BUZA BAR ALERT!!!

Maititom and other fellow BB friends. Barb and Julia_t have almost drunk the bar dry, but we have been assured they will have a new shipment coming in soon.. You have to take out a small loan or mortgage the house to drink the vino here, but it is SO worth any amount to see the stunning sunset and BTW the waiters are equally as stunning. The warm Adriatic breezes and music will lull you into a state of total bliss So……. JEALOUS????

Oh my goodness!! Please tell them they have until May to restock. Yes, I'm jealous.

Hi Barb, yes I sure am jealous! You bet! Continue to have a fun time.

And now I'm back in a rainy England after 4 glorious days in Dubrovnik. Barb is still there for another week or so, and I'm jealous!

Barb and I didn't spend all our time at the Buza Bar though! While we have both been to Dubrovnik several times before, there is still lots to see and do. But the city fills up with visitors from the cruise ships during the day so we try to get out and about a bit.

This time we went over to Lapad and Copacabana beach one day. We took a bus down the coast to Mlini, itself a charming pretty village, then walked along the coast to Srebreno - also very pretty. On the way we came across Bistro Caffe Bar G, where we had a delicious lunch. There's a lovely secluded beach close by. Hardly anyone else there, or in the villages, and we had the water bus back to Dubrovnik entirely to ourselves.

Another day a local friend drove us up the coast past Zaton. After parking the car we hiked along the hill, up and down goat tracks before reaching some slabs of rock right by the sea. We picnicked on bread, cheese, prsut, home-grown tomatoes, melon - and oysters opened there and then! These we ate with a lemon plucked from a tree along the way! With wine from Korcula, the clear sea lapping at our feet, feeding the little fish with spare crumbs, watching the sparkle of sunlight on the water, it was a little taste of heaven.

We also ate at Locanda Pescarija (best fried calamari), Taj Mahal (fabulous cevapi), and Rosarij (best fish and black risotto).

I walked the walls early one morning, going up from the gate by the Aquarium and had them to myself until reaching the Pile Gate. Even then there were only a couple of others up there. I made my habitual visit to the Sponza Palace and the Room of the Defenders of Dubrovnik and paid homage to those brave men and boys who fought in 1991-92. And I wandered the narrow streets just happy to be in such a beautiful place.

Finally, being at the Buza Bar in the early evening, watching the sun slowly sink towards the horizon, a glowing fiery red ball - and if you catch it right you can see the green halo - and then it rolls into the sea, and applause rings out. If you stay a little longer the sky becomes streaked with red and an incredible shade of blue before fading into dusk. The swallows and swifts swirl and swoop over the sea, emitting high-pitched cries, and add to the magic of the occasion.

I'm already planning my return in October 2010, so those of you going before me - remind them to restock the Grasevina!

Hi, J!!! I am back at the SkyBar (free wifi),
still trying to get into my email account with not much success. I am not sure why my hotmail is not working, but I might have to break down and
go to an internet cafe.

Last night was a HUGE!!! Lighting and thunder storm, with torrential rain, could not close my windows, so had a bit of a flood in my apt. When it started I was so scared I thought it was the war starting all over again and the bombs were dropping, it literally shook the ancient bldg where I am staying and the lights went out!! Today was sun and rain intermittent. Love, love Dubrovnik, it is still a paradise, unequalled. I am leaving here and going to Buza Bar and hopefully have a vino, if they have re-stocked.

More tomorrow, live from DBV!!!

I've discovered the channel on my little tv that has the web cam on the Stradun. Now I can preview what's happening in downtown DBV! I think an Italian contingency is here today. Everywhere I go, I'm hearing Italiano.

Had the most amazing monk fish last night at Rosarij. OMG, I know it's endangered, but..... Just had to go back to Taj Mahal for more cevapi for lunch. This is slowly becoming an addiction.

Rode the #4 bus to the Dubrovnik Palace today. Hmmmm too big and sterile for me. I love my little 40 euro night apt. It has character and it is OLD!! and just a short walk to the Konzum (grocery store) right in Old Town. After checking out the Palace, I walked down the hill to Uvula Beach and had a nice cold white vino before getting the bus back home. Notice how I am now calling this home.

