June 23, 2022….Our second day of the #AmazingCatholicJourneys Oberammergau Pilgrimage Tour brought us to Old Town of this iconic city of Dubrovnik in Croatia on an adventure full of culture, history and what else…breathtaking scenery!
After a guided tour in the morning exploring the sights with our group, we found ourselves hungry for lunch. Luza Square was where we were wondering around as we were on our own time to find lunch somewhere that led us to the Old Port nearby.
The group including Remy, Rizza and I found ourselves together. We stumbled across Gradska Kavana Arsenal Restaurant & Bar so we decided it was too good an opportunity miss. We couldn’t resist giving it a shot. So off we went. I had my travel sightseeing essentials with me like my Canon camera, iphone 8 plus, iphone 13 promax, iographer case(a gadget person here 🙂 hat, sunglasses, apple watch, fanny pack, backpack, and of course my flower earrings 🙂
When we took our seats at this historic restaurant, the unique breathtaking view of Dubrovnik’s ancient harbor, the Old City Port, from under one of its enormous limestone arches, had us in awe. From where we were sitting, to our right was standing tall, St. John’s Fortress – a reminder that it was once Dubrovnik’s last line of defense against sea raiders centuries ago. To our left lay Lazareti complex; built in 1377 and was Europe’s oldest quarantine center! As I scanned the atmospheric scene before me, imagining this spot as a shipyard…an Arsenal back in the 13th century when ship building made these shores internationally renowned –I couldn’t help but feel like time travel was possible here…
Inside this traditional restaurant awaited a culinary journey for everyone; I knew immediately my taste buds were about to embark upon something special here! Needless to say, what followed was nothing short of amazing as our senses came alive over great food and ambience at this local favorite spot.
The restaurant’s inviting atmosphere filled us with curiosity so naturally it became our lunch destination for that day. We eagerly indulged ourselves in this one-of-a kind experience – what would await us here?
We wanted to experience the renowned Croatian(Dalmatian) cuisine. I ordered something on the menu that said Dalmatian, so I settled for “Mussels – Dalmatian style” -called Buzara, which is a Croatian way of cooking seafood in a mixture of olive oil, fresh herbs as parsley, white wine, garlic, and breadcrumbs.
Others in our group sampled sea bass – poached fillet wrapped in poach paper with vegetables; octopus salad – with capers, onions, tomatoes; and a seafood soup.
For dessert? We chose something special: something with Dubrovnik in it: Dubrovnik creme caramel – with almond leaves(slivered almonds) and whipped cream, made right there…as mementos to this amazing city.
The impeccable customer service added another delightful layer to this exotic gastronomic experience; while time flew by far too quickly for us all!
Time flew by fast. Our 1 hour was done and it was time to explore the picturesque Old Town some more before 4 pm to attend the Mass at St. Blaise Church.
My friend and I opted to walk up to the City Walls around the Old Town, giving us a very nice views of the Old Town while the rest of my friends went up to Mt. Srd via cable car.
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