Tag: airbnb

Manual Misfortune, Day One in Croatia

©2022 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

After months of planning and waiting, we had arrived in Croatia!

We had survived a long flight, processed through customs and immigration and found our way to the car rental agency.

Agent, “Yes, I have your reservation…an economy with manual transmission.”

Me (to the agent), “Yes…wait…what? Uh oh.”

Me (to my husband), “Oh honey, you do remember how to drive a stick, right?”

Luckily, we both know how to drive manual transmissions, but it had been many years since my husband had had any practice. In the end, we decided to keep the car, even after the agency offered up a larger, automatic (for more money, of course) because we were not sure of the parking lot size at our Airbnb. My husband would just have to take it easy…a difficult feat in a mountainous country!

Heading onto the coastal highway, we drove the twenty-two minutes towards the city, getting our first glimpses of Old Town Dubrovnik, sitting on the precipice of the city surrounded by the sparkling azure waters. It was absolutely breathtaking!

Our first view of Dubrovnik!

My Airbnb host, Antonia, had sent us detailed instructions on how to reach our rental when we reached the city. As my husband carefully shifted our Corsa Opal and followed my directions, we were awed by the walls of the Old City on our right. So awed…that we missed the road to our Airbnb! Back around we drove…and since most of the roads in this area were one-way, it was a long, long way around!

This time, I was ready. As we turned at the light, I spotted the road on the right that we were supposed to take. This road was quite narrow, with a wall on the left and parked cars next to a drop off on the right…and it angled sharply downward. As my husband shifted the transmission and gave it a little gas, I suddenly realized that we were passing the gates to our property. Stop!

He did, but since we were on a hill, with a wall to our left and cars parked to our right, it was difficult to put the car in reverse to backup…uphill…to turn into the yard. Oh brother! He made the decision to continue down the hill, so we could circle around again. Only…

The road narrowed. The wall on the left veered right and the car on the right was angled to the left. Wow, this was going to take some maneuvering to get past. Holding our breath, reaching out the windows and turning our rear-view mirrors inward and inching slowly forward, we made it past these two obstacles. And discovered…

We drove our car past this wall and this car…

The road narrowed to a path!

Yes…a path that only a motorcycle or a bicycle or a small child could proceed on. Getting out of the car, we looked for another option. There was no going forward…only back. This would require shifting the manual transmission and carefully passing between…while maintaining inches from…both the wall and the car and while giving the car enough gas to make it up the hill…backwards. I feel like I should insert the wide-eyed emoji here. We were at a loss and the only thing I thought that could get us out of this mess was to get a crane to pick up the car and drop in onto a nearby roadway…again…wide eyed emoji. Yeah…not really an option.

Sick to my stomach, I realized that we had just declined insurance coverage on our rental!

As people walked by, snickering…my husband suggested that we call the car rental company and tell them what happened, but I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel…yet. I ran up the hill to the gates of our Airbnb, let myself in and knocked on the door. I don’t know what I expected them to do, but maybe they had a solution. SURELY this had happened to someone before, right?

Greeted by Antonia’s mother, I told her what happened. She said she didn’t know how to drive, but said, “let’s go take a look”. Down the hill, she eyed our predicament and shook her head in disbelief. She said, “Let’s ask the firemen! They are my neighbors and they are nice. They will help! Tell your husband to go inside that building and tell them what happened.”

As my husband walked toward us, I really did not want to give him her suggestion. After all, the car wasn’t on fire. But, what the heck! We had nothing to lose.

