I’m leaving England… ✈️ ☀️

I get anxious when I travel because there are so many things that can go wrong. On the first night of our May holiday in Dubrovnik, I was still stressed, but nothing had gone wrong. We had reached Gatwick, got through security and had time for a full English before our flight. By that evening, I was sitting on our balcony in the old town, very tired and very pleased we had made it.

Croatia was my first holiday in a long time. We weren’t checking any luggage, so getting ready had involved trying to fit everything into a little rolling suitcase and a backpack without going over the weight. The liquids bag was particularly annoying. Thankfully, the travelling itself was one of the smoothest experiences I had had, even if my brain hadn’t entirely accepted that.

Packing wasn’t the relaxing part

The clothes, purse and shoes all had to fit, along with the liquids and creams in their tiny bag. I understood the security precaution, but I hated trying to pack that way. I also left my big filming camera at home and brought a little GoPro-style camera instead. At that point, it looked as though Croatia might be rainy every day. I still wanted to film the trip, rain or otherwise.

We flew with easyJet and I thought it was completely fine. Our seats were near the front with more legroom than I needed at five foot three, but I wasn’t complaining. What really surprised me as a Canadian was how close Croatia was from England. Our Gatwick-to-Dubrovnik flight was only about two hours. That wasn’t even enough time to watch The Lord of the Rings.

Getting to Gatwick had gone smoothly too. We had hired a shuttle, the driver was lovely and there weren’t any accidents delaying us on the motorway. Everything worked out well enough that we had time to sit down for brunch. I had a full English and watched the planes through the window. I was still worried, but it was a much easier start than my anxiety had suggested.

An apartment in the old town

I liked Dubrovnik’s small airport. I was nervous about border control, but the officer asked whether I was arriving from Canada, I explained that I lived in England and had come from there, and he stamped my passport. That was my own experience on that arrival. After a whole day of travelling, I was ready to get into our flat and stop for a while.

The apartment was near Pile Gate and the main square area, right inside the old town. I thought it was great, even though the two beds were rather lumpy. We had a little living area, a renovated bathroom and a tiny kitchen we didn’t use. The fridge was extremely helpful. We also had a balcony, where I could hear birds, a dog and the restaurant nearby.

We did a little wandering after arriving and went out for dinner. I couldn’t have given a very useful name for my meal, but it was chicken with something orange and I thought it was wonderful. We had starters too, including black-truffle gnocchi, and my partner had a beef dish. By the time we were back at the flat, I was well and truly ready for a shower, pyjamas and bed.

Up above Dubrovnik

I don’t sleep particularly well the first night in a new place, so I felt as though I was running on empty the next morning. We had a busy day planned, with a walking tour, the cable car and the walls. The weather was supposed to be good, and our first full day did turn out sunny, warm and comfortable. I was excited to get going despite the poor sleep.

We had booked a combined tour ticket and followed our guide from Pile Gate up towards the cable car. I was happy to take the cable car rather than walk up the hill. At the top, we could look down over the old town and the island we would visit on another day. We found a good spot beyond the restaurant to take photos and footage of Dubrovnik. I hadn’t expected the surrounding landscape to be so mountainous, and I thought it was beautiful.

We had about half an hour to enjoy the views before coming down again for the guided walk. There was so much history that the tour could only give us a short version of it. I liked looking around the market and the restaurants, and kept getting distracted by the cats. There were cats everywhere, and I loved them.

Pizza and a pigeon spectacle

After the tour, we were hungry and stopped for pizza and beer. The pizza was fabulous and I thought the beer was pretty decent too. In one of the main squares, we watched someone bring a huge bucket of food for the pigeons. The birds had already been gathering, and all of us tourists stood there watching the spectacle. They were quite calm once they had their food.

We had some drinks, soaked in the sun and had a great first full day in Croatia. The packing struggle and travelling worries had been followed by an old-town apartment, beautiful views and a very good pizza. There was more of Dubrovnik still to explore, but I was already having a wonderful time.

Watch the start of my Croatian holiday.