Tuesday was our first day in Dubrovnik, and it is by far the most beautiful port we have docked in yet. Jill, Steph, and I got up for an 8 o’clock breakfast and then returned to a sleepy state until 11, when we left the ship to find something to eat and do a bit of exploring before our city orientations. European restaurants seem to only serve food during certain hours, however, and we were not able to find any. Instead, we stopped in several stores so I could buy some Croatian chocolate and biscuits (for all of you) and a towel (because it was silly of me not to bring one when I go to the beach every time I’m in port).
After eating a drab lunch on the ship, we all went on our separate city orientations (Steph and I to a synagogue, martime museum, and aquarium and Jill to churches and museums) in the “Old City” of Dubrovnik, which is almost like the town square or main street, with shops, restaurants, churches, etc. Steph and I were horribly tired and it was (again) brutally hot, so we zoned for a good portion of the time. Our first stop was a scenic hilltop overlooking the Dubrovnik coast, which was incredible. We then explored a bit of the Old City, and visited the oldest Sephardic synagogue in western Europe. There are only 44 people in the Dubrovnik Jewish community, and they don’t all even live there. It was very tiny and very hot, so we only stayed a short while. We then walked more into Old City to the maritime museum and aquarium, which were both small but interesting; the aquarium actually only held sea creatures from the Adriatic Sea. Afterwards we had some free time, and Steph and I came upon a small group of stands selling homemade olive oils, honeys, and spices, where I bought some very delicious presents.
After our trips, we napped and showered before returning to Old City for dinner. We stopped at a relatively expensive place, where I ordered a mozzarella salad and shrimp risotto, but the salad was overpriced and the risotto was al dente, which is not my preference. Steph and Jill liked their dinners very much, however, and thought the prices worth it. Afterwards, we walked to the pier and saw that they were selling night boat tours of Dubrovnik and the island next to it for only 70 kuna each (about 12 dollars). We got on a small boat that had a lit glass bottom (very fun to see the fish and rocks beneath) and headed out into the Adriatic. After about thirty minutes our “guide” (the man directing the boat) asked us if we wanted to go swimming, to which Jill immediately replied “yes” and I immediately replied “no,” as seasickness had once again gotten the better of me. Steph also agreed to go, and so our guide anchored the boat and they stripped to their skivvies and jumped in. Almost immediately, our guide also stripped and jumped in after them (a comical sight, as he was a larger, hairy man). I rested on the boat until the returned about fifteen minutes later and we headed back to shore.
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