In town, Igor pointed out a couple places to stop. First we hit up a bakery to pick up some pastries and meat pies to eat. Then we swung by the wine store to get some Croatian wine to bring home before exploring the small town. Walking south out of the walls, we could see the salt pans. We didn't really have enough time to walk through so just got some pictures from the street.
Down one street, we could see the Church of St. Blaise. Originally built in around 1340, the church has been repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes, most recently in 1996. And like many times in the preceding centuries, the church was being restored.
We walked around the town a bit more along the walls and spotted some amazing cactus growing up along the city walls.
But then it was time, so we headed back to the bus and continue towards Dubrovnik. Continuing on, we passed through a small section of Bosnia-Herzegovina and then back into Croatia. The drive along the coast here was absolutely beautiful and soon we were headed into Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is always crowded and a couple cruise ships were in port, so it was even more crowded than usual, despite being shoulder season. We got dropped off at the bus stop near an interesting fountain with statues of Pan and Nymph.
Starting our exploration of the city, Igor took us around the old town of the city for about an hour. He provided some fascinating history of the city and pointed out several landmarks throughout the city, including the the stairs where Cersei Lannister did her Walk of Atonement in Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik is the setting for Kings Landing and we recognized many spots from the show. He also showed us many of the beautiful churches located in the city. The Dubrovnik Cathedral was one of the most beautiful.
When Igor was finished, we had some free time to explore the city and headed up to the famous city walls.
Starting out in the eastern end of the walls near the harbor, we headed up and walked around the walls in the counterclockwise direction. Up here, we had amazing views of the city. The walls span the perimeter of the city and we spent about an hour and a half walking around.
There were several old cannons up here, indicating the defensive nature of these walls.
The bright orange roofs of the buildings of Dubrovnik made a spectacular sight from the walls. About halfway through, we stopped at Minčeta Tower.
Climbing up to the top was the highest point on the walls and provided the best views.
Continuing on, we could see Lovrijenac Fort, which is detached from the old town. Standing tall on a cliff high above the sea, this old fortress was stunningly beautiful.
The last section of the walls was along the coast and we could see the rocky water far below. At one point high above the rugged rocky coast, we watched some people jump into the ocean from the cliffs. When we finished the walls, we headed back to the old town. We visited the Church of St. Ignatius with the most beautiful interior.
The ceiling above the altar was painted with a heavenly scene and reminded me of the Sistine Chapel. Then we continued through town to Lovrijenac Fort, just outside the old town. There were many stairs to climb up but the views of the Old Town were great from here.
It really put into perspective the scope of the city walls we had walked earlier. After some pictures, it was getting to be about time so we headed back, passing the West Harbor of Dubrovnik.
Returning to the bus, we made the long drive home but Igor told us some stories and history of Croatia to pass the time.
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