Last full day in Dubrovnik

July 14, 2022 is our last full day in Dubrovnik and a day when we see the coast from the sea. The weather is clear blue sky and hot, around 30C (but not as hot as England:). Chris rented a speed boat and skipper for 4 hours and, after breakfast, we were sent an uber over to the marina near where the cruise ships are moored. We were upgraded on our boat for the cost of the extra gas and had a wonderful seat, reclining at the bow. Our skipper's name was Loren and everything was perfect.

One fun thing is we got used to boarding by walking through other moored boats. I don't think I have a picture of that, but it was fun.

Our first stop was a nearby island called Otok which had a nice gentle walk up for a view of the Sea. There are a lot of summer homes on the island and it is very scenic. From Otok we went back across the bay to see (yesterday's) botanic garden from the sea. It was a nicer way to see the garden and the GOT settings than from the road. Given what was visible of the botanic garden, I think there is nothing missed and we don't need to go back in the future. We saw a pretty bridge built in 1905 that was still standing.

We made our way over to a beautiful cove where the water was so clear it looked florescent, like an opal. There was only one other boat and the water was calling to me for a swim. I say - to me - because Chris didn't want to swim. It was hot weather, but not hot enough because the water still felt cold, cold, cold. The water was so clear, but strange that it wasn't super salty and no coral. There were smaller fish, some were very colorful, and a lot of black sea urchins.

I felt rejuvenated when I got back on board and we headed off to the island of Lopud. This is a larger island that has a monastery and another botanical garden called Djordjic Mayneri. Again, another mediterranean botanical garden which was nothing to write home about. We stopped for a coffee/beer along the water front before checking out a recommended souvenir shop. Had it not been so far away, I would have probably purchased one of the original paintings for the Florida condo.

We had enough time to go have a quick look at the Blue Cave. This is a very popular spot that Loren recommended against because it is so crowded. The big draw is that a) the water is very blue and b) as you enter the "cave" entrance (it's not really a cave, just an indentation), you take on the blue hue of the water (not because c) the water is so friggin cold that you turn blue). The water was rougher in the afternoon, that and all the boats moored and people in the area, turned me off against mooring there so I could have a swim. It was another case of bad advice from trip advisor. So off to another swim spot on the other side of this area which was quiet. The water was colder here (if that's possible) since we were in deeper water. The water felt saltier here and I could see small bits of coral growing. I found the absence of coral a bit odd since the area is known for coral jewelry made from local coral. Here is a small video from the day.

In the evening we had reservations at Nautica, another Michelin Star restaurant situated right on the water between the old town walls and the fort and above the GOT sets we saw the first day. We were not disappointed. This was a great end to the trip because the restaurant was wonderful and we had front row seats to the view and the swallows/swifts feeding frenzy as the sun set.

They had a lot of signature cocktails, food, and deserts. I had a beetroot cocktail with local liqueur. Chris had a smokey pinecone drink with gin that was created at our table. Here is a small video of the event.

Continuing with the beetroot theme, for starters I had beetroot carpachio and Chris had shrimp risotto. For main Chris had lamb chops (locally sourced) and I had local sea bass. And I had a carob liqueur coffee and a sweet that had local honey, and lavendar.