Day 9 - May 14, 2014 - Dubrovnik in the Rain

Last night the rains came. Our steep little alley was a rushing river emptying down into the main square. By day break, it was still raining, but with our rain gear on, we hit the streets. Breakfast was again at the little grocery store deli only today it was sweet pastries that were coming out of the oven.

The plan was to spend the day hiking the island of Lokrum, but due to the weather, there was no point in taking a boat out to the island and hiking muddy trails. So we stuck to indoor activities in town. The Monastary has one of the oldest known pharmacies. The monks kept detailed records of their patients and prescriptions. Their record books went back to the 1400s. The museum showed all their medical implements which was interesting, but what really caught our attention was that a movie was currently being filmed there on location. The movie was about the history of Dubrovnik. Guarding the wide selection of hair pieces seemed to be a crucial job. The monastery also has a contemporary pharmacy, but to my disappointment, there was nothing that I could not get at home.

Next to the Monastery was the monks church containing 10 separate alters. I had expected it to be austere, but it was over-the-top with ornate decorations and gold. 

By the early afternoon, the rains had let up and we were able to take the cable car up to the fortress above the city. The fortress is now a war museum. The views from above were stunning. As we walked around the fortress, we could see areas damaged by Serbian bombing. Inside the fortress was a self-guided tour explaining what happened during the war beginning in 1991. There were many samples of the military weaponry that were used by the Croats to defend the city. What was hard to believe was that they were fighting with WWII ammunition and guns. It was completely antiquated. The only question not answered by the war museum was "Why did the war start." We did learn that Croatia has Jurassic Park sized snails.

By 3pm, it was time to head down the mountain, but due to some incredibly high winds, it was too dangerous to take the cable car down. We thought about walking down via the trail, but were assured that a shuttle bus would be there in 15 minutes to pick us all up. It had also turned really cold and the wind was blowing so hard that neither us wanted to be outside. We quickly learned that Croatians in general have an very odd sense of time. Everything is only 15 minutes from happening, when in reality it could be a full 60-90 minutes from happening. If you ask someone, "wasn't the bus suppose to be here an hour ago?", you will just be met with the Croatian shrug which can mean either, "Don't know" or "Don't care" or "Don't know AND Don't care."

By 4:30 we were finally picked up by a shuttle bus. We should have hiked down. Back in the city we did a little recon on buying bus tickets for  Friday. Again we were met with the shrug when asked if we could by bus tickets to Split in advance. We had to catch the 8am bus to Split on Friday in order to catch a 2:00 ferry. I was not successful in my attempt to purchase tickets in advance and would just have to keep my fingers crossed that everything would work out ok on Friday. In the meantime, feeding kittens hotdogs can always make you forget your travel worries.