Dubrovnik, Croatia

​Our Dalmatian Coast island hop ends with a ferry ride from Korcula to Dubrovnik.  


A two hour ferry ride ends at the Dubrovnik ferry terminal and Jim and I have to run through a couple of kilometers of a traffic gauntlet to get to the old town.  When entering the harbor from the ferry we see several cruise ships.  The press of humanity upon entering the city is a bit overwhelming.   It is more crowded than anywhere we have been on this trip.   

We get to our lovely apartment which is a beautifully restored old house at the top of the old town.  The old town is only pedestrian traffic and it required carrying bikes up many a stone staircase.  

After a brief respite we head out to see this incredible city some more. The city gates are especially dramatic. 



The architecture is breathtaking. 




The views of the sea are none too shabby either. 


We are here for three nights and we do a day trip to Ston on our first day.  Climbing the defensive wall between Ston and Mali Ston was a highlight. It is the largest defensive wall in Europe and second only to the Great Wall of China.  It was built to protect the salt flats. 


Background view is the salt flats in the harbor of Ston.  



The next day called for heavy rain so we decided to do a food tour. It was great fun. Lots of great food and way too much alcohol! Our guide, Goran was a recently retired semi pro soccer player and he was quite the people person.  We laughed a lot and got a wonderful food and cultural experience.  

It got a bit chilly and a waitress wrapped him in a blanket. 

One of our stops was at a really cool art gallery where Al got to play guitar for awhile. 




Appetizers, wine tastings, lunch, gelato and a few other stops around the city. 

Evenings were spent strolling around the city which was definitely quieter in the evening after the cruise ship people were gone. 




In the previous picture, you may recognize the steps which was where Queen Cerses had to make the walk of shame in game of thrones.  

We met a famous Instagram street cat who everyone was stopping to photograph.  The stray cats are well cared for in this city. 


On our final morning leaving to head to the ferry terminal we passed this modern day St Frances.  


It was a magnificent place to visit and we sadly said goodbye to Al and Diane here.  They are here for another day or two before flying home and we are off to Split by ferry to catch the ferry to Ancona, Italy. 

Then we saw this at the ferry terminal. Time to go. 


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