Fortunately years ago, we both did Croatia before it got all crazy crowded, crazy expensive and crazy Games of Throney. However, we were nearby so we couldn’t miss a day throwing ourselves into “the Pearl of the Adriatic” which undoubtedly is a jewel of a city and has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the world. The above photo was a view from a hidden basketball court we found. We couldn’t help but chuckle at the suckers who were paying 29€ to walk the spectacular, free-in-almost-every-other-European-city wall for a similar view. This price was 20€ just last summer and free not too long ago. Talk about extortion.
The elegant 14th Century Gothic-Renaissance Rector’s Palace.
Choosing which set of stairs to go up is a constant make your-own-adventure game and is why it pays to get up at 5 am.
One of the main entrances, Pile Gate near the 16th Century Sponza Palace.
More alleyways to explore, along with some sweet faces.
At least these chubby cherubs provide free-flowing water!
Dining al fresco is a must in Dubrovnik and later in the day the tables would be jammed. We enjoyed our leftovers back at our hotel instead while the masses fought over 20euro pizzas.
Oh and about that free view from the beginning. Go to Tvrđava Minčeta, the main fortress tower. Just to the left of it is a little portal, which leads to a giant basketball court. And within the fencing, an opportunistic deviant (probably a frugal blogger) has created a hole just big enough, to reveal this view. Thanks to that opportunist.
It was about 10:00 and getting impossible to avoid the crowds. But one more important stop before we left the walled city… If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’ll recognize these steps as where Cersei endured her famous walk of shame. Greg doesn’t look like he has anything to be shameful for. Except maybe too much baklava.
The remarkably preserved fortress walls.
It was time to swim upstream so we decided to hike the 2k up the very steep hill to the castle fortress point. Sometimes (apparently not often), there is a cable car which runs length of this walk. A local told us the guy who owns it doesn’t pay his regular taxes which is why it’s often closed.
Getting high! We’ve never seen such a collection of fiery rooftops! After the breathtaking panorama, we were onto the next with a promise of never, EVER returning to Croatia in July.
