Dalmatia 2006
17.9.-1.10

As we once in the year 1999 travelled to the Greek island Euboea (Evia) we had some self-critical thoughts because at that time there was this horrible war around Serbia or the Kosovo terrifying primarily the civilian population. So you feel strange to enjoy the sun or the morning and evening buffet just nearby. But we did it!

Since then and after some time the situation around there has gone to be normalized again. Nowadays the former Yugoslavian and today Dalmatian Adriatic coast can be visited by any tourist as in the years preceding the war. So let us ask who will get the profit if we go there now for a hotel vacancy with All Inclusive or so? Of course any hotel company e.g. Iberostar, which expands all over the world meanwhile. But there are a lot of jobs prospering of the tourism like chambermaids, sevice personal, street cleaners, gardeners, bus and boat drivers, restaurant and tavern owners, cooking personal, traders, knitware sellers, dive trainers, and - not to forget - Animators.

Now we must finally confess that we have booked an All Inclusive vacancy at the Hotel Iberostar Epidaurus near Cavtat south of Dubrovnik, South Dalmatia. We had to spend one hour in the travel agency and the price is easy to remember 1.111 EUR p.P. After various journies to Mediterranian areas we now will get to be known to a completely new region. We will go to the airport at Hannover by a Nightliner taxi service and then will have a flight by the Croatian Airlines.

Our alarm clock rings at 2 am in the middle of the night and we immediately fall out of the bed. Earlier in this year awaiting our journey to Cyprus we made the mistake to let some sleep remaining in one eye or the other. This time we have an early tea instead and get an early phone call: "This is the Nightliner, where can I find you?" As we open the fully lighted front door, the car is just standing vis a vis. Another couple must be picked up in the northern part of our town Braunschweig and this is done perfectly by the GPS System. This other couple looks dozy as well, they want to go to Dubrovnik, out town Cavtat would be to small, as they say.

At the airport we have a soon check in, no dangerous weapons in our bags, and even the laptop in the rucksack is no problem. At 5.50 the flight starts, with clouds and a poor sandwich breakfast. Two hours later the air is clear and on the ground we already see the world cultural heritage of the town Dubrovnik. We arrive at the airport near Cavtat. Later we will learn, that years ago there was an air crash, we soon will tell you more about it. At first we have to wait for one hour in the bus but then only ride 10 minutes to our hotel. Check in with no problems, but the bracelets for the All Inclusive identification will not be delivered earlier than 11 am when breakfest time is over. But we get the key of our room at the top floor and have a view from our balcony. Wow!! This is a panorama we never had before.

Of course we are hungry now, still without or bracelets. The other new arrived guests sit around hollow eyed with uprolled sleeves and biting on their fingernails. But we roll down our sleeves (Aermel) and dare to march into the breakfast room - without the bracelets - and no one cares about that. So we have our first breakfast illegally and so are pleased as Punch (from the dictionary: Schneekönig). So we have scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee and orange juice. And thereafter - we are still laughing - we get our bracelets.

Let us finally talk about the currency. In Croatia they have still the KUNA and 1 EUR is about 7,235 KUNA. So we must divide the local rates by about seven to get the Euro amount. And then we mus multiply the Euro amount by 2 to get our old confirmed DM amount (Deutsche Mark).

Hotel Iberostar Epidaurus

If you book a vacancy and hotel at a travel agency you buy a pig in a poke (Katze im Sack). At home you then can ask the internet, esp. holiday check. This time the ratings are favourable apart from some crabbers (Miesepeter) which are to be found everywhere.