It's Not Flat!
⬅ previous ⬆intro next ➡Day 8 ~ 14 September ~ Kotor to Dubrovnik
We say goodbye to Marko and Dasha, as we're being taken by taxi now. P&T are also going to Dubrovnik, so we all squeeze into the car and we're off.Our man clearly fancies himself as a bit of a rally ace, so it's not the smoothest of rides. He's also got some kind of malfunctioning sensor in the car that gives off random beeps every half a minute or so. Oh well.
At the border crossing, the officials' are clearly busy with their morning coffee or something, because we hit a stationary line of traffic and just sit there while absolutely nothing happens.
After about half an hour, they obviously decide there's time for a short spot of work before lunch and we slowly start to progress. After that, though, all is well until we start nearing Dubrovnik and the traffic starts to build.
P&T are dropped first at one of the city gates, called Ploce, but there isn't really anywhere for the car to stop for more than a moment so it's a very quick goodbye to them and we continue to our own gate, Buza.
Our apartment is just inside the gate, so it's very easy to find, but we're a bit early and it's not ready yet, though we're welcome to leave our bags there for now.
But Amanda is cross. Very cross.
The reason is that while our bathroom is not shared, we have to cross a shared hallway to reach it. I'm not really that fussed, to be honest, which makes Amanda even more cross. Still, nothing we can do now.
We (grumpily) go for a wander to see a bit of the town and find some lunch.
By the city wall, not far from our apartment.
The Old Town is built on quite a slope down to the sea, so there are a lot of narrow alleys in the form of staircases.
In the old harbour is an old ship.
How old? Err, twenty years.
But it's an accurate replica of a 16th-century Dubrovnik galleon, and it certainly looks the part. There's a whole website for Galleon Tirena that's worth a look.
And by the harbour we find lunch, a fine sushi feast.
But we're not in Kansas any more, Toto; the lunch bill including a beer for me and coffee for Amanda is €69. But it's damn good, happy to spend the money. Even Amanda is a bit more cheerful now.
We do a little shopping for supplies (we're self-catering now, of course), and return to the apartment which is now ready. Apart from unpacking, we go online to get a couple of three-day Dubrovnik Passes before setting out again.
What's a Dubrovnik Pass? A tourist ticket that gives you access to many of the city's attractions, including the wall walk. Now the tickets for the wall are €40 each, which is more than a bit stiff, but the Dubrovnik Pass includes that and much more for only €50. It is the proverbial no-brainer, as they say, and even if you were only in town for a few hours, you'd probably still come out ahead.
So to the wall. There are several entry/exit points, but we think we'll walk down the road outside the wall to the Pile gate (where most of the tourists enter if they're coming from the modern hotels in the new town).
We're impressed at how well preserved it all is.
Here we are.
This way up.
Looking back down at the domed fountain in the courtyard just inside the gate. (If you look closely at the previous picture, you can just see people sitting round its edge.)
And this is looking back in the direction we walked down from.
Church domes pop up out of the tiles.
A closer look at one of them.
It's not just views to be had on the ramparts, there wider sections where retail opportunities are possible too. Amanda falls in love with some pink wire earrings, but her card is buried at the bottom of her bag somewhere so it's quicker for me to do the actual retail bit.
Looks like a wedding party or similar down below us here.
Can't say if it's the same or another party but they're lighting red flares now.
Tirena is on the water now under partial sail.
Yes, this is a bit of a mucky composition: it's the downside of my 600mm lens that it's not a zoom and therefore I can't get the slightly wider angle I really want here. If this had been something like a safari trip, I'd've brought a bit more camera gear, but I've compromised on flexibility a little to keep weight and bulk down.
Looking through a window in the "Tvrđava Minčeta", a 14th-century fortress at the highest point of the city. You can very probably see our apartment building about halfway along the wall, and if I zoom in on the original I think I have a strong contender, but I'm not completely certain and you can't see anything at this scale.
Back at ground level, the guys with the flares are still blazing away, and we're far from the only tourists capturing it all.
Looks like the blushing bride is having more fun than at a typical British wedding.
More flares, more flares!
We hope that not too much alcohol has passed their lips yet.
And now for something completely different.
A small shop called "Dubrovnik Cats".
Where they sell a variety of cat-themed gifts.
Miaow!
A small purchase is necessary.
Back at the apartment, this is the view from our terrace as we sit out for drinks and nibbles. Amanda may still be a bit peeved about the fact that we're not totally self-contained, but I think she's deciding maybe it's not too unbearable after all.
As the sun starts to set, they're still at it!
And it's our dinner time. As always, the kitchen facilities are a bit of a voyage of discovery, but we're not too badly equipped here.
A last look at the city by night and it's bed-time.
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