So that's about it from another day in amazing paradise. Tomorrow maybe Cavtat, or maybe with my friend to Trebinje. Or maybe just going from one bench to another right here. Reading a great book "The Cellist of Sarajevo" and BTW loving my little Dell Inspiron Mini. With the external
dvd/cd drive and a super great little speaker, I am enjoying good music at "home".

Thanks Barb. Everyone should experience the Buza Bar at least once (okay twice, maybe three times). I have returned the BB to my screen saver at work and will dream of our next trip there.

Julia and Barb, it was great to meet up with you in Dubrovnik! Sadly, I never did make it to the Buza bar officially - had planned to my last evening in town but didn't quite make it out in time for sunset (which was probably the last one I would have been able to see in Croatia as it turns out). The closest I got to Buza was my first night, when I arrived and shot sunset pics from ABOVE the bar. Julia, these pics may be the night of that glorious sunset you mentioned:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...f&id=699320869

Rainy in England you say? Better than rainy in Croatia! I'm in Split now til Wednesday - pouring rain here too! And last night in Korcula as well! But up until then - glorious weather!

It was great to meet you too Andrew. I realised after posting my mini trip report above that I'd not mentioned the Fodors GTG we three had in Dubrovnik! How could I have forgotten? It was a really nice evening, and you were good company.

The photo is lovely - and yes, I saw that one too!

Enjoy the rest of your trip and don't forget to let us know how it goes.

Glad you are still having a wonderful time Barb. But how could you not??? Wish I was still there, especially after the day I just had at work!

Sorry for the delay, but I guess my only excuse is just having way too much fun. Also finding free wifi that is consistent is a bit of a challenge. They say you can get "Dubrovnik Free Wifi" most anywhere outside, but whenever I try, it asks for a password.??

I will try to do a trip report when I get home, but in the meantime just some little tid bits for those who are interested.

Trebinje is only an hour's drive from here, but such a total contrast in beauty and culture from the coast. I think it's worthwhile to see if you can, but bus service is not great, so unless you have a car, it could be a challenge. The day we went was unseasonable cold, but last year when we were there, it was warm and we could experience the big cafe scene. Huge terraces with tons of chairs under big umbrellas. The streets are all tree lined, but seeing beyond that is the sort of gray, drab buildings, and obvious war damage and poverty. Trebinje is 90% Serb and was where they launched bombs in an effort to destroy and overtake Dubrovnik. It was hard for my friend to go there last year for the first time in 18 yrs. He was in the Croatian army for 4 years and saw some things no one should ever have to see. Feelings are just below the surface here. Most people have forgiven, but will never forget.

The ships continue to regurgitate hundreds of people every day to crowd the streets, sit in cafes, sipping drinks, but don't seem to be spending the big bucks like in the past. The season is winding down and I get the sense that the merchants and locals are taking some well deserved deep breaths. Such a dilemma, money v. peace.

The weather the first week here was brilliant, not so much now. But, the good news about that is more time to sit and read and drink tea at the Bistro Dubrava on the Stradun. 16 kuna for a pot!! not a dinky cup. Hey, when you are on a budget you make note of these things. More on budget tips later.

Phoning from here is very $$$. I have a VIP card in my phone and I try not use it too often. There are a few internet cafes and that option is probably more cost effective.

Ok, the best part of traveling solo, apart from the great week with Julia-t, is how many people one meets. I think we are like magnets to curious couples or groups. One lovely couple actually felt sorry that I was dining alone and invited me to join them. Of course I did not tell them that I was selfishly savoring the scene and feeling quite at peace with myself. As it turned out, I was very happy that I joined them because they were fabulously interesting and added to my wonderful experience here.

As much as I love calamari, I have reached my limit. I have had them fried, grilled, stuffed, sauteed and braised and now I am done. I am almost there with seafood in general and even had a huge, almost overwhelming, urge for a cheeseburger with all the trimmings as I passed the Gaffe Bar today and got a whiff of grilling onions, but I fought the urge and had octopus salad at Polkistar. While in Rome..... Dubrovnik, you have to have as much fresh seafood as you can until you are almost growing gills and scales.

