Exquisite...the Dalmatian coast is truly one of Europe's most stunning escapes. Long stretches of glorious shoreline are framed between limestone mountains and one of Boca's favs the Adriatic ocean....lots of islands dot this coastline. So how much of a fav can it be if she hasn't been here for 45 years...better than ever.
Dubrovnik's city walls- up to 20 ft thick and 72 ft tall are a stunning site as we sail in and anchor. These walls helped protect one of Europe's most perfectly preserved medieval cities as well as safeguarding the independence of the city-state for centuries.
The city looks pretty amazing given the bombing that went on here in the early 90"s...do you remember the Siege of Dubrovnik The Siege was a military engagement fought between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Croatian forces defending the city of Dubrovnik and its surrounding during the Croatian War of Independence (well that is one interpretation). Yes, they bombed this UNESCO SITE proving strong international condemnation of the JNA and really became quite a public relations disaster for Serbia and Montenegro- which contributed to their diplomatic and economic isolation and obviously led to Croatia becoming its own country. My fellow Serbs aren't keen on giving up land. But that is for another day and a long conversation. Over 11,000 buildings suffered some level of devastation but glad to see the city has been put back together and in phenomenal tourist ready shape.Picture on a building with a before and after siege shot...
Pleep took the tram to the top to get that birds eye view....
Talk about some red roofs! Picture perfect-good job Pleep.
Ok, let's get this show on the road Boca.
Lots and lots of tourists....
Still working on our selfies.
A man and his sword? 
Hey, that lady is a two stick schlepper? Aren't those ski poles?
That's right Bubs- show her how its done.
And Boca joins the Nun tour....
Praying to improve my selfie taking ability.
While Bubba takes 5 to have a cold one and find some Cevaps...
Cevapi (pronounced CHAE-vap or CHAE-vap-ee) are hand-shaped, case-less sausages that are popular in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and other countries in the Balkans/Southeastern Europe region. TURKISH INFLUENCE Cevapi (or cevapici) originated in the Balkans during the time of Turkish rule (the Ottoman Empire). You can see the Turkish influence in the similarity of cevapi to a Turkish kofta kebab, which is a mixed-meat sausage that is molded onto skewers for easy grilling.
Bubs had dreams of a jumbo platter for his pleasure.But this is what the young girl brought him. Boo hoo.and Bogami. And why were we charged $2 for bread we did not ask for. You KNOW Boca would not cough up the $2 bucks...Serbian principle as Bubs slinked away.
A TRULY UNIQUE SAUSAGE There are many things that make cevapi unique. For starters, they are made with a mixture of beef, lamb, and/or pork. The mixture of meats creates a very unique flavor and texture in the sausage. Another unique element to these sausages, and a very exciting one, is that they are un-cased. That means that unlike bratwurst, or other cased sausages, you don’t have to have a sausage stuffing attachment to make these tasty sausages! This makes them super easy to make. Which is a big win! Finally, these guys are grilled, which means, like any grilled sausage, they benefit from a nice infusion of smoke. However, since these sausages don’t have a casing keeping all the smoky goodness on the surface, the smoke flavor really penetrates deep into the sausage. And, since these sausages are made up of fatty meat, as the fat drips onto the coals, the flames spring upward, creating a beautiful hiss.
Bubs, you must must must learn to perfect cevp's- as Pleep is also crazy about them!
Speaking of Pleep, naturally he had to take the GAME OF THRONES TOUR-the Kings Landing scenes are filmed here. They say the popularity of the show has brought a lot of visitors to Dubrovnik. You've got that a right.
THRONES...
OR TODAY...
Thrones just started it's 7th season. Have you watched it? Not exactly Boca's cup of tea but Pleep is mad about it! Pleep and his Pop have not missed one episode. Go figure.
Winding up the day with some serious people watching...at one of the many many sidewalk cafes!
They stick them in every nook and cranny. Boca stopped counting at 100!
Everyone of them has a person inviting you in- join us for lunch!
$8 for a large beer
Food prices were decent for Europe.
And everyone's food looked delicious.
Didn't see all that cigarette smoking as in previous years in Europe...very small minority of people smoking in the cafes.
People watching perch- excellent!
Ya gotta nosh
A cold beer doesn't hurt.
No spot is too small for a sit down.
Ok Boca, time to head back to the ship- for some siesta time.
In light of the Georgia Congressional special election and submitted by my son, Nicholas......
Heard Nancy is looking for a new gig. Nance when ya spend over $31million to win a Congressional seat and your competition only spent $22m- and ya don't win, ya have a problem. Trump Trump Trump- oh yeah, but you knew that....I heard Uber and Mobb Deep (the rapper duo) have some openings.
And guess who snuck up back to THE RETREAT after a day of touring the old city...
Saw this post on the beloved Fisher House page....that Paul Newman was one class act.
Good night dear friends.
