Dubrovnik, Croatia

Last weeked, we headed to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Although it sounds like an exotic location, it is actually located just west of Italy on the Adriatic Sea and is a short 1hr 40 minute flight from Geneva! With impressive infrastructure (despite being heavily damaged just 20 years ago due to war), unmatched scenery, and friendly locals, Dubrovnik is a popular stop for tourists and cruise ships. And, if you stay away from the old town, the city is remains relatively cheap due to the Kuna (Croatia's currency).

We arrived on Friday late morning, checked into our seaside resort, and started our trip by sampling the local speciality, cevapcici. A dish of grilled minced meat (often pork and beef), cevapcici consists of 5-10 small pieces and is paired with a homemade sauce of red pepper, garlic and olive oil! Let's just say that Jignesh ate way too much cevapcici over the weekend! After lunch we ventured to old town to explore on of Dubrovnik's highlights. Although the old town is small, it is filled with beautifl, narrow alleys that house numerous restauarants and shops. The best part of old town, however, is the wall walk. Orignially used as method to protect the city against invaders, the old town's wall now provides visitors with amazing views of both old town's traditional architecture and the Adriatic Sea.

Day two of our trip called for some simple relaxation. We explored the area around our hotel with a long walk and then spent the rest of the day relaxing at the hotel. I swam in the Adriatic Sea and Jignesh practiced his floating in the pool!

On day three, we became a bit more active and joined a daylong sea kayaking tour. After a short boat ride to a small island near Dubrovnik and a quick lesson in basic kayaking from our trusty guide (Thomislav), we loaded our kayaks and hit the seas. As Jignesh and I were in a double, it took us a few minutes to find our rhythm but we were soon crusing the beautiful sea! About an hour and 45 minutes later and with very full bladders, we landed on the small island (only a few hundred inhabitants) of Sipan where we hiked to an old, beautiful chuch that provided a home for bats! After a long lunch of yet more cevapcici, we traded the kayaks for some bikes and pedaled across the island where I swam across the bay and Jignesh again practiced his newly found floating skills (the high salt content sure does help!). The day ended with more kayaking and a sunset boat ride back to Dubrovnik. What a great day!

Even though we woke up to rain on Monday, it did not make it any easier to leave this amazing place. However, we had a flight to catch and reality to return to. Lucikly, we did get have some time to enjoy a late breakfast overlooking the sea and quick browse through some shops where we picked up a few things to help us remember a great weekend.

Au Revoir.

Dubrovnik, Croatia Pictures

Old Town's Wall Walk

Old Town

A scenic shot of the Adriatic Sea


Old Town Harbor



Some more of Old Town Harbor

One of the many small alleys in Old Town

World Cup Mania

I grew up playing football (soccer) as a kid and loved running around the field and chasing the ball (ok, I also loved the post game snack and knew whose mom brought the best stuff!). During football season, my Saturday mornings were spent at the fields and my parents ran from game to game as they tried to get glimpes of both mine and my sister's games. However, like many kids, I lost interest at a certain age and moved on to other sports and activities. With almost no coverage in the US media, I certaintly did follow football at the professional level. Instead, I enjoyed attending the occassional Red's game and doing my homework while watching American football on Sunday afternoon. In Europe, things are completely different. As the one main sport, football is the heart and soul of Europe. Parks and backyards are filled with football nets instead of basketball hoops. Young kids can discuss the defense of their favorite football team in depth. So, as you can imagine, the World Cup is more than popular. Country flags can be seen hanging from balconies and stores are jammed with jerseys. Offices have brackets similar to those popular in the U.S. for the NCAA basketball tournament. Jignesh's company even installed a big screen tv in the lunch lounge for the event! Last night, Switzerland defeated World Cup favorite Spain in a shocking upset. The minute the whistle blew, the city became completely crazy. I am convinced people were just driving around the streets so they could honk their horns (which is illegal except in the case of emergency) and wave the Swiss flag. People were yelling in the streets and shouting from balconies. And, guess what? I love it! I probably will never be able to discuss a team's defense or name more than 10 players but I have come to respect the athleticity of the players and the intensity of the game. I think it is safe to say that I am a football fan. Go Switzerland! Go USA!

