“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
Our last morning. It was a day of mixed emotions…sad to be packing up and leaving the beautiful country of Croatia, but also glad to have had the wonderful experiences during our vacation…the good (the weather, the amazing apartments, new friends), the bad (not making it to Mostar, “vampire” flyovers) and the ugly (putting the rental car in a precarious position)!
There were so many things that we had been able to enjoy and see during our stay and it wasn’t quite over, I would soon discover. While we had seen most of what makes Dubrovnik special, it still had one more surprise up its sleeve on this day.
As we locked up our Airbnb and headed to the Stradun and past the Dominican Monastery, we booked our Uber to the airport. Following the pickup directions, we soon learned that there was yet another gate to the old town that we had yet to find…Vrata od Ploča.
Vrata od Ploča (the gate from Ploče) is the eastern entrance to Dubrovnik’s old town, built in 1450. Exiting through it, passing the inner door topped with a figure of St. Vlaho, we walked over a stone bridge which spanned a moat and a wooden lifting bridge and received stunning views of the harbor, thanks to our efforts.
Vrata od Ploča
Vrata od Ploča
A large flock of pigeons sat on the nearby walls and under the trees, eyeing us warily as we walked by. Suddenly, without warning, they took us by surprise as they all took flight in one great motion. Flapping their wings, it was if they were both saying goodbye and showing us that it was time for us to fly home too.
Sculpture along the waterfront
After our short ride to Čilipi International Airport, we too were soaring above the Croatian coastline. Spotting Dubronik almost immediately and then the Pakleni and Elafiti Islands, as well as Split, we happily reflected on the good memories we had shared…and even the bad and the ugly ones…because, it takes all kinds to make a trip what it is, in the end!
Croatia from the sky.
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Vrata od Ploča
Address: Ul. Vrata od Ploča, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
This was our final day in Croatia. It needed to count.
Since my husband had been a good sport and seen many churches and monasteries with me over the past week, I decided to give him a break. He wanted to walk around and look at his own leisure. Me? I wanted to go to the Franciscan Monastery and the Cathedral of Dubrovnik, also known as the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
The Franciscan Monastery has an interesting history in that it contains one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. The complex, built around 1317, was initially located outside of the city gates. Moved due to the threat of war, it now stands just inside the Pile Gate and can be visited regularly which is where I headed first.
Entrance to the Franciscan Monastery Museum
Located beside the Holy Savior Church and built by the Franciscans who arrived in Dubrovnik around 1234, it contains two cloisters; one built in the Renaissance style with grand arches and the other in the Romanesque and Gothic styles boasting 120 columns. The Renaissance cloisters were much like many others I had seen before, however, it was the upper cloisters that I longed to see with its carved columns depicting animals and humans, which were not open to the public.
Once one of the wealthiest churches in the city, it was largely destroyed by the earthquake of 1667. Today, only part of its treasury is on display, however, it is the pharmacy, dating back to 1317 that people come for. Since the Franciscans are known for their devotion to the sick, the pharmacy aided their mission but also served the public, giving the friars a steady income. On display, you can see many of the old manuscripts that the friars used in the creation of their pharmaceuticals as well as the tools of their trade. You can also stop into the actual pharmacy to make any medical purchases you may need.
Franciscan Monastery Treasury and MuseumFranciscan Monastery Treasury and Museum
After my tour was complete, I headed to the Dubrovnik Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, making my way through the endless passageways and streets that make up the city. I had passed by this cathedral numerous times, but had not had the time to enter and discover what made it so special and the seat of the Diocese of Dubrovnik.
Sights in Dubrovnik
Sights in Dubrovnik
Sights in Dubrovnik
Sights in Dubrovnik
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Built on the site of several formal cathedrals dating back to the 7th, 10th, 11th and 12th centuries, this Baroque church was completed in 1713 after the previous had also been destroyed in the earthquake of 1667.
