Exploring Dubrovnik

Hi all!

This morning we got up fairly early and began climbing the city walls. Thankfully for me, Jamie asked if they had a student price. I paid 1/3 of the price as my student card still has one month left! *does happy dance*

Everyone we spoke to had told us to come early to avoid crowds and the heat, but by 8.30am it was already hot enough for us. As I said yesterday, the walls surround the whole of Dubrovnik old town and are 1940m in length. There's about 1000 steps to ascend or descend, and the stone gets very hot. We started with the hardest third first, and it was relatively deserted so we enjoyed it mostly to ourselves. Once we got to the second third though the dreaded cruise ship groups began. Thousands of them descend upon Dubrovnik (like countless other cities in Europe!) for the day, crowding the town to capacity. Then they all leave and it's fairly deserted!!!

We had such wonderful views on the walls and despite the heat really enjoyed the walk. We had a quick stop at a fruit market where we devoured a punnet of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, and then we split up - Jamie went to a history museum whilst I went to Fort St Lawrence (Lovrijenac). Aka the Red Keep in King's Landing for 'Game of Thrones' fans (I've only watched three episodes with Rob in Cardiff), aka the pit stop in leg 8 of season 3 of 'The Amazing Race Australia vs New Zealand'. It was built by the people of Ragusa in just three months in order to resist Venetian rule. It's 37m above sea level and has walls up to 12m thick!! I walked right up the top and saw where Grant Bowler had stood for the pit stop, and eavesdropped on some 'GoT' tours. The fort offered some great views!!

Then we met back up and had a bit of a rest. After this we went to Buža cliff top beach. Jamie sat in the shade under a big rock while I swam in the oceans with incredible views of the city walls in a cordoned off area. You could see the island of Lokrum in the distance - it was wonderful and cooled me down!!! We then went and swam at Banje Beach, about a five minute walk away. I really miss our lovely sandy beaches at home and am SICK OF PEBBLES! I'm sorry but pebble beaches don't count - they hurt!! Haha. 

We came back, got ready and then went and enjoyed some drinks at Buža cliff top bar. From here we had spectacular views of the ocean and enjoyed watching the sunset. We then went and had dinner at a restaurant recommended to us by Maro, our host. I had prawn risotto and Jamie had spaghetti bolognese. The restaurant had seating outside in a lovely quiet square and we really enjoyed it. 

Now we are going to watch a movie!

We have absolutely loved Croatia (and our very brief visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina!) and I have learned so much about the history of this country in the last few days. It's been wonderful to enjoy some proper sun and heat and I will definitely be coming back to the Balkans one day. I've still got Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and the rest of Croatia to explore!!

See you all back in London Town tmro. 

Love to all

Claire

Xoxox

PS: those of you who know me well know I have an earring addiction. Proudly, I haven't bought a new pair since Brazil in February but today I caved and bought a pair here. I really like them though :)