Merry Christmas! We hope that everyone had a festive and fun day, especially after last year’s Christmas being so difficult for many people. This was our first Christmas onboard Nightshade – last year Phil was here on his own as I had a family emergency in Spain (so I spent Christmas as a visitor at a hospital but at least I was with family). So it was nice to be together, and we’ve made Nightshade as cosy as possible with rugs, throws, fairy lights, candles, and our trusty little blower heater that we take from room to room.
Thankfully we are on shore-power, so no problems running the heater, as well as our induction plate for cooking lots of soups, stews and curries in our favourite pot (which we’ve been dragging around the world with us for many years).
Our village is very sleepy over winter. All the restaurants are closed, so if we feel like food cooked by someone else we catch the bus into Dubrovnik. It’s about a 35 minute drive and it’s beautifully scenic. The other day we had some gorgeous sunny AND windless weather (rare to have that together!) so we spent some time in the old city which is absolutely charming, especially without crowds.
We found a bar clinging to a cliffside just off the old walls, so we stopped for a beer and the stunning view.
There is a little Christmas market with food stalls along the main road so I had some steaming churros and Phil had some Croatian sausage. Yum. We peeked through the gates of the Franciscan monastery where the monks have been making facial creams (among other potions and balms for the public) for the onsite pharmacy for hundreds of years. Unfortunately both were closed when we got there, but a nearby pharmacy had stock of the creams, so I grabbed one! Totally rich and luxurious, which is perfect for dry winter skin. Definitely going back to explore the monastery and pharmacy during opening hours. There is also a Dominican monastery in the old town, which we’re keen to check out too, especially since it’s said to have an impressive jewellery collection which appeals to my inner magpie. Can’t wait to go back and explore more of this beautiful city.
Sailing Nightshade 