Dubrovnik ~ Pearl Of The Adriatic
“If you want to see paradise on Earth, come to Dubrovnik.” -George Bernard Shaw
Croatia was a place I wanted to visit every time I saw pictures of the beautiful clear blue Adriatic and beachside towns with their orange tiled roofs. It was not yet on the tourist map and friends I typically traveled with were not ready to go off the beaten path. So Croatia stayed on the back burner of my mind even as we traveled to other beautiful locations around the world.
Then came Game Of Thrones, a popular TV show that was a family hit filmed in Dubrovnik and Croatia amongst other exotic locations in Europe. By now this part of the world had become a key destination on the tourist map and cruise ships and tourists were flocking to it in droves. When my sister suggested a holiday together we settled on a tour to the Dalmatian Coast namely Croatia.
In September of 2018 we met in Milan and journey together to meet our group in Venice and head off to one of the most beautiful trips driving along the Adriatic Coast until we arrived in Dubrovnik which was the last stop on our tour.
Franjo Trudman Bridge
Having started our day in Split which might be one of my favorite Croatian cities, we drove through interesting Ston with it’s intact defensive stone walls erected to protect the salt pans of Croatia. These walls are sometimes referred to as the European Great Wall.
The Franjo Trudman bridge, a cable stayed bridge close to the port of Gruz was our welcome to the great city of Dubrovnik. As we stopped at the lookout one could see the cruise ships sailing from their berths at the nearby port with the setting sun painting a beautiful orange haze over the sea scape. A wonderful herald to three unforgettable days spent here.
The City Walls of Dubrovnik stretch 2.5 Km (1.5 miles) an impressive and beautiful structure that are an enduring relic of medieval Europe.
Our hotel was not in the walled old city but never the less we still had a beautiful location with easy access to beach, shopping and eateries within walking distance.
One of the must do things is a walk on the city walls which take a couple of hours to traverse but offer beautiful views as the reward for all that exercise. We chose to spend our energies in exploring the old town and heard about the experience and views from others in our group.
Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful well preserved medieval city. It is easy to imagine life in the medieval times with soldiers walking the battlements watching for the marauders that came from the sea to attack and even conquer this jewel of the Adriatic.
Pile Gate Entrance into the walled city.
We entered from the Pile Gate fortunately ahead of the crowd of tourists that come on the cruise ships and walked through the fortified entrance and narrow path to get to the Stradun. I had goosebumps imagining sentries patrolling the battlements and keeping guard as they watched farmers, tradespeople and other people entering the city.
Onofrio’s Fountain still dispenses cold drinkable water
Right after we entered we stopped a the first of Onofrio’s fountains that was designed by Onofrio della Cava and Pietro di Martino to provide clean cold water via a acqueduct from the Dubrovnik River in 1438. Apparently this fountain was used in a scene in one of the Star Trek movies and still dispenses clean cold water that visitors can use to fill their water bottles with.
There is a little sister fountain at the other end of the Stradun in Luza sqare.
Stradun with it’s 300 meters of beautiful polished stone shines under the bright sun. This main street is lined with beautifully preserved buildings, cafes and shops. Grab a gelato and stroll along peering into alleys and beautifully preserved buildings.
Our first stop is the Franciscan Monastery with it’s beautifully preserved cloister and air of peace. The treasure we came to see here is the Old Pharmacy which was founded in 1311 and is the third oldest Pharmacy in Europe. This alone is worth the price of admission.
Bell Tower originally built in 1444. Destroyed by several different earthquakes but restored each time to it’s original architecture and look.
For fans of the Game Of Thrones, you can imagine the dragons flying around the bell tower but we were not treated to that sight.
St. Blaise Church. A baroque church dedicated to Saint Blaise the patron saint of the city and protector of former republic of Ragusa.
Groan! all those steps but oh what fun exploring……… It’s a lot of fun just wandering in the old city, browsing the shops, sitting in the cafes to rest your legs and watch life go by. Not surprisingly the shops here are a bit overpriced. We had the best luck shopping at Ston on our way into Dubrovnik but I held back waiting for Dubrovnik. Note to self when you find something you life go for it, life’s too short for regrets.
The port which serves the old town offers boat tours but we opted against one after a particularly disastrous experience in Zadar.
Dubrovnik Cathedral has a lovely interior, with numerous old religious paintings, one of them of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary that is attributed to Titian. The cathedral is free to visit so this is one of the must see sights in the Old town.
We spent a beautiful morning wandering the alleys and byways of the old city dipping into shops that caught our fancy. But it seemed to get more crowded as the day wore on so we decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel for a quick nap.
The cable car ride to the top of Mt. Srd is a highly recommended thing to do. We just chose to do it slightly differently by arranging for a golf cart tour with a guide who took us around the city and ended up at the top of Mt. Srd just as the sun was setting for some awesome sunset views.
Lokrun Island as seen from the top of Mt. Srd. Fans of Game Of Thrones this is where you need to go to get a picture of yourself on the Iron Throne. Heads up though it’s quite busy so be prepared for a wait. I happened to be in a shop in Split that had the best Game of Thrones merchandise and a replica of the iron throne so I got my picture for free and without any crowds.
‘It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream.” -Bern Williams.
What a wonderful end to a wonderful day.
The next day we explored the coastal town of Cavtat which by the way is one of my favorite locations only 15 Km outside of Dubrovnik. I believe if I get an opportunity to visit again I’d like to make that my more cost effective base rather than Dubrovnik itself. I understand that there’s a ferry into the city which would be an adventure in itself.
We also visited a local farm and enjoyed some traditional food and wine and got to see the locals dressed in their ethnic costumes as they welcomed us and showed us around for a glimpse into local life.
Since the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina are so close here we crossed borders sometimes unseen as we spent our day in the countryside outside the city.
Our third day we spent visiting Montenegro, stay tuned I’ll share more of that. Our departure day started in the dark as we departed our hotel at an ungodly hour to make our 7:00AM flight to Frankfurt to connect to the Los Angeles bound flight.
It’s a beautiful part of the world and since we stuck to the coastal route on this trip there’s still a lot of unexplored parts of Croatia that I’d like to visit at some point. Maybe my traveling friends will be ready for a trip to this part of the world soon.