Day 1- Arriving at Dubrovnik



Figs! Fig trees were everywhere, found this juicy one on the road on the way to Old Town

Arriving at the quiet tiny Dubrovnik airport was quite a stark contrast to departing from crowd-filled Gatwick, even though we got to the airport at 5am. Also in contrast was the weather. We arrived in glorious sunshine and a whopping 32 degrees.

The hostel we were staying at is family run, they have a couple of houses next to each other and rent out the rooms. It was quite strange to find that when I opened the wardrobe, it was already filled clothes. We were literally staying in her spare bedroom. The bed in our room was huge, which was great for staying away from my boyfriend during the night because it was just so hot! Also, I dreamt that he was doing something really annoying which caused me to want to hit him in my sleep. Apparently I slapped the bed really hard- another good reason to have a big bed.

After we got settled in a bit, we walked to the Old Town, which is they key attraction in Dubrovnik. Sheltered by the city wall, we forgot that we were just by the coast. Navigating around in the narrow alley ways and getting lost in the stone walls was so relaxing, even though I felt like my face was melting!



Trying something artistic here...

 After wondering for a bit, we went to the War Photo Limited museum. It featured photos from Dubrovnik under siege in the 1990's on the first floor and Central Africa's current sectarian conflict on the ground floor. The photos of Dubrovnik was moving as it showed the people's ability to survive and them finding salvation and hope during testing times. The photos of Central Africa was just pure tragedy. It made me shed a few silent tears. Reading the information behind each photo was even more despairing. A part of me wished there was something I could do to make a difference, but another part of me wished I had never seen the photos- ignorance is bliss. I was feeling quite emotional and thoughtful after the War Photo Limited museum.



I loved just wandering through these alleyways, so many restaurants and shops were hidden between the walls

The skies sent a thunderstorm when we were in the war photo gallery, so when we stepped out, it was nice and cool. The ground was slightly wet from the rain but the whole air was just so much more pleasant. The change in weather also bought to my attention my rumbling stomach. I did eat a piece of cake that I made at home after arriving in Dubrovnik. The cake was so good though. But that and a bit of ice cream earlier meant I was really craving a proper meal. So we went a pizzeria recommended by the Lonely Planet after finding out our first choice restaurant didn't open until another hour. 

The pizzas were massive. I was so hungry that I started eating without taking pictures. We ordered pizza Olivia (which was the name of the pizzeria) and Delize. Oliva had shrimps, olives, red peppers, tomatoes and mozerella. Delize had prosciutto and spinach. Both were absolutely delicious. By the end, we had two empty plates and two very full stomachs. 

We strolled slowly back to our hostel in the evening, which was a uphill climb. That was good for us after the massive pizzas. We took it easy for rest of the evening and got an early night in to ready our ourselves for the next day.