Enjoying Dubrovnik on a budget

Our four day road trip to Dubrovnik was fabulous, albeit expensive! This was a MUST DO trip for us, so we had to figure how to make it work on a budget.

1 - Driving was the least expensive option for us.  

We drove for about five hours, then stopped in Podgorica, Montenegro for lunch at Hard Rock Café. We needed T-shirts and pins from the only HRC in the Balkans.  This was a must do for us.  I started collecting when Jerry and Josh were little.  I still collect the pins for Josh, and now I pick up t-shirts for my grandchildren everywhere we go.  

Crossing the border into Kosovo.

Crossing the border into Montenegro

We made a quick stop in Podgorica for lunch.

YAY!!  Hard Rock Cafe

Cheeseburgers, French Fries, and a Brownie Fudge Ice Cream Sundae!  

(and T-shirts for the Grandkids, and a pin for Josh)

What more could you ask for?

Bay of Kotor - Absolutely Beautiful!  

After another 3 hours of driving, we finally made it to Croatia.  

2 - Stay outside of Dubrovnik

We checked in to our little home-stay in Cavtat, about 25 minutes south of Dubrovnik. We found Villa Radovic on Trip Advisor.  Decent reviews and a very inexpensive room rate sealed the deal.  The room was quite basic, with a tiny bathroom, but everyone had a bed, (even a portable playpen was set up for Jackson), there was a shared kitchen available, and it was within walking distance to the city center.  (It is a steep climb, but manageable...even with a stroller)

Gorgeous Sunset from our room

The first morning we moseyed down to the waterfront for breakfast. 
(We brought breakfast cereals and bars with us, but were too tempted by the croissants and fresh squeezed orange juice.)

3 - Cut back on expensive "Tourist Dining"

After spending about 50 Euros on cappuccinos, orange juice, and croissants for five, we stopped at the local Lidl market, picked up some milk, and had breakfast cereal in our room for the remaining days. We also picked up some bottled water and Prosecco at the store to save even more.  

While we had a few nice meals out, we balanced it with eating local foods at local restaurants.

Other times, Ramesh and I shared a starter, a main, and a dessert.  We got to try a little bit of everything.  Had plenty to eat, and saved a few bucks.

Lovely sunny day

Dubrovnik from a distance

4 - Travel in the off-season

Room rates and attraction tickets are less expensive in the off season.  We traveled in May.  The weather was pretty warm (but not sweltering), and the crowds manageable.

We drove to Dubrovnik to see the old city and climb the walls. Get an EARLY start. It was quite warm, and as we were departing, the place was PACKED with tourists from the cruise ships. I cannot imagine it in peak season! 

Heavy duty strollers are OK in the Old City, but not for the walls. It is nothing but steps, steps, and more steps! (wear good walking shoes)

Parking was a bit of hassle, but we managed with on-street parking and the available parking lots. 

The cable car stopped going up at 8:30pm, and we missed it. We ended up driving to the top instead – a long and winding adventure on the sea cliffs.  (We asked a few taxi drivers to help with directions)

5 - Most attractions had discounts for the children. 

Well earned ice cream after their sea kayaking adventure

 Cost Estimates:

Dubrovnik City Walls - $18per adult/$4.40 per child (under 5= free)
Café Buza (inside city walls) - $40 for 2 (local) beers, 2 juices, and 2 small cans of Pringles)
Dubrovnik Cable Car - $18per adult (round trip)/$7.50 per child (round trip) (under 4=free)
Sea Kayaking, 3 hours - $35pp from Cavtat
Ferry to Island of Lokrum from Cavtat - $18per adult/children were free on the tour we took
Island Fee - $5pp.  Kids were not free.

Note that some places only accepted certain types of currency. Be sure to have your pockets lined with local currency (Kuna), Euros, and your charge cards.

Dinner Cruise Ship

Dubrovnik

The City Walls of Dubrovnik - yes, the water is THAT blue!

We took the ferry to Island of Lokrum – filled with bunnies and peacocks running around – great for the little ones. The island is a filming location for the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’.

Lokrum Island

Peacock!!

Waiting to catch the ferry back to Cavtat

Gorgeous sunset at Uvala Lapad beach

The weather was perfect with perfect sunsets 

and the full moon reflecting on the water was breathtaking.

5. Fill up your gas tank in Montenegro.  It was much more expensive in Croatia.

The 'petrol bank' (gas station) in Montenegro was only a few kilometers over the border.  Plan ahead, and you won't need to pay the higher prices.

When it was time to return home, we traveled through gorgeous Albania.  It was a very long day of driving, so we really needed to save on gas.

Albania

Albania

Sheep Stampede, Albania

Albania

Albanian Woman

Poppy Field in Albania

What a great (if not entirely too short) trip!!

Stobi Winery

Stobi Winery is located in central Macedonia, in the most famous wine region-Tikvesh.

