Named as the gem of the Adriatic by Lord Byron
I must admit, that in spite of being told that Croatia was a beautiful country, I never really considered that it would be a highlight of our trip, considering all of the other well-known and well-loved stops we would be making on our cruise. But what a gem of a city it turned out to be.
There was a bartender named Maro, who we befriended on the ship (one of many, I might add), who was from Dubrovnik. We asked him about his city early on in the cruise and he said it was the most wonderful city on earth. Besides being a bit homesick, he spoke so fondly of his hometown and we were anxious to visit the places he recommended there and report back to him.
The only reference point I had for Croatia as a country was I know it was war torn in the early 90’s, so I expected that to be reflected in the city’s buildings and landscape. What we saw when we pulled into port was a beautiful city, with hillsides dotted with matching white stucco buildings with red tile roofs, overlooking the sparkling Adriatic. After a busy two days in Greece, we had planned for a beach day in Dubrovnik at the East-West beach recommended by our friend Maro. We shared a cab into Old Town with a friendly couple from Toronto (whose son, it turned out, was now living in Waco!).
Old Town was our second taste of the beauty of Dubrovnik. It was clean, open and surrounded by spectacular ocean views. The shopping district is very elegant and the streets, which are open to pedestrians only, are literally made of marble! There is a medieval-looking wall that surrounds the entire city that is 70 or 80 feet high, and is anywhere from 3’ to 16 feet thick at any given point.
We strolled casually through the town and passed through their famous entry gate, complete with a wooden drawbridge. We easily found the beach, which Maro described as one of the most beautiful in the world. He was certainly right about the water, which was a spectacular blue (but was very cold) and it had a perfect view of the fort and city gate and the old wooden ships as they sailed into town!! The fine sandy beaches that we are accustomed to are not what you find in many European areas and this was no exception. It was all rocks, and although they were smooth, it still made walking a bit of a challenge. And Steve’s love of reading while standing in the water became a core exercise while he tried to balance himself on the shifting rocks.
We spent a relaxing couple of hours at the beach before heading off to find the perfect lunch spot overlooking the sea, which was not hard to find in this lovely city. We topped it off with a gelato to-go as we strolled back to catch a cab to the port. I think that Dubrovnik, overall, was probably the most beautiful city we visited, with the resort-like atmosphere combined with the historic wall, matching buildings and cobblestone and marble streets. What a gem!
I must admit, that in spite of being told that Croatia was a beautiful country, I never really considered that it would be a highlight of our trip, considering all of the other well-known and well-loved stops we would be making on our cruise. But what a gem of a city it turned out to be.
There was a bartender named Maro, who we befriended on the ship (one of many, I might add), who was from Dubrovnik. We asked him about his city early on in the cruise and he said it was the most wonderful city on earth. Besides being a bit homesick, he spoke so fondly of his hometown and we were anxious to visit the places he recommended there and report back to him.
The only reference point I had for Croatia as a country was I know it was war torn in the early 90’s, so I expected that to be reflected in the city’s buildings and landscape. What we saw when we pulled into port was a beautiful city, with hillsides dotted with matching white stucco buildings with red tile roofs, overlooking the sparkling Adriatic. After a busy two days in Greece, we had planned for a beach day in Dubrovnik at the East-West beach recommended by our friend Maro. We shared a cab into Old Town with a friendly couple from Toronto (whose son, it turned out, was now living in Waco!).
Old Town was our second taste of the beauty of Dubrovnik. It was clean, open and surrounded by spectacular ocean views. The shopping district is very elegant and the streets, which are open to pedestrians only, are literally made of marble! There is a medieval-looking wall that surrounds the entire city that is 70 or 80 feet high, and is anywhere from 3’ to 16 feet thick at any given point.
We strolled casually through the town and passed through their famous entry gate, complete with a wooden drawbridge. We easily found the beach, which Maro described as one of the most beautiful in the world. He was certainly right about the water, which was a spectacular blue (but was very cold) and it had a perfect view of the fort and city gate and the old wooden ships as they sailed into town!! The fine sandy beaches that we are accustomed to are not what you find in many European areas and this was no exception. It was all rocks, and although they were smooth, it still made walking a bit of a challenge. And Steve’s love of reading while standing in the water became a core exercise while he tried to balance himself on the shifting rocks.
We spent a relaxing couple of hours at the beach before heading off to find the perfect lunch spot overlooking the sea, which was not hard to find in this lovely city. We topped it off with a gelato to-go as we strolled back to catch a cab to the port. I think that Dubrovnik, overall, was probably the most beautiful city we visited, with the resort-like atmosphere combined with the historic wall, matching buildings and cobblestone and marble streets. What a gem!
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