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
While it is the large dome that dominates the interior, it appears to be more modern than its 1700s origins. The main altar is decorated with carved panels which portray the Assumption of the Virgin and its treasury contains 182 relics from different regents; relics from the head, arm, and leg of Dubrovnik patron saint St Blasius, sacral dishes from the 13th to 18th centuries, and a large number of precious paintings. These relics are displayed in a small chapel from which you can gain access by paying a small entrance fee. Photographs are prohibited, but since I was the only visitor there at the time, I was able to capture a few, the most captivating displaying the gilded ceiling centered with a cherubic composition.
Chapel of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Chapel of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
An interesting note about the cathedral is that it is said that while Richard the Lionheart was shipwrecked in Dubrovnik in 1192, he contributed a great sum towards the building of the cathedral, hoping to gain favor in the eyes of the Lord for his survival.
After my explorations were complete and my husband and I had a quick lunch, we stopped by our apartment to don more appropriate boat gear and lather up for an afternoon in the Croatian sun! Heading down to the port, we waited for Ivusa who picked us up promptly at our designated time.
Dodging the intermittent boat traffic in the harbor, we were soon on our way, passing the walls of the city, which we had stood upon a week ago, looking out on this very same water that we were now cruising through. It was a beautiful day with only a few clouds in the sky, although not extremely hot as it was now the beginning of October.
Port of DubrovnikWalls of Dubrovnik’s Old TownElafiti IslandsElafiti Islands
The Elafiti Islands’ scenery was absolutely gorgeous and we sipped upon ice cold beers that Ivusa procured from a chest he had brought for the occasion. Pulling into a small cave, he displayed his expert boatmanship, maneuvering easily in the small space so we could see its interior. A little further up the rocky coast, he cut off the engine and showed us a small opening just above the water. Other boats had pulled up in this area and a few people were swimming toward the opening. This was the Blue Cave that I had seen in my friend’s pictures and we were invited to jump on in and have a look!
Cave in the Elafiti Islands
Now, while my son and I were in Capri, we took a boat into the Blue Grotto…it was much hotter there at the time, but I didn’t have to swim in cold water…into a small space. As an advanced scuba diver, you would think that I wouldn’t have been as nervous as I was, but as I eyed my husband in the water, waiting on me, I decided that you can’t pass up an opportunity and jumped right in. When I tell you that the water was cold…well, I can’t even describe how it took my breath away. For good measure, I took a small float with me and swam for dear life toward the opening!
As we ducked under the water and into the small cave, I suddenly forgot that my feet were numb and marveled at the color of the water as we faced the opening. Simply amazing!
The Blue Cave in the Elafiti Islands
Successfully making it back to the boat, we were on our way again in the island chain, pulling into the harbor of Sudurad. I had told Ivusa that I loved visiting churches and he said that this small island contained approximately thirty churches which were built in the middle ages. Many were in a ruined state, but as we pulled adjacent to the dock, he pointed out a tower Pakljena from 1529 and the Church of the Holy Spirit which contains a flat roof, the largest of its kind in the Adriatic.
Sudurad
My husband and I set out on foot to do some quick explorations, passing small restaurants and facilities offering olive oil and wine tastings, as the island cultivates a great quantity of olives, grapes as well as figs.
Sudurad
Sudurad
Sudurad
Sudurad
Sudurad
Our visit was short and we headed back to the boat to continue our tour, soon pulling up to the dock in Lopud. A much larger island than Sudurad, we decided to head (yes, at my suggestion) towards the church tower, which, coincidentally we discovered was a Franciscan Monastery built in 1493! The church and grounds were open for inspection and we took our time enjoying the view from the hilltop.
LopudLopud
Lopud
Franciscan Monastery
Franciscan Monastery
Afterward, we made our way back along the western waterfront, browsing the shops, admiring the sandy beach and popping in to see a small chapel, Crkva Bezgresno zacece BDMarije, which I presume belongs to the Catholic Church, though I couldn’t find more information after visit. We enjoyed more of the scenery and a beer and then headed back to the boat and a waiting Ivusa.
LopudLopudChapelLopud
The day was growing late and the sun getting lower in the sky. Heading back toward Dubrovnik in the waning light, Ivusa ensured that we had the best sunset views. As we approached Dubrovnik, it was dark and the hilltop lights sparkled on the water. Quite the magical ending to a magical day…and of course, a magical week!
