Ante from S&L Guesthouse kindly picked me up at the bus station and I have a bright and airy room with a shared kitchen and courtyard in Gruz, overlooking the port.
A veggie struggles a little in Croatia, so I cooked up some beans to take to Chris who was walking much more steadily. I just made it back before a huge thunderstorm which then raged on and off all the next day.
It stopped just in time for me to go visiting, so I walked to the hospital, this time with frittata!
Having caught up during downtime yesterday, on Friday I set off to the beach early, and walked down to the port …
… and across to Lapad, just 30 minutes away. I explored the walking trail from the bay …
… and took a pic of my beach where I settled down on a comfy sunbed.
Later I saw Chris then got brave and went out for dinner on my own near the port.
All the time, I was liaising with the hospital and GP to ensure the insurance company have the info they need, but as we went into the weekend, we still hadn’t had confirmation that they would accept the claim, and we knew nothing would happen until Monday. To pass the time, I enjoyed more beach time and chatting with new visitors to the apartments and even went out in the evening to eat with one lady who was here alone for three days. It must be said, that every time I went out, there were 250 steps to descend to the port … and more importantly, 250 to climb on the way back and my stamina was improving as the week progressed.
Sunset was also a highlight since there was such a good view from the courtyard and it looked different every day …
… as was the view from Chris’s hospital window!
Chris continued to rest, have physio to strengthen his walking, receive food packages and coffee when I saw him, and on Sunday there was the treat of extended visiting hours!
By Monday we were eagerly awaiting updates from all concerned and finally it was confirmed that we had a valid insurance claim and the doctor said Chris would be released soon.
One guest came back excited by her zip wire experience, and I was sorely tempted, but I wasn’t sure having fun with Chris laid up was fair. He persuaded me to go in the spirit of research for a future trip … and it was great … similar to the experience we’d had in Krk a couple of years ago with a nice bunch of people and a wonderful panoramic view of Dubrovnik.
I even managed to get a photo with Chris … the hospital is the white building by my left shoulder!
It still took the rest of the week for a travel plan to be put in place and finally Chris was discharged on Friday morning.
It was lovely to have him back and he came to the apartment for the weekend, with the luxury of a comfy bed, being able to sit outside and to eat well so we made the most of our last couple of days.
So our extended stay in Dubrovnik was for 12 days – much longer than our initial 8 day holiday! As for Chris, while sitting out in the courtyard, he says his time in hospital feels a bit like a dream. Overall we are just pleased he got off so lightly – it could have been so different.
A final breakfast …
… and then we flew back on the Monday morning flight to LGW, accompanied door to door by a flight nurse and wheelchair assistance which certainly gave us peace of mind and reminds us why travel insurance is so important.
Off Travelling Together 