Travel Diary: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sorry for not being able to blog the past week, it’s been week full of crazy adventures! On Thursday I started a seven-day cruise with MSC cruises (my first one since I was 10) and visited Dubrovnik, Venice, Brindisi, Olympia, Izmir and then back to Istanbul. I’m actually still on the ship now and writing some blog posts because with all that I saw, it’s hard to really get them all written when I’m back. Each city is a new adventure with so much to tell. Let’s start with the idea of a cruise first. I had no idea to what to expect, however, I have to admit, cruises are not my favorite thing. Yes, the idea of being on a ship, being comfortable and having access to so many cities in a week is amazing, however, there are three super important things that make the cruise…less than exciting.

  1. The food. Maybe it’s this particular cruise line, but it’s pretty awful. Flavorless and all carbs. Not that I’m really complaining but I want my carbs to taste good! I’ve heard from many other people who have been on this cruise that the food was bad too, but if you like to eat greasy and stale pizza and watery pasta, then this is for you!
  2. The people. Now, I’m not trying to be mean but people on cruise ships are way tooooooo entitled. Nobody has manners, even adults! It’s shocking to me. Everyone fights for everything, drinks, food, sunbeds. These things won’t run out, so why shove and push people?
  3. The staff. The staff on this ship (except for the dining room waiter, you eat at a sit down restaurant with better food for dinner) are so rude. They don’t even smile! Maybe it’s a European thing? I don’t know but I’m a smiley person, even in the worst of situations so I can’t even understand how people work in the service industry and have no skills in being even remotely cheerful!

Instead of complaining, here are my favorites about the cruise ship. The rooms are great, cleaned twice a day, and having a balcony is like a slice of heaven. Nothing but the sea, a good book, and fresh air. It’s truly magical. Also, the ship itself is absolutely stunning. There is so much detail given to everything and so many things to do on the ship, they definitely make it exciting for everyone. Oh, and if you were curious to know, the ship is MSC Magnifica.

The first stop on this cruise was Dubrovnik, Croatia. From the minute the ship approached this town, I fell in love. It’s so charming and seaside town are just my favorite kind of places. The views were magnificent. The air was crisp and seeing all the people who lived there swimming and sailing just brought so much joy to my heart!

I didn’t do the tour for Dubrovnik because I’m the type of gal who wants to get lost in a city. I took the shuttle off the bus and just stepped off and started to roam around. I love how you go through an old castle to get into Old Town Dubrovnik and I immediately just knew I was going to fall in love with this city. I walked and walked and decided to take the side streets up to where the residential areas where away from the tourists and shops. By doing so, I found amazing life.

There were old ladies in their nightgowns playing cards, knitting, eating on the street. There were kids playing in the streets, and there were local cafes tucked and hidden away from all the tourists. I sat down and ate a delicious pizza and risotto with a glass of wine and just watched life happen in front of me.

After I ate, I roamed around a bit more and came across an unmarked stone door. Everyone passed by it without a second look but I decided to go in. OH EM GEE!!! Thank goodness I did because I found this private local beach filled with young girls and guys and some older men and women drinking, smoking, laying out on big giant rocks and swimming in this rich blue sea. It was incredible. I plopped myself down and just watched them do their thing, they had not a care in the world and were living their lives in the most euphoric way.

After about an hour, I had to start heading back as the ship was leaving but I can’t even put into words how breathtaking and beautiful of a city Dubrovnik is. Pictures and words can’t do it justice, but I could come back here with someone I truly love and share an adventure with them.

Here are some photos from the trip to this magical city.

dubrovnik, croatia
dubrovnik, croatia
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old town dubrovnik
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