Dubrovnik
Following what felt like not an unreasonable amount of hemming and hawing regarding whether or not to drive the 3 hours each way to Dubrovnik, a group of us--McB and John, Bonus Grand their daughter Caitlin; Marcy, Bonus Grand MaggieRose her daughter and Bonus Grand Gwen and I decided we'd act as an advanced scouting party to see if such a trip was worth it. And oh, it was.
Having decided that arriving at the walled city in Dubrovnik was probably the best course of action, we headed out at 6 a.m. I drove, adding to my list of foreign countries/cities where I braved roads where the directional and traffic signs meant nothing to me, making navigation somewhat perilous but eminently doable.
The drive to Dubrovnik from Kastel Stari was beyond well worth the time in the car. We went through crazy scenic mountains and lush valleys, many covered with grape vines. After the A1 toll road gave way to a two lane, we passed through an area where vendors sold fruit and fresh squeezed juices on both sides of the road. Many of what appeared to be permanent stands used hoses to keep the fruits--a lot of watermelons--cool. We were then on the coast and the scenery was spectacular. With the help of the car's navigation system and a back up of Google Maps, we drove directly to the Pile Gate, parking at the first available parking garage so we had a short walk to the designated location, where we met up with McB, John and Caitlin.
Walking the walls is often recommended on various travel sites, and we came with doing that as our primary activity. Again, worth it, worth it, worth it.
You Game of Thrones lovers will know that this was the site of many filming locations. To whit:
Minceta Tower, part of the 14th century fortress protecting Dubrovnik, serves as the House of the Undying in GOT, where Danerys is led from Qarth after her dragons are stolen.
Obviously the Bonus Grands are too young to watch GOT, but as the adults were talking about the show, one of them commented that it sounded like a soap opera. A soap opera on steroids.
Perhaps one of the more (in)famous scenes in GOT is where a naked Cersei Lanister is led down the Jesuit steps in the Old Town, preceded by a bell ringing Septa Unella calling out "Shame, shame, shame." Of course I had to recreate the scene. Actually I was surprised more people weren't doing that. Oh, well.
The views from the wall, as you walk around the city, are incredible. It's a 90 step trot up to the the top but once you're up there, it's primarily flat walking.
One of the views from the Wall
I particularly liked this...a beautiful garden, the entrance to the patio crumbling stone walls
And of course one must have a photo of oneself on the Wall. Further into the harbor and all along the coast as we drove to Dubrovnik, there were what seemed to be mega yachts either cruising or anchored.
We speculated this was where they filmed the Battle of Blackwater Bay
Narrow streets
We had a delicious lunch at a restaurant in the Old City, then walked around the streets which are populated with shops as well as residences. I bought some local olive oil to take home. The woman who sold it also pressed it; she said she lived about an hour away from Dubrovnik, near Montenegro.
For the first time in Croatia, we heard a fair smattering of American English among the tourists. I noticed more than a couple utilizing the ever popular Rick Steeves guide. On the wall, I overheard a few pointing out possible locations used in Game of Thrones, so I do wonder if the series has brought tourists to the area. Those of us who have watched the show plan to go back and watch it again now that we've been here.
Our final stop was Fort Lovrijenac, the Fort of St. Lawrence, which served in GOT as the Red Keep, the seat of power for all the Seven Kingdoms. The show filmed a large number of memorable scenes here, including King Joffrey’s name day tournament and the Battle of Blackwater in the bay out front. Perched on the western walls, this “Gibraltar of Dubrovnik” peers down from 120-foot cliffs. Built in the 11th century, the fort served as a very important redoubt, repeatedly resisting Venetian attacks with its fearsome cannons and almost 40-foot thick walls. (Thanks to Travel Advisor for the info.)
I love how this photo turned out. We were on our way back to the parking garage and caught this gorgeous bougainvillea growing across the street, with the castle in the background.
All along the street we walked, there were entrances into homes cut into the stone walls. We decided this one definitely looked like something that could have been a Hobbit hole.
On the drive back, Marcy and I felt confident we had figured out most of what the traffic directional signs meant, and that we had been obeying them. Our favorite was this:
Which we thought meant warthog crossing but turns out it's cautioning drivers to look out for wild boars crossing.
The advance party returned to Kastel Stari with recommendations for others should they decide to go to Dubrovnik. We gave the day 5 stars. Total walking: 11,352 steps, 52 flights of stairs.
Dinner was taco night, followed by navigating the local television stations to find the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I really wanted to see the boats with the athletes coming down the Seine, and we finally stumbled upon EuroVision, which was broadcasting the event. Our opinion was that the whole thing was very French, which it was supposed to be, of course. EuroVision commentators seldomly tell you what is going on, where this particular event is located, who the people are you see on the screen. I could imagine how the NBC team was describing the ceremonies, and to tell the truth, I rather missed that.
Twenty years ago, the core of this group, with our daughter, Maggie, was in Paris for the opening of the Olympics, which were taking place in Athens. We found a swimming event on French 1 TV. What we remember was Michael Phelps was swimming, so his name was frequently interspersed in the French rapid fire commentating. The graphics they used was a white board with waves drawn on it and a shark fin cutting through the water. It was great.
So, long day. I missed Celine Dion singing at the end of the opening ceremonies but figure I can find that on YouTube.
Today the plan is out for breakfast. At some point Dan and I will drive up the hill/mountain behind our house to an extremely large cross there. Others have reported the views are breathtaking, and I'm looking forward to seeing it.
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