Move to Denmark: Week 13

Well, week 13 was about close to perfect. We took refuge from Denmark's rainy weather to enjoy the sunny beaches of Croatia! This marks our first extended vacation since we have moved and the first time boarding Beannie Girl.

Nick, of course, worked the beginning of the week before our departure, while Heather prepared for the trip. We also attended our second language class. This time, it was Heather who got frustrated with the class, well really the language, not the class. It is very hard to start all over. Our persistence and desire to learn the language will definitely be put to the test! But, after class Wednesday, we were rewarded with the knowledge that we were leaving for vacation the next morning and all we had left to do before departing was get a good night sleep.

Thursday morning, Nick and I drug ourselves out of bed early and walked over to the train station to catch our train to the Copenhagen airport. The station is about 1 km from our apartment. The train ride was quite pretty. From Nyborg, it goes directly off the island crossing the Storebælt then continues across the island of Sjælland through farm land and forests, stopping in quaint towns before finally arriving in Copenhagen. Everything went smoothly and in no time we were boarded and on our way to Croatia. The plane was small and relatively empty. It seemed like we were barely in the air long enough to get anywhere before the wheels were touching down. In Zagreb, we had a quick layover and change of planes before arriving in Dubrovnik.

After a full day of travel, we got settled into our hotel room and were ready for some sustenance. The hotel Nick picked was really nice with very modern decor and views overlooking Port Gruž. The hotel, one of the oldest in Dubrovnik, was once a castle known as Piccola Venezia owned by a prominent family in the region. The hotel has since been expanded, but the original buildings remain. The location on the Lapad peninsula, was perfect for us. It was far enough away from Old Town's mass of tourists, but close enough to either walk or take a quick bus to it.

View from our hotel, Port Gruž

Our hotel

Lapad is also home to a very long pedestrian street lined with restaurants and a few shops. This is where we decided to eat our first night in town. Nick was very eager for a traditional Croatian grill plate, so that's what we got! The dish consists of several types of grilled meat, including pork, beef, chicken, and a variety of sausages. We also got potato croquettes (a first for Heather and she LOVED them) and grilled vegetables. After dinner, to our surprise, we found an ice cream shop that makes spaghetti ice!

A happy Nick ready to dive into his dessert!
What a wonderful 1st-day-of-vacation surprise!

On Friday, we ventured into Old Town and took tours of the city and of the surrounding city walls. The city has quite a long and interesting history dating back to a time before the Common Era. Originally, the city was a stop over for Greek sailors traveling between 2 larger Greek settlements. When the Ostrogothic Kingdom fell, the city fell under the protection of the Byzantine Empire. After the crusades, if fell into Venetian rule until the mid-14th century. Between 1358 and 1808 Dubrovnik was a free-state known as the Republic of Ragusa and between the 14th and 16th centuries was one of the wealthiest regions, rivaling the Republic of Venice. In 1667, a huge earthquake leveled most of the buildings and killed several thousand inhabitants. After that, the Republic of Ragusa slowly declined until it surrendered to Napolian in 1806. Shortly thereafter it became part of the Austria-Hungary until that fell in the early 1900s and it joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During WWII, the city was occupied by the Italians and later the Germans. When Croatia and Slovenia decided to split from Yugoslavia, Dubrovnik was under attach for the first time ever. In late 1991, the city was under attack for about 7 months with several bombings and artillery rounds damaging the historic city and surrounding walls and killing over 100 inhabitants. Until then, the city had manged to avoid battle through diplomatic agreements or surrender. Most of the city has been repaired, although some artillery damage remains as a reminder of the conflict.

Old Port of Dubrovnik

City bell tower

Old Town Dubrovnik with island of Lokrum in the distance

Minčeta Tower

We are loving the views of the city & the warm Mediterranean weather

View from the wall with Church of St. Ingacija on the right

Dubrovnik's walls and coastline

Saturday, we decided to hang out pool-side for most of the day. After getting our fill of sun and relaxation, we headed back over to the Lapad pedestrian area to walk along the coast and grab a bite to eat.

Poolside

Sunday we ventured back into Old Town to take in the museums, monasteries, churches, and historic buildings.

Dubrovnik's staircase modeled after Rome's Spanish steps

Franciscan Monastery where one of the first and longest running pharmacies is located

Stairway in the Reactor's Place.

H at a literal hole in the wall bar. This bar is built on the cliffs
between the fortress walls and the Adriatic. The hole in the wall was an
emergency exit to escape the city in the event of a land attack.

Passion Fruit!

We love small alley ways!

After an excellent lunch of Bosnian food and a bit more wandering through town, we decided to take a ride on to the cable car to the hill above town. From there, we took in one of the most beautiful sunsets we've ever witnessed.