Day 39 – Opuzen to Dubrovnik

I wanted to get up for sunset but, been surrounded by trees meant I couldn’t see much. As I was packing up the owner comes out, bracing for a telling off, he says something in Croatian and then smiles. I said something back and smiled so seemed ok. I cycled up and over the hills, the golden tilt of the sun rise made for quite the view once I was at the top.

My aim of the day was to get close to Dubrovnik, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make it in. People had been raving about this city but how special could it be? After cycling for an hour or so I was starving, the lack of a decent supper the night before was starting to show. So when I hit the town of Klek, I cycled down to the sea and the bakery, relaxed under a tree and watch the beachgoers go about their day as I devoured an entire baguette and a few croissants.

The morning was slow, but I was enjoying just taking it all in. I was 6km short of Dubrovnik when I saw an appealing beach to go for a swim, I was hungry but the turquoise sea was too good to miss, lunch could wait. Refreshing, to say the least especially after not having a shower for a couple of days. After a few hours, I cycled on and saw another touring cyclist, Philip from Austria. He had been going much longer than I but stopped for months rather than a few days here and there. We rode in Dubrovnik and the old town. I was expecting a sort of gradual fade into the town, but as we rode down the hill, we had to enter through draw bridge, this was medieval stuff! Wow, it was like nothing I had seen before, everything clean and beautiful golden white stone. It was pack though with tourists. We wondered around and then grabbed some food from the bakery. I had booked into a hostel for the night, so after a while, in the evening I checked myself in, I wanted to explore the city without the bike. I said goodbye to Philip and said we would meet tomorrow or something. I wanted a shower and to wash so of my clothes. What I like about hostels, when traveling on your own is that nearly everyone is in the same boat. Therefore, they are sociable and easy to meet. Tonight was no different, free mojito night and the night went on into the early hours, the owner was trying to teach us all how to dance, I wanted to show him that I could !!