengers.  

It is easy to find a lift to Hercog Novi, where I can take the bus to Dubrovnik. At 9.30 we leave. The 2-hour trip takes as much time at the all border crossings as it takes for driving! From Montenegro we enter Bosnia and then than Croatia. This is today’s reality after the civil war. For me this is a long forgotten situation with the current EU borderless between the Schengen countries. 

Not to speak of all different currencies. Serbian Dinars, and Croatian Krona plus Bosnian Marks. Montenegro certainly does not accept Serbian Dinars, but uses the Euro, since it does not have it’s own currency. The EU has silently agreed. In Bosnia they are the most relaxed. They take Krona, Euro and Marks. You have to be a math magician to keep track. Thank got for credit cards this time.

In the harbor there is a swarm of yachts and day trip boats, as well as a giant driving hotel. One of those cruise-ships, which bark out thousands of tourists that get mouse-trapped in the streets of beautifully repaired Dubrovnik.

The fortress and town wall are now a world heritage site. It’s beautiful, but just not my type of tourism. I wouldn’t go for “you must have seen Dubrovnik and then you can die”!

My simple ‘sobe’ (room) is in one of the back alleys. The smell of the flowers and citrus trees lure me up the steps. 

 

The friendly and talkative lady offers me her price, but I bargain it down and we both seem content with it. She shows me her family roots that her 95 year old father has put together in a booklet Her family comes somewhere from Belgium, where her maiden name ‘Dender’ originates from. She also tells me about the siege in the winter of 1991, when Dubrovnik was encircled and shot to pieces. The people trapped without water and electricity.Then it’s time to go into the city.

Because the weather is so nice, I look for a beach and find it. Only locals and a lost tourist swim here. Life is beautiful and the Adriatic blue and with a pleasant temperature.

I dine out and retire early. Blog work to be done.