CROATIA Sept 2024 - Part One - Walking old Dubrovnik and the Islands

We visited Croatia this September and spent 15 days in this beautiful country!  

The first half of the vacation was in Dubrovnik and the surrounding area, including two days on the island of Mljet. We booked this portion of the vacation with The Natural Adventure.

They arranged our accommodations for seven nights, which included gourmet breakfasts each morning. Dinner our first night was also included at a lovely Agrotourism, in the rural village of Radovčići, 18 miles south of Dubrovnik.

The Natural Adventure gave us hiking suggestions and detailed maps of the proposed self-guided hikes for each day, ferry passes to visit the islands of Lopud and Sipan for day hikes, plus a private guided tour of old town Dubrovnik on our final day of our 7-days with them.  It was great!  

We arrived in Dubrovnik late afternoon on Friday Sept 6th. We stayed overnight in the marina town of Cavtat, just a 15-minute Uber drive from the airport at the Guest House Sol.  

Exhausted upon arrival, we got settled and took an hour nap, then we left our room at 5:30 pm to take a leisurely stroll in the Cavtat marina area, along the Rat peninsula. It felt good to stretch the legs after the many hours of airplane and airport sitting. 

We relaxed, and enjoyed the sunset views. 

along the marina, early evening

an hour later, the sun is about to set

and when it does, it is spectacular

I am where I want to be !!! I  feel the vibes and the energy and the karma, and I know this vacation will be wonderful.

Our gracious host, Jakov, at the Guest House Sol, highly recommended we dine at the Restaurant Rokotin for dinner.  It is a farther walk from the busy marina area, and sadly for the restaurant, most tourists probably don't even know about it, but we did, thanks to Jakov.

It set the "gold standard" for all of our future dining in Croatia. 

We each ordered a glass of the local red wine, and then we shared the octupus salad as our first course.

Truly the gourmet salad! Very fresh and delicious

 Nest we shared the entree, grilled squid with swiss chard and potatoes. Gourmet, delicious, and with such an artistic presentation. 

The grilled squid is served

 

one final photo of our first night along the marina in Cavtat

Saturday, September 7, we spent the morning and after exploring Cavtat prior to our official 2:00 pm start of our Natural Adventure agenda. We walked both of the lovely peninsulas. The Rat peninsula is the larger of the two, and features a long promenade that offers stunning views of the surrounding bays and islands. 

The Sustjepan Peninsula is smaller and wilder than the Rat. It is primarily covered in aromatic pine forests and there are paths leading to beaches to swim. We were prepared and had our bathing suits. Refreshing to swim in the Adriatic Sea!

A view from the trail.  Minutes later we are swimming here!

 

an excellent swim stop on the hike

 

After the hiking and swimming, we still had time to hoof it up to the Saint Rocco Cemetery and Mausoleum, on the highest point of the Rat Peninsula, above the urban center or Cavtat.

the view of Cavtat from the mausoleum above

 At 2:00 pm a driver picked us up at the Guest House Sol for the twenty minute drive to ZlatoVisce, the guest house agritourismo where we would stay for two nights. This ancient stone house was built in the 16th century!

Our host, Nico, was very helpful and accommodating. Dinner that first evening was on the premises in the lovely dining room which we had all to ourselves. We were the only dinner guests that evening.

the stone walled dining room at ZlatoVisce

We started with an aperitif, a cherry liqueur and also a sip of a sage liqueur. Our first course was a vegetable soup, thick with many vegetables from their garden. The main course was braised beef with vegetables, mostly potatoes and carrots and a little bit of eggplant, also from the their garden.  Very good, and very filling! Nico also brought out a bottle of their homemade wine and invited us to help ourselves.

the generous portion of braised beef and vegetables

Sunday, September 8 we ate breakfast at 8:00 am and by 8:30 am we were out the door, ready to start our 12-mile scenic hike. It was a self-guided walking tour of the paths and villages of Konavle area. The route was partly on pavement and partly on trail, with a total distance of 12 1/2 miles. 

We enjoyed this loop hike. A highlight was when we arrived in the small town of Cilipi before 11:00 am, after 5 1/2 miles. Our timing was perfect. It just so happened that the Cilipi Folklore Festival was underway. The folklore festival only occurs on Sundays, from April to October. 

Folklore Society Čilipi was established in 1954, and it presents the traditions of the Konavle people that are several centuries old. The performance lasted 45 minutes and was fun to witness and absorb. There were some very talented singers and dancers.

