Friday, July 10, 2009

Day 22- Dubrovnik, Croatia

Croatia had me completely astounded this morning with how beautiful it is. I had no idea what to expect but the area is amazing. It’s a really nice change from Naples and its gloomy industrial scenery. Dubrovnik is green and hilly with tons of flowers. All the buildings are white with terra cotta roofs. The harbor is full of yachts and small fishing boats. We started the morning by taking a walk around town. Andrew took the lead and decided he wouldn’t tell us where we were going until we got there. We walked for about fifteen minutes and then we came to an amazing view of the surrounding islands and the beach from the edge of a cliff. Andrew said he didn’t know what exactly we were looking for but he knew there would be something awesome there. And he was totally right. We went down some stairs and found some SAS kids cliff jumping. Erik and Shane immediately joined in but the rest of us were too scared or didn’t have a bathing suit on. Eventually Julie and I decided to try it, even though I stood on the edge for 20 minutes debating whether or not to jump. It was only about 30 feet high so it wasn’t that scary once I went the first time. It was so much fun and the water felt amazing. Again the salt film after swimming is less than pleasant but totally worth it.

 

After our mini adventure we hustled back to the ship to change into clean clothes for an FDP. (Field Directed Practica) I was signed up to go to a nearby village for a folk show as part of my ethnomusicology class. The field trip sounded pretty lame especially because we watched a clip of traditional Croatian folk music in class. I thought it would be people in costumes dancing and singing while the audience just sat around. I could not have been more wrong about this experience. We first drove across an amazing bridge in Dubrovnik which everyone should look up because I cannot for the life of me figure out how it stays up. Then we went to the village where we got a tour of their church and walked down the gravel road to a house. The guide told us about every plant we passed; what it was called, what it was used for, what animals ate it, etc. etc.

 

Once we arrived at the house we were greeted by the man of the house who was dressed in traditional costume. His wife and daughters gave us each a small glass of clear liquid and a dried fig. The liquid ended up being homemade brandy which was so strong it could be used to perform surgery. We got to listen to a traditional instrument which is like a small mandolin. The ladies tried to get everyone to dance but not many people had enough homemade wine to perform quite yet. Then we had a traditional appetizer of bacon, cheese, and bread which we could put on a stick over the fire to cook the bacon. It was very tasty but made the patio fairly smoky. After some more mingling and snacking we went downstairs and had dinner in what looked like a cave. (It wasn’t because it was built under their house) We had chicken, some other meat, homemade bread, potatoes, and another vegetable that was unidentifiable. Everything was very tasty and very unique being made in someone’s own home. We enjoyed more music from two men playing an accordion and a guitar. They played some Croatian folk songs as well as some older American songs that I only knew the chorus to. Some of the students got fairly drunk by downing the wine like they had just run a marathon. I thought it was pretty disrespectful but they were also a little bit funny. (Mostly just the gay guy who is very flamboyant) We made it back to Dubrovnik and the port in the evening just in time to change clothes to go out for the night. Sam, Logan and I met up with the rest of the group at the park and eventually made it to Old Town where there was a huge bash at EastWest, a club on the beach. Our big group of about 30 ended up breaking down and I grouped up with Dan, Calvin, Craig, and two girls from South Carolina. We went to the club but it was way too crowded. The drinks were $$$ and it was super hot. SAS people were all over the place, even dancing on the tables. We headed to the Irish Pub down the street that looked tamer to us. Later in the night I met up with Erik, Anna, and Andrew to walk back to the ship. It was a late night but a good experience in Croatia. The city is very clean, very safe, and very easy to navigate. I think we will enjoy the rest of our time here for sure.

 

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Croatia so far has been full of surprises. It has exceeded my expectations in every way. I originally thought Croatia was a place that was random and going to be really hard to find something to do. I was so wrong and could not be happier about it!

 

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Homemade brandy sounds like a good cultural experience, but it’s definitely one to pass on. It’s like drinking pure alcohol.

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