A Second Look at Dubrovnik

Last night was my first taste of Bosnian food. Acting on the recommendation of our Croatian landlord we combed through the side streets of Dubrovnik until we found the Taj Mahal. The restaurant had a charming ambiance with hand carved wooden tables, woven placemats, low hanging lanterns and regional artwork. Caroline and I both decided to try the cevapi, which is small, grilled rolls of minced beef in a half pita bread (with the taste and texture of Ciabatta), served with chopped onions and something akin to a cross between cream cheese and butter. It was surprisingly good, although the aftertaste of onions continued to remind me of the meal for many hours. After dinner we sat outside the gates of the old city looking out over the harbor. Occasionally the moon peaked through the cloud cover, bathing the scene in dim light. The rhythmic clanking of sailboat rigging against the masts kept time as we whiled away an hour discussing families, fortunes and futures.

This morning we went for a run along the coast- it was mostly uphill on narrow sidewalks lined with old couples who looked ready to wallop us with purses or canes if we brushed too close. There wasn't a single other jogger or biker to be seen. We spent the rest of the day wandering through the side streets we had yet to explore. Despite a slow Sunday, the city was suddenly teeming with tourists. One of the squares had been converted into an outdoor market with fresh lavender, candied almonds, dried oranges and local crafts. The resident pigeons seemed to be genuinely alarmed each time the church bells sounded (which seemed to happen every five minutes) and dive bombed from their perches atop the surrounding buildings down into the center of the square. One five year old boy delighted in chasing them around and droves of them took flight again as helpless shoppers ducked or covered their faces to protect against the thrashing wings.

We retreated from the melee and journeyed deeper into the recesses of the city where we had only the menagerie of stray cats for company. Eventually we came upon an aperture in the city's outer wall that opened suddenly onto a rocky outcropping overlooking the sea. It was a gusty day and the churning water was flecked with whitecaps. We spent close to an hour mesmerized as the waves buffeted the sea wall. Again and again they pummeled the jagged rocks, sending up plumes of foam, like a massive champagne bottle coming uncorked. In the aftermath of the salty explosions, the water retreated again in a mix of froth and aquamarine sea. It was too cloudy for a proper sunset but the rain began misting down just as the last flecks of gold slipped down the hazy horizon and we slipped back through the wall in search of a hot meal.

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to Dubrovnik and take a bus to Split for a whirlwind tour of Diocletian's Palace before catching an overnight ferry across the Adriatic to Ancona. From there we will catch a train to Naples on the otherwise of the Italian peninsula.  Once we leave our cozy Croatian apartment, I'm not sure how much wi-fi access I will have, but I will try to post updates about pizza, pasta and Pompeii as often as possible.