JULIE:
Despite the weather, our flight out of London to Croatia went perfect! We landed after dark & exited the jet onto a small airport runway, just like how the president gets off jets! We tried to wave at people, but I don't think they got it. Becky took so freakin long in the bathroom they shut the lights off & closed the terminal but had to wait for BECKY! We took a cab from a nice guy named Dario to our hotel, which looks like an absolute palace! We got a great room upgrade and our room takes up a corner of the building. There were desserts and robes waiting for us, and yes, a phone in the bathroom! I'll be calling some of you shortly!
Yesterday also happened to be a HUGE festival here, one of their biggest holidays in Croatia to honor San Blasemus (he has a LOT of alias' too...he's everywhere around here.) So we got to walk around the old town and watch a concert last night while all the townspeople, well, smoked and drank, but it was a lot of fun. Then Becky and I went back to our room, I had a beer the size of my car because that's just how they serve them here...it's all about cultural experiences, right?? We tried to sleep but were awoken by an awesome thunderstorm.
We had an "Eastern Flavors" breakfast this morning, and planned to eat it on our terrace but it was covered in rain so we ate in bed in our robes :) We then took a walking tour that lasted about 4.5 hours. Dubrovnik is famous for it's walls running around the old city, and the tour took us all along the walls. The rain cleared up and we took some amazing pictures....I would say it's like something you see in movies, but really it surpasses anything I've ever seen. If I ever elope, I'm getting married here! We had lunch after that and watched some cats try to hump each other on the patio. I'm very impressed with the culture here in Croatia....the food as fantastic, service is (usually) very good, and the town is incredibly clean.
I'm off for a hot stone massage...Becks is going to take over now. For all those reading, hvah lah!
BECKY:
the flight had only 20 people or so on it...way cool...and we got a sandwich which was 1/2 chicken salad and 1/2 ham and cheese...really good.
well, let's just say jules only remembers what she wants to remember....it was SHE who just HAD to go to the bathroom...hearing her talk about it made me go...so again her fault. i come out and jules is yelling run, hurry....the lights are off and we go outside for the transport bus...oh, yeah, not there cuz stupid julie had to detour to the bathroom so they left without us. yippee. had 4-5 taxi drivers trying to get us in their car. so off we go with Dario...nice guy...gets us to the hotel which is like a palace...omg- they gave us an upgrade...a corner room with so many windows and a kick ass balcony...oooh. and a bathroom that is as large as any bedroom back in the usa. so i learned modesty is not an issue anywhere in europe...they have a thigh high window ledge and a sheer piece of fabric over it pretending to be a curtain...so when you have finished on the toilet you gotta slide off the seat, get on your knees on the floor and wriggle your drawers up so the men hanging at the sandwich bar across don't get a peep show. same for when u get out of the shower...hello....open window....we should get paid for peeping on americans. Nice. oh, and no toilet seat covers over here...in case anyone is curious, it takes 9 squares of toilet paper to cover the seat. yes, they do not have rolls, just little squares.
so i cannot say enough about this hotel- it is the most gorgeous thing i have seen in a long time and they keep jules mellow with the XXL beers. everyday- my shoudler hurts, i need a beer...or my hips hurt....i need a beer....it's been 30 minutes, i need a beer....come on already! we had chocolate mousse and some brown balls of coconut and some berry dessert waiting in the room when we arrived. also the TV was on and the screen said...welcome Ms. Prayter...blah blah blah. we even had our own bathrobes and slippers! so there is a video of julie drinking a keg in her robe...
we go to the festival which is only held once a year for the patron saint of Dubrovnik (AKA Ragusa)...his name is St. Blaise...aka blaikdjfdhf or something like that or even Vlaho...anyway his likeness is on everything. they had a concert which was hella loud but i liked it. all the young people here are like our teenage goth kids. all black clothing...i fit right in.
so we ate at this place Domino's (no, not the pizza place) and i had the best beef stronganoff ever and julie had (who cares what she had, mine was better...) so the waiter is quite flirty and yes, he got a nice tip...the Kuna here (the currency) is hella hard to figure out...our meal came to like 358 kuna and we tipped him like 100 kuna...can't tell if he got jipped or got a good tip...had our photo taken with him...he was a cutie!
we got back to the room around 2300 hrs....way cool thunderstorm and lots of lightning...i woke up jules (who can sleep on a rock) at 0234 hrs so she would not miss it...i am thoughtful that way. so the rain starts blowing in the room and i have to get up and close all the windows and now i cannot go back to sleep. i take my shower...get dressed lying on the bathroom floor...and off we go to the lobby for a walking tour provided by the hotel of Dubrovnik. They include in our group an older couple from England- hella nice. he is a camera buff like jules so they hooked up right away....the 2 hour tour took 4.5 hours with jules and her new friend setting up all their shots...way worth waiting for them- wait till you see these photos...i took over 2 hours of video and photos myself until by battery died. this is truly the most beautiful place on the planet. omg.
so we are famished now and go to a restaurant to eat. we go in, get blank looks and sit there while 3 staff ignore us. how would i know this is a bar??? so some broad comes over and asks if we would like to go to the restaurant...duh...so she takes us to the back of the building and we get to sit in a wooden boat to eat...can't really explain it but was really cool and right by the pier. you cannot believe this place...if i were ever to lose my facilities and get married again, this would be the place...omg omg! people here are nice, there is very little crime and they do not care if you are a tourist.
i purchased a spoon for lorye cater at this little shop the first night and i had no Kunas i only had Euros so they guy starts whispering that it is illegal for him to be paid in euros...i tell him i can go get some kuna and he darts off in the rear of the store and says he keeps a secret purse of euros and he can make change....so lorye, i hope you are happy.
there is so much history here...buildings have been here since 972 AD....during the Bosnia war in 1992 (?) they have kept all the mortar damage unchanged as a reminder. they also had a bad earthquake years ago where some buildings were damaged and they are left exactly in tact. while we were snooping around in the dark, the cat whisperer, jules, gets like 8 cats (so cute...possibly some inbreeding going on, they all look alike) to follow her around the city. So cute!
our plan this morning was to have room service out on the balcony in our robes enjoying the view...omg did i mention it is incredible...words cannot describe...anyway, it did not stop raining until mid morning so that was caput. the breakfast was....um, really yellow...and i cannot describe the meat without offending some viewers...so i will discuss those later...really odd. i did however, really enjoy the chocolate croissants....woohoo...i ate julie's also because she accidentally ate one of my items.
oh, i forgot to mention...you know how i have mentioned that stupid julie does not look where she is walking...yeah,....so today i am videotaping part of a castle/fort thing...when BAM i am SHOVED into the stone wall...what you may ask could have caused that? JULIE! omg...she is going to kill someone.
the post office here only mails letters, no packages or anything else. how weird is that? we gotta find a FedEx so we can ship stuff back to the states so we can get our suitcases shut. tonight after julie has her hot rock thing (did i mention she had a beer to relax right before her massage) we are getting pizza and sitting on the wet balcony in our robes. sounds fun, looks like more rain coming tonight. keep forgetting the time change and texting my poor dau, sarah, and midnight...sorry kid.
well, we heard from the british couple that there is a hotel in venice (our next stop on friday) where the gondola takes you up to the hotel in the water...and when you step off the boat, there is red carpet and you are in the hotel...how cool is that?
well, gotta rest up for more carbs (and beer for julie)- talk to you all very soon.
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