Walking the Walls of Dubrovnik

Looking down on Onofrio's Fountain.
By the way, the water coming out of the fountain via a 600-year-old aqueduct was delicious.

Today was the only full day in Dubrovnik. And what's the best thing to do in Dubrovnik when you've got a free full day? Walk the walls.

But before ascending the steep stone stairs to the walls, let's reflect upon the Lovrijenac, the historic fortress.

The same ticket to gain entry to the wall-walking also would give you admission to the fortress. If your legs were still working afterwards. Ours weren't.

It is a steep climb up stone stairs that most decidedly are not ADA compliant.

But the views from atop the walls are worth breaking ADA law to see.

Getting mighty crowded up on the walls:

Not "Great Wall of China" crowded, although there were a lot of Chinese tourists. But packed in tightly in spots.

Here is the view of Lovrijenac, the fortress which shall remain unmolested by these American tourists:

These walls won't walk themselves, so it's time to focus on our wall-walking:

But we can stop occasionally to look through a window in a turret.

Or even to go inside a turret.

More Lovrijenac:

Why so much Lovrijenac? It is the most prominent feature off to the west when you are walking the western segment of the walls.

And here are people kayaking from the kayak rental station somewhere between Dubrovnik's Pile Gate and the Lovrijenac.

The walls go on and on and on and on.

So pause for a photo.

Or pause for a pause.

A this point, we are looking down on Dubrovnik, which means we are about halfway through the wall walk,

At the point you reach the harbor, the walls are not as high. There's got to be a reason. But if I included one here, I would be making it up.

More harbor:

More wall. This time with the bell tower from the east end of the Stradun in the background.

And here's the bell tower without any people in the picture to detract and distract from its awesomeness.

We are getting close the summit, close to the pinnacle of the wall.

The northwest corner of the wall is the high point of the fortification. It comes at the end because your legs will be screaming from climbing all of the stone stairs necessary to get there.

And here we are at the giant Croatian flag at the summit of the wall. This kind of looks like an album cover shot, doesn't it? Anyway, after our calf muscles recover, we will continue with our day of Dubrovnik tourism.

Dubrovnik After Dark

Strolling the Stradun, Dubrovnik's main boulevard

I have arrived in Dubrovnik, as has everyone else with whom I am traveling this travel: the Sister, the Brother-in-Law, the Cousin, the Cousin's Husband, and the family friend from Bavarian Germany. They shall not be named since at least one of the above fears that if the internets learn that they are traveling in places on the other side of the globe, they will targeted by every cat burglar in the Keystone State. Which would be unfortunate, given that they are dog people.

It was a long day of flying to get here,  It took awhile, sitting in airplane seats that seemed designed specifically to maximize discomfort, but soon we were outside the Pile Gate, the western entrance in the walled city of Old Dubrovnik.

This is the former draw bridge that formerly went over the moat the encircled the city's walls.

Now it's just a dry ditch.  But it's nice to have the bridge still working, so you don't have to roll your bag into the ditch and then up out of the ditch. What did Dubrovnik tourists in ancient days, like 35 years ago, before the invention of wheeled luggage?  They suffered, that's what they did.

Time to stroll the Stradun on the way to supper. Street musicians were out busking in force.

As was the nearly full moon, shining over the Stradun.

We went looking for this one restaurant recommended by the apartment building we're staying in. (Three small apartments. Stacked on top of each other. Very "atmospheric," with "character," as the real estate people would say. Actually, we each have one of the three apartments and it's a great place to stay in the old city.)

Here's the Cousin by the Harbor.

And here is the Harbor by the Cousin:

The Harbor by the Cousin under the nearly-full moon.

Here is a picture of children after dark, climbing on statuary. After dark.

Then, giving up on the restaurant we were looking for, primarily because forgot it's name and it's very difficult to find a restaurant you've never been to before when you don't know it's name. So we dined at the nice, but priced-for-tourists Bistro Tavulin.

I of course had the octopus salad. Like the Baby Jesus in "Silent Night," the octopus was tender and mild. As was the medium rare pork.

Yes. Medium rare pork. I live life on the edge.

The hour was getting late. We all slept about as much as one can sleep in uncomfortable airplane sears. So it was time to return to the apartments for a good night's sleep.

Laku noć.

Dubrovnik, Croatia: The Stradun

This is the Stradun. It is the main pedestrian mall in the Old City section of Dubrovnik. The part of Dubrovnik within the old walls is car-free, pedestrian only. If this were the heighth of tourist season, the Stradun would be elbow-to-elbow. This is definitely a tourist town. Euro-tourists. I was speaking with a couple from England at dinner, who also were talking to a large table of Austrians (as opposed to a table of large Austrians, although, that too would have been accurate). I took a picture of a couple from the Ukraine. I hear all sorts of languages on the streets, only one of which I've thus far recognized (English).

I had dinner at the Moby Dick. In Dubrovnik. I was reading a biography of Herman Melville on the plane trip across the Atlantic -- yes, seriously, my lack of having a life has reached that point -- so I thought that restaurant would be good. I had fish. And when I say "fish," I mean the waiter brought over a platter of freshly caught dead fish and I selected the particular fellow on whom I would be dining. He said the fish was a "sole flounder." I guess the breed name got lost in translation. For dessert, I had a tasty lemon ice cream from an ice cream/gelato shop on the Stradun. Apparently strolling the Stradun with an ice cream in hand is THE thing to do for an evening's entertainment in the Old City. I got no problem with that.