PTM // Dubrovnik, Croatia - Day 4 & 5!
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Day 4:
Last night I made reservations for Liz & I to go sea kayaking and snorkeling in Dubrovnik with a company called Adventure Dalmatia (www.adventuredalmatia.com). A half day kayaking and snorkeling tour with Adventure Dalmatia included: Kayaking & Snorkeling Gear, Instructors/Guides, Sandwiches & Water, and Insurance. The total price was 230 Kn/Person (approx: $49.67 USD/person).
We made our way down to the meeting point which was located right down along side the coast near Pile Gate. When we arrived we were met by the promoter of the company and he instructed us to hang out for a few while the others arrived.
We took all of our belongings (clothes, camera, wallets, etc) and threw them in a waterproof bucket that came along with us on the kayak. Once our pockets were empty we got ourselves all geared up and ready to go!
Liz and I had never kayaked before but we were assured by our guide that these kayaks are very hard to capsize due to the wide body and the fact that you didn’t have to put your legs inside of the kayak, they laid out on the top of it as you sat back in your seat comfortably. The kayaks were made for two people, which I didn’t even know existed. I was under the assumption that a kayak was pretty much just made for one person. Guess not!
We jumped into our sweet new ride for the day and Liz jumped in front seat because factually it’s easier to paddle if you sit in the front. The back seat was left for me, and little did I know that I was going to have a lot of work ahead of me! Just kidding Liz!
There was a small group of maybe six kayaks and then two guides, one who rode ahead, and one who stayed behind the pack incase anybody had any issues. One of the guides was really cool and he was chatting to Liz and I while we cruised across the sea. We were determined to be in the front of the group most of the time. There were times that we stayed back a bit, but for the most part we were cruising! At times we’d be sailing so fast that we would end up rear ending the people in front of us. It was too funny!
After we cruised around the castle walls of Dubrovnik we headed for the Island of Lokrum. We made a big loop around the island and stopped at a cave on Lokrum island for a 10 minute break. Liz and I were ready to go, and since we were first in to the cave, everyone had to turn around and that meant we would be last out of the cave. That didn’t last too long though. We showed what team work was all about and we paddled like true professionals as we cut a few kayaks off and laughed our way to the number one spot.
Next we headed to a beach called Cave Beach which is located about a 10 minute walk down from our apartment on the hill side. The only problem is that Cave Beach isn’t accessible by the public, there’s no way to get down to the beach unless you swim from another point on the shore, or get there by boat. As we pulled up on shore of this small beach we parked our kayaks and had lunch which was included in our tour price. The lunch was a dalmatian ham and cheese sandwich. Basically a slice of ham, and a slice of cheese on a sub roll. It wasn’t too filling or tasty, but it did the job.
After eating we threw on our gear and attempted to do some snorkeling. Unfortunately the both of us kept accidentally swallowing salt water so that didn’t last too long. We gave up and decided to just swim around in the beautiful clear water.
We’re pretty attractive in our snorkeling gear, don’t you think?
Once everyone finished their lunch we jumped back into our kayaks and rode along the Dubrovnik coast line, across the old port, and then back around the castle walls to the finish. We made sure that we were first back, we even passed our own instructor this time!
The whole kayaking and snorkeling journey lasted around two and a half to three hours. We had a great time and would really recommend it to anybody that wants to do something a little different during their stay in Dubrovnik. Another thing that was great about this activity was that you don’t need any previous kayaking experience. It was really safe, the guides really looked out for everyone along the way. Everyone came back alive, and all seemed to have a really good time.
After our kayaking adventure we headed back to the apartment and cooked a nice lunch for ourselves. Once we finished lunch Liz laid out on our balcony for a while while I did some writing for the website.
Later on we mixed a few drinks and got dressed up before heading down to take a stroll through Old Town Dubrovnik. The Old Town is a great place to go at night if you want to do some people watching as you walk through the spotlessly clean streets of Dubrovnik.
Before heading home for the night we stopped at a small restaurant that served burgers, pizza, and other typical american food and we shared a nice burger and some pizza. Mmm!
Tomorrow we’re planning on walking along the top of the castle walls of Old Town Dubrovnik and then we’ll probably lay out and catch some rays as usual!
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Day 5:
This morning we slept in until about 10:30AM before rolling out of bed and heading out to explore the highest point in Old Town Dubrovnik, the Gradske Zidine (City Walls). We walked down to the Ploce Gate entrance to get to the one of two access points to the top of the city walls.
Here we paid an admission price of 50 Kn/Person (approx: $10.80 USD/Person) which I thought was sort of pricey, but I guess it’s one of the few main sights of Dubrovnik after all. After walking up the stairs to the top, I realized why they charge so much to tour the old city walls. The views were unbelievable!
The full loop around the walls is about 2 Kilometers (1.2 Miles). Some of the walls reach up to 25 meters (82 ft) in height, and up to 12 meters (40ft) wide in some places! The weather was absolutely beautiful, but the sun was baking hot and we were up high so it made the walk seem even longer than it really was. We were sweating about 10 minutes into it! It was great though, we really enjoyed the beautiful views of the Old Town, and the views of the blue green sea below. We got a lot of really great photos during our walk along the walls (see below).
After walking the city walls we decided we were in desperate need of a swim! We headed down to Buza (cliff side cafe) where there are spots to lay out, swim, and even cliff jump if you’re a thrill seeker! As soon as we got down to the bottom we instantly jumped right in. I have another cliff jumping video coming soon! This one is from a lot higher this time! It was a great time, and the water was so refreshing. Unlike the other day, there were a lot of people swimming today and we chatted with a few of them while we hung out at the edge of the water.
Our next stop before heading back to the apartment was the Adriatic Explore travel agency (www.adriatic-explore.com) located in Old Town. We stopped in and reserved two spots for the full day trip to Montenegro that leaves tomorrow morning at 8AM and arrives back in Dubrovnik around 6:30PM. We’re both really looking forward to seeing Montenegro, the photos in the brochure look beautiful!
Tonight we’re just going to take it easy, like we haven’t been taking it easy in the first place. We’re on vacation! We’ll probably cook some dinner and lounge on our balcony before heading to bed early so that we can be up bright and early to head to Montenegro…
Cool Fact: Montenegro will be the 14th country that I’ve visited on my trip so far!
