Dubrovnik Old Town
If you’re not doing the walls. Why are you even going to Dubrovnik?
This was a bit of an in joke with Majella, however they are truly impressive. Dubrovnik was our meeting place with Jell and Brendan, who came to us separately from Greece and Australia. When we first arrived there we dined just outside the walls at the Pile gate at Dubravka. The food was great and the wine a Dignac ( red wine a Plavic Mali native Croatian grape) was equal to the food. It was great to get a really tasty beef steak matched by a full bodied red both absent in our Italian experience.
Looking down at the walls from the summit behind approaching sunset is certainly worthwhile. A gondola ride to the summit terminates at a typical gift ship, basic restaurant, flasher outdoor restaurant and bar that serves a good aperol spritz (or 3) and fantastic views north and south along the Dalmatian coast and of course down to Dubrovnik old town.
From the summit too, you can hire off road vehicles and tour the area heavily contested during the war. From there you look not far to Bosnia and south towards Montenegro. There the forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro took the summit named the hill of Srd, and sadly shelled the UNESCO heritage listed Dubrovnik old town causing considerable misery there. The Homeland War (Croatian name for the war of independance) museum at the summit commemorates that war from a Croatian perspective and is interesting for this.
My interest spiked more and more as I got to learn the often savage history of this part of the globe especially in the Balkans through the Adriatic to the Aegean. The more recent history of post WW2 Yugoslvia and its messy breakup has many perspectives and as we moved through the different parts of the old Yugslavia our own perspective changed. An interesting view of the Yugoslavian life is available at the well curated Red Museum near….. It not only narates and displays images of the lives of ordinary Croatians but has lots of items from outboard motors to cars and records from the period. It gives a glimpse to the current mindset of current day Croatians. Their attitude to healthcare, employment and the common weal, as for all of us I suppose, dominate from this period in my view.
Dubrovnik old town is probably more familiar to many of you even without visiting personally, as it features in many films and series, with more recently featuring in Game of Thrones as Kings Landing and the current seies of Vikings. Apparently now pricing itself out of the film game the disruptions and “closure” of the town will be less so. A walking tour is well worthwhile with the commentary on ancient through to recent history togethpointers to film scenes are well worthwhile. The history of Dubrovnik as its own republic and its long resistance to take over from the Venetians was most impressive including suprisingly in its heyday having the largest merchant fleet in the known world. Whilst not Sandy’s cup of tea the Maritime museum certainly was worthwhile IMHO.
A walk of the walls reveals lots of great photo angles and a few cafe/bars along the walls including seaside of the outer wall is most welcome. It is a definite must do!
