Nudie Beach, here we (Liz, actually) come!

Sunday was dedicated to hitting the beach. We began our day with crazy good pastries from a little bakery called Niko, around the corner from our sobe. Those ladies could crank out such good sugary yumminess we went there EVERY morning we were in Dubrovnik (with the exception of the day I was wishing for death due to outrageous hangover, more on that later). With sugar and caffeine contents high, we went to the Old Port to catch a little water taxi to Lokrum Island. It’s an uninhabited little island about a 5 minute boat ride from the Old Town. This is where the Nude Beach is located; yes, we went. Having experienced such things in the south of France during my post college European extravaganza, I had no real need to go; however, Liz still had a box (pardon the pun) to check. So, we walked to the end of the island and out onto the rocks that constituted the area dedicated to the “naturalists”. Desiring a touch of privacy, Liz wanted to walk around until she found a relatively isolated spot to get into her birthday suit, count to 100, dress, and go to the clothed beach. I decided to just wait where I was for her to take care of business. Apparently, they take the whole you HAVE to be naked thing very seriously. I was told by 2 people to either strip or beat it. Seriously? I gotta say, it was a very odd experience. The first man who explained the rules was about 75, bare-assed-naked, and wearing ORANGE CROCS. I was torn between laughing out loud, crying, and running away. I also couldn’t look the man in the face and sure as hell didn’t want to look at him anywhere else; most awkward! So as I was standing there waiting for Liz and trying not to look at anyone’s “privacies”, I began to wonder about the academics of sunbathing in the nude. Most of the people out there had visible tan lines, meaning their “special” places were not accustomed to the sun’s rays. Especially for the mens on the beach, what are the implications of putting SPF on wee willy winkie? And more importantly, what are the implications of NOT putting SPF on it and burning the sucker. Gooooodamn, that would hurt (or so I imagine).

Lokrum Island

I've been thrown out of bars, classes, and churches. But being tossed off a nude beach is a first for me.

With the nude thing taken care of, we went to the regular part of the island and found some flat rocks right by the water to hang out on. Swimming, eating watermelon, drinking beers, and reading for hours in the sun equals FABULOUS! Once the sun dropped behind the trees it was time for some post-beach drinks. There was a super cute bar set up just above the boat dock in the shade of the trees. They served drinks, snacks, and had a guy playing guitar; big surprise we hung out there for a while. We even had our first Croatian brandy there; Croats are known for their brandies and liquors as well as their wines. I was a bit nervous about it, but after a little sip it was decided that it was NOT so naas-tee

the ladder needed to get in and out of the water

swimming in the Adriatic

Whaaaahaaahaaaaaa. . . he's my boyfriend. That is so naas-tee.

my view from the rock I was laying on. Very nice!

the trail down to the rocks and sea

after beach beers

Croatian brandy, not so naas-tee!

After getting cleaned up and prettified, we headed over Gil’s for a sundowner. This place sits over the Old Harbor and is very posh and chic. The prices match! It’s a beautiful view and a gorgeously designed bar & restaurant. One drink later, its time for food. Dinner that night was OUTSTANDING. We went to a place up the stairs in Prijeko called Wanda. It’s run by a couple who actually ran a restaurant in Los Angeles and have brought back the slickness of serving that type of clientele and blended it with Croatian style. The food was delicious; I had a fettuccine with chicken in a light creamy tomato sauce and Liz had tortellini in a similar sauce. I think her tortellini is best I’ve ever had in my life. The salads were also huge, fresh, and delicious. The staff was extremely nice and the owner offered us a complementary after dinner drink. You’re not going to believe it when I say this, but, we declined. I know, I know, it’s disappointing but we were stuffed to the gills. No worries though, we are going to make up for this about 10 times over in the next two nights.

Gil's for sundowners

the restaurant at Gils'