So off he went, disappearing into the firehouse. Later, he told me that after explaining what had happened, the fire chief just shook his head (we definitely know that this had happened before) and nodded toward two muscular twenty-somethings to go out and help. Probably bored and excited to have something to do, they bounded out of the building, telling my husband, “please don’t videotape us” while laughing. Can’t say that that statement made me feel all that good…

One fireman jumped into the car and the other proceeded to direct. My stomach was in knots and I thought that I was going to throw up my lunch as they inched forward and backward, trying to get the car into the correct position to make it past the wall and the car. Backward…forward…backward…forward…one directing, one driving. And then…my stomach lurching…the driver stepped on the gas and shot past the wall and the car and straight up the hill…inches to spare. Watching them, it almost seemed so effortless it was as if they had been probably driving a stick-shift since they were twelve…maybe eleven!

I ran up the hill, pointing to the gate where he pulled the car into the yard.

OMG…did that just really happen?

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! Thanking them profusely, we followed Antonia’s mom into the yard, shutting the gate behind us, lest the car was left in park and rolled back onto that dreaded hill!

“I need a drink”, said my husband shakily.

Antonia’s mom disappeared into the house and reappeared quickly with an unmarked bottle of wine and three glasses. Directing us onto the patio, she poured us each a glass and offered up a toast to the firemen! Now, being a beer-kind-of-girl, I am not much into the taste of red wine…but, this red wine was something else! I really needed its medicinal properties for my shot nerves!

Three glasses later and learning a lot about Antonia’s mom (and that she got this wine from somewhere in the hills), she finally shooed us to our room and told us to get changed and go out and enjoy the city.

Dressed and refreshed, we headed down that same hill that started our vacation on the wrong foot…this time on foot. I had heard that lots of steps were involved with Old Town Dubrovnik and we soon learned that those stories were true. The entrance nearest to our Airbnb, Vrata od Buze, which was opened in the city walls in 1907 and named after Croatia’s finest 18th century scientist, physicist, astronomer and poet, Ruder Boskovic, was narrow and we walked down approximately 80,038 steps to get to the main esplanade, Stradun…actually, my legs were saying that it was more like 90,000! As we walked along the limestone-paved pedestrian street, we gazed around in wonder, amazed that we were actually in Dubrovnik!

Vrata od Buze entrance to Old Town
Different views of Stradun

At one end of Stradun was the landmark clocktower rebuilt since the 15th century and the baroque Church of Saint Blaise, built in 1715 (with a statue of Saint Blaise salvaged from a fire) and on the other end, the Pile Gate, the 15th century main entrance to Dubrovnik’s Old Town.

Dubrovnik Clocktower

We decided to take a walk around the city to familiarize ourselves with its layout starting with a glimpse of the Old Port and the many boats and ferries parked here. Passing the statue of Marin Drzic in front of the Rector’s Palace, we rubbed his nose for good luck. Marin Drzic was a famous writer, often dubbed Dubrovnik’s Shakespeare. From here, we continued on past the Cathedral of the Assumption and the Old Town Market, located in Gundulic Square, where I stared longingly at the giant figs that were being offered for sale. Next, we climbed the Jesuit stairs. Little did we know what a significant part this played in Game of Thrones as we stepped inside the Catholic Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Srkva sv. Ignacij), built in 1725, which is known for its Lourdes Grotto. Making our way near the outer walls, we circled back around to the Old Pile Gate.

Marin Drzic Statue
Jesuit Stairs
Catholic Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Catholic Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Catholic Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola Lourdes Grotto

Deciding that taking a walk around the top of the fortress walls would be the perfect thing to do since the sun wasn’t so high in the sky and it wasn’t as hot as it was earlier. Paying our admission, we climbed the steep stone stairs and began our journey around the city from a different perspective. With views of the Fort Lovrjenac and Tvrdava Bokar, Dubrovnik West Harbour, the Old Town and the beautiful sea, I would say that it was a great way to become acquainted with the city.

Onofrio’s Fountain
First views of the city from above

Finally, we had made our way all the way around the city’s walls and discovered that we were a bit thirsty. It was time to head to the Buza Bar on the southwest side of the Old Town. Grabbing a seat, we looked out over the azure waters and enjoyed a couple of beers, mesmerized by the cliff jumpers. Thinking that the waters must have felt refreshing in the heat of the day, we quickly changed our minds, hearing their shrieks when they hit the chilly waters of the Adriatic!

