Pomegranates, Gekkos and Butterflies.

How do I start this without getting too over-dramatic? Well, Dubrovnik might just be the loveliest place I have ever visited. Ever! I’m staying in Gruz which is docking-side of the harbour and from my room I have a spectacular view of the harbour, surrounding hills and the dramatic houses that speckle them. I’m on the top floor of a small apartment complex (Berkeley Hotel) and the room is perfect – a small kitchen, huge King size bed, balcony with setting and a great little bathroom. This all bodes well for my 5 night stay here. After a night of icing my leg I chance a walk into the city – on foot is the only way to see a place – and I set out early for the Old City that I’ve heard so much about.

On my amble through the streets I’m just in awe of this place. Where a house has fallen into disrepair instead of weeds springing up and taking root these ruins are covered in flowering Bougainvillea, Plumbago, Limes, Mandarin and Salvia all in bloom. This place is magic. Marbled staircases lead up and down to who knows where…a 1000 different places. Huge ornate iron gates hang awkwardly on their hinges, painted shutters sit lopsided on the exterior of houses, Pomegranate trees too laden with fruit are painfully bowed, shattered fruit at their bases…it’s all off centre but it’s perfect.

And then I see…Dubrovnik Old Town. After descending 1032 marbled steps I’m finally standing in front of Pile Gate (mind you with 3 cruise liners full of visiting tourists) and looking at the walls of the Old City. Without blinking I’m through the gates and off to the ticket desk to get on the Old City Wall Walk to see as much as I can. Once ascended to the rim of the City Wall I’m finally able to drink in all of this ancient Cities Roman splendour. Terracotta roofs slant this way and that. Streets go up and down for an eternity, cats sun themselves on window sills or in barely frequented courtyards, gekko’s scurry down baking hot walls and butterflies mill around lime and olive trees. This place is magic.

Eurovision Rating: Solo Female singer standing alone – no backing dancers, no gimmicks. Dangerous move – the song has to do the talking. Powerful ballad with a killer key change and enough passion and umph to get the crowd frenzied. Qualifies for final. Finishes Top 3.

Tomorrow: Lokrum Island, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Detour via Sveti Coc

The start of today was not great – courtesy of torrential rain, a hotel where breakfast started at 6:30 (but I had to be at the bus station at 7am) and a ridiculous communication error regarding “paid” and “to pay”. Not to mention that my base of my leg has doubled in size. Thanks to some kind responses to whinge texts (Rich and Mum) I boarded the bus from Zagreb to Dubrovnik. 11 hours of solid bus trip…with no breakfast. After the quickest of Espresso’s and a Berry muffin my Croatiabus experience commenced in sleeting rain.

After a shortwhile I noticed a marked change in the landscape as we went from thickets of autumnal coloured forests into a rockier terrain market by low lying shrubs. About 3 hours out of Zagreb we were detoured off of Highway 1 onto a side road (due to some works on that section) via the township of Sveti Coc. This was a profound detour. The bus hurtled through the small streets like it was trying to escape an oncoming army but I could not escape the scarred landscape. I was struck by one town in particular where a Church had been burnt to the ground, its steeple missing replaced by a huge trunk of a fallen tree, opposite the rubble of what would have been thirty homes and next to it a dilapidated building marked with two letters UN. I cannot fathom what this place experienced. This is a country still very much recovering. As the bus moved from town to town the same scenario repeated abandoned farmhouses, ruins, desolation, destruction and then an apartment building with someone’s washing hanging from the 8th story.

Finally we arrive in Split for a half hour refreshment stop and a chance to use the toilet (horray!).

Tip # 1: The 11 hour bus ride will have about 4 stops – ensure you use the toilet at every opportunity

Once on the way to Dubrovnik the scenery transforms again as the bus winds the coast road. I’m so close to the Adriatic that I could almost reach out and touch. The water is ridiculously clear and even from the bus I can see the rocks at the bottom of the water. After 3 hours of winding road passing countless resortish towns that announce Pension or Apartmen we head inland for a final stop before Dubrovnik.

Fortunately my apartment, at Berkeley Hotel, is only a short walk from the bus terminal and the kind receptionist there provided me some ice for my leg. I’m on the 4th floor with a direct view of Dubrovnik Harbour (with a couple of Cruise Liners in town). My small balcony gives an excellent view…I can’t wait for the morning.

Tomorrow: Dubrovnik Old Town.

The 8:15 to Zagreb

After an early start I bid farwell to Ljubljana and the lovely Slovenian people and boarded the 8:15 to Zagreb.

Hint #1: Ask if the cabin you're about to climb in is First Class (particularly if you have a 2nd class ticket). Doh!

Although the rain had abated the mist had transformed into a thick fog making the train journey somewhat ho-hum as the view was somewhat masked...damn you Mother Nature!

By 11am I'd arrived in Zagreb, Croatia - after a very strange border crossing where the Slovenian police decided that I looked dodgy and needed to have my passport check for outstanding interpol. 007 eat your heart out.

After a quick check in and early access to the room - thank you Hotel Acrotel Allegra - I hightailed it to the bus depot to purchase my fare to Dubrovnik. Ticket purchased and about to leave I encounter yet another GYPSY...bloody Nora! Another one? Apparently this one wanted money for an operation on her...colon? (was not sure where she was pointing). This gypsy was a sneaky one as she'd prepared a laminated print out in several languages to explain her plight. Mmmm - she obviously wasted some of that Doctor's fee on printing and laminating. So NO gypsy you will not have my Kuna.

Hint # 2: Dumb Australians confuse the Gypsies.

So I adopted my thickest Australian accent and say very loudly "Sorry love, I don't know what you want and I don't speak your language". She grips my hand rabbiting on about "operatzion" and I repeat "Sorry sweetie - not sure what you want - good luck...seeya". And off I stride out of the bus terminal - gypsy 2 vaniquished. She's probably dead poor luv - the laminating really did not help.

I quickly made my way into the city itself, as the weather was holding, and the reason for stopping in Zagreb (not only as a through-point to Dubrovnik) was to visit Mirogoj Cemetery (arguably the most beautiful Cemetery in all of Europe). After jumping on Bus 106 I arrived at the Wall that heralded the cemetery and had another jaw drop moment. This place is impossibly beautiful. It's a little bit broken, a little bit sad and slightly overgrown but stunning in it's simplicity. And it's weird - even though this is suppose to be a place of the dead I've never seen so much life - so many people tending the graves of their loved ones, people remembering, celebrating and including the dead in their lives. Truly an inspirational place. I hope some of my pictures do it justice.

Hint # 3: Bus 106 leaves from outside the main Cathedral next to the big Fruit market - not hard to miss.

Zagreb is an intersting city - a little bit grubby around the edges, especially when compared to the manicured Ljubljana, it's very unpretentious. Zagreb is take me or leave me "I don't care" whatever you want. It has areas of stunning beauty next to rubbled ruins and piles of trash. It's a city not hung up on aesthetics but one which definitely has a pulse.

As a treat I went into a local Zagreb barber who gave me very traditional head shave - clippers, shaving cream, big scary razor and some industrial strength after shave slapped all over. At times it was a little too close to Sweeney Todd for my liking. But what a hoot! I think they were laughing at me as much as I was at them...well that's Zagreb!

Eurovision Rating: Hardcore Rock Chick screaming an angsty, guitar heavy tune in thick Croatian. Wild costume, hair and some pyrotechnics see her qualify from the semi's (just). Finishes outside the Top 15.

Next Stop: Dubrovnik (after a 11 hour bus ride - eek!)