Kotor

This post might be a little hard to follow... All I remember of Kotor is feeling too hot, all the time. I may have sustained brain damage from the constant overheating. There's a chance I made the situation worse by going both hiking and kayaking while I was there, too. I'll blame brain-fry for my poor decision making as well. 

Kotor was lovely. I'm pretty sure it was, anyway. I think. All I really remember is a haze of unbearably hot days, followed by the sweet, blissful relief of the excellent air conditioning in my room. I arrived from Dubrovnik, after a two-hour border wait, in the early afternoon and staggered off to find my hostel. As it turns out, "Old City" and "Old Town" are different places, so I shortly realized I didn't have any idea of how to get to the hostel I actually had a reservation for. I wandered around aimlessly for a while before finding a tourist information booth. It's a good thing I did, too, as the hostel only had one small sign outside and I would probably never have spotted it on my own. Did I mention that it was over 30 degrees, and I had my great big bag with me? Yeah, I needed a lie-down after that. 

I didn't get up to much that night, but I planned to get up earlyish the next morning to beat the heat... Yeah, that didnt really work out so well. Instead I got up late and frittered away the morning trying to find an agent to book a kayaking tour with. I had to hide inside from about 11.30 to 2.00, as it was much too hot to function, but later in the afternoon I managed to get out and see a thing or two. 

The view from one of the low points of the hike. 

Part of the fortress. 

The whole place is in ruins, so it's hard to pick out the path. 

See the stairs off to the right? Yeah, I climbed those too. I'm not that bright. 

Overgrown rooms of indeterminate function. 

Also the whole place was super dodgy. See how the path just ends, with no fence or anything? And that dark gap - that's a six foot drop to the next level. 

There's also this - the worst bridge I've ever crossed. It sagged with every step, and creaked like nothing else. I was expecting my foot to go through it at any second. 

But once you're up there...

Mountains!

It's gorgeous. I'm not sure it was worth it, but it was gorgeous. 

For reference, I climbed up to the top of that. For some reason. 

The next day, I decided to keep my adventures a little closer to sea level, as in, on it, and went kayaking. 

Swimming point! It was wonderful. 

I'm actually really happy with this shot. Except for the red and white barrel at the front. Sticks out, doesn't it?

On my way back to town, I snapped this. I always wanted to jump in the canal, but it was pretty gross. 

Oh, also, around town, I found this:

The scale's a little hard to see here, but it's a giant's laundry! 

I was in Kotor for three days, and other than the constant exhaustion from being too freaking hot, it was pretty nice. I left early the morning of the third day for Albania... Which was less nice. I'll get to that. Maybe. 

Croatia, Part II

AKA "Croatia - Holy Crap"

AAKA "Guys I swear this whole trip isn't a thinly disguised excuse to visit Game of Thrones sets" 

(Although in my defence, holy mother of dragons are these locations gorgeous so that actually seems pretty legit)

So. Let me apologize in advance for how quickly this post is going to devolve into "Croatia Jesus Christ just shut up and go". Croatia is so unbelievably gorgeous that it's a little hard to explain. Everytime I saw the water I wanted to drop everything and jump in; every historical site was incredibly preserved and beautiful. You should go to Croatia. Just trust me. 

It was a ten hour bus trip from Pula to Split, and while that sucked big time, the views from the bus were almost enough to make up for it. The bus follows the coast basically the whole way, so it was the hours of staring at beautiful oceans and anxiously awaiting a chance to jump in. Also, while the whole bus ride was pretty unpleasant, there was one bit in particular that drove me insane - just as we were pulling out of the station at Pula, this nervous, sweaty guy asks if the seat next to me is free. I nod and clear my bag, puzzled that the bus had filled up so quickly when I wasn't paying attention, but then I look around and see that there are at least ten free rows, including those immediately in front of and behind me. What the hell? Why? He was super fidgety, too, and kept elbowing me as he messed around with his bag. I was so annoyed I could hardly function, and when we got our first break I changed seats right away. A good thing, too, as he got off to smoke a particularly unpleasant kind of cigarette and absolutely reeked when he got back. 

Anyway. I fell in love with Split the instant I stepped off the bus. This may have been at least partially because I was so very happy to be off the bus, but I can't say that for sure. 

Besides, with sights like these to greet me, I'm pretty sure I'd have fallen for it pretty quickly anyway. The whole city reminded me hugely of the Venetian in Vegas... Only the marble was real, and the whole thing was much more amazing. It was a really nice place to see! I didn't get up to much until the next morning, when I joined a walking tour to see the city. 

