Dubrovnik

I finally made it

Dubrovnik’s airport is really small (I breeze through passport control in under 15 minutes). I turn on my phone to try to figure out how to get to my destination. I get a text in French welcoming me to Croatia but my data isn’t working… I’m so pissed. I basically threw 50 euros into the ocean. The wifi connection is pretty bad too and I feel a wave of panic take over me as I realize I am completely on my own.

I quickly redirect my mind away from these thoughts and concentrate on getting to the city center. My mind and body are exhausted but it’s easy. I know I can do this. I follow all the other travelers to the only bus outside the airport and find out that it goes to the city center. Success! It’s already dark but I can see the buildings all lit up along the coast. I get butterflies in my stomach realizing everything I had dreamt of is finally happening!

Luckily the bus has wifi and I’m able to figure out how to get to my hostel. As we near the city walls, I can see the streets packed with people in the glow of the lights from old town. I jump off the bus and set foot into my first city!

Getting ‘home’

I’m staying at Hostel Marker a little outside Old Town. If you haven’t stayed in hostels before, I recommend you give it a try! People ask if they are scary, or dirty, or if I’m afraid I will get kidnapped. No. You just have to do your research. I think they’re a great way to meet people, especially traveling on your own. I found this one on Hostelworld with a good rating and location, but it was a little pricey. It’s also tough to get to (down some steps, between some restaurants, and right, onto a small street).

I think I’m lost until I see a sign with its name. I check in and the receptionist starts walking me further down this dark street that opens up to an old harbor. He unlocks the door to my building with some ancient-looking keys (the actual key Harry Potter had to catch in Sorcerer’s Stone) and shows me to my room inside.

Skalin

The other people in my six-bedroom seem to be out, and I’m kind of happy I don’t have to socialize right now. I am physically donezo after traveling for over 18 hours straight and just want to sleep. Back by the bus stop, I come across this place called Skalin that has authentic Croatian food and some macaroni pasta dishes. I get some cheesy zucchini macaroni thing (that is so good I burn my mouth on it because I can’t wait for it to cool down).

I could’ve stayed and eaten there, but I bring it back to the hostel. Feeling pretty pathetic and lonely eating alone at my hostel, I remind myself that it’s only my first night, and things won’t always be like this. Sarah and Katie will be here when I wake up! My head hits the pillow and the next thing I know, I am woken up at 3am by their entrance.

Scary stories

I am so glad to see both of them! We whisper to one another as they recount the horrifying experience they had getting to the hostel. Apparently, the nice receptionist who had taken me to my room wasn’t there, and they checked in with the security guard. He hardly spoke English and would just stare at them very closely, breathing heavily, and chuckle at everything they said. He didn’t tell them where he was taking them, just told them to follow him alone down the dark alley.

They thought maybe he was going to kidnap them but at the same time felt like they had no other option than to trust him. They were so scared to see what was inside the building he brought them to and then so relieved to see my face when he opened the door to the room. I feel so bad that I was sound asleep while they were frantically texting me, scared for their lives.

Banje Beach

Banje Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Croatia and we make it our first priority the next day. It’s our first time seeing inside the old town walls as we make our way there. You can almost go back in time and visualize what it looked like thousands of years ago. I love the colors of the white slippery limestone, rustic orange roofs, and bright blue sky.

Taking it all in is hard when you’re constantly being pushed and breathed on by all the people surrounding you. You are basically standing in line the entire time you’re trying to get somewhere. There are tour guides dressed up in Game of Thrones costumes sporting swords and marching around. Three years ago when I was in Croatia, it wasn’t like this at all—it was still a “hidden gem.” But now it’s at the top of a lot of people’s lists.

The water at Banje Beach is crystal clear (not sure if I can ever step foot in Lake Michigan again), and we have an awesome view of Old Town. If you want a decent spot to lie, I recommend waking up early because there are way more people than there is space. Also, do not assume the sun chairs are free, they are never free. We lie on the large stones for a while and swim.

There’s a bar where we get frozen daiquiris and pina coladas. Croatia is still using kunas so doing the price conversion is difficult (I think it’s close to $1 equals 6kn). The drinks are definitely overpriced but hey, we are celebrating the fact that we all made it here in one piece.

The cable car

For the best view of the city, you need to take the cable car up the mountain. Tickets can be purchased at the cable car station and it’s close to $22 for a round trip. You can hike it, too, but be prepared to sweat. There are platforms and lookouts at the top, but it’s packed with people and impossible to get a good view or snap a good picture.

If you’re brave you can climb around the railed sections and sit and watch or take pictures on the rocks in front of the lookouts. I’m actually super afraid of heights, but this was nothing. Definitely worth the view.

