Notes from DBV

While i wait for my washing machine to finish.....
In Dubrovnik (DBV) today....amazing, amazing city....will start the
morning off sea-kayaking around the city walls. No Ms. Universe, which
would have been a good story, but this tour is better....am staying in
a sobe (private room) with huge views, 100yds from the water. Would
love to claim credit for this, but it was the luck of the draw. By
this I mean when our bus pulled in today, we were swarmed by 40-50
grandmas, each offering a room in their house. It was like being
swarmed by munchkins. I paired off with one, asked a few questions (of
which only location was the only intelligent thing that I asked), and
struck a deal. I did this mostly for the fun of it, because I had
planned to splurge on a hotel in DBV.
Walked around the Old City tonite. Must confess it was good to be back
in a mainstream world, with lots of English spoken. (General rule: in
the popular, touristy areas, conditions are almost like America, while
some places (like Ploce, or Mostar) were pretty much 3rd world. Most
of my trip so far has been 'in between' those 2 poles.
Still can't get a cold drink, though. For some reason, this continent
doesn't serve drinks at anything but room temps, and without ice. I
can't tell you how many times I've taken a break from the 95 degree
temps, only to have an 80 degree beverage. Hopefully the solution is a
bar here in DBV called "Cold Drinks." I hope to catch it tomorrow
afternoon.