Welcome to Dubrovnik! April 14th
Today our ship docked in the port city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. We have been looking forward to this, our last stop, because this is supposed to be a beautiful medieval city and on a lot of recommended travel sites as a place to visit.
Another early breakfast and back to The Zebra Bar to meet up with our tour group. Everyone was feeling good today, and the weather was exceptionally sunny with an expected high in the low 60s - perfect walking weather.
We boarded our bus for a short ride to the old Inner City. This original city of Dubrovnik is surrounded by a massive stone wall, completed in the 16th century, and our first view of this barricade was astounding. We got off the bus and followed our guide into the Inner City, crossing over a small draw bridge and through the outer fortifications. Once inside, the city was amazing, with the original look and feel of a medieval town. It is no wonder that the TV series "Game of Thrones" films a lot of scenes here and in the outlying areas. Alan is a fan of the show, and enjoyed seeing the locations.
Our guide showed us a large map of the city covered with triangles. They represented buildings and areas damaged or destroyed in the 1991 conflict with Bosnia. The city was besieged and shelled for 7 months, causing major damages. After the hostilities were resolved, the city was reconstructed, and has become a top tourist destination.
Our guide walked us through the streets, showing us churches, monasteries, shops, fountains, museums and more. The architecture and construction were fascinating to see. The city sits below a mountain, and the clouds cascading off the peak made for a spectacular sight. The guide told us that for a fee we could climb the stairs to the top pf the wall and look around. The line was long and our time was limited, so we opted not to do it on this trip.
Speaking of fees, the Inner City of Dubrovnik was probably the most expensive location we had visited - like Disney expensive! They do not use the Euro, but have their own currency - the Kuna. One US dollar is about 6 1/2 Kunas. Alan saw a Game of Thrones Mug he wanted to buy, and after the conversion, it came to just under $30! He didn't want it that bad. We saw the same high prices in most of the shops in the Inner City. Once you left the walls, the prices did get a bit more reasonable.
Our tour ended, and we were left with almost an hour of free time, which we enjoyed a slow walk back to the bus. This truly is a beautiful city, surrounded by blue-green water and magnificent mountainous landscapes and forests. We all agreed that this was one of our favorite places on the whole trip. Alan says he would like to come back here again. Bruce and I wouldn't mind either.
The buses for the cruise were not organized and a huge group wanted to get on. Alan and Dad managed to get on one, but Bruce and I were turned away from it and 2 other buses. Alan and Dad were waiting for us at the port when we arrived about 10 minutes later. We needed to eat lunch, so Dad and I went to the buffet, while Alan and Bruce opted to go to the ship's Sushi Restaurant. Bruce had noticed the sushi when he booked the cruise last year, and those two have been talking about eating there for months! Let the boys have a little fun.
Back in the room, we got to hear all about the great meal they had (complete with pictures). I think it was another vacation highlight, especially for Alan. That guy REALLY loves sushi....LOL.
We all went to out balcony to bask in the sun and enjoy the beautiful scenery of this lovely port city. Everyone wished we could stay longer.
Again, the rest of the day was as usual, with a great meal at the ship' restaurant, and another review style show. It was advertised as "Tao: The Mystery of China". Bruce and I went to the show, while Dad and Alan packed and went to bed early. The show was enjoyable, but again, similar to all the other shows. I guess this is to be expected, since the passengers all speak different languages, you are really limited on the type of show you can present. Can you imagine trying to be a comedian? You'd have to translate each joke into 4 or 5 languages!
Back to the cabin to pack and put our check luggage outside of door by midnight. Tonight is bittersweet since the cruise was fabulous. We will sleep with such awesome memories.
Another early breakfast and back to The Zebra Bar to meet up with our tour group. Everyone was feeling good today, and the weather was exceptionally sunny with an expected high in the low 60s - perfect walking weather.
We boarded our bus for a short ride to the old Inner City. This original city of Dubrovnik is surrounded by a massive stone wall, completed in the 16th century, and our first view of this barricade was astounding. We got off the bus and followed our guide into the Inner City, crossing over a small draw bridge and through the outer fortifications. Once inside, the city was amazing, with the original look and feel of a medieval town. It is no wonder that the TV series "Game of Thrones" films a lot of scenes here and in the outlying areas. Alan is a fan of the show, and enjoyed seeing the locations.
Our guide showed us a large map of the city covered with triangles. They represented buildings and areas damaged or destroyed in the 1991 conflict with Bosnia. The city was besieged and shelled for 7 months, causing major damages. After the hostilities were resolved, the city was reconstructed, and has become a top tourist destination.
Our guide walked us through the streets, showing us churches, monasteries, shops, fountains, museums and more. The architecture and construction were fascinating to see. The city sits below a mountain, and the clouds cascading off the peak made for a spectacular sight. The guide told us that for a fee we could climb the stairs to the top pf the wall and look around. The line was long and our time was limited, so we opted not to do it on this trip.Speaking of fees, the Inner City of Dubrovnik was probably the most expensive location we had visited - like Disney expensive! They do not use the Euro, but have their own currency - the Kuna. One US dollar is about 6 1/2 Kunas. Alan saw a Game of Thrones Mug he wanted to buy, and after the conversion, it came to just under $30! He didn't want it that bad. We saw the same high prices in most of the shops in the Inner City. Once you left the walls, the prices did get a bit more reasonable.
Our tour ended, and we were left with almost an hour of free time, which we enjoyed a slow walk back to the bus. This truly is a beautiful city, surrounded by blue-green water and magnificent mountainous landscapes and forests. We all agreed that this was one of our favorite places on the whole trip. Alan says he would like to come back here again. Bruce and I wouldn't mind either.
The buses for the cruise were not organized and a huge group wanted to get on. Alan and Dad managed to get on one, but Bruce and I were turned away from it and 2 other buses. Alan and Dad were waiting for us at the port when we arrived about 10 minutes later. We needed to eat lunch, so Dad and I went to the buffet, while Alan and Bruce opted to go to the ship's Sushi Restaurant. Bruce had noticed the sushi when he booked the cruise last year, and those two have been talking about eating there for months! Let the boys have a little fun.
Back in the room, we got to hear all about the great meal they had (complete with pictures). I think it was another vacation highlight, especially for Alan. That guy REALLY loves sushi....LOL.
We all went to out balcony to bask in the sun and enjoy the beautiful scenery of this lovely port city. Everyone wished we could stay longer.
Again, the rest of the day was as usual, with a great meal at the ship' restaurant, and another review style show. It was advertised as "Tao: The Mystery of China". Bruce and I went to the show, while Dad and Alan packed and went to bed early. The show was enjoyable, but again, similar to all the other shows. I guess this is to be expected, since the passengers all speak different languages, you are really limited on the type of show you can present. Can you imagine trying to be a comedian? You'd have to translate each joke into 4 or 5 languages!
Back to the cabin to pack and put our check luggage outside of door by midnight. Tonight is bittersweet since the cruise was fabulous. We will sleep with such awesome memories.
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| Between Buildings up to the wall |
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| In front of the cathedral |
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| Where to get drinkable water. |
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| Outside the wall and enjoying the sea view. |
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| Inside the entryway in the wall |
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