We both awake to the banging of a ladder and other tools right outside our door. Really?? We need to get moving, but this is kind of annoying. Monique has some work to do and Dave’s mission is number 1; find out about the bus to the airport and number 2; stop at the local bakery to get us something to go with our last two eggs. The bus is 40 Kuna per person, takes thirty minutes and leaves from the Buza gate - that’s the good news. The bad news is that this is the same gate and stairs we took when we arrived which means we need to carry our bags back up to leave. The bus that works best for our timing leaves at 12:50 so we will arrive at the airport early. There is an airport lounge which is great because we can use the time to post another day - we are real close to being caught up.
Dave returns with the bakery goods and we eat breakfast. Monique continues to work so Dave has time to go to the cafe for his favorite coffee where he runs into an older guy named “Easy.” Dave learns that others call him “Captian” because of his hat. He is a well known local who we met because we noticed him sitting in the same spot every day in the mornings - right across from our apartment. He introduced himself and really liked Monique. Yesterday when we came back to use the cash machine we asked him about the bus schedule and of course he was glad to help. He wants to know how our boat trip worked out the day before and tells Dave to “sit down and have coffee.” Naturally, Dave takes a seat. Easy’s brother owns the cafe so two coffees show up - no charge. They talk about a lot of things. He is very funny and and sharp - we guess he is over 80. His friend Tony shows up and the discussion turns to the police shooting in North Carolina. These guys are up on what is happening. They educate Dave on Croatia after the first and second world wars and about how they immigrated to Australia. At nineteen Easy and a friend paddled a row boat over to Italy. It is a long way. He was considered a traitor so he could not come back. After 50 years he finally returned home to Dubrovnik. His mother and brother were so happy to see him again. She passed last year with a smile on her face he tells Dave. He and Tony are off to a local restaurant outside the wall that grills up fresh fish. They then are going to the casino and out for drinks. At 11:20 am they leave and Dave goes up to pack.
We leave the keys of our apartment and proceed to lug our bags up the stairs and exit Old Town through Buza gate. With bus tickets in hand we find out we need to go up more stairs and up a hill to the bus stop - of course, it’s Dubrovnik. We have 80 Kuna to burn so we by two beers and two waters. The bus arrives early so we chug the beer and climb aboard. At the airport, we are so early our flight isn’t even posted but the woman at the counter says she can check our bags anyway. Up two more flights of stairs and we settle into the lounge. Dubrovnik is known for having the most stairs and we agree that statement is true - it even extends to the airport - no escalators here. Luckily, the WiFi in the lounge is great so we get to work.
We get a text from Tony that their plane is on time. They are in Copenhagen ready to board their final leg to Munich. Our flight is on time too - 2 hours in the air and we arrive in Munich around 6 pm. We collect our bags and find the Metro - we need the S8 to Central station where we need to transfer to the U2. After that it is a tram ride and about a two block walk. Monique comes up with a good idea to just grab a cab for the final leg so no walking with bags is necessary. We arrive at 21 Petra-Kelly Strasse - it’s an apartment we rented on Air B&B way back in February. The sun has set, so in the darkness it takes us a minute to realize we must follow a path through the first building to the building behind to get to number 21. We buzz the apartment and Tony answers. They let us in and go over the many rules the owner requires. The main rule is there will be no wearing of shoes in the apartment. It is a really nice place so we can live with all the rules. There is a penalty of 100 euros per offense if you do not comply - Germans love order.
Dave D, Monique and Tony go out for some food. Dave M is tired and wants to practice a couple of songs on his mandolin so he stays in. He has a gig coming up so he must practice every day. The three of us walk down the street to the left. We see a couple of small bars and give them a quick look but decide to keep looking. We see a restaurant called Bellview that is all lit up so wego in. Good choice. We order beer and food and it is really good. The waitress speaks English and is very friendly. We thank them and leave.
On the way back Tony figures since it’s our first night here and the fact that it is Friday night, we should stop at one of the small bars. It ends up being another good choice. As we walk up, we notice 8 people sitting outside. They are friendly so we let them know we are from the USA and they tell us to go inside - so we do. No one is sitting inside - not even a bartender, but we all choose a stool at the bar. A woman comes in from outside and we order three beers. Shortly after, the rest of the group comes in and the fun starts. I think they want to learn about their unusual guests.
One of the the guys comes over to talk to us and he is totally wasted - his name is Sasha. He talks to Monique and Tony but not much is getting through - he is close to impossible to understand. He is parroting what we say, repeats himself A LOT - especially the phrase, “oh mein gott” (oh my god). He is very “handsy” and has no concept of personal space. He likes Tony and touches him a lot - the same with Monique. He even puts his hand under her butt to which she replied, “hey hey now, let’s not go there.” Monique even gets to talk to his sister in Toronto via his cell phone - that was a funny conversation. Dave can see all of this but is caught up in a conversation with one of the women and the bartender. They all let us know Sasha is a nice guy - just really drunk - he’s a happy drunk, so it’s just kind of funny. They are friendly and we learn they are all teachers. They are proper by day and let loose at night - it is Friday night after all. Sasha goes over to Dave and gets all touchy feely - he grabs his arm, puts it to the side and says, “No, No,” and points to his wedding ring - he stops. Sasha wants to do shots so we are all poured jägermeister and down the hatch they go. All at once he disappears and we find out he is in the bathroom - probably to throw up - and we never see him again. We finish our beer, pay our bill and are somewhat happy to leave the madness of that place. We laugh and discuss what just happened as we walk back to the apartment. Oh mein gott!
This is the view from our apartment looking down on the street. That is Easy's seat every morning - just under the life preserver.
"Easy," or the "Captain," giving Dave a history lesson while they wait for their coffee to arrive - there's no rush.
Monique is smiling because there are only 3 flights of stairs left to climb to reach the gate. It's a good thing our bags are carry-on size.
The Buza gate when you exit Old Town Dubrovnik. We will miss the Pearl of the Adriatic.
It's a nice, sunny and clear day - the best for flying. In Europe it seems that most planes are boarded outside, directly on the tarmac - maybe it's more efficient?
This was riding around the carousel as we were waiting for our bags in Munich - pretty cool. We are getting excited to meet up with Tony and Dave to transform our 2 person travel team to 4.