Ambulance, Waterfalls, and Gratitude

   By 3am my left eye is swollen shut and my lymph nodes in my armpits are aching. Welts the size of peaches pulse on my forehead and forearms.

"No. Fucking.Way." I realize how much I took depth perception for granted now that I can only see out of one eye. The only anti-inflammatory I have is Advil so I pop three and pray for sleep. 

  I Skype Michael at around 5am and end up crying every time I try to be brave. I have an 8:30 am bus for a four and a half our bus ride into a national park, aka, middle of nowhere.

"I can do this." I tell myself and eek out another hour and a half of sleep.

   I'm either delirious or that last stretch of sleep hit the spot but I wake up determined and feeling better. Just two days ago I was coaching myself away from catastrophising and "I'll be happy if" thinking and now I look like Quasimodo minus the hunchback(as Michael pointed out). More appropriate for lurking Notre Dan than hiking through Croatian waterfalls.

  Beth Dyer had just posted an amazing video (http://viralvo.com/newborn-baby/?r=jm)about a couple's painful and circuitous path to parenthood that had severely tested their faith. "God doesn't give you what you can't handle" was my take away.

  "I got this." I tell myself and make a mental gratitude list on my way to the bus stations, feeling stronger with every step.

  Blessedly, I get more sleep on the bus but by the time I get to the hotel the burning in my arms feels muscle deep.

"Do you have a pharmacy nearby?" I ask the hotel clerk, already knowing the answer.

"No," 

"Is there a doctor nearby?" I ask.

"A doctor? Yes, but he is for emergencies, broken leg or something like this..."

I take off my sunglasses and flash him my eye. His jaw drops ever so slightly.

"It will be very expensive...you are not a Croatian citizen..."

I take a breath, put my sunglasses on and smile, "How much, do you think?" I ask brightly.

"Maybe 300 kuna around there." Which I know is about 40 euro.

"How long will it take for him to get here?"

  At this moment, silly as it is, I am proud of myself. I advocated firmly without rudeness and I felt strangely grateful to be an American with my unperturbed optimism, "Where there's a will, there's a way" attitude. And, of course, I'm grateful for my resources which many Croatians do not have.

   Three minutes later I am in an ambulance and taken to the hotel next store(it would have been quicker to walk). 310 kuna(about $45) and three shots in the butt later my burning is less intense. My eye is still shut but im able to open it if I need to.

 

I eat my lunch with gusto over my cortisone shot victory and take a hard one hour power nap. The park entrance is only 100 meters away and I have 56% battery in my I phone(did I mention that, in the meantime my phone charger busted?). If I conserve I can take some pics this afternoon and tomorrow morning...

  It's 4:30 by the time I get to the park. I forgot how quickly the sun goes down over the mountains, even in the middle of summer but I am grateful. Moving my body feels good, the water is crystal clear and I'm able to catch a couple of dramatically lit shots. There is water everywhere!

 

  Again, depth perception is FOR real! I cautiously tread the wooden walkway. Steps jump out form nowhere, which all forces me to take my time and to slow down.  With my capacities fully functioning I may have Griswolded it the whole time. Instead, I realize that being here is a blessing and this place is a miracle and I'm grateful for each step.

 

 

  

Nerd fest Dubrovnik Style-Game of Thrones Tour

 I just had to do it...on the hottest day EVER! Somehow though I just did not mind sweating as much while geeking out on the GoT tour.

 Is it worth it? YES. Do you really recognize shots from the series...YES. 

The Dubrovnik Walking Tour folks have it down. First, there was our guide who, for the last 5 seasons was the stand in for...(drum roll please)... Danaryus!! Yes, the mother of dragons herself was our tour guide or, at least the girl whose job it was to learn her lines and deliver them standing in the shot while they checked for lighting, etc. 

 

   And she used "we" a lot, as in "we shot Geoffry dying 15 times" and "we had to pay all the residents on this street to close their windows and turn off any audio equipment because of the sensitivity of the sound equipment." Basically, we got a tour with a double insider: local girl who worked on the series. She had a bunch of pictures with the cast members too. 

   To help us "see" the scene set we were looking at she would show us a picture of the scene wherever we were so that we could see the changes they made whether it was CGI or added greenery to hide equipment and narrate what was happening in that shot(Little Finger and Circe debating about power in season , Sansa's almost rape until she was saved by the Hound). 

 The MOST interesting part was, of course, everything they had to do to make the walk of atonement happen. A couple of tidbits: the steps lead up to their cathedral and the church refused HBO's request to film the scene in front of the cathedral. However, the stairs themselves are owned by the city so the walk of atonement was filmed in at least three different locations. Also, Circe had to use a body double because she has tattoos all over(you never see her with short sleeves) and she is too fit(she actually has abs). 

  If you want to know more I'll have to tell you over a cocktail while looking at all my pictures!

Great tour, worth the money.

 

 

Sweatin' in Dubrovnik

 Early morning in old town Dubrovnik is the best time. The cruise ships with hordes of tourists haven't shown up yet, the streets are newly washed and the stone gleams in the morning sun.  

 

I took advantage of the emptier streets to take some selfies(I got short arms so they'll all be pretty close up on my face, apologies). Selfie sticks are umbiquitous here and I secretly wish I have one now but I'm fighting the urge(I just can't!).

 

 

If you know me, you know that I love outdoor markets and Dubrovnik had one EVERY DAY(except Sunday's-95% Roman Catholic population). Breakfast cost me 3 euro total(about $3.41, I've been workin' this XE currency exchanger app, I'm on my third type of currency, the Kuna) which saves me mula for the wall entrance(120kn=$18) and the Game of Thrones tour(180kn=$27). Ouch! The site entrances and tours are what Michael and I found sucked up the most of our money and it's no different here. So I eat breakfast alfresco.

  

 

   

BUT, it's already 88 degrees...I eat my Burke back at my room in my Sobe which is basically an Airbnb. Croatian grandmothers had this figured out long before Airbnb came along. The woman who lives in this 150 year old apartment must be getting close to 150 herself. I mean, she is ancient! So it's like I'm staying with grandma which is nice. 

  When I arrived she made me a glass of Croatian tang and gave me some cookies while she used a magnifying glass to write down my passport info. I dusted the whole bowl of cookies and she had to restock the bowl. 

After my morning walk I've come to accept that I'm just going to sweat while I'm here. Not cute little beads of perspiration but rivulets of sweat down my face, chest and back. In fact, I think Dubrovnik means "wet" in Croatian. 

    

 

As you can see in my "before" pic, so pretty and proud of myself and then...the after. Sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, Sweaty! I'm trying to move past the denial phase("it's not that bad") and the bargaining("please breeze! Please!!) and into the acceptance phase("Hi, I'm a puddle of sweat walking around in clothes. Would you please take my picture to document the ignominy that are my sweat glands?")

After the GoT tour I took a siesta in my air conditioned room. I'm writing this post in procrastination of going out into the heat again. That said, complaining about sweat and high ticket prices tells me I'm feeling more normal and I've been feeling like I'm catching my stride. Really, I'm having a blast!