Thursday
May 19

page 62

2005 BALKANS TOUR

Ben Oostdam

STIKOVICA
and
DUBROVNIK

I got up before 7 but her Mom told me that Natasha would go into town with her Dad at 8 and would give me a ride.
She served me a fine breakfast and I put up with the loud chatter of my friend the swallow We then loaded up boxes of empties to be returned, because this weekend they were to open their restaurant.
After passing over the spectacular new bridge they dropped me off at one of the entry gates to the old town of Dubrovnik, where I bought a ticket. It was still early and very quiet, and I started climbing to search the way to ascend the wall. Another guy was doing the same, and we ended up finding the access together and making the tour together.
This was Charbel, a Lebanese Christian, representative of Microsoft, and we had two fine hours climbing around, over and along the walls and steps and shooting dozens of photographs. We finished before noon when it started to get much more crowded and ended having a drink together. I then walked around a bit more, but by mid-afternoon I had had enough and found a bus back along the busy waterside with yachts and ferries, across the bridge and on to Stikovica. Here I took siesta followed by a cool dip and torturing my tender feet on the multi-component beach sediment (incl. dried dog-poo)

BLO fecit 20051011
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