Dubrovnik

 

Looking down on from the wall onto a part of the old town.

     

Dubronik is a city with a lot of history.  The old town, which is where many of the tourists head to, is walled and parts of it go back to the 9th century and wasn't completed until around the 14th century.  We had booked our accommodation inside the walls so we were close to all the action.  

Looking down from our apartment over three floors.

   

View down the main street, Stradun. It was wet this morning when this photo was taken so the crowds were less!!

      We spent lots of time walking around the town.  The walk around the walls gave us magnificent views, as well as plenty of exercise as there are lots of steps, up and down.      

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

The other major attraction we did was the gondola to the hill top above the old town.  Once again there were magnificent views from the top.  We decided lunch was in order and we were lucky we chose that time of day as the wind came up later and there was a rush to recuse the sun umbrellas.  

 

View from the top of the gondola.

   

   

Enjoying a beer before our lunch.

    A museum dedicated to telling the story of the 1991-93 conflict was on display up here too in part of a now disused fortress. We spent some time looking at this and it is hard to believe that so much pain was inflicting on the people in the town just 25 years ago.  There were photos of our street, deserted and damaged.  

Stradun Street during the conflict.

    More can be read by clicking on HISTORY       Later in the afternoon we found a place to sit by the water before having a 'siesta and later a meal.  The streets are away from the Stradun are all very narrow and all full of restaurants touting for business. We eventually decided on one and spent an enjoying last night together.     

Enjoying the sun and the sea.

   

    Reflections on Dubrovnik. Before getting to Dubrovnik we had read in the news that several 'hot resort areas' have had protests this summer from the locals about the high numbers of visitors flooding their cities. In particular the cruise ships are the biggest culprits and Dubrovnik's old town can have up to 9000 visitors in any one day. When you see the size of the town it is easy to understand how that number of people can ruin the experience for everyone.  We spoke to one local and his gripe was the fact the town is so noisy late into the night. Not so long ago the local population was 5000 and now it is only 500. Their housing has been converted to accommodation.  Of course that is where we stayed and yes it was noisy at night and then again first thing in the morning when all the deliveries are made as it is a car free zone from 8:30am.   Ear plugs solved that problem.  The prices were also highly inflated compared to what we have experienced in other areas of the country. So it is a dilemma. On one hand they need the tourists numbers to keep the economy buoyant though those from the cruises aren't renowned for their high spending. On the other hand the high numbers are ruining their way of life as well as causing damage to their ancient buildings and infrastructure. Limiting the number of cruise boats on any one day would help and will happen if the mayor has his way.    

Enjoying our last meal in one of the narrow streets.

    We enjoyed our stay, and were glad to have experienced Dubrovnik at such close quarters and are now looking forward to seeing more of the country.