One of the traditional dances

Temps were in the 80s; they must have been hot dressed in this heavy apparel

It was quite hot on today's hike and we were happy to sit in the shade as we watched the folklore performances. An hour later, it was onward toward my favorite highlight of the hike - the beach stop at Pasjaca beach. 

This was at about mile 10, and we were ready for another swim in the Adriatic Sea. It was a steep, scenic climb down to the beach.

A long ways down to the beach...

Glad there was the railing for the final stretch

The aqua marine colored waters are gorgeous. We've been in Croatia for less than 72 hours and have already seen at least eight or nine beautiful beaches, and have gone swimming three times.

Monday, September 9th was my 65th birthday. I wrote myself a birthday poem that morning, 

"65 ?... yes, and I'm placing my bet, chances are high, I'm gonna get wet!"

And, we certainly did get wet!

Breakfast was similar to the previous day at 8:00 am - homemade bread, homemade peach jam and plum jam, cream cheese, hard boiled eggs and freshly brewed coffee. At 8:30 am Niko drove us to the ferry port in Dubrovnik. We said our goodbyes to Nico and walked around the port for about 30 minutes before we boarded the 10:00 am ferry to the island of Lopud. Heavy rain was predicted. Our choice was to go to the island of Lopud, or else hang out in the hotel lobby for several hours until check in...

The ferry ride started off windy yet dry. However, that changed about 2/3 of the way through the 80 minute ferry ride. It was raining sheets when we landed in Lopud! We hurried off the boat and walked quickly to a cafe with an outdoor covered patio where six of us stood outside, somewhat sheltered from the torrential downpour. 

We stood for about 45 minutes before the rain lightened up and we decided to venture out and do at least a portion of the planned hike on Lopud. We walked west along the coast to the tip of the island and then inland into some wooded area until it got too muddy and wet, so we turned around shortly past two miles. 

My wet "happy birthday" hike on the island of Lopud

We caught the 2:50 pm ferry ride back to Dubrovnik. We checked into the  Hotel Lapad, an elegant 1914 hotel near the marina.  Glad we are here for my birthday night, plus the next night. 

Nico highly recommended the Restaurant Orsan, for fine dining by the sea. It was a rainy 10-minute walk from the Hotel Lapad and a wonderful 65th birthday dinner.

We started with a shared appetizer, the Ocean Fish Plate - marinated anchovies, shrimp, octopus and mixed greens and glasses of red wine. Next we share an entree, Calamari  & Broad Beans, Leek (grilled octopus, broad beans, leeks and potatoes.)  And, a slice of carrot birthday cake for dessert! 

Enjoying my 65th Birthday dinner at Orsan!

 The weather on Tuesday, September 10th was much better than Monday. It was mostly cloudy, with only a 10 % chance of rain. Our planned self-guided hike was on the island of Sipan.

We boarded the ferry at 10:00 am and the seas were smooth. Sipan is only about three miles farther distance from Lopud. We disembarked from the ferry at 11:20 am and began our 9.4 mile hike on the island. 

The hike was fairly easy except for the steep climb to the Sv Trojstvo church view point, which we did toward the beginning of the hike at mile 2.  This 16th-century church was part of the parish of Pakljena, a now-vanished settlement on the island.

The old 16th century church - we rang the bell

The view below from the side of the church

 We walked the entire length of the island from Sudurad (near the ferry stop) to Luka, at the other end of the island.

Approaching Luka, the turnaround point of the hike

At the end of the hike we took a swim at the Plaza Sudurad beach. We had more than an hour before we were to board the return ferry to Dubrovnik at 5:50 pm, so why not?  We passed the island of Kolocep as we approached Dubrovnik.

a view of the lighthouse on Kolocep

A few minutes later we watched the sunset while aboard the ferry.

near the end of the ferry ride back to Dubrovnik

Wednesday, September 11th we were on our own with nothing planned until our 2:00 pm pickup from our hotel.

Mid morning, after a bountiful breakfast buffet, we walked to old town Dubrovnik, only a few miles (a 50 minute walk) from our Hotel Ladar  to the cable car station. We paid $15 Euro each for the one-way ride to the top of Mount Srd, where we were amazed at the views of old town Dubrovnik below and the islands in the distance. 

Quite spectacular

Then we walked down the rocky, zig zaggy path for the return down to the base. It was a three minute cable car ride to the top, and an hour (very scenic) walk back to the bottom. 

