Old City Dubrovnik
It’s the final countdown…
When something is truly right, I suppose things fall into place, just right.
This truly has been my summer of love. Not only are we counting down to the end of it, but also to my final days as the perennially single woman.
And I couldn’t have chosen a more stunning place to get that final stamp in my single-girl American passport. Albeit, my emergency passport as my 5-year old one with all the visas, high-security Israeli threat 5 sticker and stamps from literally all over the world never turned up after Disney Paris. Which is actually a blessing in disguise, I think! As I touch wood…
I needed to go to Paris anyway, to l’ambassade américaine for some (more) goofy papers required for our French marriage license. Kismet… I picked up an emergency passport whilst there! Après, we spent a weekend in Dublin. My frenchman got down on one knee in front of Dublin Castle, and a small group of young girls… and officially asked me to marry him. Soon after that we went to London for my “fiancé” to speak at an industry conference, en anglais, for his travail. We met some incredible friends, discovered a perfect London hotel, and bought my wedding dress!!!
As our ‘summer of love’ began, everything fell right into place! Which has pretty much been the status quo since I met my illustrious man a couple years ago. Sorry to speak for my him (oh what the hell I’ll be his wife in 29 days) but neither of us have ever been so perfectly ‘in love’, ‘in sync’ and ‘in absolute certainty’ of anything before this. We’ve spent our summer planning the wedding together, watching every detail fall… yep you guessed it! Right into place. With no stress, in two languages and with inexplicable ease.
Sitting now at the edges of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia, there is time to quietly reflect on everything we’ve both accomplished. With our jobs, our merger, our families, our finances and especially our future. ✨ And I’ll tell you what… it is a fucking fairy tale!
We continue to grow more savvy with our immigration comprehension which is the purpose of this little Dubrovnik jaunt. Well… one of the reasons! I’ve organized three trips to this incroyable country cette année and we are just months before it officially enters the Schengen Zone. Both the French and Croatians seem quite lax already with their immigration reciprocity. The young aéroport policier at Toulouse Blagnac kindly handed my unstamped American emergency passport back to me. I smiled and intimated my utmost French charm saying “merci monsieur… mais c’est nécessaire pour le timbre, pour moi? Oui?” (insert glimmering smile and batted eyelashes here)
“Oui, okay… pour vous.” STAMP! ✔️ Phew! Mission accomplished.
Dubrovnik is extraordinaire. It IS crowded, and reminiscent of Venice in that way… but unlike anywhere I’ve ever been before. It’s authentic. It’s not expensive. Inside the old city walls there are no Golden Arches or Subway Sandwiches. The stone stairs inside this medieval city are steep, but seductive. The shops are fantastic, it’s nothing like the Grand Bazaar or Jewish Quarter. The views are magical and the glistening sea summons. Once again, the restaurants are really delicious and I’m not gonna lie… I’m a picky eater!
Just outside the old city walls are some of the most stunning views you could imagine. Red roofs atop ancient stone nestled along a crystal clear turquoise sea. Wow. I understand now why my clients here in June, simply were not going to leave as scheduled! This is my true definition of paradise. And only a two-hour flight from home, pour moi!
Uncertain where to stay as it was a quick trip all by my lonesome, I went against my usual judgment. Booking.com and I became quite friendly as I settled on what has turned out to be one of the BEST options imaginable! Sure it would be great to have the luxury, a gorgeous pool and convenient beachside bar service. But those hotels are not plentiful in Dubrovnik and located well outside these old city walls. There are a bazillion options for those needing to get their feet in the sparkling warm water. The ‘guesthouse’ I chose, called Prijeko Palace, is close to an old city entrance with only one small flight of steep stairs to manage. It’s in a 14th century building yet filled with original art. The rooms are spacious, comfortable and quiet. It has the renowned Stara Loza Restaurant attached, just along restaurant row, and hosts the second-only elevator within the medieval borders. And it just happens to be around the stone corner from D’Vino, best wine bar in the city!
The only thing that could make this any better is if my frenchman were here… and If I was 4 kilograms lighter. Be that as it may, I have not a doubt in the world that my summer of love will glide sweetly into unequivocal bliss come September.
I reckon our lives won’t really be much different, as we’ve got kids, work, loads of travel and California Christmas ahead. However I will proudly don a gorgeous (french-made) wedding band and learn to spell Georjon out in french! C’est pas facile! Mais très beau.❤️
Breakfast at Prijeko Palace
An unforgettable Dubrovnik view