A night on the town

Back at the hostel, the receptionist tells us about a club called Revelin located in an old fortress. A club. In old fortress. Yeah, sign me up twice. He also tells us not to go until after 12:30 because that’s when it starts bumpin. We get ready and then get dinner at Skalin (yep I went there twice in 24 hours but Katie and Sarah needed to try that macaroni)! I am a little more adventurous this time and get a more authentic dish called cevapcici. They literally look and taste like little sausage links. They aren’t too great and I end up burping up sausage all night but hey, I tried something new!

We all drink a cheap bottle of wine Katie and Sarah brought from Split. It’s terrible but we’re not trying to drop a million dollars at the club tonight on drinks so, we drink it anyways. We head out to old town and buy some beers to drink in the street on our way to Revelin. There’s definitely a strong nightlife scene here with so many bars on every single street. I wouldn’t know how to choose!

Revelin

We get to Revelin and inside at about 1:30 and the hostess says we need to pay the price of 150 kunas ($24)  for entry. If we had arrived before 1:00 then girls are free. Why, why, why! I need to see inside this place. We beg and plead with the hostess telling her that our hostel had told us to come late and that we would’ve come earlier if we knew it was going to be free. We are ready to go home but to our surprise, she let’s us in for free! If I tried begging a door guy in Chicago I would’ve been laughed at and publicly shamed. This is wild.

We walk inside Revelin feeling victorious. It’s exactly what you would think a club inside an old fortress would look like. There’s 2 bars on the left and right of the dance floor, separated by old stone pillars. A few cages are set up along the pillars with go-go dancers performing inside. There are also strobe lights and lasers shining and bouncing all over the old stone walls. I’ve been to a lot of clubs in my life time and I can tell you I haven’t seen anything like it before.

Don’t try to scam a scammer

We get drinks from the bar and they’re around $12 each, ouch. We take a sip (just a reminder, we only had a few drinks before this). These $12 drinks taste like water. The bartenders laugh at us when we complain but Sarah demands that the bartender to try it using a straw. He rolls his eyes and does as we say, looks at us, grabs our drinks, and pours another shot in them. HA! We were right!

Just let me dance in peace plz

We make our way to the overcrowded dance floor, being obstructed many times by sweaty bodies or drunken guys stepping in front of us trying to dance. “Where are you going?” “Dance with me!” Hey no thanks! Can we please just enjoy ourselves? We end up closer to the front on the right side next to some extremely tall guys. They are super nice and tell us to let them know if anyone is bothering us. They don’t even try to dance with us, touch us, or ruin our fun! What luck!

Pink Panda is playing tonight and I have never heard of them. But apparently this venue hosts some pretty big names names considering Tiesto played here a few nights ago. I was expecting to go to a club tonight but not be at a straight up concert with a crazy light show, confetti guns, and performers. Pink Panda really knows how to throw a party. They’re wearing panda masks that light up and glow pink, and their sound kind of reminds me of Showtek (who I am still dying to see by the way). The entire crowd was really into it.  All of us had so much fun at Revelin and it was even more fun knowing it was free (hehe). I still think it would’ve been worth $24 if you end up having to pay.

Shipping home

Sarah and Katie have been lugging around a lot of warmer clothes they needed for the first leg of their trip where it was substantially cooler (London and Amsterdam) that they don’t need anymore. I have dealt with shipping things overseas before and think it’s going to be super expensive and a huge hassle to ship a whole suitcase back to the States. It might even get lost and never make it home. We take about a half hour at the post office and it ends up only being about $80 to ship back a huge suitcase, including insurance (spoiler alert: their stuff made it home safe and sound about a week later)!

Old Town walls

Afterwards we walk around the old town walls. I should specify that around also means on top of. We end up doing it at the worst time of the day—when the sun is the hottest and the highest in the sky. There is no shade at all and the sun is scorching, but the view is spectacular. The walls stretch for about 2km, giving you a view of the town from all different angles. The price: 150 kuna ($24) unless you have a student ID (bring it even if it’s expired because sometime’s they won’t notice).

There are a bunch of different bars, cafes, and gelaterias on top of the walls at different lookouts. We get gelato but we’re still suffering from the heat, so we ditch the walls early and head back down to old town. When we reach the old town, we walk into a cat sanctuary filled with water bowls, cat food, toys, and little cat apartments. There’s even a donation box where you can deposit some kunas to help take care of the stray cats. Dubrovnik is flooded with them.

Kayaking tour

We booked a 3-hour kayaking tour for sunset that takes you around the small island of Lokrum. It leaves around 5pm and includes a sandwich and fruit, a stop to swim and snorkel at a secret beach, and wine after the sunset. There are a bunch of different tour groups you can choose from but they are all offering the same thing. If you’re looking to book a tour, it’s impossible to miss because these people will hound you at the main bus stop every time you walk by.

None of us had kayaked before (at least not for 3 hours straight) so we didn’t really know what we had signed up for. Katie and Sarah go together and I am paired up with one of the guides, Vito. Vito is half Italian and half Croatian but he tells me that Croatia is his favorite because it has thousands of islands that you can take a lifetime exploring. Love!

