Dubrovnik, Day One
We drove straight from Camp Zlokovic to Camp Solitudo, which is only about a 10 minute bus ride to old town Dubrovnik. This campsite was one of the largest we'd been to so far, and it had good, reliable wifi. That was good news for us, as wifi had been pretty spotty elsewhere. Unfortunately, the mobile wifi that we rented from Croatia Camper wasn't very reliable and was quite spotty in many areas. Since we had great wifi, we could upload some blog posts, right? Wrong. The blogging difference between this trip and Iceland was that we had time to blog while in Iceland. It got dark early in the day (usually around 6 or so), so we had time to park, make dinner, blog, and plan the next day. This trip gave us much later sunset times, so we packed in as much as we could to each day. So sorry about the late blog posts...we've been running around having too much fun!
Dubrovnik + Lokrum Island from above
After settling into our camp spot, we hopped on the bus into old town. The bus was easy and fairly cheap. It dropped us off at the main gate, the Pile Gate. On our way in, we were stopped by an American guy working for a travel and excursion company. He decided to quit his job in Orlando and bought a 1 way ticket to London. Since June, he had been hitchhiking around Euriope. He had recently been robbed in Zadar, Croatia, so he had gotten a job in Dubrovnik to save up for a bus ticket north to Scandinavia. After speaking with him briefly, we signed up for both a sea kayaking adventure and a Game of Thrones walking tour for the next day. We had been planning on kayaking, and the Game of Thrones tour, which incorporated history of Dubrovnik as well, sounded really interesting.
Sometimes you just need a drink...
After heading into old town, we quickly found the Mexican restaurant, Bona Fide, that our friend from the adventure excursion company had suggested. It was a decent place, and we were hungry. After a quick lunch, and taking advantage of the free wifi (this became crucial in our travels, as it was often the most reliable internet connection we could get to map the route to our next destination), we were on our way to explore.
Stradun, the Main Street in Old Town Dubrovnik
We grabbed some gelato (a requirement at this point) and strolled around the uneven stone pathways that made up the city streets. There are many, many shops in the ground floors of the buildings, and many of them are quite touristy. But if you look hard enough, you can find the little shops that offer local, handmade goods. We headed out to the marina next to Sveti Ivan (Fort John), which is the giant round fort you see in all the photos. As with Kotor, there were tourists everywhere, and again I was thankful we came during the shoulder season. I don't even want to imagine how many people are there during peak season.
Church of Saint Blaise, the protector of Dubrovnik
Rector's Palace + Dubrovnik Cathedral in the background
Detail at Rector's Palace
Door at Rector's Palace
After a quick pass around the city, we determined that we needed to go up the hill in the Cable Car to see the entire city and the surrounding area. The cable car is located outside the Plo?e Gate. It cost 108 kuna each round trip for adults (or around $16 USD at the time of this writing). But it was worth it. The cable car itself is a neat little jaunt up th hill and was around 4 minutes long. You are crammed into a car with lots of other excited tourists, and straight up the hill you go. Make sure to try to be one of the first ones on, though, for the best view!
Cable car to see Dubrovnik from above
The view from the top is worth the 108 kuna. On a clear day, you can see mountains in Bosnia i Herzegovina and Montenegro. Looking down over the city, you almost get a plan view of the space. There's a gift shop and restaurant at the top. When ready, you can hop on a car back down to Dubrovnik.
Looking southeast toward Montenegro
Looking north toward Bosnia i Herzegovina to the Dinaric Alps
Dubrovnik from above
After the cable car, we did more exploring of Dubrovnik. We visited the Rector's Palace, which is quite an interesting combination of architectural styles. The palace was damaged throughout history from fires, earthquakes, and gunpowder explosions, so the palace now includes Gothic, Rennaisance, Rococo, and Baroque styles. The first historical reference to a palace at this location was from 1349, though the palace has been rebuilt many times.
Baroque stairs in the atrium
Handrail detail at Baroque stairs in atrium
Dubrovnik Cathedral
Saint Sebastian Church
We ended our day at Buffet Zvonic for dinner as it started pouring. I had a giant plate of mussels, while Justin had grilled squid. We needed to prep for a big day the next day - sea kayaking and touring the city!
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