i met a friend i hadnt seen in a long time in london and we decided to go someplace neither of us had been. we settled on croatia since we heard nice things about it...plus it would be a nice break from the dollar/pound exchange rate. i have to admit i wasnt too sure what to expect going into the trip. i always thought of croatia as a developing country and still couldnt get the balkans mess from the late nineties out of my head.

we stayed in a town called dubrovnik, in the southernmost coastal area of the dalmatian coast. let me tell you it was absolutely beautiful. the weather was very nice (75-80F each day) and the water was the clearest blue (comparable if not clearer than lake tahoe for reference). the coast is very rocky and jagged but there are a few sand beaches on some of the islands as well as on the mainland.

the town of dubrovnik itself is very cool. it gets pretty touristy toward the end of summer when all the europeans take off for vacation but we were there in the beginning of may so it wasnt too terribly crowded. the funny thing is that there are so few americans that travel there, the locals dont immediately recognize american accents. "australian? no, irish? no, english? no...keep guessing...south african? no". i have to say it was pretty cool and quite entertaining.

the city is built on right on the coast and surrounded by thick, tall castle walls that go right up to the water. within the walls are a maze of narrow streets cut into the hillside, small passageways, and cool staircases and bridges. there are tons of great places to get gellatto and coffe. the restaurants are all pretty good and serve mainly mediterranean food (im not sure if this is a staple of croatian diet or if it just caters to the tourism industry well). the food is cheap and you have to try the mussels as i dont think ill ever have them as fresh again. the wine isnt bad either so make sure to try some local stuff...it could hold its own in napa i think.

at night the city walls are underlit with this cool irredescent blue light which looks absolutely amazing (especially after a little wine). make sure you take time to explore properly as there are very cool things to see. for you religious fanatics there is a church within the walls that displays jesus' diapers. just 20 kuna (2 usd) to see them. we also found what is, i think, my favorite bar in the world. i dont know its name but make your way to the wall closest to the water's edge. you'll duck through a little doorway (thinking...where the hell am i going) and the bar is on the outside of the walls on the rocks above the water. at night the moonlight reflects off the water just brightly enough for you to make out some of the islands in the distance. the place is very laid back and plays some rat pack and norah jones of all things. unless youre looking for clubs or rowdy bars this place is wonderful.

there are chain hotels outside the walls (i think there's a hilton very close) but i would recommend staying at one of the villas inside. we stayed at villa flora (you can find it at www.hostelworld.com) and were very happy with it. Dario and Eneja are a super nice and young couple who run it and it comes with complimentary breakfast in the morning. the rooms are nice and its tucked in a narrow little street right off of the main drag within the old city.

if youre looking for a great vacation spot thats off the beaten "american" path but with a pretty rich history, nice architecture, good weather, and good food, this is a place you should definitely consider. feel free to shoot any questions my way if you have them...im more than happy to share.