Sunset in the Elafiti Islands
Sunset in the Elafiti Islands
Dubrovnik Night Lights
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All good things must come to an end, but better things may be in store.
Our time exploring other parts of Croatia was complete, but we were leaving beautiful little Hvar Town, heading back to the beautiful city of Dubrovnik and now we knew what to expect. There were many things we wanted to do and see, including our new friend, Ivusa.
Our ferry from Hvar Town to Dubrovnik
The ferry ride was a bit longer this time, but included a stop to pick up and deposit other passengers in Korčula. Since I was able to grab a spot on the back deck as we made our way to the dock, I had prime viewing of the beautiful old city. Why didn’t we spend a few days here? Definitely next time!
Lovely Korčula!
Four hours later, after our departure from Hvar, we were disembarking in Dubrovnik and catching a taxi to the Old Town. Our Airbnb, this time, was within the Old Town city walls…in fact, it was adjacent to Stradun, the city’s main pedestrian street, so a bit more convenient in that we didn’t have to climb twenty-two billion stairs!
Martecchini Airbnb apartment
After depositing our luggage in our room, we were off!
The Dominican Monastery, just around the corner, was first on our list. Dating back to the 14th century, the monastery is one of the most important architectural landmarks in the city and contains a great number of paintings, artifacts, jewelry and other items from Dubrovnik’s history. Its bell towers are prominent when walking the walls of the city, however, these not quite being as old as the monastery itself. Begun in the 16th century, they were only completed in the 18th.
Within the monastery, is the Gothic church of Saint Dominic, usually richly decorated and filled with treasures including the large golden crucifix above the main altar from the 14th century. Under construction at the time, we had to use our imaginations in order to “see” what it usually presents. The monastery museum was also quite intriguing with its vast jewelry collection and paintings from the Dubrovnik art school from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Churchof St. Dominic
Treasures from the Dominican Monastery MuseumTreasures from the Dominican Monastery MuseumTreasures from the Dominican Monastery Museum
Making our way through the abbey, we noted the Capital Hall, where the monastic community held its meetings, and the porches of the cloister which were added in the 15th century. Within the cloister is a rich green oasis complete with a stone well crown and I would imagine this was a favorite place for the residents to relax and enjoy nature’s beauty.
After our visit was complete, we walked a short distance, past the clock tower, to the Church of St. Blaise. The steps of this church is both a meeting place, due to its central location near the clock tower, and a resting place, perfect for people watching. We also noticed that many from the community congregate here, including the children, who play games on the steps and in Luza Square in front of the church.
Clock Tower
Church of St. BlaiseChurch of St. Blaise
The interior of this church did not disappoint my “church fascination” with its beautifully decorated golden altar, taking my breath away when I entered. Named after the patron saint of Dubrovnik, the church was built in 1715, by Venetian architect and sculptor Marino Gropelli on the foundations of a past Romanesque medieval church. This saint is featured on the main altar in gilt silver, crafted in the 15th century by an unknown master. In the saint’s left hand is a scale model of the Romanesque church which was destroyed by the earthquake of 1667 and he is flanked by two kneeling angels. This statue was the only one which survived the fire of 1706.
Church of St. Blaise
In front of the church is another of Dubrovnik’s landmarks, Orlando’s column. Unfortunately, this was under renovation and closed off by metal fencing. This tall and slender stone flag column is decorated with a depiction of a medieval knight, Orlando, who according to legend, helped the people of old Dubrovnik defeat invaders in the middle ages. A monument to freedom, it details the help aquired to remain a free trade city-state and acts as a flag holder which displays the Libertas (freedom) flag as well as the St. Blaise festival flag. An interesting note about the statue; the knight’s forearm is 51.25 centimeters long, the standard Dubrovnik measurement for fabric, where local merchants were measuring, cutting and selling fabric.
Orlando’s Column (under construction)
Orlando’s Column courtesy of justdubrovnik.com
A little further down the Stradun, we headed into the Franciscan Church. Much as I wanted to visit the Monastery and Museum, I decided to wait until the next morning as I thought that seeing another monastery was probably not what my husband had in mind. The church was a good compromise as the afternoon was nearing its end and he was anxious to start happy hour and revisit Lady Pipi restaurant which was near this location.
