The Island of Korcula

To us, the island of Korcula really still seems like an undiscovered gem. Yes a mass of tourists get off the boat and fill up the cliff-side restaurants, but it really doesn’t have the frenetic push-push feel of Dubrovnik.

Korcula’s small town feel is really its biggest appeal, you can really go and explore the island and see beautiful untouched scenery without even going that far. The middle of the island is also a big drawcard, with its vineyards and medieval villages but we didn’t quite make it off the beach rocks!

Our accommodation here was amazing and really made the stay extra enjoyable; for once we were right in the middle of the action and had a well equip room with aircon, private bathroom and satellite tv much to Jonno’s delight (though the only English channels were either the news or Wedding TV!).

We also had our washing done for free as well as breakfast free every morning (the owners were apparently out to impress after a lousy and unsubstantiated review on hostelbookers).

9.5 out of 10- half off for no kitchen

Deliciously Dubrovnik

I was originally going to group all our Croatian destinations into the one post, but after making our way to each unique destination I have realised that the Croatian experience cannot be summed up in one post.

Dubrovnik, located on the southern tip of the Dalmatian coast (and yes we have actually seen a Dalmatian dog here), was our first stop in this sun-drenched country. With the entire town located along the coast, it really knows how to play up to its crystal blue water and sweeping sea-scapes.

The old town, Dubrovnik’s main attraction, is an amazingly preserved and almost fort-like rotunda jam packed with tourists with a giant camera in one hand and a gelato in the other (they’re only $1.40 in Croatia...needless to say I will soon look like an ice-cream myself!).

The beaches are once again rocks but that’s what keeps the water its amazing shade of blue and Jonno finally gave in and bought himself a goggle and snorkel set to explore with.

Given my time again I would have not stayed so far out of town- our guesthouse was great and the views were magnificent but it was a good 40 minute walk into town, then back up about 250 stairs which gives the sweat glands a good workout.

My other main tip would not to get hustled when deciding on an island day trip- play the companies off against each other! We, well rather I was reassured by our host that his cousins boat business was the best in Dubrovnik...it was not. The Elafiti islands are definitely worth seeing but get yourself on a fast boat that can get you to the islands in minimal time for maximum enjoyment.

Am i too old?

As anyone under 15 would know, the third Twilight movie Eclipse is out...and sadly i am without an English movie theatre (im not going to dubbing with subtitles) or someone to see it with...

Im only hoping it's out at the theatres long enough that i can see it there before i acquire a 'Bali copy'

Team Jacob in the movies...but team Edward in the books...is that cheating?

We are all sheep

(the line)

The perfect, hilarious example of this was seen on the streets of Milano as we walked past a gelato store with not one but two lines out the front. There are many, many gelato shops in Milan but for some reason this joint was the place de jour...so naturally I had to see what all the fuss was about. I think the photo explains it all!

On a side note, we’d decided to cut Italy out of our trip due to my time there before (besides our one night flight stopover in Milan) and head to more countries neither of us had been to before. While I still don’t regret this, being in Milan reminded me of all the great things Italy has to offer...especially the food!

Just walking past the bakery brought back memories of the breads and other goods I used to go and buy for my host family...and all the coffee and ice cream! Gastronomic delight!

Nice, what a nice place to be

(The hostel)

Nice tries really hard to impress, with its sweeping boulevard, beautiful buildings and even more beautiful people. And it does quite well, however being the budget conscious backpacker means that you can never truly experience the luxury that Nice has to offer.

Jonno and I were mostly in to catching up on the beach time that we somehow missed out on in Barcelona (thanks to the nightlife), so each day we shuffled on down to the pebbled strip of land this part of France calls a beach and tried to get ourselves as tanned as the locals.

(Jonno catching up on some essential reading)

There are many things to do here if you have money, such as day trips out on boats to St Tropez, parasailing and people watching in the beachside restaurants. We met a great girl from NZ in our dorm that was doing her diving certificate in the blue waters of the Mediterranean, thanks to a handy friend who had discount connections, which would have been fantastic...next time!

I’ve also come to realise that the staff at a hostel are actually the most important aspect to making your stay comfortable...our hostel in Nice was the perfect example of how staff with a bit too much self-love can make you want to stay away all day.

The Hotel Belle Meuniere was actually a lovely old building and we had been placed in the top floor attic dorm- nothing wrong with that besides the heat. However the arrogant German tool on the desk, who was more interested in tuning guests than doing his job, was enough to make me not want to recommend this place to anyone...the so-called “communal” kitchen was apparently private, as I was rudely scolded about on my first day...dude if you want to have a power trip, get yourself a better job!

6.5 out of 10

All that aside, even though I’d been to Nice before I could have spent longer here and would have enjoyed another day trip to Cannes...oh well, next time!