Dubrovnik Lessions

As I begin to think about preparing for my return trip home from Dubrovnik, some things enter my mind: never trust weather reports; pack light, but pack enough to get you through without washing; always take lots of cold medications, for day and night relief; don't forget the nail clippers; take more money than you think you will need; make a record of your ATM password that translates to foreign machines.

The weather here has been beautiful, for the most part...sunny and nice, with a few intervals of showers. Cool at night, warm and comfortable during the day. Forecasts called for lows of 50F, highs of 60F, and rain. I packed accordingly. I needed short sleeve shirts, a windbreaker (for boat rides), and more of them. Speaking of which, I packed light...very light. It's an admirable thing, but unless you know about the availability of laundry services, unwise.

I caught a godawful cold not long after I arrived. By Wednesday, I had lost my voice and was coughing constantly, had a fever, and felt absolutely miserable. Thanks to some people who were also attending the meeting, I got by with donated cough suppressants, nighttime and daytime cold remedies, etc., but I needed more. Today, since I have run out of all donated drugs, I will try the old-town to see if I can find a pharmacy that is open on Sunday...we'll see.

My fingernails are getting in the way of my typing...no clippers! Always have an extra pair in the dop kit.

I have run through money faster than I expected, and I can't really account for it...I just know I ran through it. And it will be hard to get more, because the ATMs do not have letters on the keys. My ATM password is a 4-letter word. I do not recall with numbers correspond to those letters, so I am unable to safely use an ATM to get much-needed money. I may try, anyway, hoping I remember which letters correspond to which numbers. This happened to me in Mexico...but my wife used her card. Lesson learned on trip number two with the same issues facing me.

I'm not really anxious to leave this place, but am looking forward to going home and seeing my wife. The two of us will come back here one day. I advise all of you to consider doing the same. It's amazing how a city that, only 14 years ago, was under constant rocket attack, could have recovered so quickly and retained its exceptional beauty. How anyone could attack such a beautiful place is beyond me.