The cathedral by day. 

A bit further out. 

Fountain in the park... Also apparently where the hookers hang out at night. Seriously, our guide was like "yeah so... Don't be here at night."

Once the tour was over, I took care of some bookings and planning for the next few days, then headed out to find a beach. 

This is the bottom of my ferry ticket. I am intrigued, amused, and also vaguely concerned by the phrase "diplomatic anxiety". 

I hung out here for a bit, reading my book and hopping back into the gorgeous water whenever I felt a little too warm. 

More views of the water. 

Split from a distance. Supposedly there were lovely views to be had from a viewpoint up the hill, but there was no way in hell I was going to climb up there on a day that hot. 

I also had a truly delicious meal that night before heading to bed at about 11, as I had to get up by 6 to catch a 7 am ferry to Dubrovnik. 

Goodbye, Split! I can't believe I was awake enough to take this!

The ferry was eleven hours, and there weren't a lot of proper seats to be had, so I spent most of the voyage with a crick in my neck or a numb butt, but it was a lot better than a bus ride!

No views like this from a bus! Actually there were... But it's a lot harder to get pictures!

I got to Dubrovnik just in time for dinner, and went wandering down the pedestrianized street near the hostel to find something to eat. 

I found an incredible sunset instead. Also a really mediocre dinner. 

In the morning, I got up to head into the old town of Dubrovnik. It was a short bus ride, though a long wait, and when I got there I toured the area briefly before settling in for breakfast at a cafe. 

Fountain! You could fill your water bottle there, and there were a few around, which was very nice on such a hot day. 

Narrow, windy streets... Also clearly residential areas, though I never saw a grocery store, laundromat, or doctor's office. 

Part of the walls. They're quite high - as I learned firsthand that evening when I toured them. 

The extremely busy main square. 

Once I'd eaten, I took a ferry to the island of Lombuk, about 15 minutes away. It had a botanical garden and an old monastery, plus a ruined fort and loads of beaches (including a nudist one!). 

The hill above the pier. 

Seriously though, don't you want to swim there?

Or here?

... I think you get the idea. 

So... Parts of the island were used in Game of Thrones. Like this part, maybe? There's a skeleton of a longship in the back, so I think this might be the Iron Islands. 

After wandering around the coast of the island for a while, I came to the brilliant conclusion that I should definitely hike quite a ways uphill to the fort overlooking the island and city. Yeah, that was the smartest thing I've done in a while. 

The fort itself. I don't know what was up with the fire hose. Also, not sure how clear it is here but there is a person in that window, and when I first noticed him after uploading the images to my iPad it creeped me the hell out. 

Is it sad that ruined buildings have gotten pretty commonplace to me?

The view is pretty nice though. 

I find cruise ships mesmerizing. 

This is the best shot of Dubrovnik I managed to take from the island. 

This one is from the boat back! Which, uh, I guess is pretty obvious. 

Are returning to the mainland, I evidently felt I hadn't sweat nearly enough yet, so I went in and climbed the city walls. I'm not sure how I didn't die of dehydration that day. 

It was worth it. Mostly. 

The next morning, I got up and headed to the beach for a while before going back into the city and taking a cable car up to a viewpoint on the hill. There was a walking path, but there was absolutely no way that was happening. 

Do you recognize Dubrovnik? It's King's Landing! It's also beautiful!

This area reminds me of the Interior. I wanted to chill on a cool patio with a nice glass of wine so badly!

This is the part of Dubrovnik I was actually staying in. The beach was on the far right side of the peninsula and the harbour in the front of the right side is where the ferries and some cruise ships docked. 

After taking the gondola back down, I went back to the old city for a while. I figured since I had already seen so many Game of Thrones sites, I may as well complete the set, so I went to find the rector's palace. 

I don't know what it was though?

The church in front of it. 

After that exciting photoshoot, I killed some time in the old town for a while, until night fell, then watched a circus performance put on for an arts festival. 

One of the churches at night. The weird structure on the left (creating the interesting shadows) was part of the show. 

The bell tower after dark... And some info about the arts fest. 

Dubrovnik was gorgeous and wonderful, just like the rest of Croatia. I really can't recommend it enough, and I would say it's been my favourite place so far. I was sad to leave it yesterday, but I think I'll be back sometime!