BTW, if anyone has any questions about Dubrovnik, please ask and I will try to give you my biased opinion, lol.

Ok, out to battle the growing stream of water flowing through the streets to get home. WTH, I would rather be doing that here than any day at home.

Adio from DBV!!!

Hi Barb! Happy that you are still having a great time in DBV. I think you have met more people traveling solo than I did on my three weeks! Maybe it's your charming personality, LOL! I often have a book with me when dining alone, which doesn't encourage people to approach. I did meet a nice couple from the Twin Cities on the bus up to Korcula and we had a great chat. I started wearing my Phillies cap late in the trip (Phils won the NL East while I was in Europe) and that actually encouraged a number of people to strike up conversations with me.

If you get online with your little Dell, you can as you know use Skype to call home cheaply. When I was in Italy, I got an Italian SIM for my phone that had free incoming calls. I set up a service (LocalPhone.com , based in London) that will forward calls from a US phone number to phones in Europe, so friends and family could call me at no expense to them (if they have free US domestic long distance) and cost me only 15 cents a minute for the forwarding since I had free incoming calls on my mobile. It was very handy in Italy; once I got to Croatia I was on expensive roaming with the phone so it was no longer very cheap! If your Croatian SIM has free incoming, you could try the same approach - at least your friends/family could call you fairly cheaply or you call and they call you right back.

Hi Barb, hi Andrew!

Well, I hope the rest of your trip was good Andrew, and you got home safely - hey, you're not still in Paris are you?

And Barb, we spoke on the phone last evening so I know you are OK!

Guess what, while considering a weekend in Dubrovnik next October with DD2, yesterday I looked at Easyjet's spring schedule and booked a flight from Bristol (my 'local' airport) to Split for 76 GBP at the end of May 2010. Just for 4 nights.

I am dithering as to whether to visit the islands - Hvar, Vis, Brac, Solta, or - and this is my preference at the moment - to drive up to Sarajevo for 2 nights/3 days.

Oh well, I have all winter to think about it, but I have wanted to go to Sarajevo for so long now, I think I am going to focus on that.

All the best to you both. Take care.

Hi Julia! I got home from Paris yesterday. As I type this I can barely keep my eyes open! Horrible jet lag. Great trip, though! I think I took 7500(!) pictures. If I'm lucky I have 200 decent ones in there. I have all winter to sort through them...

I wish I'd gone to Sarajevo, actually. To be honest, I wasn't all that taken with Mostar (so touristy now) but wound up feeling intrigued by Bosnia and Herzegovina itself and wishing to see more. I wonder if Sarajevo is less touristy than Mostar, since it seems much more effort to get to (not an easy day trip from Croatia like Mostar is).

I was tempted to take one of my two nights in Split (before flying to Paris) for Hvar, since it was on the catamaran route anyway...but I'm glad I didn't. It was so windy that one day that I don't think the catamaran (Krilo) even went the next day to Split, when I would have taken it! I didn't see the catamaran at the ferry terminal that day in Split. I'm not sure how I would have gotten to Split from Hvar - maybe had to wait a day, in which case I would have missed my flight out to Paris!

Just the kind of warning to fellow travelers that is so useful. Really sounds like a lot of fun. Your enthusiasm is delightful and contagious.

Loving this thread! We've been to Dubrovnik twice and plan to return; it's truly heaven on earth. Barb, like you, we love to plant ourselves on the Stradun and watch the world go by. Unfortunately we haven't made it to the Buza Bar, but it's on my list now! (Andrew, your pictures are gorgeous). We stay at the Hotel Lero, about a 15 minute walk up the coast from Pile gate. Both times in DBV have been on business for me and I always say that it's the most beautiful trip to work anyone can make!

Sarajevo is on our short list. Like Andrew, Mostar whetted our appetite. We're going to be in Kosovo next summer for a wedding and I hope we can make it to Sarajevo. Traveling from point A to B in that part of the world can be somewhat of a challenge, but that's part of the adventure of traveling.

Ellen

Andrew, meeting you and now hearing about your experiences are inspiring and what keeps me coming back. I will definitely look into your recommendations for Skype next year. What can I say, your photos are breathtaking!!!

