its raining cats and dogs

After less than a full night’s sleep, I’m sitting crosslegged on my matchstick box bed as my roommate struggles to find a place between asleep and awake. Jasmine green tea steams from a yellow mug on the already cluttered bedside table, and I’m peering out the window to see what the weather has in store for us today (google says sunny with a chance of rain). 

My calves and thighs ache from multiple journeys up and down the 200+ steps that connect our apartment to old town, but the daily workout is well worth the panoramic view of old town and the sea from our balconies, windows, and rooftop terrace. 

I can hear the boys next door drinking coffee on their porch, and the bells from one of the old town churches mean it’s time to get up. Let the fight for hot shower water begin…

I’ll pull myself back out of bed in a few minutes, flip on the kettle again and put some bread in the panini grill that takes hours to toast. So far, breakfasts have consisted of avocado toast, green tea, and oranges that are half the size of my head. All while overlooking the red rooftops of old city, of course.

Old city is easy to fall in love with. Empty of the summertime tourists, Dubrovnik’s marble streets glisten white in the sunshine, and are a slippery death traps on rainy days. I'm happy to report that haven’t fallen yet (knocks on wood), thank goodness for practical shoes. I don’t know how the locals survive in their sky high heels, but somehow they manage look perfectly composed rain or shine.

We’ll walk the city walls today, and I’m expecting to see as many local cats and dogs as old rooftops and waves against the shore. Pets are, apparently, uncommon in Dubrovnik, and the city instead is home to hundreds (thousands?) of animals who, fed and loved by locals, run the place like kings and queens. Plus, the cat that rules our closest flight of steps doesn’t laugh when I attempt to practice my beginner’s Croatian, so she’s currently my favorite local.

Time to join the rest of the world — doviđenja (goodbye for now)

love from dubrovnik

shonabell