Sunday 21st October 2007

Early start for the journey to Dubrovnik. We had paid for the campsite yesterday, so it was shower, breakfast and off.
We followed the directions that we had been given for the LPG and were surprised to find ourselves 2 km off the main road in a small village at a place that only supplied LPG. It was busy with 3 cars in front of us and another joining behind. We filled up with 11 litres at a total cost of £3.60 – very good for 4 weeks use. Although we were only using gas for cooking and hot water, it should mean that the tank will last a number of weeks during the winter months. This is quite important as we understand that LPG is not as easy to obtain in Spain.
On the way, near to Ploce we passed a very fertile area full of Orange groves with plots separated by large areas of water. Orange sellers lined the roads and, given the number of stalls nd lack of traffic, we were quite convinced that some of them didn't sell anything all day. As the road rose, we got an excellent view of the fertile delta – see photograph.
After arriving at Camping Solitudo in Dubrovnik, we attempted to find the holiday accommodation that our friends were coming to. The map provided on the holiday company website showed it quite clearly and it also had a photograph. However, despite our best efforts, we couldn't locate it. We had just set off for the motorhome when we got a phone call – they had arrived. The exact location was established – half a mile from where the map showed it!
It was great to see Ann and Nick again and they hadn't changed at all since we last saw them - 6 weeks ago! We were chatting over some drinks before going out for a meal when the holiday rep called “just on the off chance” that they were in. She was amazing. In the 45 minutes that she was there, she imparted so much information and with such enthusiasm that we were all totally mind-boggled at the end. She was originally from Liverpool but had lived in Dubrovnik for over 30 years (including during the war) so she had a vast amount of knowledge.
Nick had said that he was hungry before the rep arrived so, without delay, we set of for the local area of restaurants. There was no selection process, it was the first one that was open and very good it was too – the stuffed squid was excellent.
The evening was spent catching up with news from home – “How's .... oh good; Is he.... what does she think? Have they? So and so have sold .....where are they moving to? How is the school? When will we know about the fate of the Post Office?”. By the end of the evening we felt that we were reasonably up to speed.
When we left the restaurant, it was raining and by the time we went our separate ways, it was pouring down. We battled our way into the wind and rain back to Henrietta and arrive cold and soaked. Clothes were left strewn all over the seats in an (vain) attempt to get them to dry over night.
Photo: Orange groves in the delta near Ploce.