I am dreading leaving here and for the inevitable jet lag. I am really hoping and trying to figure out a way to maybe join Julia in May to Sarajevo.

Because of the Bura and rain, I've been staying pretty close to home these days. Skybar is WONDERFUL free wifi and great music. And, as only a vacation, once a year, smoker, ha, don't tell my kids, it's a little haven. Vino is 20 kuna -- best deal in town.
I'm glad I was able to go to Cavtat the last warm sunny day we've had. If the Bura dies down and there is any resemblence of a warm day, I will go back to Lokrum before I leave.

It's interesting how most of the outside dining restos here actually have tiny inside rooms as well. Today for lunch was at a small family owned place called, I think, Adria. Four tables, warm and welcoming. People were arriving dripping wet and were welcomed by the outgoing woman/owner. She does not speak much English, but seems to understand it very well. I had a veal schnizel type dish that was to die for. The fish gills are receding.

I also re-visted the Defenders of Dubrovnik Memorial Room and the War Photo Museum. Just a word of warning --- bring lots of tissue or a big scarf, because it will move you to tears. I think a trip to Dubrovnik would not be complete without experiencing both.

So, I am hoping the wind and sun gods will shine down on us tomorrow and I can feel that warmth on my face. I am praying for one last visit to the ---BUZA BAR!!

Well, in an afternoon when Britain has won not one but TWO World Championship Titles (Jensen Button in FI Grand Prix and Beth Tweddle in Gymnastics)...

...I found time to use that sachet of Cevapi Mix I found in a little grocery store in the street that runs parallel to the Stradun in Dubrovnik, and have just dished up the Bosnian speciality of Cevapi to my boys for supper.

They LOVED it. I used half lamb and half beef, whizzed it in the food processor to grind it so no lumps, added the pack of mix and rolled into little sausage fingers. It made 33 in all. Put them on a rack over a baking tray and into the oven at 200C they went for 15-20 mins.

Served in heated pitta breads with chopped raw onion (authentic!) and kajmak (I mixed sour cream and low-fat creme fraiche half-and-half) and I have to say they were REALLY GOOD!

So Barb, buy loads of packs and please send me some! Though I think you could recreate the taste pretty well at home with garlic and hot paprika, and maybe a little cumin...

And please post more on your days in Dubrovnik. And I hope you get at least one more visit to the Buza Bar!

OMG!!! Thanks for that tip. I will absolutely buy some cevapi mix. I do plan one more visit to Taj Mahal for one last cevapi fix before I leave, gulp, Wed.

I have to say the weather here has been dreadful. If anyone is coming here soon, think winter!!!Thankfully I packed my REI raincoat with hood, because umbrellas are useless in this wind and rain. Not much of a fashion statement with hood tied down tightly, but the only saving grace is, we all here look the same and at least it's not a plastic tent like all the poor cruise people are sporting.

Again, Skybar is the place to be with free wifi. I am a local now and am welcomed into this warm alcove. The other good news is with the new warm fluffy blankie at the apt. snuggling every night with my love, is heavenly.

No more Buza, boo hoo.

Dubrovnik has to be the conference destination in Croatia. Every night at my friend's resto are conference people from all over the world. Most stay in the fancy hotels, and on their own in the evenings to explore and try the most popular restos here. I have been privileged to sit with the most interesting people. My list of emails addresses has grown!! and I will keep in touch with some.

For some reason I keep hitting the send key. Maybe it was that last glass of vino?! Anyhoo, the last tip for the evening for those of you who are coming here soon. Layers, layers,,, scarves, waterproof shoes,a warm coat/jacket, waterproof and a winter attitude. Please know that it is still heaven on earth with an attitude adjustment. The restos are all open, albeit with small indoor dining rooms. All stores are open and I think the Dubrovnik people are probably more relaxed as the "season" is essentially over. I would encourage travelers to not be discouraged because of the weather. In some ways, it is almost more fun as we are all now indoors and experiencing the real Croatian life. Locals and travelers alike are co-mingling and, quite honestly, if you want a more authentic experience, this is defintely it!

Maybe more tomorrow, home now to regroup for a night out!