The Wanderers Stories

By Katija Calis

Dubrovnik is a city in southern Croatia fronting the Adriatic Sea. It’s known for its distinctive Old Town, encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century. Its well-preserved buildings range from baroque St. Blaise Church to Renaissance Sponza Palace and Gothic Rector’s Palace, now a history museum. Paved with limestone, the pedestrianized Stradun (or Placa) is lined with shops and restaurants. For many visitors Dubrovnik is King’s Landing, capital of Westeros (From HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones).

One little-known fact/trivia that everyone should know when travelling to Dubrovnik?

Visit Dubrovnik in winter time; Dubrovnik is mostly known as a summer destination, but Winter has a lot to offer!

What is a must buy when in Dubrovnik?

You must buy the caramelized almonds & candied orange peel.

One takeaway after a visit to this region?

Filigree silver, gold or coral jewellery

What is your advice to first-time travellers?

Don’t miss the City Walls

Things to pack when travelling to Croatia?

Sunglasses & hat are essentials to carry when travelling to Croatia.

One activity anyone travelling to this region should not miss?

You must go kayaking around city walls

The most romantic place to take a special someone to?

Visit the Porporela (pier Dubrovnik’s Old Harbour)

Where should anyone, travelling to this region, definitely get their picture taken?

One must take pictures from the top of Minceta fortress (City walls) / Banje Beach / Upper Cable Car station

The best place to have local food?

Konoba Tabak is a good place to try out authentic local food.

Your favourite local dish and drink that you would recommend our readers?

Try out Lamb prepared under the iron bell; fresh oysters, “sporki makaruli” (a dish made of meat and pasta)

The best pub and best places to catch up for a drink?

La Bodega, Belfast Irish pub, Levanat Bar are some of the local pubs and places you must visit.

One place only the locals would know?

Open air cinema Jadran

Is there any particular month you would not recommend travel to this region and what would that reason be?

July / August as the temperatures are too high and it’s overcrowded

A local festival you feel more travellers should come and see.

Dubrovnik Summer Festival (10th July – 25th August); Winter Festival (December – January), St Blasius Festivity (3rd February)

Which is the best place to get a panoramic photo?

On the top of Mount Srdj, upper Cable Car station, overlooking the Old Town of Dubrovnik

The best place to enjoy sunset/sunrise?

Buza bar, seaside of the city walls

The things guidebooks will not tell anyone about Dubrovnik

There are plenty of small villages nearby that you should visit: do the road trip in the northern part of Dubrovnik (Orasac, Gromaca, Majkovi) and sample the real Dubrovnik’s life since it’s not all about the city walls.

How would you describe Dubrovnik in one sentence?

In one sentence, Dubrovnik is breath taking!

Check out our latest package on France

By – Alifiya Calcuttawala

” A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip, a trip takes us.” – John Steinbeck

Day 8: Monday, March 15^th2017

DRAKE PASSAGE, EN ROUTE TO TIERRA DEL FUEGO

WIND (AM): 5kn E– TEMP. (AM): 2ºC (partially cloudy)

WIND (PM): 5kn ENE– TEMP. (PM): 2ºC (partially cloudy)

The crossing resulted fairly easy so far, with a little wind and clouds. The feared Drake Passage is showing it’s effect from the remaining swell. After breakfast our guides started offering lectures again to help us understand what we had seen and dsicuss a little about what we experienced. In the meantime we were zipping along northbound, mildly rolling with a little wind coming across.

The Drake remained reasonable and we could even try to spot some more seabirds, maybe the last we would see for a while. Dinner was as good as usual, and most even managed to keep it all inside. As we exchanged stories about the days past, we realized that though we had all taken the same trip, our individual experiences varied quite a bit and it looked as if each of us had taken somewhat different journeys.

Day 9 :Tuesday, March 16^th2017

DRAKE PASSAGE – BEAGLE CHANNEL

Wake up call came as usual on our second day crossing the Drake. Reassured by the lack of major movement, we headed to the Dining Room to get some food. Early morning was spent chatting and downloading and selecting the many pictures we had taken throughout the trip. Our expedition staff once again offered educational activities and lectures.

The waters calmed down during the afternoon as we entered the sheltered area in the lee of Cape Horn and later the Beagle Channel.

In the afternoon, for the final recap the Expedition Staff had a surprise for us: A DVD containing the map of the journey, the wildlife checklist, note on some of the lectures, their bios, and a photo-show of pictures from the voyage.

At night we dressed up for the farewell dinner and we toasted goodbye, a very nice way to conclude an unforgettable journey.

After dinner we joined our fellow voyagers in the bar for a last drink on the ship. Of course we’d have plenty of time for that in Ushuaia, but it felt more like saying goodbye to the bar and the ambience we created around it than saying goodbye to each other.

Day 10: Wednesday, March 17^th2017

USHUAIA, ARGENTINA

LAT. 54°48′ S, LONG. 68°18′ W

Dawn lit the ending of our trip. We had returned the same but much different, changed somehow by having conquered a continent known by so few, loved by so many. The beauty we had experienced on the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands would stay with us. It was a memorable journey. After breakfast it was time to go. Fare thy well, USHUAIA, you explorer of the Ice!

Note: For a trip to Antarctica, contact The Wanderers.

Tag: free travel

An Insiders View on Dubrovnik,Croatia