Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is another of these cities that we anticipated would be like living in a postcard. We arrived at the nearby port near midday, to a glorious sunny day with little wind. We pulled up to the port effortlessly and unaided by pilots or tug boats.

After a bus shuttle ride into the city, we were dropped just outside the old town Pile Gate. First impression was a dense crowd of tourists that would be with us all day. Many, many people also wanted to walk in our postcard! Dubrovnik old town is a major destination not just for cruise ships (of which there were three in port) but also tour groups via coach.

We firstly walked up the main road then straight out the other end, discovering the old port. This is a marina for yachts as well as numerous boats offering rides around the old town walls. We followed the path as far as we could, eventually reaching a dead end which was a rocky shore used by swimmers and sunbathers alike outside the city wall on the sea side.

We headed back into the old town and took a different path up around the inside of the town walls, encountering old churches and eventually many restaurants. After much uphill walking, we were eventually persuaded to sit and enjoy an Italian restaurant, before continuing back downhill roughly back to where we started.

With plenty of time to spare, I opted to walk the city walls (4km) while Helen went for a more leisurely walk through the streets and could occasionally catch a glimpse of me on the city wall.

The city wall is one-way and by mid afternoon wasn't too busy. It is the best way to see the town from above. Damage from shelling in 1991 is still evident in some areas, with some stone buildings and houses still in ruins, and others clearly rebuilt and newer than their surroundings with bright orange roofing.

The highest part of the wall overlooks the old town and across the sea but requires some climbing to earn the view.

The crowds were still as much as in the morning, so we opted to return to the ship for dinner even though it was not sailing until 11pm.

Overall Dubrovnik is a beautiful town, and well kept especially considering events in 1991, but the crowds detract from its beauty and make it hard work. Still, tourism is its primary (or only?) source of income so it is somewhat unavoidable. We're glad to have visited.