Sardines at the Wall Gates!

A little over a year ago, we headed to Dubrovnik. Early June. Everybody seemed to go last summer. We were hoping for a spot of sunshine. Despite being June in the Mediterranean, we mostly saw rain.
We arrived at the small Hotel Cosmopolitan. The owner is one of the chattiest people and so very friendly. He drew maps for us, gave us instructions and offered his local advice on what to see and do. He also invited us to join him for a beer to watch the football world cup.
And he has a dog, which went down well with my other half. Definitely a lovely place to stay.

Our week was pretty dominated by football; spending most evenings in a bar watching at least one match. By day, we tried to visit the sights.

We marched the city walls, which give spectacular views over the old town. The old town is essentially where all the points of interest are. It is full of alleyways, nooks and crannies. Easy to get lost momentarily, but wonderful for wandering! There are shops and restaurants tucked away, up steep steps; everything just waiting to be discovered. The only problem with so many places in the small old town, is that they relay quite heavily on using outdoor space. When the heavens open, it causes a problem! And oh did the heavens open a few times during our visit!

There is a beautiful church in the old town, which is definitely worth a visit. We bought a pass for the old town, which gets you on the bus, as well as including entry to several tourist attractions. Available for one day, 3 or a while week, it is worth the money if you aren't staying inside the old quarter itself.  Probably not so much if you don't need the bus pass as well, as to be quite frank, some of the sites aren't really worth visiting. We did in fact complete the whole collection (rain forcing us indoors more than the allure of the attraction). The aquarium is so-so and the house belonging to a Croatian author - let's be honest, the best bit is the guest book.
The nautical museum provides a wealth of information on Dubrovnik's history and is rather interesting - possibly not one for the kids.

As well as the old town, there are a whole host of boat trips that you can take. You just choose the one you like the sound of most. My partner and I opted for sea-kayaking. We were the only ones on our tour; possibly the grey skies and drizzle put others off, but we got our instructor and guide to ourselves. It wasn't too breezy so the paddling wasn't too difficult, but if you lack upper body strength completely, you may find that you start to ache very quickly. It was a great way to get out into the sea though and see the city from a  different perspective. We stopped for photo opportunities and kayaked round the nearby islands and into a beautiful natural cove - shame about the pollution really. Being the active person that I am, this was definitely a highlight of my week.

We also took the cable car up the mountain. There's not a huge amount at the top - souvenir shop and a restaurant, but you can see the cross monument and take in the views across the local area. There is a steep path you can walk, if not wanting to pay for the  cable car (not hugely budget friendly), but be warned - you do need to be quite fit to take it on!

The sun arrived in gloriousness for the last two days of our trip, coinciding with the arrival of 2 very large cruise ships. Dubrovnik is a popular stop for Mediterranean cruises and my word, don't you notice the difference when they arrive! We headed into the old quarter for our last full day and immediately saw a massive crowd by the gate nearest the bus stops. A non-moving mass of people. Upon further investigation, everybody was trying to get through the gate at once, then up the stairs to the walls just past the gate, plus the odd person trying to leave... it was chaos. Absolute madness. So we walked around the outside of the walls to the gate on the far side (there are at least 3 gates to the old town) and had no such problems anywhere else.

Dubrovnik was beautiful, but inclement weather does limit how much you can enjoy. It is not an indoor destination by any means. But if you love the sea and swimming, it will always appeal. Where else can you swim at the foot of a fort?

Remember Remember

I went for a nice run, well sort of a jog on Tuesday. It was an attempt to up my motivation. It was freezing outside and I wish I'd worn gloves. I ran the whole way around campus and didn't walk any of it. Proud? Just a tad :) The boys told me I was mental. Exercise felt good though.
Wednesday strolled around and I had barely done any work. Well I`d actually done 2 weeks work not 1 the week before so I was OK for grammar. The reading for my afternoon lecture wasn`t exactly finished either, nor for Thursday's lecture. (Did I even mention that I got my results back and didn`t fail?? Go me, I'm in the 3rd quartile). I plan to do the reading at some point before finals. I feel so American saying finals so it's all good.
I felt rather icky on the Thursday actually. I been kept up with a migraine the night before. Boo. Our evening class didn't exactly help. One of the tutors said that I was a bad student and a bad influence on Victoria. Even after I said that I was really insulted by this, she carried on. Victoria said nothing. The best I got was Astrid's interjection that it wasn't that, it was that Victoria was a good influence. After all the work I've been doing, to the point where my corridor tell me that I work too hard, it was really offensive to be told that and it hurt even more that Victoria just smiled, as if to affirm it. I made my excuses and left, skyping my mother and sister at what was for them stupid o'clock in the morning so I could have a good cry.
I was awake when people started drifting back from a party somewhere, so I chilled out in the kitchen, helped Nathan make chips and gave out chocolate. Sadly, for one night only my insomnia came back. I just couldn't sleep. I got up and did stuff, like getting my mail at 6am. I skyped my sister around 7am for which I was told off for being up so early. I then went and did some shopping. I did actually take a nap in the afternoon, after Nicole and I had planned the rest of the day which included shopping for things for that night.
It was Bonfire night and I was determined to celebrate it. I didn't think we'd really get away with a bonfire or fireworks on campus. Instead, we attempted to make parkin. I say attempted. I think the video will explain all. I have no idea what went wrong!! Oh well. We also made an effigy. He had a face, hands and shoes and a name tag. We rounded up a few people and went outside, shoving our stickman into the remains of a snowman from the first snow the week before. He didn't burn very well. Oh well. We played with sparklers. None of the Canadians or frenchies seemed it get it and very quickly went back inside. Ne'er mind, at least Nicole and Hannah got into our very British celebration.
Afterwards we were a little bit silly and used the extra paper and markers that we had. The girls, after a joke that arose in Toronto made a sign for my door that says (in french) Because of hugs Seòna is pregnant with twins. There are 2 fathers :O. This clearly has got people's attention, though I wish they'd read it properly since Nathan asked if I really was pregnant. We've also told most of the boys that they are one of the fathers. It's quite entertaining.  I've now taken the sign off my door.
Victoria and I were quite spectacularly late for Saturday's class yet it didn't seem to have started. We got all our work back. It stretched out a little bit but soon enough I was back in halls having lunch whilst everyone else munched on breakfast. Nicole and I went swimming. Most energising I have to admit. I wasn't counting my laps bit I swam a fair distance. Then I did some diving. Just off the side of the pool. I was not joining in with the group of boys who were throwing themselves off the diving boards any old how. I swear sometimes that it had to hurt.
I've spent the rest of my time trying to read a book for Wednesday. I say trying. It is so obscure and ultimately boring that, no word of a lie I have fallen asleep 3 times whilst reading it. I still don't have much clue what it's about either. The author doesn't seem to want to stick to one langauge or write in full sentences. Mighty confusing.
Somehow it's reached Monday again. Time escapes me sometimes and I don't really know where it has gone...