Entrance to and views from the Buza Bar

A little hungry, we took the advice of a friend and began seeking out a restaurant on the direct opposite side of Old Town. Lady Pi Pi. The name was a bit perplexing until we saw the fountain out front. I won’t describe it any more than to tell you to take a look at the picture. We were lucky to get one of the few tables in the establishment without a wait but, I would wait any day…it was some of the best seafood that we have ever had!

Lady Pi Pi Restaurant
Lady Pi Pi Restaurant

The best part, however, was that although we had to climb a billion stairs to get to Lady Pi Pi, we didn’t have to climb many more to get back to our Airbnb. After such a long day and the mental stresses that came with it, it was good not to have to walk very far to get home and to bed. A welcome berth for our weary bodies!

So far, we loved what we we had experienced. But…

Tomorrow was another day. So much more to see and experience!

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Old Town Market

Crkva sv. Ignacija

Buza Bar

  • Address: Kneza Hrvasha 11, Dubrovnik, HR 20000
  • Hours: 0900-2400, daily
  • Admission: free

Wall of Dubrovnik

  • https://wallsofdubrovnik.com/info-ticket-prices-working-hours/
  • Address: City Walls Entrance, adjacent to the inside of the Pile Gate.
  • Hours: Summer, (April 1-June 30) 1000-1700, (July 1-July 31) 0800-1930, (August 1-August 31) 0800-1900, (September 1-September 14) 0800-1830, (September 14-September 30) 0800-1800, (October 1-October 31) 0800-1730. Winter, (November 1-March 31) 0900-1500. Closed Christmas Day, December 25.
  • Admission: Adults, 200kn (approximately $29.00 US per person), Children and Young Adults (under 18), 50kn (approximately $7.25 US per person). Students (only with valid Croatia Student Card, International Student Card (ISIC) & European Youth Card): Approved Student Cards, 50kn (approximately $7.25 US per person). Dubrovnik-Neretva County citizens, free with ID directly at the entrance.
  • Various tours available.

Airbnb-Mery Room 1

Croatia, Here We Come!

©2022 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Croatia has been on my bucket list for years.

But not because I was a Game of Thrones fan…(that would come later!)

Having seen friends’ pictures and read many travel articles, it appeared to be beautiful, intriguing and full of history and it was exciting to hear that my airline was planning to fly that route starting in the summer.

Booking our flight for the end of September, I had three and a half months to plan, but fear suddenly gripped me! With ten days at our disposal, I wasn’t sure how to tackle the trip. We were going to fly into Dubrovnik, but what other cities could we fit into our itinerary? I stared at the map of Croatia, but really had no clue how far each city was from the other and how easy it was to get to and from.

After endlessly putting off the task of booking my hotels, I realized that in order to find a place fitting of our needs, I needed to figure it all out…and quick! Thankfully, my friend Kris had just returned and had posted about his trip on Facebook. Giving him a call, I quizzed him on his itinerary and rattled off a list of questions, trying to get the gist of what would work for my husband and I.

As we talked, I scribbled down some quick notes and I formulated a plan. But would it work?

Kris thought so.

The plan was as follows:

  • Day 1: Depart New York’s JFK International Airport
  • Day 2: Arrive Dubrovnik
  • Day 3: Drive to Kotor, Montenegro, explore and return to Dubrovnik
  • Day 4: Drive to Split, Croatia with a detour to Mostar, Bosnia
  • Day 5: Split, Croatia
  • Day 6: Depart Split, via ferry, for Hvar, Croatia
  • Day 7: Hvar, Croatia
  • Day 8: Depart Hvar, via ferry, for Dubrovnik
  • Day 9: Dubrovnik
  • Day 10: Depart Dubrovnik

With an itinerary in place, it was time to hit Airbnb and figure out where to stay. After a long day of perusing the site and countless emails and calls to my husband, that all finally fell into place, one city at a time. Why Airbnb? There are some really nice hotels in each city, however, I learned that some of the nicest places were on the Airbnb sites, especially within the walled city of Dubrovnik and Diocletian’s Palace in Split, where larger hotels are not located due to each’s confines. While it would have been nice to stay in Lapad (near Dubrovnik) and have views of the sea and a swimming pool, would we really have time to enjoy a refreshing swim? With so much to see and do, I seriously doubted it! Plus, every time we wanted to head to town, we would have had to catch the bus or call Uber.

