Croatia Day 5 - Lokrum & Dinner at 360 Dubrovnik

Our plan for today was to take the city-operated boat over to Lokrum bright and early, so we managed to get up and be at the dock by 9am. But there was no boat to be found, despite that we had checked in about the schedule two days before. We had been told that the first boat out each day was at 9 am. We wondered if the delay might have been caused by weather, as the peaceful, azure Adriatic had become choppy and gray, with a brisk, wind whipping our parkas around. No whitecaps, but definitely a very different looking body of water from what we had grown used to. Light mist clung to us, and though it was not cold, it would have felt more comfortable curling up in front of a fire than being outside.

We decided to take a stroll and get some of the shopping that we’d planned for the afternoon done in the morning. The first shop that we stopped in had a charming array of local food and hand-made Christmas decorations. We almost always get something for our tree when we go on vacation, so this was perfect. The proprietor, like most people in Dubrovnik, spoke English, and we told him about our predicament with the boat to Lokrum. He confirmed that it did not run when the weather was bad, and that there had been some sort of incidents involving tourists in the past, which made them very cautious.

We continued exploring shops on the north side of the city, which we had seen as much of. This part of the city is steeply angled, and street after street of steps rise up of the main street. Between shops, we stopped at a bakery for pastries, with a much less friendly woman behind the counter than our previous day’s bakery. We found a covered table for our morning espresso and ate the pastries there. Our next stop was place selling on of the regional specialties, coral jewelry. This was a great find – we had planned to get some coral, and they were extremely knowledgeable. We chatted with one shopkeeper extensively, learning all about the coral harvesting and processing. He made a lot of the piece himself, and showed us the tools he used – dentist tools! These scrapped off the outer layer and buffed the inside. He also explained the pricing and how we could tell the different between fake and real – for one, the real stuff would not be for sale out on the street. After much deliberation, I finally decided on a pair of small earrings.

After some more shopping, we headed back to the dock to see if there was any change the boats were running. As it turned out, they were, and one was just about to leave. Unfortunately, we had all of our shopping with us and could not head out to island with that. Ben ran back to the apartment, and made it back to boat with seconds to spare. This turned out to just be a prelude to another mad dash for the boat later!

Lokrum island sits just off the coast of Dubrovnik. It heavily forested and uninhabited. It is home to some ruins, including a monastery and a fort, some saltwater ponds loved by swimmers, and hiking trails. It is larger than it appears as the view from Dubrovnik is of the narrow end – it stretches much further in the opposite direction, which is where the boat docks. It was raining on and off, as it had been doing all morning, and the sea was definitely choppy. It was also a lot colder out on the water than the close confines of the walled city. We met a family from California on the boat and later took pictures for them and they for us.

In what proved to be a waste of money, we took the advice from Rick Steves of buying a map. The map, as it turned out, was replicated all along the walking trails – identical maps for free. It wasn’t a lot of money, but $4 that could have been saved. Notably, it was NOT a topographical map and gave no indication or elevation or grade.

We first explored the monastery and the smallish arboretum. The monastery was now home to peacocks and had been a filming site in Game of Thrones. The peacocks were very cool – definitely one of my favorite birds and this was a chance to really see them up close. Around every corner were more! They were not particularly afraid of humans, either, but not aggressive like geese (though did poop everywhere like geese). The arboretum had some species of trees that were imported to Croatia from the US and Australia, and many were familiar. It had been partially destroyed in the civil war, but had made a nice comeback. Apparently, fire is considered a major threat, probably due to all of the foliage, and the entire island was crisscrossed with hoses to be used in an emergency. Smoking, very popular pretty much everywhere, was strictly outlawed on Lokrum.

A neat cactus like plant in the arboretum

Another cool tree, probably in the succulent family

The weather definitely changed the mood out here. The constant mist, sometimes turning to real rain, the cool but humid air, heavy overcast skies, and gray sea all gave this place a muted, somber vibe. The sound of waves crashing on rock provided constant background to our exploring. We went down as close to ocean as we dared, but what had previously been a tame, clear pool was now more savage, wild, and dangerous. We finally found the saltwater pool, but the cool temps dissuaded us from actually swimming, though the water here was still the perfect clear that we were used to, even with the overcast sky. On a sunny day, it would have certainly been even more beautiful.

The saltwater pool 

As it started to rain harder, we headed back towards the boat area, only to learn that we had missed a recent boat and had time to kill. Consulting the map, we decided to take a path around the outside edge of the island, then loop back through the middle to catch the next boat. We were very clear that we did not want to be stuck out here any longer – we were cold, tired, and hungry by this time, as we had skipped lunch in our rush to get to the boat earlier.

Gorgeous coastline off Lokrum 

Happy before things got ugly!

The walk started out great. The rain had let up, and the ground was flat and easy to navigate. We kept going until we got to the turn off that would let us loop back towards the boat. This is where the elevation or grade would have been key. Basically, it was straight uphill, though you could not see the top. From where we were, it looked like one big hill, but then it was a switchback with a steep ascent. By the time we realized this, it was too late to go back the way we came, so we had to plug on. Under normal conditions, we could have easily managed the hill with a few breaks and a normal pace – but we had to make that next boat. We started off at a light jog, then tried a very short sprint, then settled into a loping walk that still hurt and made us pant. I used a lot of colorful language and said things along the lines of “I’m probably going to die.” Ben felt that I had turned very morbid, but I was mostly kidding. I guess my tone of voice didn’t sound like I was joking, but it’s hard to sound light and cheerful when one can barely breathe.