A large complex, consisting of the church, monastery, library, and pharmacy, belonging to the Order of the Friars Minor, was built in 1317, but with its construction taking centuries to complete. The original church was destroyed in the earthquake of 1667 and much of the complex was rebuilt several times with the only remaining element being the decorated portal which overlooks the main street.
Franciscan Church
Franciscan Church
The Baroque interior was stunning as we entered through the main doors with its diagonally patterned tile floor and and large, gilded chandelier. The main altar contained a statue of Christ between four twisted marble columns and the five side altars were sculpted by Venetian Giuseppe Sardi between 1684 and 1696. An important side note, we learned, is that poet Ivan Gundulić is buried in the church.
Continuing our explorations, we decided to see more of what lay beyond the gates. A short walk past the Pile Gate, through which we had entered earlier on our return, brought us past the Amerling Fountain, the overlook for the Beach Sulic, which we would later realize was the place Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones would stand, the Imperial Hilton Hotel and almost to the Church of St. Elizabeth, a small chapel. Heading back to the Old Town, we wandered through its streets and alleyways appreciating the architecture and its beauty.
Amerling Fountain
Overlook for the Beach SulicSites outside Dubrovnik’s Pile Gate
Imperial Hilton Hotel
Chapel of St. Elizabeth
Dubrovnik’s Pile GateOld Town SitesOld Town SitesOld Town SitesOld Town Sites
At this point, my husband was truly at the end of his touring mode…but I spotted the Church of the Holy Annunciation. Promising only a quick peek, I ducked in and inspected the Serbian Orthodox church which was constructed in 1887. Though I was only inside for a few moments, I learned later that this impressive church has a huge collection of icons dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries within its museum and an impressive library containing over 12,000 volumes, including a gospel in Russian printed in Moscow in 1805.
Church of the Holy Annunciation
Finally, it was time for the long walk up the stairs for our grilled seafood platter “A La Pipi”!
“It’s about time!” said my husband. Long days definitely lead to good things!
Old Town at Night
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Returning from Montenegro the night before, we met up with a couple of friends who were also on vacation, for dinner and drinks. They had arranged to do a boat tour of the nearby islands with a gentleman who had been taking many of my co-workers out for an afternoon in the sun.
When I had confirmed my Airbnb with Antonia, our host, she asked on what airline and what time we would be arriving. Giving her this information, I didn’t mention that I worked for the airline, but she volunteered that her husband had been taking out the crews on his boat. Amazingly, it was the same person who had taken out my friends! His name was Ivusa!
As we enjoyed cocktails, they raved about what an amazing experience it was. At that precise moment, deciding that we also needed this experience, I texted Antonia and asked her if Ivusa could take us out when we returned to Dubrovnik in six days.
The next morning, as we packed our car and readied for our departure to Bosnia and Split, Ivusa came out and introduced himself. A friendly guy, we discussed our travel plans and plans for our return the next weekend. Having heard of our rental car woes, Ivusa, probably worried that we would get off on the wrong foot, graciously offered to drive our car up the hill. Thank goodness!
Saying goodbye, we prepared ourselves for the long day ahead.
We had planned to make our way to Mostar and Medjugoria, Bosnia and then continue on to Split, where we would spend two nights in the Diocletian Palace. Checking the route, we determined that while the GPS routing was through the mountains, we felt like we should take a secondary route which hugged the coastline until we reached the town of Neum. Besides, it would be more scenic!
Starting our trip, we drove along, enjoying the stunning views. Finally, our GPS began directing us to take a turn. Following the commands, we drove towards Neum, but instead of the original routing, it had us follow another road. Not anything that seemed like a major highway, we hesitantly followed the directions. Next thing, we ended up on a dirt road, heading up a mountain. The road narrowed and as I studied the GPS map, I realized that if we continued on this passage, we were going to cross into Bosnia. Yes, that was the intent, but there was no way that there was going to be a border crossing on the side of a mountain and we risked crossing illegally. Not wanting to be wanted in another country, we decided that we should turn around…this was no small feat. The road we were on was extremely narrow and dropped off precariously on our left. Somehow…and to this day, I am not sure how…we got the car turned around and didn’t look back.
