Dubrovnik

We sailed in on a wonderfully clear sunny day.  Today is our final ship's tour as we have been to this beautiful city before.  We decided on the brandy tasting tour to Cavtat partly due to the fact that the ship has had so many cocktails parties at 10:30 in the morning that a morning brandy tasting tour seems quite normal.  The tour began with a panoramic view of the Old Town and a coastal drive of Croatia.  Then we visited the town of Cavtat, a beautiful medieval resort town.  After climbing the hill go see a mausoleum that was built in the 1920' s for $120,000, we headed out into the countryside.  You can  still see remnants of the war of 1991.  They have done a phenomenal  job of rebuilding the villages and towns that were shelled during the war. All the buildings are in stone with lovely red tile roofs.  We visitied an old mill for our brandy tasting.  They had Grappa (yech) and Walnut and Cherry brandy which both tasted really good.  They also had candied almonds, and orange peel candy as well as fresh figs. There are numerous olive trees and wine vineyards throughout the countryside.  It is really pretty and so civilized compared to what we have experienced in India and the middle east.  However as we left the port we saw the yacht for the Sultan of Oman and his food ship. He has brought 80 of his friends and family to Dubrovnik which must bode well  for the  economy as he rented two floors of two five star hotels and has a full floor reserved at the hospital in case he requires medical attention   Quite a contrast from how we saw the regular people in Oman living.   The tour ended in the Old Town and since we visited the city quite extensively in the past we opted to climb the walls for 70 Kn or $14.  When doing the wall you get to do 792 steps but it is worth it as the view is fantastic.  It gives a completely different vantage point.  After an hour walk we returned to the bus which took us back to the ship where we enjoyed hamburgers and Foster's beer in the pleasant, sunny 25 C heat.  This is a great city/country to visit.  Their economy is 80% based on tourism and they hope to enter the European Union next year so having the Euro will make the money exchanges easier. Cruise tip:  take a trip to the country side if you have the opportunity and have seen the old town before.   It is a lovely country with diverse scenery and the brandy is pretty good too!