Next came transportation. Cars? Buses? Ferries? Yes, No and Yes. I decided that we would rent a car upon arrival and drive to Split where we would drop it off at the airport. Using Uber to get to our Airbnb in Split, we would be on foot and then utilize the ferry to Hvar and then back to Dubrovnik.

Ok…were we ready?

I hoped so!

The only thing left was to figure out what attractions we wanted most to see in each city and then…

Wait until September!

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Dreaming of Havana

©2020 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Selecting a place to stay in any city can be stressful.

You want to be in a venue that is convenient and clean, yet for a solo female, safe.

The United States’ relationship with Cuba also presents a problem. Americans are not allowed to subsidize any kind of government property or business and many of the hotels are government owned. Two of the visa categories that allowed for American travel to Cuba were “People to People” and “Support the People”. These allowed for Americans to stay in small privately owned Airbnb properties, more commonly known as casa particulars, which allowed interaction with the local population and the ability to support the hardworking residents rather than the government.

One of the reasons that I had never attempted to travel to Cuba was because I was afraid to book a place early on. Since I travel on a stand-by basis, it is quite difficult to know that you will positively receive a seat on the flight until just before departure, unless half of the plane is full…and that never seems to happen! By this time, most cancellation deadlines for the properties have already passed.

Many times, I have booked my hotel from the airplane while it was still at the gate, while in-flight or even after I had landed. Since my American-based cellphone would not work upon my arrival, none of these options were viable since I really needed a response from the property owner confirming my reservation and the address of the accommodation, unlike staying in a hotel.

As I stressed the night before about this trip, I reached out to two of the properties, on the Airbnb website, that looked nice and appeared to be in the area that I wanted. Thankfully, the owner of Havana Dream, was awake in the middle of the night, talking to his family in Spain (as I later learned). When I explained my situation, he readily gave me the address and told me to book later that morning when I had a better handle on the situation. It was truly that bit of understanding that led me to have an outstanding experience.

My fears were put to rest when the gentleman who sat next to me on the plane, a tour guide, told me that he regularly keeps clients at that location. I knew that it wasn’t one of the cheaper places to stay, but I took his words to heart. “You truly get what you pay for in Havana. You will not regret staying at this place.”

Another added touch, that helped me to feel comfortable, was the fact that the owner arranged for a classic car and driver to meet me at the airport. With my limited Spanish, it was a relief to know that someone would be waiting for me and I would not have to communicate the directions. Though the service was at my expense, it was one that helped my navigation from the airport to the downtown area immensely.

Still, one never knows what you are going to get until you actually arrive.

As we pulled up to the door on Obrapia Street, I was a little skeptical. I followed the driver up a narrow set of of concrete stairs, passing an entrance to other units beyond an iron gate. Another gate was opened for us to ascend yet another flight of concrete stairs. And there I was…

Havana Dream.

The manager, Judy, met me in the sitting area and as I looked around, it definitely looked like the pictures that had motivated me to book. The sitting, kitchen and dining areas were the nucleus of the home and was quite beautiful and modern. There were stunning antiques and showcases filled with expensive-looking place settings, flatware and glassware and the kitchen cabinets and appliances were all flawless, stainless steel. Amazing art pieces, crystal chandeliers and fresh flowers completed the look!