As Barney Stinson says we ‘suit up’ in our fashionable life jackets and do the damn thing. It’s pretty difficult considering I have noodle arms, but I’m with a professional who does this tour at least twice a day, so… I barely have to do anything. Sarah and Katie struggle a few times and Vito literally throws them a rope to grab onto so he can pull them along.

We row around the island, stopping every so often to get a history lesson, finally coming to a rocky beach inside a cave. I am so afraid of heights but I see people jumping off the cliffs about 20-30 feet above me. I really want to do it so I swim out to the rocks to climb up. Vito climbs up before me and has to pull me up a few times because the rocks are so slippery and my legs are so short. Shout out to my super cool Teva’s—without them this climb would have never been possible.

Over the edge

I look over the edge and I am frozen with fear. I’m such an idiot. This is way too high and now I’m stuck up here with the only way down being jumping into the water. I stand here for awhile, afraid of what I have to do. A guy next to me says he will go first but I have to go right after. I agree and watch as he pushes himself off and crashes into the water. I hesitate for a little but plunge myself forward with a scream. It feels like I am falling forever as my arms and legs flail in midair (the video footage is spectacular). I make a splash and reach the surface of the water to hear everyone cheering (I really built up the suspense for that one). I did it though and it was such an adrenaline rush! Maybe now I will turn into a cliff jumping junkie. We get back in our kayaks and paddle out to watch the sunset behind old town. It’s incredible.

Shrimp cocktail

We get a late dinner that night at a restaurant next to the dock. Sarah orders a shrimp cocktail which she thinks will be like the American shrimp with the red cocktail sauce. The waiter comes out with the dish. Imagine an ice cream sundae with Oreo cookie crumbles on top. Now imagine the ice cream is mayonnaise and the Oreo is little chunks of shrimp. We are all silent as he sets the sundae dish of pink mayonnaise in front of her. She takes one bite to see if it’s at all doable. It’s not. Who would want a pound of mayo for dinner? I try an oyster for the first time. Not a fan.

We have to check out of the hostel at 10am. Overall I was a little disappointed in the hostel. I would have expected to pay half the price for the condition of the facilities. The air conditioning in the room hardly worked. Sarah and Katie’s key didn’t work to lock the door. There were two showers in one room but no way to lock the door (one time a guy was in there at the same time as me and I had to wait until he left to get out). The kitchen was locked up after 9pm so there was no way to get to your food or cook later at night. It’s weird though because this hostel was one of the higher rated ones on Hostelworld. I definitely recommend doing more research into staying somewhere else.

Lovrijenac and see ya later

For our last day we hang out at the local beach Lovrijenac around the corner from our hostel. It’s smaller than Banje and less touristy—so much less touristy that we are even yelled at by an elderly local woman multiple times in Croatian! There’s a concrete walk you can lay out on and a platform you can jump off. There are also a few bars (even one with swings!).

The Canadian guys from our room are here too and we all hang out for awhile and talk. It’s so sad because you sometimes feel a real connection or have such a good time or conversation with people and then the next second, you have to say goodbye. But the funny thing is that you know if you’ll still talk to the person or meet them again in the future. This is definitely one of those times I knew I would.

We say our see ya laters and go get fast food sandwiches from a place called Presa in Old Town. The sandwiches are bigger than our faces and decently priced. If you’re ballin’ on a budget, I definitely recommend going here.

Onto the next slippery palace

They pack us onto the bus. We really struggle with our backpacks, trying to make sure we’re not hitting anyone or falling over. You can take either bus 1A or 1B but try to pay attention because there’s really no way to tell what stop you’re at or when the next one is when you can’t move or see. We assume that the majority of the people will be getting off at the port so we exit when they do and follow them. This is my first time taking a ferry in Europe and it is a total upgrade from the Staten Island ferry (let me tell ya).

The last time I traveled, I had fallen in love with Croatia at the end of my trip. I ran out of time to see Dubrovnik (that everyone had raved about) so this time, it was my first priority. It sure didn’t disappoint and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start my trip with my friends. The ride to Hvar is about 3 hours and I can’t wait to get there and explore another new city I’ve heard such great things about. If only I knew what was coming next…

Lessons Learned:

• Don’t buy a SIM card in a rush at the airport especially when there’s a language barrier. Wait to get to your destination and talk to people. Usually your hostel can recommend something. Later I learn I could have gotten a Croatian one, data only, for an incredible price.
• No matter how many times you’ve been denied in the past, begging to get inside a club for free will sometimes work! To all my rats out there: never lose hope!
• Sometimes bars or clubs will water drinks down thinking their drunken customers won’t notice. If you do notice, don’t be afraid to say something.
• If you want to jump off a cliff, remember you’re committing the second you decide to start climbing. It’s too dangerous to go back down without jumping into the water!
• Trying new food can be fun but beware: A shrimp cocktail is not shrimp cocktail.

Continue reading about Casey’s adventures.