Picking Mandarins Villa Neretva, Croatia
Hotel – Restaurant “VILLA NERETVA”, is located in the heart of a unique oasis, on the main road Opuzen – Metković.
We had a blast joining in with the Mandarin harvest and then safari tour up the river mangroves and waterways followed by a hearty meal. A Brilliant day trip to do from Split or the surrounding area.
Check them out here:
Hey everyone Nick here, 45 Degrees
Sailing. Today we are down at Neretva.
The river that flows from Bosnia, Mostar, all the way out to the sea in
Croatia and we're in the mandarin field
so we have come down here for experience
with a with a restaurant and we're out
the fields we get to pick our own
mandarins. These are the best I think
the best mandarins I've had in my life
and look how fast these peel they have
no seeds and they are absolutely divine
mmm. So, this is one of places you can
come when you visit Croatia. Get in touch
with us comment below if you want to
know more and we'll let you know about
how you can come down and pick mandarins
in October, in Croatia.
Dubrovnik Part 1
7/16 Tuesday
We take a walk into Dubrovnik's Old Town, the fortress city. On the way, we stop at a pharmacy. I need Tylenol for my cold, ibuprofen for my achy bones, and we're running out of vitamins. We learn that acetaminophen isn't sold in Croatia, though we don't know why. We buy 12 non-aspirin pills, 24 ibuprofen tablets and 60 Centrum multivitamins for $38! None of these things are sold through the regular stores. The pharmacies also sell what we would consider cosmetics, like Eucerin or Roc skin care creams, and we need a prescription for simple hydrocortisone. Almost everything is behind the counter, so you need to ask the pharmacist for anything you want. Sometimes you just want a CVS.
We have about two miles to walk, along a busy street, but with some nice views of the waters. We cross a bridge full of love locks, overlooking a swimming spot off the rock cliffs. The University of Dubrovnik is on the way, with a beautiful garden that we pass through for a cool and quiet break. We arrive at the city walls to see a plaza full of tourists. The cruise ships all have a shuttle bus station near the entrance to the city. Doesn't look like a lot of fun, although the city does a good job of keeping things well organized for these big groups.
The city is interesting, with a wide avenue of ancient, polished stone that is the main passage. Narrow little streets lead off to the sides, filled with banners and signs for boutiques and restaurants. Tourists are all filling the shady side of the street and sitting in huddles wherever the shadows fall on the fountains or stairways. Most seem to be from the UK. There are passing tours, grim groups shuffling along in the sun with numbered stickers on their chests, following a leader with a numbered paddle in the air. Most look like they would really enjoy sitting in a café with a beer instead. The Japanese tourists are bundled up with sunbonnets, parasols and knitted arm-mittens to keep the sun off them.
We walk though the town and around the walls at the inner harbors, where we find an aquarium to visit. It's all in the inner walls of the fortress, with arching barrel-vaulted stone ceilings. It's cool and dark and practically empty. The small exhibits show mostly local fish, the types I can see while swimming. They play soft classical music that fills the tunnels. We give a little extra time to the octopus, piled against his glass wall, so tender and delicious.
We stop for just a shared sandwich lunch, sitting under a canopy on the main street, watching the tour groups pass. Everything is much pricier here, and it takes some of the fun out of it to pay $12 for a small sandwich. But, oh well, it's Dubrovnik after all.
The entry fees for some of the attractions are fairly high, walking along the fortress walls costs about $15 each. We decide to buy a Dubrovnik pass back at the tourist office, which includes a week of bus fares, so we plan for more touring tomorrow, and walk back to our place.
We have a dinner of salad, eggplant, zucchini and tuna on our apartment terrace. The zucchini is practically free at the grocery, about $0.25 each. There are three big cruise ships at the piers. We can see the flashing neon lights of the disco, with music carrying over the hills to serenade us.
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