October 5/16

We had such a full and magnificent day that I just didn't have the energy to write on the same day.  We started off our day by watching three cruise ships roll by our balcony window.  At 9:00 am we boarded our bus and rode down to the Old Town of Dubrovnik.  We had a guided tour through the old town, visiting a Franciscan Monastery, the Cathedral and a Palace.  Then we were given 2.5 hours of free time and, once again, I did my best to "do it all"!  The first priority was to walk all around the Old City on top of the city walls. We had an absolutely beautiful and sunny day and it allowed us to take fantastic pictures!  This was an amazing experience, certainly up there on my list of favourite memories!

It took us about an hour and a quarter to do the complete circle.  We needed to eat but didn't want to waste a lot of time so we stopped at a Tapas bar (appetizers), thinking it would be quick and not too much food.  Well, we were right about the not too much food but not so much about the quick!   I have included a picture of what we got! Carl and I ordered a Caprese salad and Bruschetta, thinking we would get enough food for a light lunch! Light it was as we got one little round of bread (bruschetta) and a little ball of cheese with one cherry tomato sliced up and drizzled with balsamic vinegar!  All of this plus one beer for only $20!!!!! Yikes!!  Things have changed from the beginning of the trip when food was cheap and plentiful!!

We had only 30 minutes left to finish our "Dubrovnik bucket list" so off we ran to find a Buza Bar.  There are two bars that are located outside the city walls, perched on the rocks overlooking the sea.  (Thanks for the recommendation, Al Lefebvre).  We found the bar and had just enough time to enjoy a beer and soak up the amazing Mediterranean sun!! Then we had to hustle back to the bus to meet the group!  Once again, we did it all!!

We got on the bus and drove about thirty minutes along the coast, once again getting lovely views of Dubrovnik from the coast.  We arrived in the little town of Cavtat, a charming seaside town.  We had a short tour to the St. Nicholas church before getting free time to explore on our own.  Once again, I couldn't resist the opportunity to "get up high" so Grace and I walked up 175 steps to a Mausoleum and graveyard.  The view was so amazing that I heard that people are just "dying to get in there"! Ha!!

After enjoying an ice cream along the waterfront we again boarded the bus and drove up into the mountains where we visited a reconstructed flour mill.  We had a tour of the mill and tasted local goodies, brandy and wine!!  Yummy!

We returned to our hotel to relax for a bit and to get ready for our farewell dinner.  This was the last day of the regular tour and seven people from our group were leaving the next morning.  We bussed to a restaurant in the old city. It was a shock to us that cold air had moved in, making it a very cold and windy evening.  We were extra thankful for the lovely day that we had.

Unfortunately, the restaurant was a let down in various ways but we made the best of it and enjoyed our final night together with the whole group.  When we returned to the hotel we bade farewell to the seven that were leaving us.