Dubrovnik

We spent a total of three nights and two days in Dubrovnik and stayed at the Hotel President. It was typical of the big hotels - impersonal and somewhat cold. The service in the restaurant was practically nonexistent. Overall, it was overpriced, but so was the rest of Dubrovnik. On the other hand, this top picture is of the view coming in from Montenegro. The red rooftops and walls are of Dubrovnik's old town, which is about a fifth of the size of the city overall.

We spent two days wandering around old town, visiting everything from the aquarium to an exhibit of war photos. This second picture is of the boat basin, where you can catch a boat to go out to the islands just off the coast.

Both my husband and my companion say I have a depth perception problem; it's probably why I have a really bad case of acrophobia. Despite that, I climbed the city wall! This picture is of the stairs I had to go up to get there. Both staircases, plus another one not visible in the shot. My heart was racing by the time I got to the top, and several times at the top, but I did it. The views were gorgeous.

There is a pathetic aquarium by the boat basin. I think this anemone was the only creature looking happy in the place. I think my companion took a great photo of it, don't you?

The cloister in the Dominican monastery is a restful, cooling place in the old town, even if you have to pay an entrance fee - like everywhere else in Croatia. The monastery has a very pretty, still used church and a small collection of reliquaries and other religious objects. The best part is still the cloister with its palm and orange trees.

We had lunch here on the first day. It was just sandwiches, but they were good and the shade was needed. It's in the main square of the old town and about twenty feet from where most of the walking tours gather.

I think we spent just enough time in Dubrovnik. Besides old town, we explored the beach area by the university and had dinner at a cute place overlooking the port at Gruz. If we had spent another day, we would have needed to go out to the islands to find something to do.

Still on Blue

It's coming along some - I worked on it for a day while we were in Split, in the morning before my companion woke up. I like the way it's looking so far and am happy I decided to do it over one. The project is only available here, and any other copying of it is wrong. There are three colorways. The other two are orange and purple. I still like blue best.

Light Blue, Anyone?

Not much done on this since last picture, but I did manage to add light blue to the second side. Maybe I can finish this part this month.

Your Tax Dollars At Work

You know ... Europeans have a general dislike of all things American these days - not the people, but that America doesn't listen to them and doesn't engage in giving them money hand over fist to "do good". In response, I'd like to present one of the places we came across in Montenegro, in the town of Risan. Risan is just around the bay from Kotor, and just as beautifully situated, on top of having something to do, courtesy of the US government.

USAID helped build this structure, which protects the remains of a Roman villa, including some nearly intact floor mosaics. The mosaics are being restored to their former glory, also with US tax dollars. Did I mention this is one of the very few places you can get into in Montenegro for free, no matter your nationality? Not only that, a local will explain the mosaics and the layout of the villa to you on a guided tour.

Here is our guide and one of the mosaics, in the floor chamber of the bedroom. I have to say, the villa was in much better shape than what I saw in Normandy last year. There are a lot of aid programs in Montenegro, both US and EU funded. In Kosovo and Croatia too.

Behind Again

The new set came out on this yesterday while I was gone, so... I'm behind. I only got one full square and part of another done on part five. I plan on working on it tomorrow until I get part five done. Maybe tonight, too, if I recover enough from our trip.

Lots to See, Nothing to Do

We left Budva just after noon on Saturday the 25th and took the scenic route to Kotor; boy, was it scenic - right down to the two way one lane road edged on one side by the bay and on the other by walls. This first shot is from that road. It shows Kotor from a distance and it just strikes you as yet another old town by the water. Very pretty with the mountain behind it, but there are a lot like that in Montenegro.

It seems like most other towns of any size, that is, until you get close up and see these massive town defense walls rising to the summit of the mountain. I'm still stunned that people put walls all over that mammoth hillside. Definitely worth the view, but...

if you don't sail and you don't hike, what do you do in a place like Kotor? We went because we'd heard it was -the- place in Montenegro for anglophones to go, as Budva is for Russians. They must have meant anglophone fitness freaks. Truly, the only things to do in Kotor are sail and hike. No beach. It takes about half an hour to explore the old fortress.

So, we came, we looked at the magnificent fortifications from the bottom, and we drove on.

Of Gold and Time

There's some gold up to the corner and it's coming along slowly, but getting there. After Sunday I'll have a lot less time looking at the beach and traveling, which translates into a bit more stitching time. This will be especially true on Monday as I help the contractors repair the freezer ... again.