Put Down the Blow Dryer: That Time I Ran Away to Europe for a Month - Part 2
... "you're going to check into your room and then you have to check out Fratellos across the street". She then proceeded to show me how to open and close the pool for the villa and toured me around the shared outdoor kitchen/cabana area.
To meet Diana is to meet a bridge between two worlds; She carries that unmistakable West Coast warmth, but it's been tempered by thirty years of Dalmatian 'fjaka'... that sublime Mediterranean art of doing nothing. She didn't just move to Dubrovnik, she let the city reshape her; trading the American dream for a Croatian reality that was, at the time, still healing from its own history.
Directly across the street from my temporary home in Dubrovnik stands a stellar sea-side bar/restaurant called Fratellos. The warm and welcoming staff brought me right in and sat me on the stone terrace looking over the sea and within moments brought me a crisp, chilled Aperol Spritz, mortadella sandwich on olive crusted foccacia and small plate of varying olives. Had I still been a smoker, it would have been an ideal time to lean back, take a drag and absourb my surroundings... instead I did the same but with a clunky, green apple vape but it didn't have the same romanticism. I knew better than to indulge in more than one drink after such a long travel day. The servers could not have been kinder and made sure to tell me that I simply must come back in the morning for breakfast.
Day 5
Do you ever wake up so incredibly discombobulated and not knowing where you are, how you got there or maybe even who you are!? That was me that morning but I got my head together, jumped in the beautiful marble shower to get ready for the day. As the running water hit me, I came to the realization that I've done it again, I've made it to yet another place in which I've never been and it was all just there for me to explore and discover.
I decided to venture down into the old town; a place where every polished limestone slab underfoot tells a story of survival. Known for centuries as the Republic of Ragusa, this city wasn't just a port, it was a master of diplomacy that maintained its independence for 450 years by outmaneuvering empires.
As I walked through the gates, I could feel the weight of its 'Golden Age'. Despite being nearly leveled by a massive earthquake in 1667, the city rose from rubble in a defiant display of Baroque and Renaissance architecture. Today, those same 15th-century walls that once protected merchant fleets now offer a sanctuary for travelers looking to lose themselves in a history that, as I've learned, is still very much healing and alive.
I spent the next hour or so just wandering the quiet backstreets, stopping to pet pretty much every cat I saw and in Dubrovnik, they are everywhere. It was actually really peaceful to see the city before it fully woke up. I eventually stumbled onto a little outdoor spot right in the heart of the stone walls and grabbed a simple breakfast: just some pastry, fresh fruit, and a much needed coffee.
Once the shops started opening and the crowds began to trickle in, I headed back up the hill to the villa. I wanted to take full advantage of that pool while it was still quiet. It ended up being just me, my book, and the hot sun for a few hours. I’d swim a few laps, dry off on the lounger, and then jump back in when the heat got to be too much. While I was hanging out there, I hopped on Airbnb Experiences to figure out my afternoon plan. I found exactly what I was looking for: a boat tour out to Sunj beach that included some cave tours/swimming.
I trekked down to the port to catch the sailboat and met up with a cool group of other travelers. Everyone was in high spirits and we hit it off immediately. Before long, we were heading out into the open water, leaving the city walls behind. There’s honestly nothing like that feeling of the wind hitting you and the sun reflecting off the Adriatic. We just sat back, soaked it all in, and started making our way toward the caves.
We started with a loop around the Elafiti Islands before dropping anchor at the Blue Cave. Jumping from the deck, we swam straight into the grotto where the light hits the water just right, turning everything an electric neon. After exploring a few more hidden sea caves, we reached Sunj beach. Since we couldn't dock, we waded ashore like a band of explorers, holding our bags high above our heads. A short hike through the trees led us to a restaurant tucked deep in the woods. We cooled off with a round of Spritzes and shared plates of fresh calamari and bruschetta. By the time we headed back down to the shoreline we were all ready to dance at the beach bars adorning the beach and wait for the boat, the afternoon had turned into one big, sun-drenched celebration.