Our luck with this rental car had not been good so far and we had lost so much time following the GPS instructions, we decided that continuing on to Split would be best for us. Finally, making it back to the coastal road, we eventually crossed into Bosnia and then back into Croatia. I even jumped out of the car and stood for a moment, so that I could say that I had been in Bosnia!
Hercegovacko-Neretvanski, Bosnia
The drive to Split was extremely long and aside from a stop in Neretva, Croatia, to enjoy the lake views of the Valley of Life, we plodded along, praying to get there in one piece and return the car.
Neretva, Croatia, The Valley of LifeNeretva, Croatia, The Valley of Life
After an agonizing five hours of driving, we made it to the Split Airport. We can’t stress enough how relieved we were to hand over the keys to the car and have someone else do the driving for the rest of our trip!
Scenes along the way.
With a short Uber ride to the old part of town, we could finally breath a sigh of relief and relax for a moment. During the day, I had been in contact with the Airbnb owner and she was expecting our arrival.
As we were dropped off at the entrance to Diocletian Palace, I looked around and wasn’t sure where to head. Although I had marked the apartment’s location on my map, it was quite confusing as we made our way through Diocletian’s Palace. Finally, as we stood between Saint Domnius Cathedral and the Silver Gate, glancing frantically around, trying to figure out which way to turn, I heard my name. Thankfully, Ines had come to look for us and two people looking confused with suitcases was enough to convince her that she had the right people!
Walking thru the Peristyle, looking for our apartment.Where Ines found us!
Leading us into a nearby building, I noticed right away, the peeling paint and the newly built, but unfinished, stairway. It was only two nights, right?
But, when we reached the apartment on the topmost floor, I remembered why we had booked this particular unit. It was absolutely stunning and overlooked the Cathedral of Saint Domnius. After giving us a brief tour, Ines explained that because of the apartment’s location within the Diocletian Palace, a UNESCO Heritage Site, all renovations have to be approved by the government. While nothing can be done to the exteriors of the building and not much to the stairwells, more can be done to the interior, within their guidelines. Therefore, while almost everything within the apartment was new, the interior stone walls were original to the palace…dating back to the fourth century! When they say, “If Walls Could Talk!”
Peristyle Emperor Suite
View outside our window!
Finally on our own, we quickly unpacked and headed out to see what we could within the city in the waning afternoon. Saving the Cathedral for the next day when we had more time, we eventually ended up on the Riva, the bustling waterfront and boardwalk. Grabbing a couple of beers, we also grabbed a seat and enjoyed the close of our day with the setting sun.
The RivaSunset along the Riva.
Walking back through the palace, we enjoyed the live music being performed in the Peristyle and discovered that it could be heard perfectly from the opened windows of our apartment. And after dinner, this is what we did…enjoyed our VIP seating and the beautiful music on our first night in Split.
The Peristyle at night.Nighttime in Diocletian’s Palace.
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After months of planning and waiting, we had arrived in Croatia!
We had survived a long flight, processed through customs and immigration and found our way to the car rental agency.
Agent, “Yes, I have your reservation…an economy with manual transmission.”
Me (to the agent), “Yes…wait…what? Uh oh.”
Me (to my husband), “Oh honey, you do remember how to drive a stick, right?”
Luckily, we both know how to drive manual transmissions, but it had been many years since my husband had had any practice. In the end, we decided to keep the car, even after the agency offered up a larger, automatic (for more money, of course) because we were not sure of the parking lot size at our Airbnb. My husband would just have to take it easy…a difficult feat in a mountainous country!
Heading onto the coastal highway, we drove the twenty-two minutes towards the city, getting our first glimpses of Old Town Dubrovnik, sitting on the precipice of the city surrounded by the sparkling azure waters. It was absolutely breathtaking!
Our first view of Dubrovnik!