Gerry on the trail, as we descend

We then walked back to the Hotel Lapad to await our 2:00 pm pickup to a different port.No hiking today, per se, but we've already put in more than six walking miles. 

We boarded a very large fancy ferry with nice, comfortable seats for the 90 minute boat ride to the island of Mljet. It was smooth sailing on the calm seas. 

Mljet is nicknamed the “Green Island” due to the rich forest of Alepski Bor (Aleppo Pine) that extends from the sea’s bed to the highest point of the island’s surface. Mljet’s main attraction is its National Park, which occupies the western part of the island.  The park entrance was a ten minute walk from our hotel, and the hotel was a one minute walk from the Mljet port - Hotel Odisej, Mljet

We checked into the Hotel Odisej, where we will be staying for two nights on this beautiful island. We quickly put our bathing suits on under our hiking apparel and headed into the National Park.  We have free passes, as part of our Natural Adventure vacation, to explore hike and swim in the Park for two days!

After an idyllic mile walk in the park, we found an ideal swimming spot.

the view on our leisurely evening stroll in Mljet NP

We walked around this small lake and took a short swim in the cove, which is at the back of this photo

a nice place to swim and scenery can't be beat

Thursday, Sept 12 our agenda was pretty basic - hike, swim, enjoy.  We did all three. 

We tweaked the self-guided planned hike to add more swim stops and less walking, though we still walked more than eight miles. It was not at all strenuous. Most of the walking was around lake Jezero. We took our time on this scenic walk. No need to hurry, we didn't have a boat to catch or work to do. Weather was in the upper 70s, partly sunny / partly cloudy and windy. We welcomed the breeze.

First swim stop was late morning. We "discovered" our own private beach.

We saw other hikers and many cyclists today. There is a road that encircles the lakes and it would be ideal for cycling.  However, this National Park is not at all crowded compared to National Parks I have visited in the United States.  Also, there is NOT any litter whatsoever. Park visitors here practice good behavior.

a picturesque view

The picture above helps explain my logic at the beginning of today's entry about no need to hurry. Heck, I could stay here all day until they threw me out of this Park.

We walked across this bridge

There were so many amazing views of the lakes. We walked trails and gravelly rocky paths that hugged the beaches for the most part, though we did step up to the paved roads on occasion when it got too rocky or slippery.

a final picture in Mljet Natl Park

We returned to the hotel in the late afternoon, and walked to dinner in the evening to Ribar, an outdoor restaurant on the pier opposite our hotel. A quiet restaurant, not too busy, and a great location to watch the sunset. 

We ordered an octopus salad and grilled jumbo prawns with the shells on (a messy work to peel) but the shrimp were delicious and it came with a generous side of french fries so all is good.

let's peel these shrimp and chow down!

Friday, Sept 13, the large fancy ferry was scheduled to arrive at the dock at 11am for the ride back to Dubrovnik.  It was running behind and didn't arrive until 11:40 am, and it was quite full. Still, we found seats together. The seas were stormy; not as smooth as the ride to Mljet.

We docked in Dubrovnik at 1:10 pm and a driver met us and drove us to Hotel Lapad once again, where we unloaded our duffels. Then he drove us to Pile, in old town Dubrovnik and dropped us off to meet Josip, our guide for a personal two hour tour of old Dubrovnik, including the Church of St. Blaise, the Dominican Monastery, Rector's Palace, the Clock Tower, fountains and a walk along the Stradun.

 We climbed many steps on the walk with Josip, who was a very knowledgeable guide. It was a privilege to have him as our private tour guide and to see the usual sights, as well as some of the hidden gem sights, off the beaten path. 

One of the first stops on our tour w Josip

Josip took a couple of "selfies" of us. It's a bit geeky, but why not? 

here we are inside old town Dubrovnik

old town Dubrvonik and us once again

The views really were spectacular! I was compelled to take a photo

without us this time (thank goodness)

Here are a few additional photos

along the fortress walls

in the major Old Town square

The best activity after the tour is to walk a bit on our own and explore Old Town. We walked down a narrow street to Dolca Vita for two scoops of gelato (pistachio and bitter orange)

Dolce Vita" - very tasty gelato to be had here

We then walked back to the Hotel Ladar to spend our last night in Dubrovnik. We ate dinner at the Green Garden, a unique "natural" place in a traditional 19th century garden that opened in 2019, known for its burgers and beer.

