Dubrovnik - my last stop in Croatia and I have 4 lovely nights here. (Sigh of relief.) I might even unpack and get some washing done.
If people have heard of one place in Croatia it will be Dubrovnik. It's one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean but only has a population of about 42-43,000 people. I believe only 1,000 of those still live in the Old Town. Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979. I've been told that when the many cruise ships arrive that the population can triple and quadruple.
On the way to Dubrovnik, we stopped to see the Wall of Ston, known as the European wall of China. The Walls of Ston, originally around 7 km long, were built as defensive walls to protect the city of Ston and its salt pans.
The Walls of Ston
Although I spent a few hours in Old Town this afternoon, I'll save most of the pictures until a later post when I can have a really good walk around, including walking the wall. Today I had an introduction and orientation of Dubrovnik from a local guide so I hope to go back on my own time to get into all the nooks and crannies of the Old Town. In addition to Diocletian's Palace in Split, Dubrovnik was also used to film scenes in Game of Thrones. I'll see what I can find out and photograph some areas for a later post too.
There were a lot of tourists there today (including me of course), with the rare occurrence of a photo opportunity with no people. The guide mentioned that Thursday is when most cruise ships arrive (around 6-7) so I'll steer clear of Old Town on that day.
Old Town, Dubrovnik
Lovely Old Town side streets
Restaurants and shops in most of the side streets
The water in the fountains is drinkable
For a different view of Dubrovnik I went on a sunset dinner cruise. Such a relaxing way to end the day after the manic of walking around old town with the crowds. The old wooden boat cruised around the harbours so that I could see how the other half live. All the houses built into the coastal rock have stairs to the sea and at the bottom, a little ladder going straight into the Adriatic, just like they have at the local pool. Can you imagine just popping out your back door and down the steps to take a dip in the Adriatic whenever you wanted? Amazing!
The boat docked at Old Town Dubrovnik so we walked the paved Old Town streets at night. The air was cool compared to the heat of the sun earlier in the day and there were hardly any people. The town had a different look with less people and all the lights on - beautiful. I'll definitely be back another night.
The last of the fading light
Sunset