Dubrovnik Part 1

Dubrovnik Part 1, September 10-12, 2010

At the beginning of our four day weekend, we caravanned with some coworkers. About two hours south down the road, at the breakneck speed of 60km/h (which equals, so my handy-dandy cell phone converter says, 37 mph). Imagine every alley you have ever taken a short cut through, paint a division line on it, and put it in the mountains with switch backs and no passing lanes. Save that thought. That part of the story comes later. These roads at the beginning were not quite that bad; we had passing lanes every once in a while.

We stopped in Mostar to see the famous arched (bent, as they call it) bridge and eat lunch. There are divers who milk the crowd for money, most often faking a jump for laughs, but rarely doing it. We were in the area for about two hours and saw only one dive. Okay, we heard the splash because the fall is quite far, but missed the actual dive. The bridge, with 14th century towers, was badly torn up during the war, but the rebuilding of the city has turned it once again into a monumental wonder. It is very famous and the information found on the web matches everything our guide books tell us.

Yes, indeed, those are steel shutters and doors.

Tucked into the mountain side, across the mountain, was Ali Babas, a bar/restaurant/club carved into a cave. It is amazing, and we can only imagine how it looks at night lit up with candles. The menu on the side of the cave, is amusing and probably meant to be serious. Many travel guides mention this as a main attraction- we agree that would be a fun hang out.

We had lunch overlooking the river and next to the bridge, and then continued our journey down the road.

The market that lines the streets

Inside the cave of mystery and delightful lore.

Can I get an energy coctail... really?!!

The buildings lining the river at Mostar

The street into Ali Babas. Is that a blue phonebooth? Nope.