The Background Story

Actually, I didn’t arrive there in the best mood. Let me explain what happened. I was on a Mediterranean cruise and we visited awesome places: we stopped in Venice, Trieste, some Greek islands and Dubrovnik.
It was a windy day and the sea was rough. I remembered having breakfast in the ship’s restaurant and tasting delicious pancakes and croissants, while we could clearly see that the fruit juice in our glasses was dangerously sloped. That morning, we were supposed to land in Mykonos and I was so excited about that. Actually, it was one of my dream destinations: the white little streets, pink bougainvillea everywhere… I wanted to visit the beautiful island so badly.

That’s the reason why I was so disappointed when the captain told us that we couldn’t land in Mykonos, due to the dangerous weather conditions. I couldn’t believe it! The new plan was to navigate for an entire day and then landing in Dubrovnik the next day. The good thing was that we were able to stay in Croatia for a little longer. In fact, we stay there from 6pm to 12am: it was definitely a longer stay, compared to the previous ones.

The Landing

Once we started strolling around the alleys, after accessing the Old Town via a drawbridge (built in 1500), my mood definitely improved. And I have to admit it, the environment was unique. You could really feel the history of this place while walking around. Its Latin motto (sculped on the entrance to the Saint Lawrence fortress) is “Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro”, which means “Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world”.

Before leaving Gruz port and began our visit to Dubrovnik, we changed some money. In fact, even if the Republic of Croatia is part of the European Union, it doesn’t have the euro as its currency.
We got some Kuna and then we took a bus (the bus stop is 50 meters away from the port) and we arrived at Pile Gate, where there is an entrance to the Old Town of Dubrovnik. There were also other options to reach the city center from the port: having a walk of 30 minutes or taking the (rather expensive) shuttle organized by the cruise company. I was happy that we decided to try the local transport: it was cheap, easy to find and pretty fast.

The Stradun

Then, we arrived in the Stradun, the city’s main street full of restaurants and little shops. We strolled around without a clear destination. There were also a lot of stairs, linking the different Old Town’s levels. I really enjoyed walking around as in my opinion is one of the best ways to feel the soul of a new place. The Stradun was the perfect place to do that and I highly recommend exploring its lovely alleys, definitely quieter than the main pedestrian road.
Additionally, if you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will have the chance to do some theme-based tours, which will tell you more about the filming and the iconic locations.

The first afternoon spent in the city was great, even though there were too many people. Anyway, I was amazed by the beauty of Dubrovnik and its Venetian style architecture.

What To Do: Dubrovnik Cable Car

There were many people waiting to get on the cable car, which opened in 2010. It’s the quickest and easiest route to the summit of Mount Srd. The ticket was a little more than 20 euros, so it isn’t cheap, but it was worth it. We were there at sunset and we could enjoy a beautiful view of Dubrovnik.

If you would like to eat or drink something, you will find there a restaurant and a shop too. If you are interested in the story of Dubrovnik, there is a museum. Oh, and let’s not forget the amphitheatre: I met some cute horses there.
Another interesting way to get to the top of Mount Srd is hiking.

We got back to the Old Town and we had dinner in a typical restaurant. After a quick stroll, we returned to our ship. Even at night, we felt safe in Dubrovnik.

What To Do: Exploring Dubrovnik Walls

The following day, we decided to get up early in order to visit the walls of Dubrovnik. We wanted to arrive before all the tourists and also avoid the hottest hours. I’m so glad we did that. We paid more or less 13 euros to visit them and they run almost 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) around the city: they were built in order to protect the town. That’s the reason why a system of turrets and towers was planned. The walls were built between 12th and 17th century and they are well preserved.

Tip: wear comfortable shoes as there are many stairs. If you go on the walls during summer, be sure to have some water with you. The view of the city and of the sea is breathtaking. If you stop to take some pictures and to enjoy the panorama, you could walk them in two or three hours.

We didn’t have a lot of time to explore Dubrovnik, but we made sure to visit the most of it in less than 24 hours and to savor its atmosphere. If I had more time, I would have made a quick visit to Lokrum Island. It’s a really small, uninhabited island, only 700 meters away from Dubrovnik and it’s covered in lush vegetation. If you plan to visit it, there is a boat service that departs from Dubrovnik Old Town port and the journey time is 15 minutes.

Visiting Dubrovnik: What’s To Know?

• Every year, there are many people that decide to visit Dubrovnik. We went during peak season (June, July, August) and I have to admit it: there were definitely too many people, especially in some times. I would suggest visiting Dubrovnik during a quieter time, as May or September.

• Speaking about the walls, I suggest you to visit them early in the morning or at sunset, to avoid the scorching sun and the crowds. And remember to wear a good pair of walking shoes. If you don’t want to do the full tour, there are some points where you will be able to go down and end your visit.

