Venturing into the Alpine-Carpathian Zone - Final Stop: Dubrovnik

View of the Old City

Dubrovnik - 'The Pearl of the Adriatic', located on the Dalmatian coast, was an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. The city was built on maritime trade and it became the only city-state in the Adriatic to rival Venice!

It is absolutely beautiful.......... but it is swarming with tourists! (And it wasn't even the peak season when we were there - the peak season is apparently in August, we were there in June).

*Please note: Dubrovnik is not part of the Alpine-Carpathian Zone. Alpine-Carpathian Zone:located in the south of the northern zone, bordered in the south by the rivers Kupa-Sava-Danube. The countries located by the author in this zone are Austria, Croatia (except Istria and Dalmatia), Czech Republic, Hungary, northeast Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Northern Serbia (north of Sava and Danube).*

In the Old City (within the city walls):

Stradun - within the city walls

Towards the Pile Gate entrance

Pile Gate

Back at the Stradun

Church of Saint Blaise

Rector's Palace on the left

Heading up the Baroque staircase towards the Saint Ignatius Church

In awe.... The church is 'marble-y'. I love it!

Heavenly

There is a cliff bar you MUST go to.... Buza Bar. Sip some local Croatian wine while you absorb the stunning view. 

Buza Bar (or 'hole-in-the-wall')

Old Port

On the way to the Ploce Gate

Ploce Gate

With Grams (Grandmother)

View of the Old Port

Back within the city wall

Saunter within the city walls, get lost in its alleys - you will find little hidden treasures.

There are numerous flights of staircase you have to climb to go anywhere. We were worried for my grandmother (she has a knee problem), but she was amazingly fine. When we got back to Kuala Lumpur, she told everyone she has never been to a place more beautiful!

Another thing you ought to do is the city wall walk. You will catch glimpses of the views from all corners of the wall.... of the Old City and outside. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Stradun

View of the Old Port

The 3rd oldest pharmacy can be found in the Old City. It is very interesting (I love hanging out in pharmacies and checking out the random cool stuff...then buying things I don't need :S) It is located in the Franciscan Monastery (near the Pile Gate entrance).

Outside the Old City (beyond the walls):

Banje Beach is just a short walk away from the Old City, from Ploce Gate exit.

Beach time!

To soak in the view of the city walls from above, head upwards towards Mt Srđ - a mountain just behind the walled city of Dubrovnik. Its height is 412 metres. The top is adorned with Fort Imperial, built in the early 1800s during the Napoleonic Wars. You can reach the top by taking the Dubrovnik Cable Car - a 5-minute walk from the Pile Gate entrance.

At the Cable Car station (at the top)

Lokrum Island on the left, the Old City on the right

From the Old Port, take a ferry to Lokrum Island (~10 minutes). It is a cute island with lush, exotic flora. There is also an idyllic little salt-filled lake, with medicinal properties, linked to the open sea. The Mrtvo more (Dead Sea), is a floaters paradise... lol

Mrtvo more

Another excursion from Dubrovnik which is worthwhile is the Elaphite Islands. Just a 20-minute ferry ride away from the Gruž harbour you will be presented the perfect opportunity to savour the unspoilt Croatian Adriatic at its best. The Elaphites became part of the Dubrovnik Republic from the 14th century, sharing in its prosperity and then its decline. By the middle of the 18th-century, many island villages lay abandoned and depopulation became a major problem. Today, only three of the islands are inhabited – Koločep, Lopud, and Šipan – each of which has its own uniqueness.
Despite the daily influx of tourists from Dubrovnik, tourism on the Elaphites remains reassuringly low, the almost total absence of cars contributing to the mellow feel: private vehicles are not allowed on any of the islands except Šipan.

We decided to spend time on the Koločep island. From the Old City, take the bus to the Gruž harbour, whereby you can ride the ferry to the island. Do check the ferry times beforehand, as they are not as frequent as the ferries to Lokrum Island.

On the ferry

Koločep

More beach time :D

There is more to the island than the beach. Wander around the island to savour the exuberant vegetation.

Cavtat - 15km away from Dubrovnik, is a lot more 'local' than Dubrovnik. Wrapped around a very pretty harbour that is bordered by beaches and backed by a curtain of imposing hills, the setting is lovely.

The House of Vlaho Bukovac - Cavtat’s most famous personality, painter Vlaho Bukovac, one of the foremost exponents of Croatian modernism

In Dubrovnik, enjoy all the 'out-of-the-sea' fresh seafood!

Tuna

They are exceptionally fresh - It is perfect even in its simplest form of grilling the seafood with salt, pepper and lemon. Superb!!

This is the end of our Central-East travels. From Dubrovnik, we flew into glorious London! However, we were given 20 additional hours to spend in Dubrovnik - our flight was freaking delayed - but maybe it was a blessing in disguise ;)

Doviđenja ljepota!