3rd Country: Croatia!!

We are now in Dubrovnik, Croatia!! And WOW… so far it beats out Spain and Italy by far. The people are extremely nice, seem to speak a good amount of English (at least most people), and are very helpful. I have never seen a city like this… walking around I feel like I am in a movie, or at Disney… or that it is just plain fake. It is just incredible… and I have moments to remind myself that it is real, that this is how people live. Mom and dad – I think you both would absolutely love it here – more so than Italy. I know you would love exploring the Old City and the Old City Wall dad. And mom – you would love the sandy beaches with clear blue water. There are also lots of islands and water activities… like snorkeling!

Attempting to describe Dubrovnik: Huge hillsides that remind me of the ones from The Sound of Music. I just want to run up them and yodel (even though I can’t!) All the rooftops are the same – bright orange shingles (terra cotta maybe?) The area is touristy, but not overly so. I like it so much better than Rome…it is just so different. In the Old City, huge fortress walls surround it… you wouldn’t think that this area was involved in a treacherous war just 20 years prior. Old City is about a 30-minute walk from our ship in the harbor; where there are various yachts, cruise ships, and fishing ships waiting to be taken out. The walk of the City Walls was AMAZING and we were able to enter as students (20 Kuna vs. 50 Kuna). It took about 90 minutes to 2 hours for us to walk it, and within that time we saw spectacular views…of the many rooftops of Old City, of Islands in the distance, cliffs, the water, the hillside, just everything. WOW… SO WORTH IT.

So… here we were – our first day in Croatia, the most beautiful place – and I was sick! I had eaten an apple and pear for breakfast, and boy did it mess with my stomach. I was upset that I wasn’t feeling very good, but tried very hard to keep going. It was hard though, as all we did was walk around under the scorching sun. I ended up getting sick a little on the City Walls themselves. After the city walls, I took a bus back to the ship by myself to lie down, which was around 3 p.m. Such a good decision, as I felt much better after I took some Tums and lied down for a little before dinner. And everyone got back to the ship around 4:30 anyways… so I was happy that I didn’t miss out on much and that I was able to rejoin the group!

Their currency is called the Kuna. We were all eager to experience our first country not utilizing the Euro, for we were anticipating a great exchange rate. And there is one, as 1 US dollar translates to about 5.2 Kuna. However, everything seems to be just priced highly in Kuna to reflect that difference. So, really, we are not saving anything. It just messes with your head and you think you are spending a lot! I feel like a high roller dropping 11 Kuna on water alone. It will definitely take some getting used to!

On the topic of food… whoever thought they could only get pizza and gelato in Italy is wrong! It is also all over the place and super yummy! So… my diet of pizza and ice cream continues. I had a delicious slice from a vendor twice yesterday for ten Kuna, and of course got some cookie gelato. I will definitely venture out, however, and try some traditional Croatian cuisine…I think.

For dinner we ate on the ship. It wasn’t the best meal they’ve had. But while we waited for 5:30 (the start of dinner), Anthony, Bo, and I lounged around for a little bit on deck 7 by the pool. We also all tried to tap into some free Wireless Internet connection, but failed. By the pool, we saw this HUGE grasshopper looking insect. It was seriously ridiculously large… And Anthony happened to be lying down at the time. So, cleverly, Bo and I devised a plan to try and put it on him. Haha…Anthony saw it coming and FREAKED. He bolted and screamed, and it never touched him. I guess I am a horrible video-grapher, as I only managed to film the tail end of Anthony’s freak out. Bo and I had a good laugh though. Anthony… not so much.

A huge cruise ship, the Celebrity Summit, has been docked along side us since we arrived in Dubrovnik. It was also in Civiteviccia, so it must be following us! But Kevin said the greatest thing when we were walking back to the ship (although I missed it and only heard the story told to me at dinner). He states “Oh look, there is a mini MV Explorer” – and he was pointing to our ship. He thought the monstrous Celebrity cruise ship was ours. Haha… it really did make our ship look tiny. – and Anthony had to break the news to him that no, it wasn’t a mini MV Explorer…it WAS the MV Explorer.

Our first night out in Croatia was pretty fun… Anthony, Bo, Kevin and I started the night by attempting to pre-game in a parking lot (It was interesting)…then we took a bus down to Old City and first hit a bar by the name of Exit club. They have a happy hour, which runs from 6 – 10 pm with 25 Kuna (about 5 US) Mojito’s! Since I have been craving one since my 21st, I was super excited so ran inside to order one. Um… it super good, just what I expected… but I should have looked at my watch first. It was almost 11, so I coughed over 43 Kuna for it (about 8.50 US). Still not to bad I guess. The next place we hit up was a super nice club on the beach called East West. They had dancing, but it was extremely fancy and expensive, with lots of SAS’ers, so did not stay there long. We actually ended up going back to Exit Club with a bunch more people, including Kate, Rachael, Becca, and this girl we just met named Deborah. She is sooo nice! And there she splurged and bought us all a 3 L Sex on the Beach cocktail tower which cost 270 Kuna! After that, at around 1:30, we roamed the serene streets of Old Town nestled inside the City Walls, with some areas lighted by actual fire lanterns. I felt like I was in a castle, and couldn’t believe I was there!

Although many people seem to know English here, especially those our age, it is polite to try and speak a little Croatian. Here are just a few of the words I have been trying to use (It is a difficult language!):

Hello: Zdravo or Bog (ZDRAH-vo / Bog)
Yes: Da
No: Neh
Thank you: Hvala vam (HVAH-la vahm)
Goodbye: Dovidenja (do-vee-JEHN-ya)
Please: Molim (MO-leem)

Anthony and others started grading the countries we have visited, and I think that is a good idea... So I am going to copy them and do the same!

For the overall experience:                    
Spain… A
Italy… B+

For the food:
Spain…C
Italy…A+

And even though we have spent little time in Croatia… it is looking like an A+!
I will keep you posted! XOXO

Much love,
Erika