• During your time in the city, be sure to save some moments to simply stroll around. The Old City is so charming and it’s great to have some time to enjoy it. And you will find a lot of cats to be friends with (I hope that Silver and Kazai will forgive me!).

• Finally, check the official sites to always have the updated information on the hourly visit and prices!

L'articolo Dubrovnik: What to Do in One Day proviene da Carol Pomme.

It’s so nice to spend some time in the snow! I really love it and last week I was lucky enough to go on a day trip to Ponte di Legno, for an awesome day on the slopes! It’s a small village near Brescia (my hometown), in the north of Italy. In this article you will find out how we spent our day and how to plan the perfect getaway to Ponte di Legno!

Snow Paradise

Ponte di Legno is the biggest village in Valcamonica, the latest in Brescia before seeing Trento’s province. It’s the perfect place if you love skiing, as there are more than 80 km of ski slopes and 21 km for cross-country skiing: it’s actually a famous ski area since 1912. There is also a funicular to passo del Tonale.

The Journey

Early wake-up call:5 am. Definitely challenging! However, I can now say that it was worth it. After a quick breakfast, we put on our ski suits and then we were ready to go. Six friends, ready for a day on the slopes! Fortunately, I decided to wear a ski suit, even if I don’t ski, and I absolutely recommend it! It will keep you warm and dry all day long, and we all know the importance of this when the temperatures are below freezing!
It took us two hours to reach the village and finally, by 8 am, we were ready to discover the place.

Ponte di Legno, Here We Are!

Once arrived in Ponte di Legno, some of us went skiing, while me and others decided to explore the center of the village. I must say it, it was pretty charming. First of all, a creek run through the town and there were several little cute bridges; “Ponte di Legno” actually means “wooden bridge” and we spotted a few of them.

We reached the center without difficulty, having a walk in streets with an antique flavor. There were several typical shops, boutiques, restaurants and cafés: the delicatessens and the bakeries smelled really good. In fact, we started getting hungry and we decided to have a coffee and just soak up the lovely atmosphere. We reached the main square (Piazza XXVII Settembre) and we found a café. Their strudel was delicious! Furthermore, they had biodegradable cutlery and I appreciated their caring for our environment.

Once the break was over, we began to walk again and we reached the cable car. It was next to the ski slopes and it linked Ponte di Legno with passo del Tonale.

Passo del Tonale: Beautiful View

Let me say that this was probably the less pleasant part of the day, in certain ways, even though I highly recommend a visit to passo del Tonale. I’ll tell you the pros and cons, and how to have a nice experience.
First of all, we bought a round trip ticket (around EUR 6) to reach passo del Tonale, but we got a bad news. If you weren’t skiing, you couldn’t reach the top of the way, but you had to stop at an intermediate station and then you had to take a shuttle bus to go to Tonale. The problem was that there were a lot of people waiting for that shuttle bus, and we had to wait for another one, as we couldn’t get on the first one. We had to wait outdoor for about half an hour.

However, Tonale was beautiful. The snow was so white and soft! On the other hand,  there weren’t many shops or things to see. We only had a few minutes to explore it, as the journey was pretty long, and we had to come back to Ponte di Legno in order to have lunch. If you want to enjoy a stunning view, you’ll love Tonale.

Lunch Time!

It’s a fact: if you are on a mountain holiday in Italy, you’ll be able to taste delicious food. We decided to try a restaurant that offered local cuisine, and I am so glad we did it. It’s simply the best: canederli, stew, polenta, cheese,… Plenty of choice! I tasted pizzoccheri (a type of pasta, made with buckwheat flour) and Radler (beer mixed with soda), it was delicious.

Furthermore, I’d also recommend Silter, a local DOP cheese: you could have it grilled with polenta, you won’t regret it. If you are a cheese lover, there is also a Silter festival in December.
Then we had a coffee and it was time to go home. It was a flying visit, but I loved it and we really enjoyed our day on the slopes.

Some Other Ideas to Enjoy your Day on the Slopes

To sum up, this was the recap of our day on the slopes, but there are other things that you could do in Ponte di Legno. First of all, you could practice sleddog. There’s a specialized school in this village and they organize several activities, both in summer and winter. Then you could wear snowshoes and explore the surroundings, or you could drive a snowmobile. Next, if you are into ice skating, there are three ice rink this area (in Ponte di Legno, Tonale and Temù). Last but not least, if you love culture, there is an ancient castle (Castello di Castelpoggio) that you could visit.

If you want to see a quick video (less than 1 minute!) about this trip, click here ! Actually, it’s my first Youtube video, I know there’ s a lot to improve, but I have to start somewhere LOL! 

I hope that this article helps you if you’re planning a trip to Ponte di Legno and if you need advice, just write me!
See you soon,

Carol

L'articolo A Day on the Slopes in Italy proviene da Carol Pomme.