We're Here!

First of all, let me start by saying that the keyboards here are different. Quite different. For example, the y and the z keys are in opposite places...and I have decided to just roll with it rather than constantly stopping and deleting. You might see a lot more z's in unusual places, but that will just add a little extra European flair to the blog...just picture me speaking in a reallz bad accent! :)

WE ARE HERE, after our 21 hour journez from DC to Munich to Stuttgart (with enough of a lazover to leave the airport & explore the citz center) to Dubrovnik! We landed around 8pm last night & were greeted at the airport by our driver-- a 30-something guy who was clearly still longing for the glory dazs of hard core punk music. He immediately asked us where we were from; when we replied "Washington, DC" he went on a rant about what an awful city it is & how he was mugged, "They took my earrings, my money and my SNEAKERS! They took my sneakers!! Awful place!" Since he happened to have our possessions in his hands at that moment, we just quietly agreed with him. :) We thought he was just some random scrub hired to be the guesthouse driver...but no, he is in fact, the guesthouse owner! His parents still live in the main part of the house, upstairs, but there are several private-entrance rooms below, with a giant shared patio (BREATHTAKING VIEW).

During the half-hour drive from the airport (along the awe-inspiring coastal cliffs), he let us know that we got the best room in the house, totallz by luck. Apparently they have been booked solid since about January (for this week, in particular, which is the start of their summer festival), but someone happened to call & cancel literally moments before Will called to inquire about availability...which explains why, when he had called a day earlier, they didn't have anything available!

We have the only double room with a private bath...and it is absolutely perfect. We could not believe our luck & took it as a good omen for the trip! The punk driver/owner was appalled, however, when he opened the door to our room and saw that we had two twin beds. He immediately stormed upstairs to get his sweet little mother to rectify the situation...when really, we were just thankful to have any beds after the very long travel day with an inordinate number of screaming babies and a way-too-talkative pilot on every leg of the flight. His mother scurried down and spent the next ten minutes scooting the beds together & stuffing blankets into the crack between them to make a "smooth" double for us. :)

A hot shower & twelve hours of precious sleep later...here we go! After seeing the daylight view from our patio, I absolutely can NOT wait to dive in to the explorations...ciao for now!