Dubrovnik, Croatia

Our jouney to Dubrovnik was a bit of a challenge as there were high winds and rough seas. We were skirting a devasting storm that did terrible damage in Split, 110 nautical miles southwest of us. Several passengers, myself included, took seasick pills to get us through the worst of it.

We had to make one quick stop to refuel. It was a welcome relief to be in calm waters for a bit. The marinas are small and I wondered how this was done. The fuel truck was waiting for us, a quick refill and off we went.

It was still stormy when we arrived in Dubrovnik and gratefully, we had a wide open spot to get on the dock, near the bridge in the middle of this picture. There was a very large cruise ship in port as well. Once we were docked and settled, another boat came in and rafted to us. They had a struggle and ended up transfering a line to the front of our boat to pivot into us. It was quite an event to watch and a relief when everyone was tied and secured.

There were several fun things to do and see including a cable car ride up the mountain, a tour of Old Town, or a boat ride to Lokrum Island. We chose to spend our day in Old Town and venture the hike on the wall. The wall is 2 km (0.6 miles) around, has 1080 steps, and completely encompasses the town. If you look closely in the background of this picture, you can see people walking on the wall. We later learned the cable car was closed due to the high winds, so we were glad we chose the wall.

We laughed at the strength we had built, compared to our stay in Portugal, three months ago. We were much more comfortable doing the stairs here.

This is the view from the highest point of the wall, overlooking the town and Lokrum Island. This wasn't just a hike, but an adventure. There are home entrances on the wall, little restaurants, and of course amazing views.

These small turrets were all around the wall. I laughed because I was too tall to enter standing straight and that was unusual. Something was shorter than me 😁. As you look down into backyards, you can see their beautiful gardens.

These were very old artifacts, anchors and cannons, and a beautiful view of the marina.

After you come off the wall, you are greeted by this beautiful fresh water fountain where you can refill your water bottle or splash cool water on your face. The water is yummy and refreshing.

This was quite the attraction as you had to step up on this rock face and stay there. I think Keith was able to stand on it for maybe two seconds, and I was impressed. The younger kids were able to stay up much longer. (note: the only way I could capture a picture was to take a video)

The end of the day had come and time to head back to the boat. As we exit the city wall, we see this five masted ship in the harbor, all lit up. It was so beautiful against the setting sun. A great ending to an amazing day.