It seems that no visit to Croatia is complete without visiting Dubrovnik.

The Travel Manager (aka Jeff) had picked an AirBnB very close to the Old Town, on top of the hill which overlooked the action area.  Good job Jeff!

Quite a lot of steps down and back up each day, the exercise beneficial for our waistlines.  After a few trips up and down these and we were ready for dinner.

Lasagne and Salad – a surprising bit of Italian in this coastal Croatian town.  We chose a restaurant on the outside of the Old Town Wall.

To tell you the truth, we were a tiny bit over Croation food so this seemed like a good option.

Dubrovnik certainly has everything – an Old Town, castles, blue waters, restaurants, bars, a vibrant night life, cruise ships and a bar with swings overlooking a tranquil bay!!  What more could you want?!  Would you call it a “swingers bar”?   A perfect spot overlooking a quiet, secluded bay.

Did I mention the cruise ships?

Truthfully, when the big groups of tourists disembarked from the cruise ships and all headed to the Old Town at once, it was a bit of a bottle neck……  If you don’t like crowds and people being herded in large groups, then stay away from the Old Town.  But don’t let that disuade you, it’s still a beautiful town to experience.

Breakfast of champions?  Hmmm…..   We found this combination to be in most places where we asked for eggs.  Eggs and bacon cooked together seems to be a Croatian thing and I’m not sure how the slices of orange fit in but, hey, we did need some Vitamin C.

Now for a visit to the Old Town.

The Dubrovnik Old Town is one of the most perfectly preserved medieval cities in the world.   Dubrovnik rivalled Venice as a trading port when it was built between the 11th and 17th centuries and is known for its huge sturdy stone walls that surround the old city, originally built for protection.

Today, the walls enclose Dubrovnik’s historic town centre and it’s possible to walk along the walls to enjoy the best views of the Adriatic Sea and the surrounding landscape.  It’s quite a long way around and in parts is very high – high enough to challenge my fear of heights in some sections. 

The view was truly spectacular.

The Old Town is very much the same as the old towns of Venice, Zadar and Split – narrow laneways, polished stones lining as paving, tall bildings and lots and lots of steps.  You could feel the burn in the legs after an hour or so.

There’s an abundance of restaurants throughout the Old Town and as it was mid afternoon, we decided to enjoy dinner in two parts at two different restaurants, taking our time between with a walk around the harbour.

First off, an antipasto platter of proscuito, cheese, olives, achovies and squid, washed down with a cleansing ale.  Perfect.

A walk around the harbour to make room for more.

The beautiful blue of the Adriatic Sea.

It looks like I could do with a little more walking!

As the sun went down, we enjoyed a dish of collective treats from the Adriatic in a delightful terrace restaurant tucked away somewhere in the Old Town (there are so many steps and laneways I know we would have trouble finding it again).  Delicious!

A two night stopover in this seaside town and there was one more seaside stop to go before heading inland.  Off to Makarska tomorrow.

Jeff and Catherine xx