At the Green Garden, on our final night in Dubrovnik

This is the end of "Croatia Sept 2024 Part One" and our time with the Natural Adventure agenda. 

Next week we are one our own with an agenda and ideas, mostly orchestrated and planned by yours truly.

the Epic Sunset Blvd walk on Friday, August 9th

I read about some young 30-year-olds who walked the entire length of the famous Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles ending at the beach in one day. I was intrigued.  Their walk was 25 miles.  I also visited LACMA and saw the world renowned artist Ed Ruscha exhibit, Now Then, which included hundreds of photographs of the Sunset Strip back in the sixties. The seed was planted.  

If they could do it, and experience the Sunset Strip, so could I!  

I contacted my friend Kiki, who shares a similar mindset as me and she was on board with joining me for this long walk adventure.

We shortened our walk by about 5miles and didn't walk the entire Sunset Blvd. Instead we started in Hollywood, but it still was a long 20.6 mile walk.  Gerry drove us to our starting line, at the corner of Sunset Blvd and Bronson, about two miles from our house.

At the start, Sunset Bronson Studios in the background

Within a half-mile we are at the famous Palladium, which opened in 1940.

Here's Kiki!

 Then we pass by Hollywood High School, and the famous Southern California restaurant chain  In-N-Out Burger. Their first location opened in 1948. 

 Hollywood High, the high school of many famous actors

It's 8:00 am - maybe too early for a burger

There are so many landmarks on Sunset Blvd as we walk toward Beverly Hills. Many famous restaurants and night clubs, record stores, entertainment venues and more. Unfortunately, some of the original classics  no longer exist, but that happens with the passage of time, in L.A. and elsewhere.

We walk by the Laugh factory, a stand-up comedy club that Gerry and I visited for a show, probably 25 years ago. For decades, the Laugh Factory has hosted an annual Kids Comedy Camp that teaches and encourages kids from underprivileged families how to tell jokes and make us all laugh.  How can you argue with that?  A block later is  Greenblatt's deli, which sadly is no longer in business. I think it closed during Covid.

the Laugh factory

Greenblatt's - where I've never been....darn

By this point we're in what is called West Hollywood. There are a lot of outdoor cafes as well as some fancy stores. Fun to take it all in. We arrive at an intersection and the Chateau Marmont is on a narrow uphill street to the right. The Chateau Marmont is where the actor John Belushi died at the young age of 33 on March 5, 1982.  

secluded entrance to the Chateau Marmont

We love stopping along the way to take photos. We're in no hurry, whatsoever. We'll get to the beach when we get there, and meanwhile we are enjoying our walk and nonstop talking with each other.

Carney's Hotdogs and Hamburgers is another historic diner. It's been around for 40 years of so.  Kiki tells me that she and her mother would come here, and that her mom enjoyed the Chicago-style hot dog they served. 

We walk by the Comedy Store, a venue similar to the Laugh Factory which would get a huge attendance back in the day.

We're laughing a lot on this trek, without the Comedy Store, but nice to see

Years ago in 1987, shortly after we moved to L.A., I had an AccounTemps job in an office building across the street and down the block from the Pink Dot. I never went in there, but I remember the pink building. It brought back memories to walk by it 37 years hence.  And these days, they apparently deliver.  (There was not a blue VW bug back in the day, as far as I know.)

at the Pink Dot, which has been around for awhile

This blog seems to be very restaurant oriented, but that's the way the Sunset Blvd in this neighborhood was, and still is.  Mel's Diner is another winner that's survived the test of time. I think I've had brunch at a Mel's Diner, but not at this particular location. 

Will have to come here sometime and check it out

A few minutes later we're in what is called the Sunset Plaza.  It is a stretch of perhaps four blocks with many restaurants, boutique shops and it's fancy schmancy for sure. Gerry and I ate brunch at one of the restaurants in 1987, celebrating our first wedding anniversary. (I can't remember where.)

at Sunset Plaza with upscale restaurants and shops lining both sides of the street

We walked by a store and were intrigued by the front window display of Andy Warhol and his artwork.

Yep, Andy Warhol was iconic. It's appropriate we view this on iconic walk

It's now about 9:30 am and we have a few more photo ops before we hit the tree-lined streets of Beverly Hills and some much needed shade. Temperatures are warming up, and it's in the high 70s and quite sunny. 

Here's the Viper Room (founded by Johnny Depp) , the Whiskey a GoGo, and the Rainbow Room Bar and Grill.