About 12,000 hectares are planted in the Tikvesh wine region, which represents approximately one-third of the total vineyards area in Macedonia.

Stobi Winery

The Grapes

Filter technology is from the U.S.

Storage technology from Germany

The barrel room.  Ramesh uncorked one of the barrels, and was told not to do that!

First Course: white and yellow cheese, smoked meats
Served with R'Kaciteli

R`KACITELI

QUALITY DRY WHITE WINE

Wonderful yellow-green color, with complex, tempting aroma of apple, pear, apricot, peach, and discreet aroma of limetree. The taste is soft and long-lasting, sweet, sour-fresh and rounded.

It is ideally served at 8-10 оC with neutral cheese, prosciutto, white meat, green salads.

gorgeous salad to share

They called these 'pies'.  No apple pie in sight, but these cheese and spinach pies were delish!
Served with Chardonnay.

CHARDONNAY

Recognizable yellow-greenish, with complex and seductive aroma of exotic fruits, apple and peach, woven with tones of acacia flower. Long-lasting and tenable taste, glycerol-mild, with fruity and spicy nuances.

It is ideally served at 10-12°C as an aperitif with white meat, fish, seafood, green salads and cheese.

Ramesh had the lamb

I had the fish...a very tasty sea bass
Served with Vranec

VRANEC

Dark ruby color, with accentuated aroma of grapes which later is intertwined with discreet aroma of cherry and sour cherry. Robust, full, concentrated, rich with soft and pleasant tannins. Helps reduce fat, triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood.

It is best served at 15-17°C with roast pork, veal, venison, home-made pies, Macedonian plates and strong aromatic cheeses.

We've just recently heard this called 'hot and cold'.  Chocolate lava cake and vanilla ice cream.
Check out the peacock on the plate.  Cute!!

Baklava...with chocolate!

Desserts served with Vranec Veritas.

VRANEC VERITAS

Veritas is premium wine obtained from the local cultivar Vranec. It is produced with reduced yield of the vines. The removal of entire clusters leads to a significant concentration of the taste of the grapes which remains for harvest. It is rich with polyphenols (antioxidants), colored substances and specific aromatic compounds. Dark-ruby, strong color, corpulent, full bodied wine rich in extract. Wine with great potential for aging. Natural cure for cardiovascular diseases.

It is ideally served at 15-17оC with roast pork, prosciutto, venison, fatty cheese, lamb and veal.

What a fun way to spend Saturday afternoon!

Sofia, Bulgaria

Quick weekend in Sofia. Sofia Ring Mall for go-carts and ice-skating. Taj Mahal and Gurkha restaurants for spicy Indian/Nepali food. Met up at the Justice Court at 11am for the Sofia Free Tour (11am and 6pm, every day. Two hour tour. FREE)...and of course a quick stop at the very small Starbucks. We popped over to see the Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) The shade gardens were lovely. We passed on the IKEA, but it was right next to the ring mall. If you haven't been, you must add it to your bucket list.

ice skating at the mall

Lovely shade gardens at UNESCO World Heritage Site
Boyana Church - Sofia, Bulgaria

The boys were learning about different cultures and religions.  

Nalan asked if he could say his prayers in Tamil.  Gotta love him!!

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia

A Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Sofia's symbols and primary tourist attractions.  The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 3,170 square metres (34,100 sq ft) and can hold 10,000 people inside. It is the second-largest cathedral located on the Balkan Peninsula, after the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade.

Ghurka Nepali and Indian Restaurant
Sofia, Bulgaria

Chicken on the side of the road

Birthday Love

Another birthday passed, filled with lots of birthday love.

Ramesh surprised me with a chocolate cake, macarons, and a very cute hat to keep the sun off my nose at the pool.

Jackson tasting the macarons

Jackson stealing an extra bite of cake from the fridge!

I'm so lucky to have an Aunt who always finds me, no matter what country I am in, to send me a birthday card.

I incorporated a little tradition that I've recently discovered.  It started with Ramesh telling me that when someone has a celebration, they are supposed to give a 'treat'.  Whether it is a promotion, new job, new baby, new house...we should give a small treat to our friends and colleagues.  This sounded quite odd to me.  Then I found that work colleagues brought in their own birthday cake on their birthdays, and invited everyone to join the celebration.  Still a bit odd, but the idea was growing on me.

This year, since everyone seemed to be on a diet, but still had their morning coffee, I decided to treat my colleagues to a morning coffee to celebrate my birthday.  We are fortunate enough to have a little cafe inside the office building, and I gave the cashier some cash and told her to put it towards everyone's morning coffee...until the cash was gone.  Everyone seemed to like this little 'treat'

Birthday Wishes came in from all over the U.S. and all over the world.  It was so nice to hear from family and friends around the globe.  If only we could be together to celebrate.