mascaras meet the mediterranean, part nine: a croatian safari.

The next stop on our honeymoon was to a place that we would never have considered if it wasn't part of the cruise itinerary.  We had never heard anything about Dubrovnik, Croatia until booking our trip, and after booking, we kept hearing how beautiful it was.  "Beautiful" ended up being quite the understatement.  


We arrived in Dubrovnik and added some sunrise pictures to our collection before setting off on our Croatian safari.

Our tour group for the day was only about 10 people, which was a nice change from the large tours we'd taken up to this point.  On the way to our first destination, we stopped to admire the view of Old Town from above.

We took a bus to a hotel where our tour guide was waiting for us.  The guide didn't even check our licenses before giving us the keys to our little Toyota truck. (And to say my husband was a little bit excited about the brand of trucks we were taking would be the second largest understatement of our visit to Croatia).


The safari began with a bit of a roadblock-- cows crossing the street!

When all the cows had crossed, we made our way up the mountains and arrived at the overlook of Sivi Soko.

We hung out with the goats for a bit while learning about the history of Dubrovnik.

From the overlook we could see the town of Cavtat, which is apparently a popular celebrity destination.  Our guide informed us that Beyonce and Jay-Z had just been there a few weeks before us.

We hopped back in our trucks and drove through a few (large!) puddles in the valley to get to our next stop.

We stopped along the coast to admire the beautiful view.  It was so amazing how on the right we could have a gorgeous view of the cliffs and the sea...

and on the left, breathtaking mountain views!

Next, we drove back through the valley and snapped some pictures of the clouds that were coming over the mountains.

We came across a herd of sheep on our way.

We stopped at a stream and took in yet another gorgeous view...

and proceeded to drive THROUGH the stream while praying that it wouldn't be too deep.

We made it across and drove through the countryside vineyards.

Then we stopped for lunch at an olive oil mill that was built in the 1300s.  The mill has been passed down through the family since it was created.  Currently, six brothers and their families tend to the mill, and they've opened it up as a restaurant in the off season.

We learned how the olives are pressed to make the oil before eating lunch.

Then we enjoyed the most memorable (and most delicious) meal of our entire honeymoon.  Everything that was served was grown and made right there at the mill.  The homemade brandy and dried figs we received as a "welcome drink", the delicious red and white wines, and the chicken soup.

The veal and chicken and the deliciously seasoned potatoes...

The cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes for the salad, and the olive oil used to flavor it (it is an olive oil mill, after all!).

We were then served the most colorful fruit spread I had ever seen for dessert, complete with figs, huge grapes, watermelon, and pomegranates.   MMM pomegranates.  They have been my obsession ever since.

After a delicious meal and purchasing a giant bottle of olive oil to bring home, it was time to head back to the boat.  We said goodbye to the mountains and coastal views...

and promised ourselves that we'd be back to visit the most beautiful place on earth again in the future!