May 18th, 2012

Day 7, Dubrovnik

When a year ago Monsieur and I decided to go to Croatia for our next voyage, it was mostly because Monsieur’s friends were posting jaw-dropping pictures on facebook of their Croatian adventures, and we were hit with the bug. After all, Croatia isn’t your typical top touristic destination.

So last Friday, when our boat docked in Dubrovnik, but most especially when we got to our apartment… I had to stop for a few minutes and take in the view. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves… enjoy the first part of my Croatian escapade.

Our hostess Diana was welcoming and very helpful. She recommended restaurants where locals go as well as things to do and see. We lost no time and went off to explore the old city, walk upon the walls, swim at the pebble beach… We lunched on fantastic octopus carpaccio, fresh fish and grilled calamari at Dundo Maroje and dined at Kamenica on an octopus salad, small fried fish and squid, all with lots of great local beer. We couldn’t be luckier with the weather.

Really, we’re having the time of our lives! xox

May 14th, 2012

Day 6, Bari

On Thursday morning, with absolutely 0 sleep we arrived to Bari – a very commercial port city in the south of Italy. That evening, we took a ferry to Dubrovnik. And in between, we killed a lot of time. First we visited the Cattedrale di San Sabino (Bari’s Cathedral) where we stumbled upon a wedding! Then we explored the city’s main touristic attraction: the Basilica of Saint Nicholas (as in Father Christmas!). Inside the basilica we descended to the crypt, where the relics of the saint are kept, but to our great surprise we found the room filled with Russians, women with shawls covering their heads. We figured out there was an Orthodox funeral taking place. We ate a delicious lunch at Giampaolo. Prosciutto and melon to start, cavatelli with mushrooms for Monsieur and tagliolino vongole with red crayfish for me. Little cream puffs on the house added a happy note to our meal. Then we strolled along the shore, shopped on Via Sparano (new bikinis and lingerie for Madame) and lounged/refreshed at a little café.
It was the first time Monsieur and I took an overnight ferry. Little things we learned: like at the airport, you have to come 3-4 hours early, pass the customs, then wait… We spend most of this day moving from one place to the other, so the minute we got to our cabin, we rushed for supper with pivo (Croatian and Russian for beer) and instantly fell asleep. Love the feeling of rocking on the waves!

May 14th, 2012

Day 5, Padova

On Wednesday, we did a mini day-trip to Padova, ultimately to see the Scrovegni Chapel. The chapel was decorated with world-famous frescoes by Giotto from 1303 to 1305. It is comparable to the Sistine Chapel, only it’s 200 years older. We had to reserve the tickets 24h in advance, and enter a ventilated waiting room for 15 minutes, to stabilize the humidity levels inside the chapel. You can see some pictures of it here. The visit was well worth our trip, we strolled around the city, had the best pizza of our stay at Pizzeria Al Borgo, stopped at the basilica di sant’Antonio and wandered the streets.When we came back to Venezia, we grabbed some cheese, ham, bread and prosecco, drank our last sprizze (the local bitter drink) at la cantina, and went home for a evening of packing… and no sleep. We had to wake up at 4am to make it for our flight, but walking the empty streets of Venezia in the night was magical.