As I was waiting for Holly to arrive in Dubrovnik, I timed it so I ended up with a few extra days that were unplanned in Croatia. I decided not to go back to the north part for any of the national parks (that was going to be a LOT of hours on ferries and busses), and I was contemplating going to Bosnia or Montenegro.
(Side note: My mom did a great job handling the “Hey Mom I might be going to Bosnia next week” conversation. When I first said it, there was a bit of silence. And then (though I’m sure it pained her) “Sweetie, I trust you”. I did note that there has been no fighting there in over twenty years. But if I ever have kids, I imagine that I’ll know how my mom felt when my kids call and are like “Hey Mom, I think I want to go visit Afghanistan. I’ve heard it’s nice this time of year”.)
But ultimately, I decided I wanted some additional time to relax. I knew after Holly came then through the end of my trip, the “beaches” part of my trip was essentially over – I’d be spending a lot of time in Italy and France and unlikely to have relaxing beach time (but highly likely to have great sightseeing time!).
So I found a town called Cavtat, which is south of Dubrovnik, still in Croatia, and seemed to be quite pretty. I decided to book an apartment there for a few days and just hang out and soak up life.
I’m so glad I did! The apartment I found had an absolutely breathtaking view, but that came at a cost. From the main part of town up to the apartment, it was over 200 stairs! My quads were quite happy to get that kind of workout a few times a day!
Cavtat had a combination vibe of both a small town and a tourist town. Architecturally, it looked a lot like Dubrovnik and Korcula. It had a small harbor that lots of yachts were docking in, and it had a lot of areas to walk around in. The parks were so fun to take a walk in, and I walked all around them. Every morning, I’d go down and wander around, enjoying the sea. There were plenty of benches, so most mornings, I’d stop at a bench, lay down on it, and spend a couple of hours reading my book. It was wonderful!
The sunsets when I was there were some of the most amazing I’ve seen so far on this trip. They were just so vibrant, and there were storms some days – so there were lots of clouds in the sky for the sun to light up as it went down.
One day, I hiked to a hidden cove of a beach, and I was the only one there. It was so fun to have a private beach, and I probably spent two hours just watching the waves crash on the rocks.
And apparently, by choosing to vacation in Cavtat, I was in good company – last year, Jon Bon Jovi supposedly took a holiday there. It’s a favorite for celebrities because it’s quiet and out of the way. Who knew? I didn’t see any while I was there (though, to be honest… if I had seen a celebrity, it’s unlikely I would have recognized them).
Cavtat is also a great place for day trips over to Bosnia and Montenegro, but by the time I was there, I just decided to hang out and relax. I heard some horror stories of busses getting held up for hours at the border and the passport checks, and I decided I just wanted a break from all the busses and constant transit.
So I took one. And it was magical!
