Dubrovnik & Cavtat

Our Croatian Adventure

By Melissa Keizer

April 5^th, 2020

Welcome to Cavtat

Since we're now cooped up indoors for the foreseeable future while this pandemic plays out, I've found the time and motivation to pull my holiday photos out of the archives, prepare a photo story, and enjoy the feeling of reliving my week in Croatia.

Last July I hopped on a plane to Dubrovnik Airport with my boyfriend Michael. We'd decided to spend a week in the quaint, coastal town of Cavtat.

Cavtat was comprised of a mix of charming buildings and old fishing boats by the harbour, as well as luxury yachts anchored on the promenade. It was the middle of the summer, so the sun was high in the sky and it was a toasty 30℃ most days. The sparkling, clear blue sea looked very inviting.

Wandering around Cavtat, taking in its picturesque views, and stopping for cocktails or calamari became our favourite past time.

Croatia & its Cats

One of the first things I noticed about Croatia was the sheer amount of cats you'll spot strolling about or soaking up the sun on any day. Later I learned from a local that there's a feeling of respect that Croatian people have for cats since the time the Black Plague swept across the country and much of Europe in the 1300s. It was spread by fleas living on rats, so cats were the at the frontline of attack in curbing the spread of the disease.

This little kitten was impossibly cute with those gorgeous, two-toned eyes.

Lokrum Island

On our second day of our trip we travelled to Lokrum Island on a leisurely, 45 minute boat ride from Cavtat harbour. The island is home to a monastery, beautiful botanical gardens, and later we realised (after stumbling upon it), a nudist beach.

However the reason we were so keen to visit Lokrum was because we read that it was also home to very tame rabbits and peacocks roaming the island. I have photographic proof that this was indeed the case!

Dubrovnik

Early in the week we hopped on the bus and travelled up to Dubrovnik where we met with a group of people to go kayaking around the historic city walls and snorkelling in nearby caves. Our tour guide, Mitar, shared stories of the city's history and culture during our breaks between kayaking across the sea, and we even paddled beside the world's first quarantine zone that was built as a response to the Black Plague. I suppose the self-quarantining we're doing now in the comfort of our own home doesn't seem so bad in comparison after all.

Later in the week we returned to Dubrovnik to step inside the medieval, walled city.

We grabbed a couple of tickets to walk the ancient walls that encompass the hundreds of orange roofs nestled in The Old Town. It provided spectacular views over the city, the cliffs the city was built on, and Lokrum Island across the bay.

Zarkovica Animal Shelter

Before we embarked on our holiday, Michael and I researched places to visit and activities to do while we were in Croatia. We spotted something that we knew we couldn't leave out of our trip; a visit to Zarkovica Animal Shelter, home to over 300 dogs which are free to roam the grounds.

The shelter is rather make-shift and is situated on hill overlooking Dubrovnik's city. It all started with Sandra, a Croatian war veteran who, after serving her country in the Yugoslav Wars, dedicated her life to helping these animals in great need. With no help from the government, the shelter relies solely on donations from the public.

The dogs here may live in tough conditions, however it was a heart-warming experience to see the love and care the relentless, hard-working volunteers have for these animals.

I've written more about our experience at Zarkovica Animal Shelter and shared many more of the lovely little faces we encountered there. Check them out in my photo story, Dogs of Dubrovnik.

If you'd like to support the shelter head over to their website and make a donation - www.zarkovicaanimalshelter.com

Exploring the Abandoned Hotels of Kupari

On the last day of our holiday got the boat-taxi over to Kupari, an area of the coastline between Dubrovnik and Cavtat, to explore the ruined, abandoned hotels there. The former bustling holiday resort was destroyed by the Yugoslav Army during the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990's.

We walked through the ruins, aware of the eerie atmosphere that surrounded us. Some parts of the hotels were in complete darkness, so we used our phone's torches to light the way for us as we made our way to the top floors. It felt like the set of a horror movie.

The contrasting view of nature and the derelict hotel ruins.

The desolate buildings were juxtaposed by the stunning views of the Croatian sea and cliffs behind them. Parts of the site had been dramatically reclaimed by nature, with ivy leaves crawling up the building facades and the floors overgrown with weeds and trees.

Our exploration of Kupari was an interesting, if not sobering way to spend the last afternoon of our Croatian adventure.

Overall our week in Croatia was amazing. We loved soaking up a lot of the rich culture and history, as well as the sun-rays while we relaxed with cocktails and ice cream by the promenade. It provided the perfect mix of tranquility and adventure that I'd recommend it to anyone.