Old City Of Dubrovnik

Walking through the Old City of Dubrovnik is a tour back in time. The walls and houses (now shops) of this old city speak of this city's rich history. Once a bustling trade port and now a favorite tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Walk with me as we marvel at how this city and its walls stood the test of time and history.

Entering the city

Saint Vlaho Sculpture

Tourists

The Stradun - main street.

If the walls can speak

The Stradun

Church of Sveti Spaso

Cuties Of Cavtat

Cats everywhere! Small cats, big cats, friendly cats, snobbish cats, and cute cats!

Strolling through the waterfront of Cavtat, you won't miss these cute, cuddly, friendly kitties; they seem to be roaming the area. I was busy taking photos when the first kitty approached me. Of course, I couldn't refuse taking photos and playing with these kitties.

Today, I present the cuties of Cavtat.

I badly wanted to take one of them home especially the one on the last photo.

Postcards: Boats Of Cavtat

Relaxed is the word.

As I gazed at the blue water, the distant floating yachts and the softly rocking, docked boats of all colors, shapes and sizes, I felt serenity and calm. Water has this effect on me and so did Cavtat.

I Fell-In-Love With Cavtat, Croatia

If Dubrovnik is a chocolate box, then Cavtat is a paintbox. (The Independent)

After lunch, our bus took us to Cavtat. According to our guide, Cavtat is derived from the Latin Civitas Vetus or old city. Once I saw the clear, blue water, I didn't want to leave or rather I refused to leave. I found Cavtat so alluring and charming. Cavtat, formerly known as the Ancient Roman City of Epidaurus, is living up to its reputation as a seaside resort.

I think this quote from The Independent truly embodies what I feel and think of Cavtat (full article here):

Cavtat perches on the saddle of a wooded peninsula set between two bays, so you're never more than moments from the water. The sea is as still as a mirror, a deep and brilliant blue with pools of green reflected from the pine forests beyond. A wide promenade, fringed with palm trees, runs along the harbour front.

This is the cosmopolitan centre of the town, where fishing and tourist boats jostle with gleaming jet-set yachts the size of battleships. In the same way, simple bars where locals crowd to watch football matches stand alongside restaurants gleaming with silverware and white linen. Ordinary pharmacies and hardware shops are likewise interspersed with hastily improvised souvenir outlets selling cheap shot-glasses and ashtrays sporting the Croatian flag.

If Dubrovnik is a chocolate box, then Cavtat is a paintbox. Cobbled streets with traditional red-roofed brownstone houses climb back from the blue of the waterfront. The narrow stairways between the opposite sides of each street are smothered in clouds of white, mauve and pink blossoms. In the fruit and vegetable market, by the bus station, crates of green and red peppers, purple aubergines and green figs are piled high beside trestle-tables laden with a golden blaze of fruits: bananas, papayas, enormous melons and the gorgeous knobbly lemons that also drip from the surrounding trees like blobs of yellow candlewax.

But most of all, Cavtat is about light. In the daytime, the town shimmers. In the evening, clouds in the night sky are outlined in a glow of copper and silver, looking for all the world like strange new countries on a mysterious old map. It's no wonder that the place has attracted so many artists.

Reference:

Why Croatia's Cavtat is a pearl in its own right, The Independent, 28 April 2007, http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/why-croatias-cavtat-is-a-pearl-in-its-own-right-446461.html.

Konavle Valley: Croatia

Time doesn't exist in the Konavle Valley.

Visiting Konavle made me feel that I was worlds away from my usual life. The place is so peaceful, serene and natural. Here, I was mesmerized by the crystal clear Ljuta River; it is by far the cleanest river I've ever seen.

This is the view from our table.

Restaurant servers wearing traditional Konavle dresses.

Ancient water mill.

Another view of the Ljuta River.

 Restaurant Konavoski Dvori is situated just beside the beautiful Ljuta River. I really enjoyed their cheese and smoked meats. 

 This Roman waterway stood the test of time.

Being here really made me listen to my thoughts.

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First Cruise Stop: Croatia

After a day at sea, it was exciting to see land especially that it is my first time to visit Croatia. Our stop in Croatia included a wine and dine tour at Konavle, a relaxing afternoon stroll at Cavtat and a historical tour of the "Pearl of the Adriatic," the Old City of Dubrovnik.

Below are my first few shots of Croatia:

I found this place charming and refreshing. Although I still associate Croatia to the 1991-95 war for independence from Yugoslavia, I didn't see any traces of war, rather I saw a country full of life and hope. Through the genuine smiles of its people and to the full appreciation of their culture, Croatia is absolutely and truly beautiful.