Our first full day in Dubrovnik started very early. As I’ve mentioned, the TV series Game of Thrones is a huge reason that we wanted to visit Dubrovnik, and we were lucky enough to visit while the final season of the series aired. Unlike in the USA, the show aired on Monday night in Croatia, which means that by the time we woke up on Monday morning, the show had already aired back home, and spoilers were everywhere! Even folks in Croatia were already walking around talking about what had happened in the dramatic episdoe of the show. We had originally planned on finding a watch party to attend on Monday evening, but this proved harder than we had anticipated. Luckily, after downloading a free 24-hour VPN (streaming services such as HBONow have blocks that do not allow streaming in some countries), we were able to watch the episode first thing Monday morning. Let me tell you, it was simply magical to watch the episode “The Bells” while staring out across Old Town from our balcony, listening to the Clock Tower chime as it so frequently does in this episode. For two people who have loved watching this series for years and had begrudgingly accepted its approaching finale, this was about as satisfying an ending as possible.
Exploring Old Town
The weather in Dubrovnik was still nothing to brag about, but after waking up early we were restless and ready to see the city. We began by walking through the city streets and exploring the city’s harbor and two piers on the eastern edge of Old Town. We knew that we wanted to waste no time and get up on the walls, but with the hazy, rainy day we had to plan for the best break in the weather. After a lunch of rather mediocre pizza and spaghetti at an overpriced spot called Baracuda (dining in Dubrovnik is expensive and often overpriced, we learned), we returned to the AirBNB for some relaxation and a check of the forecast for the remainder of the day and evening, still hoping for a chance to climb up on those walls!
As the afternoon approached, the forecast continued to be unpredictable, showing sun on our phone apps and rain outside the window. Tickets to walk the city walls were not cheap, about $30 per person, so we were prepared to wait as long as we needed until we knew it would be the experience we had hoped for. As it neared 3:00PM, we decided to give it a shot because the clouds appeared to be breaking, and I am so happy that we went for it! Though it was still spitting rain for most of our first lap around the city, as we continued to walk the clouds broke up, the sun began to shine, and we were able to shed our rain gear and get our first doses of the Adriatic sun.
I mean it when I say that walking the Old Town City Walls was one of the most spectacular things that I’ve done in my life. Immediately upon scaling the steep steps and peering out across the walled city, I was struck with an appreciation for the history and importance of this place. From the various shades of orange along the rooftops that represent eras of destruction followed by rebuilding to the unforgettable shades of ocean blue contrasted with the lush green of Lokrum island, the kaleidoscope of colors is simply breathtaking. No words or pictures can do it justice; you simply must see this for yourself! Still, here are some great photos!
Three laps around the city of Dubrovnik took us several hours, but as we continued to walk the views kept impressing more and more, making it hard to stop. We finally decided to descend from the walls (knowing we would be coming back in several days) and find a spot to eat. We ate at a pizza place on the main road of Dubrovnik, the Stradun, which has plenty of cafes and offers great people-watching.
