(Written during the 24 hour journey to Istanbul from Belgrade)
When you don't go to sleep until 7am, you don't want to get up until 7pm. This was the case of one, Gonzalo Calderon.
However, Erin and myself had to get our crap together as we were departing for Dubrovnik, Croatia on an 8pm flight on Spanair. We were up by 12pm and began the fun game of "How did I manage to close this suitcase before?" followed by the game "Will the airline allow me to check this heavy ass bag?". So begun the packing process. We attempted to use the washer in Nicky's apartment but failed miserably. We were unable to get the clothing out of the washer as the front loading door remained locked for hours. Once I was able to get the door open, a river of water came pouring out of the machine and our clothing remained soaked. Nothing like heavy, wet clothing to add unnecessary weight to already overweight luggage. Sigh.
We were sad to leave, sad to say goodbye to our friends but ready to hit Eastern Europe. We grabbed the train line to the airport about 6pm after some confusion about which trains and lines would get us there. We arrived at Terminal 2 with just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat, buy some postcards and use the bathroom. Unfortunately, McD's was the only viable option given price and time constraints. While I was content with my fries and chicken sandwich, Erin was tricked into buying a chicken wrap due to poor marketing and description efforts. Would you think that something called the "Crispy Onion Wrap" was made from chicken? Erin ate it anyway. Perhaps the chicken at McD's in Spain is free range? Let's hope so. It makes Erin feel better about the whole thing.
We boarded the airplane at 7:45pm, sunk into our exit row seats thanks to early online checkin and prepared for our next country. After the 2 hour flight, we arrived in Dubrovnik!
After waiting in a really long line to exchange money, we ended up missing the first shuttle to the bus terminal where the hostel owner's son was picking us up. We then had to wait until the next flight arrived (which was 11:45pm) so we could take the next shuttle. We crossed our fingers that someone would be at the bus terminal to get us but when we arrived, nobody was there and it was about 12:45am by that point.
Feeling tired, lost and frustrated without phone access, we walked down the road until we came across a hotel. The desk manager was kind enough to let us make a phone call to our hostel. After a confusing few minutes with Maria, the hostel owner who doesn't speak a lot of English, we got directions and walked to the beautiful place we would call home the next few days. We were given the best room out of the three: a room with three beds and an amazing balcony overlooking the bay.
In anticipation of exploring this new city, and because it was after 2am, we went to sleep faster than you can say Dubrov.....
- Posting by Jonathan Andrew Palmer