My Airbnb host, Antonia, had sent us detailed instructions on how to reach our rental when we reached the city. As my husband carefully shifted our Corsa Opal and followed my directions, we were awed by the walls of the Old City on our right. So awed…that we missed the road to our Airbnb! Back around we drove…and since most of the roads in this area were one-way, it was a long, long way around!
This time, I was ready. As we turned at the light, I spotted the road on the right that we were supposed to take. This road was quite narrow, with a wall on the left and parked cars next to a drop off on the right…and it angled sharply downward. As my husband shifted the transmission and gave it a little gas, I suddenly realized that we were passing the gates to our property. Stop!
He did, but since we were on a hill, with a wall to our left and cars parked to our right, it was difficult to put the car in reverse to backup…uphill…to turn into the yard. Oh brother! He made the decision to continue down the hill, so we could circle around again. Only…
The road narrowed. The wall on the left veered right and the car on the right was angled to the left. Wow, this was going to take some maneuvering to get past. Holding our breath, reaching out the windows and turning our rear-view mirrors inward and inching slowly forward, we made it past these two obstacles. And discovered…
We drove our car past this wall and this car…
The road narrowed to a path!
Yes…a path that only a motorcycle or a bicycle or a small child could proceed on. Getting out of the car, we looked for another option. There was no going forward…only back. This would require shifting the manual transmission and carefully passing between…while maintaining inches from…both the wall and the car and while giving the car enough gas to make it up the hill…backwards. I feel like I should insert the wide-eyed emoji here. We were at a loss and the only thing I thought that could get us out of this mess was to get a crane to pick up the car and drop in onto a nearby roadway…again…wide eyed emoji. Yeah…not really an option.
Sick to my stomach, I realized that we had just declined insurance coverage on our rental!
As people walked by, snickering…my husband suggested that we call the car rental company and tell them what happened, but I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel…yet. I ran up the hill to the gates of our Airbnb, let myself in and knocked on the door. I don’t know what I expected them to do, but maybe they had a solution. SURELY this had happened to someone before, right?
Greeted by Antonia’s mother, I told her what happened. She said she didn’t know how to drive, but said, “let’s go take a look”. Down the hill, she eyed our predicament and shook her head in disbelief. She said, “Let’s ask the firemen! They are my neighbors and they are nice. They will help! Tell your husband to go inside that building and tell them what happened.”
As my husband walked toward us, I really did not want to give him her suggestion. After all, the car wasn’t on fire. But, what the heck! We had nothing to lose.
So off he went, disappearing into the firehouse. Later, he told me that after explaining what had happened, the fire chief just shook his head (we definitely know that this had happened before) and nodded toward two muscular twenty-somethings to go out and help. Probably bored and excited to have something to do, they bounded out of the building, telling my husband, “please don’t videotape us” while laughing. Can’t say that that statement made me feel all that good…
One fireman jumped into the car and the other proceeded to direct. My stomach was in knots and I thought that I was going to throw up my lunch as they inched forward and backward, trying to get the car into the correct position to make it past the wall and the car. Backward…forward…backward…forward…one directing, one driving. And then…my stomach lurching…the driver stepped on the gas and shot past the wall and the car and straight up the hill…inches to spare. Watching them, it almost seemed so effortless it was as if they had been probably driving a stick-shift since they were twelve…maybe eleven!
I ran up the hill, pointing to the gate where he pulled the car into the yard.
OMG…did that just really happen?
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! Thanking them profusely, we followed Antonia’s mom into the yard, shutting the gate behind us, lest the car was left in park and rolled back onto that dreaded hill!
“I need a drink”, said my husband shakily.
Antonia’s mom disappeared into the house and reappeared quickly with an unmarked bottle of wine and three glasses. Directing us onto the patio, she poured us each a glass and offered up a toast to the firemen! Now, being a beer-kind-of-girl, I am not much into the taste of red wine…but, this red wine was something else! I really needed its medicinal properties for my shot nerves!
Three glasses later and learning a lot about Antonia’s mom (and that she got this wine from somewhere in the hills), she finally shooed us to our room and told us to get changed and go out and enjoy the city.
