12 Days Greek Isles Cruise - Day 3 Dubrovnik

Date: November 11, 2007 (Sunday)
Place: Dubrovnik, Croatia (杜布羅夫尼克, 克羅地亞)
Day 3

we arrived at Dubrovnik at ~8am.. Dubrovnik was a tender port.. it took about 20 mins to go ashore.. the tender pier was an approx. 20 mins drive to the city centre, & there was shuttle for 5 euros per person one way.. but the 2 of us decided to take a taxi to the Pile Square, which was 10 euros one way.. it saved us some time from waiting for the shuttle (as there was a line-up as many of the cruise passengers took the shuttle)..

their currency is Croatian kuna, which was about $1 CAN = 5 Kuna.. but most of the shops/restaurants will accept Euros..

we planned to take a walk at the Dubrovnik city wall & that's our first destination..

Gate of Pile.. Outer Pile gate with statue Sveti Vlaho

we had to go up some stairs before we could start the walk..

we started walking from the right side (i.e. anti-clockwise).. the walls run around part of the city for about 1.6km.. they were built between the 8th & the 16th centuries..

the view was spectacular.. we saw all the reddish orange-tile roofed houses in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, from the City Walls..

it was our cruise ship at the very back..

i read from the internet saying that: 戰前房屋所用的紅色瓦片，全以工人的大腿形狀做成弧形，手工精細，但不少已在戰爭中消失，眼前的紅頂許多是重建時鋪上的..

it took us about an hour to finish walking the City Walls.. & then we wondered around the Stradun, the main street in Dubrovnik..

the Old Town of Dubrovnik has been approved by the World Heritage Committee to be included on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1979, it's also referred to as the “Pearl of the Adriatic"..

the taxi driver recommended a restaurant to us for lunch.. & after some time looking around, we finally found it..

Wanda Mediterranean Cuisine

Address: Prijeko 8, 20000 Dubrovnik

Phone: 098-944-9317

we passed by its sister venue Surf & Turf earlier.. there was a magazine clipping posted outside the window, saying "2006 hit Wanda shines amid the tourist-trap eateries"..

Wanda was opened in 2006 by a native Dubrovnik called Goran, who has been working in the restaruant industry in Los Angeles for 15 yrs.. they put together simple, well-conceived Mediterranean cuisine using fresh, locally found ingredients.. well i have to admit that the spaghetti that i had (Spaghetti allo Zafferano) tasted very good..

Spaghetti allo Zafferano (with clams, lobster & shrimp in a light spicy creamy saffron sauce)

Risotto Ai Frutti Di Mare (Risotto with seafood & fresh parsley pesto)

a little side story during our lunch..

we asked the waiter about the price of the "Special of the day", i.e. the Spaghetti allo Zafferano, before we ordered our food.. that waiter said it's about the same price as the other seafood spaghetti, ~90 kuna, so we decided to try that "Special of the day".. but when we got the bill, it turned out to be 250 kuna.. we then asked that waiter whether there was some mistakes.. & then another waiter came to us, saying that he's sorry but it was the 1st day for that other waiter, & that's why he's not sure about the price.. OH WELL!! (p.s. they spoke good english) given that there were lobsters & many other seafood in the spaghetti (+ it tasted good), i did think that it should cost more than 90 kuna.. it's just the way they did things annoyed us a bit..

Day 3 Dinner

Appetizers

(left) Coldwater Poached Peruvian Sea Scallop Ceviche & Avocado
(right) Succulent Shrimp Cocktail, Red American Sauce

Entrees

(left) Lemon & Herb Scented Broiled North Sea Silver Salmon Filet
(right) Grilled Aged New York Sirloin Steak

.. i don't like the salmon, it was over-cooked; i didn't even finish it.. & the sirloin steak was just so-so.. maybe coz these were the two courses which offered every day.. (that's why it's not special at all..) but the desserts were great..

Desserts

(left) Opera Cake (Almond Sponge Cake Soaked in Kahlua, Filled with Coffee Cream & Chocolate Mousse)

..this was one of the best desserts in our trip.. soft & tasted good..
(right) Vanilla Pudding (A Traditional Old Favorite, Garnished with a Strawberry Fan)