Day 3: Dubrovnik, Revelin

All the photos above are from the walk along the old city wall. The old town is stunning, to say the least. It was bombed to pieces in 1991 when the Serbs tried to seize the city so pretty much all the buildings are only just over 20 years old because of the restorations since then.

Above: Inside the walls of the old city. Eating the most incredible peach I have ever tasted.

It was in Dubrovnik that I found the favourite thing that I've bought during my trip so far; the silver ring on my middle finger in the photo above. The city is well known for its jewelers who still make jewellery with ‘konavoske puce’ or ‘konavle’ buttons that were worn on traditional folk costumes. It seduced me through its glass case, Inez, Chels and I all ended up getting something and I've worn it everyday since then.

Celebrating the return of the Croatian water polo team from the Olympics with their gold medal. The players were HUGE but proportionate, so next to each other they looked like regular sized people but when they started mingling with the crowd I realised they were gigantic. We were lucky enough to witness their arrival just outside the entrance to the old city while our guide Duayne and I were taking Chels back to the boat because she felt too ill to come out and rumour had it that they were heading to Revelin, which is coincidently where we were going that night!

Revelin is the only place that parties on a Monday night so naturally.. that's where we went. 

Imagine a giant club in a fort with an endlessly high ceiling and cages for people to dance in with a security guard stationed at each platform who shakes the bars vigorously whenever a fifth person drunkenly clambers into the cage (only four are allowed in at a time) - the complete lack of amusement in their faces and the oblivious confusion of the people in the cages was hilarious to watch.

Imagine a guy dressed up like a cowboy but isn't actually meant to be dressed up as a cowboy that stands as still as a statue and then does weird jerky movements that are probably supposed to be too-cool-for-you dance moves but instead made him look like a cowboy trying to do the robot. Refer to above photo.

Imagine the crew; Luca, Antonija, Mario and Gloria, the people who have been driving, navigating, serving food and drink, cooking, cleaning for you, coming out to party with the entire boat and going all out and getting completely shitfaced, with you.

Imagine a guy on the boat (Willy), buying multiple drinks that looked like those giant slushies you used to buy at the easter show and handing them out like water. No idea why and how he had the money to churn them out at 150 kuna each, but we were all too drunk and happy to care. More on Willy later.

I could go on forever, but needless to say I had some good stories to tell Chels when i got home at 5:30 that morning.

and got a nice view of Dubrovnik waking up on a Tuesday morning.

Day 2: Sea, Mljet National Park

Today is the day that 4 girls; Claire-Ellen, Inez, Chels and I decided to be adventurers and swim to the island in the 3rd picture ^^ with a lilo and then get left behind by the boat.
It basically went like this:
*4 girls piled on top of one another on a lilo floating in shallow water around a small island*
"Is the boat moving?"
"What?"
"Oh my god the boat's moving"
*Girls tumble into water*
"AAAGgHHNGHghh!!?!?!1?!?!!!?1111!!!"
*Other people on the roof of the boat stare in amusement at the panicked girls swimming towards the boat dragging a lilo behind them*

Every day we'd have a swim stop, the boat would anchor in a bay and we'd all jump off the boat into the beautiful clear water, climb back on board, sunbathe, and jump in again, float around on a lilo and cool off; it was heaven. I have never seen or swam in water as beautiful.

Mljet National Park

1. 2. First glimpses of the salt lake which was originally fresh water until the monks connected it to the sea.
3. Mini current between the two lakes.

Monastery St Mary inside the National Park

1. The old monastery on a little island.

2. 4. 5. Inside the ruins of the monastery.

3. Some gorgeous fellow Sydney-ians.

6. Swimming off the island. We didn't actually spend too much time looking at the monastery itself.. Most of the afternoon was spent in the water just off the island pretending to be jellyfish and spinning around in cirlces.

That night we had a 'quiet' night on our boat which involved playing drinking games such as

• Never have I ever, then 
• Some mushroom card game that everyone was too good at playing
• Slap - passing a clap around a circle and drinking when you screwed up, then taking a shot when you screwed up twice in a row then buying the next one, then
• Zoomie zoomie - chanting "whoaaaaaaa zoomie zoomie, fuck me up" and yelling allocated numbers; this last game didn't get very far..

and got to know everyone on the boat even though it took me another day or two to learn everyones names.

Day 1: Sea, Hvar, Carpe Diem

1. 2. 3. Sailing on the deep blue sea.

