April in Croatia

Dalmatia, from Split to Dubrovnik. From Florence to Ancona we pass through Umbria with a great longing for the sea as winter ends. We take the ferry to Split, which leaves at 21.00. The next morning at seven we arrive after a somewhat rough crossing (but we made up for it by dining in the ship's restaurant for 15 Euro for two!). Breakfast is included in the cabin price, but a group of famished French travellers had polished off the sweet things. We're left with cold cuts, omelette and bread, butter and jam. We reach Omiš at 9 for a coffee and head up the Cetina river gorges to the rapids, accompanied by a local “boatman”. We get to Dubrovnik at 14.00. We find a hotel outside the centre (in Cavtat) by the sea. Then sea, walks, the Stradun of old Ragusa, its churches. The bombing of the recent war has left its mark, because we can tell the old from the rebuilt.

The Venetian air is palpable in its streets. The people are friendly and the prices reasonable. A mixed grill for two at 19 euro doesn't seem much to us. On the last day we leave early to stop and visit Split (a city born inside Diocletian's Palace) and its more modern part for a bit of shopping. The ship awaits us; the holiday is over.