The days leading up to the trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia, were pleasantly uneventful. No recently injured knee, no food poisoning. However, I was concerned for my sister Helen, flat on her back with a fractured vertebra, and my second-grade friend Ann, recuperating from a painful surgical procedure. There was the small matter of hurricane Francine, which hit New Orleans the day before my departure, but Bill was home handling the generator, and as hurricanes go, it was manageable.
The unforced error on my part was the itinerary I had chosen. For once in my life, my mantra of “always Fly Delta” (because of the perks I enjoy with this airline) did not serve me well. I had a ticket twice the cost of the alternatives, with a 20-hour stopover in Paris. Charlotte got to Dubrovnik in one day; it took me two. The silver lining was steak frites on the Champs-Élysées, where they were preparing for the Parade of Champions (tribute to their Olympic medalists) the next day.
Whereas I might have happily flown in and out for a week of hiking, Charlotte preferred to explore the region on both ends. Thus, we planned five days in Dubrovnik before the main event of hiking in Montenegro and a day back in Croatia after it.
As with our trip to Chile in 2023, Charlotte had been the researcher-in-chief. She had located an Airbnb near Old Town, the main attraction of Dubrovnik. If I had somehow expected a war-torn country still mending from the devastation of the 1990s, what I found instead was a thriving touristic destination nearing the end of its high season.
The Old City, enclosed by gigantic stone walls dating from the 9th century, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. It oozed charm at every turn. The blue Adriatic Sea was constantly in our line of vision. The streets were made with squares of polished limestone. Most houses had red-tiled roofs with alabaster walls. Narrow allies constructed of stone stairs led off the main pedestrian street, the Stradun, and up the mountainside on which Dubrovnik is built. Restaurant tables lined these allies, giving a whole new feel to sidewalk cafes. Diners seemed not to mind the slight slant of their chairs.
Because Charlotte had gotten to the Dubrovnik a day early, she already had the lay of the land and good ideas of where to venture. On the day of my arrival, we took a 15-minute ferry to reach the island of Lokrum, which promised a botanical garden, walking trails, seascapes, and a nude beach. A sign for “Charlotte’s Well” caught our eye, and we made it our first stop on the island. Alas, it was a low cylindrical wall that proved to be one of the least picturesque parts of the excursion.
In the couple of hours we had on Lokrum, we circled part of the island, tracking our progress on AllTrails. Early in the hike, we found ourselves – with no option for detours - approaching the nude beach, with a prominent sign stating, “no photography.” We nervously averted our eyes from the 5-6 bathers as we made our way across the rocks that skirted the beach.
As we followed the trail, the rocks became harder to maneuver, creating the one (and only) time on the trip that we felt it best to turn back. The rest of the trail took us through wooded areas that periodically dead-ended on yet another view of the sea. The hike was tame, only 2 miles, but it marked the start to our warm-up for the main event in Montenegro the following week.
On Day 2 we were up and out early, to beat the crowds on the stone wall that totally encircles Old Town. Over this 1.5-mile walk, we were never out of sight of the Adriatic Sea. From this perch above the Old Town, we could see a sizeable vegetable garden, a basketball court wedged in between houses, and remnants of the ancient wall, dating from the 7th century. Despite our early start, the wall was swarming with tourists by the time we ended our circuit.
The afternoon gave us the only real uphill hiking we had in Dubrovnik. A main attraction of the city is Mount Srd, which looms 1,352 feet above the city. We skipped the 27-euro cable car ride in favor of walking to the top. The trail consisted of 14 switchbacks with metal plaques at each turn, marking the Signs of the Cross. Charlotte had to photograph all 14. At least two people (a Chinese lady tourist and an American man in sandals on his way down) informed us that it was going to be a very hard trail. Did our gray hair inspire these comments?
The summit at Mount Srd provided a 360-degree view of the area. On one side we looked down on the Adriatic Sea, Old Town, and the suburbs that had been built up the sides of the mountains. On the other (bordering on Bosnia and Herzegovina) we saw miles of untouched fields and mountainsides.
On Day 3 we struck out for Mljet (which we struggled to pronounce), a national park an hour and a half away from the city by ferry. It provided a welcome respite from the throngs of people in Old Town and on Mount Srd. Although there was very little elevation involved, we did get in our 8 miles of walking along the trails and road that circled a crystal-clear blue water of Lake Malo Jezero.
We did have our eye on the clock, since the only return to the mainland was at 4 PM. Slight panic set in when at 2:30 we realized we had gone 15 minutes in the wrong direction. (For all readers who know my propensity to get lost, I can truthfully claim it was not my fault.) But we retraced our steps at a quick clip and made it back with time to spare for fresh squeezed lemonade at the café in front of the boat dock.
On Day 4, Charlotte and I went our separate ways. I stayed home to get some work done, except for a mini adventure finding a local gym (note to self: in Dubrovnik, “gym” takes you to children’s playground; look for “Fitness”). Charlotte took in the War Photography Museum and a trip back to Lokrum Island for more hiking. An aficiacionada of classical music, she was thrilled to find a concert that evening in the heart of Old Town starting at 9 pm. I was thrilled to find my bed.
On our final day in Dubrovnik, we again headed out by ferry to the island of Koločep. A gentle walk gave us additional warm-up for the week to follow.
Although Dubrovnik proved to be far more touristic than most of the sites I’d visited for my “eight annual extraordinary outdoors excursions,” it did bring a new perspective to this project, especially as I approach the final four years leading up to age 80. In fact, it is possible to fulfill the two main criteria for these excursions – a physically challenging activity in a stunningly beautiful location – without risking life and limb on mountain trails that increasingly are beyond my comfort zone. One can walk long distances over level ground or on moderate trails and get plenty of exercise. As for stunning natural beauty, the area around Dubrovnik excelled.
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