Dubrovnik – Worth a trip of its own

View of Dubrovnik port from our veranda

Our second day brought us to the port city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, or as it is better known in the parlance of Game of Thrones, King’s Landing. Once again GoT notoriety has had a substantial impact on tourism in Croatia. According to our guide special GoT tours are quite popular with the tourists now – many of whom visit Dubrovnik for that reason alone. Our Viking tour guide pointed out a few of the most notable sites including the Red Keep and the “walk of shame.”

The Walk of Shame

Fort St. Lawrence also known as “The Red Keep”

I would like to return to Dubrovnik for a longer visit. Much of the city exists inside the old city walls. There are many quiet, out of the way corners to explore. There are steep stairway streets that rise from the plaza level of the old city four and even five levels. It is as if the plaza level was the stage of an amphitheater while the residential and commercial areas ascend to the top of the town walls. The walls themselves are as much as 18 feet thick on the land side – less so on the port side. Impenetrable to the slings and arrows of the barbarians of the Middle Ages. Dubrovnik is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Stairway to the top of Dubrovnik’s wall

There is a walkway atop the city walls. The entire circuit is over a mile in length and involves some 700 stairs. We did not rise to that challenge although I hope to do so some day.

We were treated to lunch in the city center by Keith and Joanne. I had the Croatian national dish of black risotto with cuttle fish accompanied by a local beer. The risotto is blackened with squid ink. It was quite tasty.

The Animals of Dubrovnik

These 2 photos are for my siblings. Dave, who patiently and spectacularly photographs birds, will not be impressed by my photo of the pigeons of Dubrovnik. But I don’t have his patience or skill. As our tour progressed, hundreds of pigeons suddenly and frantically took flight in response to the shrill scream of some passing falcon or hawk. I heard the scream, looked skyward and fired off a couple of shots. The blue sky is spectacular. The birds – not so much. The pigeons circled the square 5 or 6 times before re-settling on the roofs of the square.

The cats of Dubrovnik are for Anne. Like the cat of Venice, these two were completely oblivious to the entreaties of the passing tourist hoards. I need to start traveling with a can of tuna to see if I can coax a better response from my feline subjects.

The Pigeons of Dubrovnik

The Cats of Dubrovnik