The door to my room was one of two, immediately off of this area. As Judy led me in, I can say that I knew, then and there, that I had indeed made the right choice. My bed was pristinely made, covered in a white bedspread with embroidered pillows with the the name of this casa particular. There were small night tables and lamps on either side of the bed, with USB ports for my charging needs, and a luggage rack, a place to hang my clothes and soft, monogrammed robes. Across from the bed, there was an antique bureau which had been converted into a washbasin, an antique sewing machine, which was flipped under so that the top could be used as a table and a television mounted on the wall. Since it is advised to bring a great deal of cash for spending purposes (American ATM and credit cards do not work), the safe mounted on the wall was a welcome sight. Near the luggage rack, there was a bathroom, appointed with modern fixtures and soft, white, monogrammed towels hanging on the rack.

Judy opened up the balcony doors to show me the magnificent view of the Capitol building down the street, and the plush chairs that I would later enjoy during the cooler evenings. She then took me back inside to explain options available to me during my stay. The refrigerator was stocked with water, Hollandia beer and Tukola soda. It would be restocked each day and my tab would be noted for the items I had used. As we walked back into the kitchen, I was shown the menu board with food items available, such as sandwiches and fruit shakes. As I had decided to have breakfast the next morning, Judy took note of the time that I expected to eat and my particular liking for my eggs.

Money could be exchanged in the with Judy or the owner and internet cards could also be purchased. Not having cellular service was something that had caused me great anxiety. During my ride to the casa particular, I discovered that my cellphone’s GPS was working, so I was able to navigate throughout the city without pulling out maps and advertising to everyone that I was a tourist. The internet cards were for one hour increments, however, and noting my Apple product, Judy urged me to use the minutes consecutively. They had discovered that with Iphones, sometimes the remaining minutes disappear after a one-hour card was initiated. Later, I learned that occasionally, the owner would turn on WIFI and if I was lucky enough to be there, I could tap into his network, keeping me from continually having to purchase more cards. Having the ability to touch base with my family and let them know that I was okay was comforting.

Noting all of the modern products in the home, the lack of stores offering home furnishings and necessities required to run an establishment such as this, I asked the owner one day about how he was able to furnish the place so eloquently. Though originally born in Cuba, he spent most of his life in Spain and from there, devised the plan to open a casa particular in Havana. Much thought and planning was given to the project and countless hours were spent acquiring what was needed to remodel and ready the property. It was then all packed into a shipping container and transported across the ocean. Here, it was all combined with a loving touch so that visitors would be welcomed for a comfortable stay in the city.

He spoke so passionately about the project and his plans to continually improve the premises. Taking me outside, he led me past the other two bedrooms, in the back of the unit, to a set of intimidating stairs, that probably might not meet the building code in the United States. Up we went, to the roof, where I found the space that he planned to establish a dining/relaxing area. He already had a barbeque pit, a few chairs and work had begun on the tile flooring. The view, however, was what stole the show! I could already envision myself sitting there on a future stay, relaxing and enjoying a beer, while enjoying the sunset and scenery!

Back downstairs, I enjoyed my morning breakfasts in the beautiful dining room…and yes, we ate off of the good service pieces! The women who prepared my toast, eggs and elaborate plates of delicious fruit also prepared amazing queso sandwiches! I loved these so much that on my third day, when I stopped by my room to freshen up and drop off my packages, I had them make me one for lunch!

With so many things to see in the city, location was also something that had been extremely important. Only one block from the walking street, Obispo, a popular place to people watch, this casa particular was also in close proximity to countless museums, churches, dining, shopping, the discernable Capitol building and the famous El Floridita Bar! Location perfection!

Everything about this stay was seamless and I felt truly welcomed and safe. As my driver arrived to pick me up for my return to the airport and the United States, I took some time to reflect on the “trip that almost wasn’t”. Would I have changed anything at all about what I did here or more importantly, where I stayed?

The only thing I would have changed would have been to stay longer!

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Havana Dream