Dressed and refreshed, we headed down that same hill that started our vacation on the wrong foot…this time on foot. I had heard that lots of steps were involved with Old Town Dubrovnik and we soon learned that those stories were true. The entrance nearest to our Airbnb, Vrata od Buze, which was opened in the city walls in 1907 and named after Croatia’s finest 18th century scientist, physicist, astronomer and poet, Ruder Boskovic, was narrow and we walked down approximately 80,038 steps to get to the main esplanade, Stradun…actually, my legs were saying that it was more like 90,000! As we walked along the limestone-paved pedestrian street, we gazed around in wonder, amazed that we were actually in Dubrovnik!
Vrata od Buze entrance to Old Town
Different views of Stradun
At one end of Stradun was the landmark clocktower rebuilt since the 15th century and the baroque Church of Saint Blaise, built in 1715 (with a statue of Saint Blaise salvaged from a fire) and on the other end, the Pile Gate, the 15th century main entrance to Dubrovnik’s Old Town.
Dubrovnik Clocktower
We decided to take a walk around the city to familiarize ourselves with its layout starting with a glimpse of the Old Port and the many boats and ferries parked here. Passing the statue of Marin Drzic in front of the Rector’s Palace, we rubbed his nose for good luck. Marin Drzic was a famous writer, often dubbed Dubrovnik’s Shakespeare. From here, we continued on past the Cathedral of the Assumption and the Old Town Market, located in Gundulic Square, where I stared longingly at the giant figs that were being offered for sale. Next, we climbed the Jesuit stairs. Little did we know what a significant part this played in Game of Thrones as we stepped inside the Catholic Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Srkva sv. Ignacij), built in 1725, which is known for its Lourdes Grotto. Making our way near the outer walls, we circled back around to the Old Pile Gate.
Marin Drzic Statue
Jesuit StairsCatholic Church of St. Ignatius of LoyolaCatholic Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Catholic Church of St. Ignatius of LoyolaLourdes Grotto
Deciding that taking a walk around the top of the fortress walls would be the perfect thing to do since the sun wasn’t so high in the sky and it wasn’t as hot as it was earlier. Paying our admission, we climbed the steep stone stairs and began our journey around the city from a different perspective. With views of the Fort Lovrjenac and Tvrdava Bokar, Dubrovnik West Harbour, the Old Town and the beautiful sea, I would say that it was a great way to become acquainted with the city.
Onofrio’s Fountain
First views of the city from above
Finally, we had made our way all the way around the city’s walls and discovered that we were a bit thirsty. It was time to head to the Buza Bar on the southwest side of the Old Town. Grabbing a seat, we looked out over the azure waters and enjoyed a couple of beers, mesmerized by the cliff jumpers. Thinking that the waters must have felt refreshing in the heat of the day, we quickly changed our minds, hearing their shrieks when they hit the chilly waters of the Adriatic!
Entrance to and views from the Buza Bar
A little hungry, we took the advice of a friend and began seeking out a restaurant on the direct opposite side of Old Town. Lady Pi Pi. The name was a bit perplexing until we saw the fountain out front. I won’t describe it any more than to tell you to take a look at the picture. We were lucky to get one of the few tables in the establishment without a wait but, I would wait any day…it was some of the best seafood that we have ever had!
Lady Pi Pi Restaurant
Lady Pi Pi Restaurant
The best part, however, was that although we had to climb a billion stairs to get to Lady Pi Pi, we didn’t have to climb many more to get back to our Airbnb. After such a long day and the mental stresses that came with it, it was good not to have to walk very far to get home and to bed. A welcome berth for our weary bodies!
So far, we loved what we we had experienced. But…
Tomorrow was another day. So much more to see and experience!
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Admission: Adults, 200kn (approximately $29.00 US per person), Children and Young Adults (under 18), 50kn (approximately $7.25 US per person). Students (only with valid Croatia Student Card, International Student Card (ISIC) & European Youth Card): Approved Student Cards, 50kn (approximately $7.25 US per person). Dubrovnik-Neretva County citizens, free with ID directly at the entrance.