Au Revoir.

Cruising Lac Leman

Cologny, the "Beverly Hills" of Geneva

Bain de Paquis

All aboard!

La Suisse, celebrating its 100th annisversary

Jignesh enjoying a spring cruise

Where is the Swiss flag?

Jet d' Eau

Today, our neighbor invited us aboard La Suisse for a short cruise on Lac Leman. Celebrating its 100th year annisversary, La Suiss recently underwent a two-year and multi-million dollar restoration. The restoration team did an amazing job of perserving as many original features as possible including wood paneling, lighting fixtures, and safey railings. Because our neighbor is friends with a member of the restoration team, we were even able to visit the meticiously spotless engine room! What a great afternoon on a beautiful boat!

Au Revoir.

Paris and Roland Garros

We loved Roland Garros so much last year that we decided to go again this year! So, this past weekend we hopped in our trusty Daewood and headed to Paris. On the first day of the tournament, Monday, we roamed the grounds and were able to see some good matches and lots of great players practicing (including Roger Federer, Jelena Jankovic, Andy Murray, etc!). But it was Tuesday for which we really had to warm up those neck muscles! With tickets to Court Suzanne Lenglen (the second biggest stadium court), we were in store for an amazing day of tennis starting with Fernando Verdasco. The second match of the day had the entire stadium on the edge of their seats with the 39-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm finally upsetting former #1 Dinara Safina. The match of the day, however, was Rafeal Nadal. The score did not reflect the battle between one of the world's greatest and a young Frenchman appearing in his first Roland Garros. It was truly amazing to watch one of history's most talented tennis players in his element. The fourth and last match of the day featured Maria Sharapova. Wow, is she intense! In between all those great matches on Suzanne Lenglen we also caught a parts of a few other great matches on the outside courts. With so much tennis happening throughout the grounds, our senses were on overload the entire two days!

While we did go to Paris mainly for Roland Garros, we did have some free time to re-visit the city that is quickly becoming one of our favorites. We enjoyed some sushi in the lively Latin Quartier and joined millions of others to check out the agriculture fair on Avenue Champ Elysee. If you want have a craving for some delicious, authentic Napoli pizza while in Paris, we know where to send you! Jignesh is also now in love with the business district and the Grand Arche. Despite the fact that we drove home in the middle of the night and arrived back in Geneva after 4am, it was well worth it! What a weekend!

Au Revoir.

Roland Garros Pictures

Maria Sharapova playing her first round match

If you look closely, Roger Federer is sitting down after a practice session

Dinara Safina practicing



I love Roland Garros!

Rafeal Nadal playing his first round match

Jelena Jankovic practicing

US's newest tennis sensation, Melanie Oudin

Just Plugging Along...

I know it has been a while since I have posted but not much as been going on here. We have been winding down from my parents visit and just plugging on with daily life...life in Europe is not always fulls of thrills and adventures!

Today, Thursday May 13, is a random holiday in Switzerland so Jignesh has a much needed day off from work. We hope to use the time to plan our summer trips (States in late July/early August and a bunch of other smaller trips!) and just relax. On another front, I joined a nearby tennis club and love playing on red clay! We will be seeing the professionals play on the stuff next weekeend when we go to Roland Garros (i.e., the French Open) in Paris. Aside from tennis, I have been running and swimming quite a lot and hope to add some cycling to mix as the weather improves...maybe I will even find a triathlon to enter. Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, you can still find Jignesh and me sitting in French class pretending to understand the teacher (ok, I think Jignesh is getting it but I am still waiting for that moment when it all clicks).

What about Schlopy? Our "son" is doing great. He loves that I am home more to take him for long walks and enjoys making friends at the nearby dog park. On the rare occassions that we eat out, he loves to come along. He also has found a love for shopping as he often accompanies me when I need to run errands (except for the grocery store, dogs are welcome just about anywhere!).

So, that is a short and random update from the land of chocolate and cheese. Stay tuned as the summer kicks in and we set off on some more adventures!

Au Revoir.