Croatia: Dubrovnik Revisited

Dubrovnik (DOO-brov-nik) would always be a special place in our hearts. On September 11, 2001 we took the train from Naples to Rome airport to fly to Dubrovnik. We had no idea about the events in NYC and DC until we were waiting for our flight in the Rome airport. At that time if you wanted to stay in the Old Town, you had to go see the booking agency right inside the gate, and they closed at 9pm. On the bus from Dubrovnik airport to the Old Town, I was trying to decide whether to worry about what happened to New York or whether we might be homeless for the night. We walked up to the booking agency just as the lady was pulling down her door to close for the night...she raised the door and a few minutes later we had a place to sleep.

25 years later, Dubrovnik is a zoo. Thousands of cruise passengers descend on the town each day. There is zero charm left. We did manage to climb the hill behind the town this time around. 25 years ago our guidebook strictly advised against - there might be landmines left from the Balkans War. We loved seeing the old town from different viewpoints, especially since being inside the town no longer appeals to us. They now charge 40 euros to walk on the wall. We remember paying less than a tenth of that.

As our ferry pulled into the Dubrovnik docks, we saw 2 large cruise ships that were already in port.


With 2 cruise ships in port, the Dubrovnik Old Town was very crowded. First below is a view of the main Old Town street, the Stradun, looking towards the Bell Tower of Church of St. Blaise (2nd below). In the Italian style, the bell tower is not connected to the church.




A TV series was being filmed in town, adding to the congestion.




The Gundulić Square Tourist Market was busy as were the nearby steps up to the Jesuit Church.




The Old Town Harbor and St. John's Fortress are outside the City Wall to the east.




The highest point of the City Walls is the circular Minčeta Tower (1st below). We walked up past the tower to a sunset viewpoint. It was cloudy, so not much of a sunset. So we stayed to watch the lights come on in the Old Town below.






Coming back down to the Old Town, the crowds were less at St Blaise; but the restaurants on the Stradun were filling up.




The next morning we headed out to walk up to the top of Mount Srd, towering over Dubrovnik at 420 elevation. No gondola for us. There was a cruise ship anchored off the Old Town Harbor, tendering folks back and forth.






This photo shows off the Dubrovnik City Walls and the Harbor.


When finally reaching the top next to the gondola station, we were surprised at the number of folks up there with us. It took us a while to find a place on the plateau to eat our picnic lunch with no one nearby angling for a photo. And when we found a spot, a jeep tour with 4 or 5 jeeps drove by.








In addition to the jeep tour "experience", there was also: PANORAMA ZIPLINE, ATV tours, SKYBIKE, and a war remembrance museum with MiG-21 airplane in front. Not to mention "pay only" viewpoints.












The walk down to town was beautiful.




Looking for a place to watch the sunset, we came across this restaurant, but ....




... opted for a more natural spot.

Croatia: Korcula

From Hvar, we continued by ferry to the next island, Korcula (KOR-choo-lah). The overnight rain continued the next morning. We scrapped our plans for hiking in the hills. Korcula seemed rather quiet. Here we got the feeling the summer season may be ending.

Korcula's Old Town is rather unique. It's laid out like a leaf (or like fish bones) with straight streets on one side of the spine and slightly curvy on the other side to minimize wind. It still has some walls and bastions from when it was a stronghold during Venetian time.

Korčula is a city deeply loved by its residents, carrying no pretensions about the tourism economy that fuels it. The Old Town Land Gate (1st and 2nd below) and City Walls (3rd below) are nicely kept. While the Land Gate Tower dates back to 1485, the town added the stairs in 1863 "replacing an older, ruinous stone structure and a medieval wooden drawbridge" says Google AI.






Just outside the Land Gate is the circular 20th-century "Memorial to the Defenders of Korčula" (1943), with several stone reliefs celebrating local trades and workers.






We walked along the harbor and super clear waters of the Adriatic Sea, then up to a viewpoint. Nice!










Typical city street.


This city street is the alleged 13th-century birthplace of Marco Polo. Smile.


There are several fine harbors, and a popular seaside promenade and outdoor restaurant terrace.