4. 5. The main square.
6. I think that's Carpe Diem in the distance.
7. Exploring the residential area.

8. Dinner tucked away in the streets of Hvar.

9. Chels feeding the restaurants cat spaghetti.
10. Kiva Bar.
11. Luxury yachts that I will never ever ever ever have. Sorry about the grainy iPhone-ness.

12. Carpe Diem, excuse my inability to hold the camera still.

Hvar is like a luxury paradise getaway that I can't afford on a backpackers budget, even though I'm not exactly roughing it. There were gazillion dollar yachts lined up near our boat that we passed each time we went to and from our beloved MS Plomin. We stared in awe how we'll probably never see the amount of money these yachts are probably worth in our entire lifetime.

After happy hour then pre-drinks at Kiva Bar, a group of us crammed onto a little boat and chugged off to Carpe Diem at 1:30 which is an island, that is a club.

At about 3 we realised the music was bad. And that we were sobering up. And that drinks were ridiculously expensive. And there were many creepy men. And so we left. Thinking about it now, considering that nights out really start at around 4am in Europe maybe we left too early, but with no desire to spend over 50 kuna on a drink it was probably the best decision.

So maybe Carpe Diem would be the best night you'd ever have on a different day, with a different dj.

Just a quick note

• 'živjeli' = 'cheers' in Croatian; A word that would be used a innumerous amount of times over the next 8 days.

Croatia

From the 11th of August we sailed for 8 days around Croatia on a boat of about 30 people.
We arrived in Split 2 days before we set sail, and the second we stepped off the plane into the sunshine and 30+ degree heat we knew we were in heaven. We finally had access to fresh food and inhaled fresh fruit all day and ate prawn and zucchini pasta at Villa Spiza for dinner where they use whatever is fresh on the market meaning that they don't have a concrete menu and just whip up something amazing with whatever they have. This is paradise.

1. Landing in Split.

2. 3. From the main boulevard in front of the old city.

4. Bačvice beach.

5. 6. Split at night in Diocletian's Palace.

On our second day in Split we woke up and walked straight to Bačvice beach. That was the 10th of August. I had not been by the coast since around the 20th of June, let alone gone for a swim in the sea. Lying in the blazing sun, swimming in crystal turquoise blue waters and feeling the cool sea breeze on my skin made me realise how much I'd missed it, I don't think I could live away from the coast for an extended period of time. It's just. too. good.

Paris has got some competition

If you know me, you know that Paris is my favourite city in the world (other than Sydney). However, after spending a few days in Berlin I can safely say that Paris has definitely got some competition.

The thing that does it for me is how at ease Chelsea and I felt while we were there. You can really be yourself, there's no pressure from society to act or be a certain way. While talking to a French bartender in Kreuzberg, he noted that in Paris everyone needs to act a certain way, drink wine a certain way, talk a certain way and even though I don't want to admit it, it's true.

At some point during our stay I went to say that Berlin felt like Sydney, but stopped myself because it's not like Sydney, I just felt so comfortable it was like I was home.

The Fernesehturm; that TV tower.

Kunsthaus Tacheles

Tacheles is an artists compound. From 2008 when the last lease expired it's slowly been deteriorating, there was a semi-failed eviction early last year and the courtyard was cut off shortly after. It's a beautiful concept, the buillding is magnificent and it would be such a shame if the organisation diminished altogether.

1. Larry Clark at C/O Berlin
2. Flowers in Luzia

The food we ate in Berlin was the most incredible, healthiest, cheapest food I have ever come across. Pure bliss. Every night we went to Kreuzberg to eat for under 5 euros
Night 2: Falafel sandwich at Maroush
Night 3: Pho and an incredible noodle salad at Green Rice
Night 4: Durum döner at Tekbir Döner
Night 5: Köfte baguette at Gel Gör Inegöl Köfteci


There's a large turkish population in Kreuzberg hence all this food.
Also, note: I will never be able to eat a kebab at home again. Kebabs in Berlin were legitimate sources of nutrition that were wrapped in bread alike the pancakes you eat with peking duck stuffed with REAL meat and fresh veggies and yoghurt sauce and made our eyes roll into the backs of our heads with each bite.

1. Fistik Sarma Baklava. Can't begin to describe the heavenly sugary pistachio goodness.
2. Künefe. Shredded pastry filled with cheesy goodness smothered in cream and pistachios and drizzled with sugar syrup.

Verdict: May have to learn German just so I can live in Berlin for a while.