MOST MAGICAL DAY OF MY LIFE

From Dubrovnik, we went with our hostel guide (Dubrovnik Backpacker's Club) on a Wine Tasting and Oyster Outing! OH BOY, it was an unforgettable trip! 

THINK about this equation: My best friend and I, traveling in Croatia:

6 girls

+ 1 nature-loving Croatian (Ivi) 

+ ancient ruins (Ston)

 

+ 100 sweet, succulent oysters @ a 300 year-old oyster farm (Mali Ston Bay)

+ 1 Minivan

+ 4 wineries  and tasting rooms

+ donkeys at a petting zoo on a vineyard

+ the most gorgeous landscape in the universe

+ 1 amazing sunset swim

_________________________________________________________________________

 = 

MOST MAGICAL DAY OF MY LIFE

The only downside was that during the sunset swim (incredible) I happened to step on a sea urchin: this left me with 13 spines in my foot. Ouch. 

The oysters, however, were the BEST I've ever had. No lie. 

Balkan Breeze: Montenegro, Kotor, Dubrovnik

Once in Montenegro, we wanted to find the fastest way to get to Croatia. After trying to speak something that ended up a combination of sign language and poorly pronounced Croatian (from our travel books), we took two buses across Montenegro, from Bar to Budvah finally to Dubrovnik. On the bus we drove through the old Balkan medieval city of Kotor and finally up the Dalmatian coast to Dubrovskees. 

In Dubrovnik, the orange rooftops rule

this tightly-guarded guarded jewel

This city felt so old - the city center was a fortress built in the 1300's to ward off the Venetians and other enemies who desired to conquer Croatia's incredibly rich and dramatic coast. Inside of the old city (above)is one of the oldest synagogues in the world, as well as one of the oldest pharmacies (apotheke) in the world too! You can opt to walk the city walls, which is what we did, which gives you a bird's eye view of the city below and the Adriatic Sea outside of the walls.  


We stayed in a hostel that was run by a family with 6 kids - the mother Milka would make fresh French toast every morning and a traditional Croatian dinner each night. The kids, most notably the oldest son Ivi, leads day excursions to say, Bosnia (for waterfalls and traditional cuisine), or the one that we went on: Wine and Oyster Tasting with a visit to a donkey farm and botanical garden....

BOO Hamen Bari

From Kos, Greece, we took a cheap RyanAir flight to Bari, Italy. We were the only non-Italians on the flight; we also were the only non-Italians in all of Bari. 
True. 
I was so excited to go to Italy - the food, the wine, la dolce vita, yeah? NEIN. 
Bari does not fulfill your expectations of Italy - it's kind of like the East Oakland of Italy if you catch my drift. While some parts were kind of pleasant – like the Swabian castle or the granita coffee,  the majority of the city was rundown, ramshackle and plain sketch.

As you can see, Bari thinks it's life is an asshole. :(

Even the Italian food was sub par. 

But, Flat Stanley really enjoyed it. A bit too much, I'd say. Baaad Stanley.

The sun setting into the evening was quite lovely. The sky melded into the sea and reflected the city's lights on the Bari Harbor. 

We did met some really nice and helpful Albanians, most notably Limi, who bestowed his graces and views about karma on us in just enough time for us to miss the ferry to Croatia. 

Limi: "Here, have another beer!"

Allie: "Ok! As long as we don't miss our ferry to Croatia!" 

Limi: "Don't worry - of course you will!"

FAIL.

After an intense realization that we should have checked in 2 hours prior to departure, we stayed in Bari for another night. 

Luckily, we found an alternative route and ended up taking a ferry to Montenegro instead.

Whoooo! Spontaneous trip through Montenegro!!