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August 26/27

The Morph of A Journey
Though it was threatening rain (but ultimately we had only lightening and thunder), we were missing walking after our ten days of car riding in Tuscany. So, we headed out for the 3K walk to Old Town Dubrovnik for dinner. The air was heavy, the breeze disappeared, and we arrived at Pile (say Pie-Lee) Gate a bit sweaty and thirsty but eager to see the town and walk the walls after the hordes of tourists had gone for the day.

The surprise was on us though, as it felt like all of the 16,000 passengers from the three HUGE ships docked in Gruz Harbor had overtaken the one mile square town.  

As we entered the gate, the first sign pointed the way to the steps up to the top of the wall, a one mile walk around......and a 90 Kuna entrance fee.  Now,that is only about $16.00, not a lot in the scheme of a four month Euro extravaganza, but it sure felt like a bit of a tourist rip off. I pay YOU to walk and sweat? Pass.

Next up a search for a lovely terrace overlooking the sea to have fresh grilled fish, just a simple seaside place, maybe kind of like Elvira's in Zihua, we were hoping. Nothing even close- the views were great, the menus only OK, and the prices crazy high, every entree $50-$75! We passed, and quickly.

We headed back to Lapad ( the name of the area we are staying) and had a delicious seafood dinner for two at a small konoba (Croatian for 'tavern') a couple doors from the hotel. It was far from glamorous - the terrace overlooked the harbor and the liter of local white was drinkable, but the fish and mussels and langoustines and shrimps were grilled over huge wood fires, and all were to die for.

And thus is the metamorphoses of a long journey. I started to see and feel it in Tuscany when I realized Steve and I were starting to skip churches and museums that just two months ago would be unthinkable to miss. It became crystallized in Old Town last night when we just wanted OUT of the touristy center, glad we saw it for an hour, but not enticed to return, or do a walking tour, or shop for whatever was offered. The apex was canceling our hotel in Zadar today (after looking for hours and agonizing over finding just the right place) so we can instead have a bit more serendipity to find a small fishing village with a beach shack grilling fish and take our chances on discovering some little B and B overlooking the sea-perhaps with a lovely hot outdoor shower. 

Sitting at the pool this afternoon (after having a touch up at a very local salon instead of the hoity-toity tourist department store, $25.00 plus a tip), 
  

my chaise-mate was a lovely Australian woman traveling for seven weeks with her husband on her first European adventure.  She also had headed in, and then quickly out, of Old Town, leaving her newly arrived friends to scale the wall alone. Her day was going to be swimming, relaxing and probably also, like me, a bit of hand washing of underwear.  

So does all this mean the tourist hot spots are no longer worth going to? Crowded places to be avoided forever? Skipping the Blue Mosque when we get to Istanbul? Never heading to another European or Asian capital? Bypassing all churches? Giving up walking tours or walled cities forever?

Certainly not! 

All it means is that travel can be a journey, whether you discover a new place or a new food, whether you discover you love your spouse more than when you got on the first plane three months ago, or whether you can be free enough to skip the cathedral and not walk the walls...... Until you morph again and miss all those things......and start all over. 

Everyone, once in their life, should have a journey of metamorphoses.

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