As long as there has been a Los Angeles rock scene, there has been the Whisky A Go-Go. An anchor on the Sunset Strip since it’s opening in 1964, the Whisky A Go-Go has played host to rock ‘n’ roll’s most important bands, from the Doors, Janis Joplin, and Led Zeppelin to today’s up and coming new artists.

the Viper Room on the south side of Sunset

the Whiskey a Go Go on the north side

We knock on the door, but they won't let us in (just kidding)

And here's the Rainbow Room Bar & Grill.  This block was quite the happening place back in the day, and maybe it still is. I don't know.

The banner that lets you know you are at the entrance of the Rainbow Room

Okay. It's time for some snacks and some shaded walking. The next 45 minutes or so are in Beverly Hills. Not much traffic and a quiet environment. We walk by the historic Beverly Hills Hotel. The Beverly Hills Hotel was established in May 1912, before the city itself was incorporated. I remember going there once several years ago in the early 1990s when I worked for Marvin Davis. We didn't stay overnight, but I think there was a cocktail reception we attended. It was a pretty swank place, and probably still is.

a nice welcoming sign for us as is the shaded streets

Welcome sign on the left, the hotel is up the hill on the right

We walked a bit farther, and made a brief pivot from Sunset Blvd, because there was not longer a sidewalk and it wasn't safe. The goal of the walk is to finish it, and not get run over by a speeding vehicle. It was only about two miles  that we were off Sunset Blvd on our detour toward and on Wilshire Blvd, and then we returned back to Sunset. A pleasant detour and we were happy to literally smell the roses along the way, as we are on N. Whittier Dr approaching Wilshire. We passed by many beautiful gardens in the front of the homes.

Kiki sniffs first and beckons me to come closer

A few blocks later we are on Wilshire Blvd in the area known as Holmby Hills.  Tall condominiums line both sides of the boulevard.  The apartment units in these condominiums are very expensive, and there are so many of them. Building after building for many blocks.

Our Wilshire Blvd pivot

Forty minutes later we're back on Sunset Blvd and now making our way through UCLA campus. It's getting toasty so we stop and rest on one of the benches for a drink of water and a salty snack. I think we only sat maybe twice during this walking adventure.

It was fun to walk through the UCLA campus. It especially brought back memories for Kiki who ran many races here.

Time to sit for a few minutes and fuel up

Minutes later, backpacks on, and the walk resumes

Many banners showing support of the UCLA athletes throughout the campus. We're close to Drake Stadium.

Go Bruins! 

After we leave UCLA, we've walked close to 11 miles. We're more than half-way there. We're feeling confident!  

Some of the cars whiz by on Sunset Blvd way too fast. Even though we have a guard rail along the sidewalk (sometimes) it's still a bit nerve wracking. We keep as far away from the curb as possible, even if we have to brush against some branches and bushes.  I don't know what the speed limit is in this area, and I realize people have to get where they are going. I just hope they see us and don't run over the curb!

Thirty minutes later we walk on the sidewalk along the road, which is the overpass to the busy 405 freeway.  Once we cross the 405, it really feels like we are on "the west side".

crossing the 405

We walk through the west part of Brentwood headed toward Pacific Palisades. Back in the day, I did many runs on the trails of Mandeville Canyon.  We approach Mandeville Canyon Road. The trails are a few miles up this road on the right.

Mandeville Canyon Road

We know the end is near when we can see the hills of Will Rogers State Historic Park in the distance. Probably five miles left when we come to this next view point.

view of the Will Rogers hillsides

Next were in Pacific Palisades, the home stretch. Unfortunately, I've been taking a lot of pictures and burning down the battery on my phone by using my Cyclemeter App to record this trip, so I don't take too many pictures the last three miles.  Also, finishing the walk soon is now more of a priority than picture stops.

With two miles to go, we see views of the ocean

And then we arrive at Gladstones, the famous restaurant on the beach. We sit outside Gladstones and Gerry takes our finish line photo:

And the gold medal goes to Team Kiki Mary

It's time for us to finally sit down and have a late luncheon celebration.  We're exhausted but also very excited that we did this together!

Team Kiki Mary - let's order some food!

We owe tremendous thanks to Gerry and Tamara, our supportive partners who went along with this plan from the start. Very nice of them to drive across L.A. to meet us at Gladstones and then drive us back home. 

the route - Gerry tracked us!