I made plans to meet my new friends, Sam and Cooper, for dinner before heading back to the villa to wash off the salt and sweat in the pool (and sneak in a much-needed glass of wine). Refreshed, I descended toward the Old Town gates for an evening walking tour with Barbara, a Dubrovnik native. She didn't just recite dates; she shared the reality of navigating her hometown as it shifted from a quiet coastal city to a global tourist hub.
During the walk, I hit it off with Amy and Stu, a couple from Bournemouth whose humor made the history lessons fly by. Our group, Barbara included, eventually drifted into a wine bar tucked away in a narrow alley for charcuterie and local pours. I eventually peeled myself away to find Sam and Cooper at a bar in one of the main squares. We spent the rest of the night trading stories and laughing over beers, soaking in the energy of the plaza until the long, busy day finally caught up with us and we retreated to our beds.
Day 6
Good morning, Fratellos, again. After the adrenaline of the boat tour, my body was lobbying for a slow start. I spent the morning seaside, nursing a coffee and picking at breakfast while I navigated a sudden change of plans. A conversation with Diana had me second guessing the next leg in Marseille; her reviews were less than glowing, and her conviction was enough to make me pivot. I decided to lean into the pull of Croatia and stay a bit longer, letting the next move reveal itself.
From Fratellos, I migrated back to the villa pool and effectively anchored myself there for the day. My itinerary was simple: swim, dry off, read my book, shuffle a few flight and hotel reservations on my phone, and swim again.
But staying still is never as easy as it sounds for me. There’s this persistent, nagging voice in the back of my head: the one that measures a "good day" by how much I’ve produced or how many miles I’ve walked. I found myself sitting by that beautiful pool, beating myself up for not being "productive" enough. I'm in Dubrovnik, the voice would whisper, why am I not at a museum? Why aren't I hiking the walls? It took a conscious effort to silence the guilt and remind myself that resting is its own kind of progress.
Lunch was a low-stakes affair; a spread of local cheese, crusty bread, and a bottle of wine from the corner grocery. There’s a specific kind of luxury in a meal you put together yourself, sitting in the sun with nowhere to be. By the time the sun began to dip, I hadn’t "conquered" any new territory, but I had finally conquered that internal critic. I hadn’t done much exploring, but I felt more at home in Dubrovnik than I had all week.
Day 7
The day I met Paul and Linda from the UK... alright, not the McCartneys, but I’d argue these two were much cooler. It was Claire, though, who actually kicked off the day's recruitment. Let me give this some context.
It started predictably enough: another breakfast at Fratellos. I retreated to the villa pool afterward, intending to finally map out my post Dubrovnik moves, but the "fjaka" had other plans. I was mid-chapter in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo when Claire, a New Yorker with excellent taste in literature, swam up to tell me she loved the book. Her partner, Mark, joined the fray shortly after, followed by our fellow villa mates, Paul and Linda.
Before I knew it, my "planning day" had evolved into a full blown poolside summit. We spent the afternoon in a cycle of swimming and supply runs, making trips to the local grocery for fresh rounds of beer, wine, and snacks. The "guilt" of not being productive didn't stand a chance against the easy flow of conversation.
As the heat broke, we all swapped the swimwear for something more respectable and headed to Fratellos for sunset cocktails. There is something about watching the Adriatic turn gold with a group of people who were strangers six hours ago that makes you realize this is exactly why you travel. We drifted down into Old Town for a long, loud dinner before the pull of the villa brought us back up the hill.
In a typical move of her hospitality, Diana gave me the green light to open the pool after hours. We ended the night with a moonlight swim and hours of shared wine and laughs in the cabana. I didn't get a single thing checked off my "to-do" list and barely packed for heading to Split the next day but for the first time, I didn't mind one bit.