Luckily, what goes up must come down (a cliché that I repeated in my head to reassure myself that this would ultimately turn downhill). The land eventually became a more gradual slope downwards, and we picked up the pace to the boat. We had actually given it up near the end, but decided to hurry anyway, just in case. The time had come and gone. When we got to a clearing near the dock, the sight of the boat coming in to port made us whoop with joy and we easily jogged to meet it. We just got lucky that it was running late because we were definitely not on time.

The view of Dubrovnik from Lokrum

We had errands to run and sights we still wanted to see back in Dubrovnik, so we were very glad to get back when we did. First, we went to our apartment and packed up a bunch of snacks, but knew that we had to get to the parking garage to pay for one more day of parking. Parking a major expense in this city, and definitely something you need to budget for.

After the garage, we headed back to Buza, the bar that we visited on our first night that sticks out into the water outside of the city walls. Technically, this was the other Buza – there are two very close to each other. Literally a hole in the wall, they only serve bottles of beer and other pre-made beverages. We grabbed a couple of beers and snagged a high up table. While the view was not what it would have been on a sunny day, the bar was still crowded with people taking in the spectacular view and enjoying the unique location.

Buza Bar

Relaxing after Lokrum

After Buza, we went and check out a couple of the churches that we had passed by several times but had not entered. While photos inside were not permitted, we were totally in awe and would have been clicking away if it didn’t risk eternal damnation and the annoyance of our peers. 

Concluding our sightseeing as it began to get too dark to see much inside, we headed back to our apartment to get ready for dinner. As it would be our last night, we wanted to do something a little nicer than we had. Restaurant Dubrovnik, despite the completely uninventive name, is number one on Trip Advisor and seemed to be a good option for a nicer dinner out. Sadly, when we arrived we learned that it would be closed for a private party! It certainly looked lovely and upscale, so maybe next time!

Wine in a cool holder

Cool light fixture at 360

The wine

We ended up at a trendy, high-end place called 360 Dubrovnik. It is so called because of its large patio that overlooks the entire city – which was closed due to the windy weather! The inside was also beautiful, and we still had a lovely view of the port (or at least I did due to the direction I sat, while Ben faced the interior). 

This place definitely was the nicest by far of the spots we tried in Croatia, and one of fanciest meals that we have ever had anywhere. We ordered a bottle of wine from Korchula, tomorrow’s destination. It was a crisp, clean white. Nothing too adventurous, but definitely tasty and on the cheaper side compared with many of the options. 

To begin, they served us an amuse bouche of toast with foie gras, something that I had never tried and had some moral objections to eating – which I ignored while I indulged in this rich treasure for what might be the only time ever. It was like an extremely flavorful version of butter, and it was amazing. While I have no intention of ordering this on a regular basis, I am really glad that I tried it. The controversy comes from the way it is prepared, which can only be done by overfeeding a goose and causing its liver to swell to disgusting proportions. It’s repulsive to think about, but hard to argue that it’s worse than the way that widespread factory farming practices that produces the bulk of the American diet. Some cities have outlawed it, much to the chagrin of most chefs. Look, I read Diet for a New America and numerous other articles about factory farming. Yes, I was vegan for a while, and now I try my best to eat food with a high animal welfare rating – grass fed, no pens, etc. So, no, I am not going to become a foie gras connoisseur but trying something like this at this particular place felt ok. Plus, it was free!

The tuna starter

Another tuna pic

Next came our first course, the tuna appetizer. This was spectacular. The tuna was incredibly fresh, perfectly marinated with ginger and soy. The guacamole it was served with, while flavorful and creamy, wouldn’t necessarily have been my first choice as a sauce – but it worked.

For entrees, I had turbot served over potato leek foam with a side of ginger couscous. The fish was perfect, and the foam was incredible.

The cous cous

Ben had the tempura shrimp

 Ben's tempura was served with a gel sauce dotted artistically along the sides of the plate. Each bite was divine. While we did not try some of the more adventurous menu items – deer, pigeon, and suckling pig to name a few – we were very happy with the quality of the food and the preparation. The service was also over-the-top. Several people were taking care of us at the same time, and we had a funny moment with our waiter when we realized he had a twin working the table next to us. As soon as we sipped our water, it was refilled. Our wine was constantly topped off. Plates were cleared promptly and we felt pampered. For the record, the bathrooms here were also spectacular, much fancier than the weird, airplane like bathroom that Ben had found enchanting in Kotor.

Another "on the house" dessert selection brought to us

After our meal, they brought us a mini apricot yogurt parfait, on the house, while we contemplated our dessert options. We decided on the “100% chocolate,” which was an array of chocolate desserts similar to something we had tried in DC at Coco Sala. The quality continued in the desserts – we were definitely not disappointed by any aspect of this meal. We had told ourselves not to stress about the price while we ate, to just focus on the experience. It was definitely one of the priciest meals we have ever had, but we had no cause for complaint. While I think that 360 Dubrovnik likely does not live up to the sort of places in NYC and Chicago that it was obviously imitating, I can’t say for sure because this my only real experience with this sort of cuisine in such a high-end setting.

After dinner, we strolled for a bit to encourage digestion, then went back to pack as our plans for day 6 was to get an early start on our way out of the city.