7/27/17: Hvar to Dubrovnik to Rome (Last Day)

This morning, we woke up at about 7AM and had a relaxing morning before the ferry to Dubrovnik. At 8:50AM, we boarded the 3 hour ferry to Dubrovnik and enjoyed the constant views of the Croatian coast and beautiful blue waters. We arrived in Dubrovnik at 12PM, and had a quick lunch at a restaurant across the street from the port. For once, I passed on pizza, and instead decided on chicken with vegetables and French fries. It was an enjoyable meal and paired well with the heavy “King” ice cream that I had afterwards.

We then Ubered to the airport. A few miles before the airport, there was a bus that had caught fire which caused a 15-20 minute delay, but thankfully it didn’t look like anyone was hurt. Our flight to Rome was delayed by about 45 minutes, in part because the plane was late and in part because someone on our flight was having medical issues just outside the plane.

When we arrived in Rome, Mike and I parted ways as he was planning on flying to Tel Aviv, and I’m spending the night at an Airbnb in Rome. I choose the Airbnb based on its proximity to the Flumocino Airport, and ended up walking the ~3 miles from the airport to the Airbnb. I really enjoyed the last mile of the walk, which passed through a very authentic, modern, small neighborhood in Rome. I arrived at the Airbnb and was greeted by a kind, pleasant lady who didn’t speak English, but a few minutes later her daughter explained the basic details of the accommodations. Staying in an Airbnb reminded me of how special Airbnbs are. You’re able to bypass the bland, touristy aspects of a city, and instead immerse yourself in the local, authentic neighborhoods and among the local average Joe’s of a city.

About 15 minutes after checking in, I walked over to the restaurant down the street from the Airbnb. The theme of the restaurant seems to be a Native American/country sort of atmosphere which was very unexpected for a restaurant in Rome. I ordered a pizza topped with olives, artichokes, eggs, French fries, and more. The pizza was average, but I enjoyed the atmosphere, and it was nice interacting with the waiters and being in a restaurant where almost everyone was a local Italian.