We arrived into Dubrovnik on a short 50 minute flight from Belgrade. Our German-speaking cab driver dropped us as close as he could get to our brand new AirBnB accommodation just outside the old town. Even the 5 minute walk the rest of the way to the house had us sweating like pigs and dying of thirst. The heat was intense. The streets were really narrow with lots of steep staircases leading down, presumably built before the days of cars. Scooters seemed to be the main mode of transport here but occasionally a car would come along which would mean all pedestrians had to hug the nearest wall to allow room. After meeting our hosts and dropping off our stuff we wandered into the old city.
We strolled around on the car-free streets admiring the historical buildings, the docks and the many cafes set up to cater for the enormous amount of tourists. We stopped for some local food at the strangely named Taj Mahal and enjoyed the burek (pie). Prices in this part of Croatia were a lot more expensive than in Serbia (mains were about AUD $20). On the way home we stopped to buy some cheap 500 ml cans of beer ($1) and cider ($2).
The following morning the girls and I caught a local bus out to Trsteno where there was an arboretum used in the filming of Game of Thrones (the King's Landing garden scenes with Lady Olenna, Margery and Sansa). The views over the Adriatic Sea with its many islands are spectacular and the garden is beautiful with its villa, old oil press, fountain, aqueduct, chapel, pavilion, maze and, of course, many plants.
Back in Dubrovnik I collected Josh and we hiked up to the top of Mt Srd. The chairlift looked oh so tempting but our general rule is, if we can walk it, we walk it. The summit offered amazing views over the old city and some nearby islands and after a long hike in the heat we took our time taking it all in. Time got away from us a bit and we realised we were going to be late for our evening boat cruise. Our descent turned into a jog down the side of the mountain over the loose gravel and then through the tiny streets back to our accommodation. Usually just walking in this heat was enough to break a sweat so you can imagine what we looked like after our run. We made it back in record time and even had a few minutes spare for quick showers.
Our evening activity was a Game of Thrones tour since most of the King's Landing scenes were filmed in Dubrovnik. The tour started with a one hour boat cruise on the Karaka, a ship that was often filmed in the harbour in the series. We enjoyed a dragon's blood cocktail, views of the city from the coast and dressing up as characters while they explained what was filmed where. On arrival in the port, we did a walking tour with one of the costume designers and she gave us her impressions of the actors and some goss about them while she walked us around to different filming locations. We saw the stairs from Cercei's shame walk, the place where Joffery got stuff thrown at him and the gates where Jamie re-entered the city after losing his hand. We couldn't see any places from Season 1 since that was actually filmed in Malta but we did see the beach that is Blackwater Bay. We hung around for a little bit to see the old city by lantern light before heading back for drinks on the balcony (because no one can afford a drink in the old city).
The next day we headed back into the old city to walk the walls, which was a cool experience, if you could handle fighting your way through the millions of tourists. We then spent more time strolling through the alley ways and finding other Game of Thrones locations like the brothel that Oberyn visited and Fort Lovrijenac where Joffrey's name day celebration was filmed. We then collected our bags for a 5 hour evening bus ride to Split. Our 2 and a bit days was just enough time to see the major attractions in Dubrovnik but we definitely could have spent longer in this charming place.
In Split we had another nice apartment with a balcony from which we could enjoy city and coast views. The first day we had a sleep in and then walked the 10 minutes into town to have a look at the harbour, shop in the souvenir and food markets and to explore the Diocletian Palace, a Roman city that is still in good nick and is now a thriving hub of cafes and shops. It was also the location of some of Daenerys scenes in Game of Thrones. Kan and I climbed the bell tower of Saint Duje's Cathedral to take in the views over the city and coast and we all went down into the underground passageway off Peristil square. It looked like this might have been where Daenerys locked up her dragons.
The following day we caught the catamaran to Hvar for a day trip. We explored the old city and walked up to the old fort on top of the hill. A lot of the old city walls were still intact and it was a lovely town to chill in for the day, eating too much ice cream, drinking too many ciders and swimming at the pebbly beaches.
We arrived in Zadar in the late afternoon after another bus ride and despite our good intentions to explore the old town, we just had an afternoon in. Zadar was named the 2016 European destination of the year. It had a nice feel to it, having beautiful coast line, a walled old city, Roman ruins and lots of nearby islands, but with fewer tourists than Dubrovnik or Split. The sea organ and light show at the harbour were quite unique and the Island of Uglijan was peaceful and worth a half-day trip via ferry. With three nights here, we had plenty of downtime which is always very welcome.
Plitvice Lakes National Park was a lovely day trip from Zadar on our way to Zagreb. After a two hour bus ride turned into a three hour bus ride because of a breakdown, we arrived at entrance 1, stored our bags and paid the exorbitant 180 kuna ($36) entrance fee. The views were stunning with a large system of crystal clear lakes flowing into one another through a series of waterfalls. Unfortunately this UNESCO world heritage site seems to be a very popular spot for all tourists and when all those tourists stop to take selfies every 2 steps on the tiny boardwalks it makes for a very slow moving day. Another bus later that evening took us to Zagreb, the capital city and our final stop in Croatia.
Zagreb didn't strike me as an immediately 'pretty' city with its big concrete apartment buildings and graffiti. One day was more than enough time to explore the upper and lower towns that made up the city center. The main square, Trg Bana Josipa Jelacica, had nice architecture and cafes, and the nearby Cathedral and Dulac market were worth a look. There were some quirky museums including the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Mushroom Museum as well as the world's smallest funicular, leading to the upper town with St Mark's church, a stone gate, and some nice views. There was plenty of time for shopping in their department store, Kama (I upgraded my backpack for a suitcase, and got ready to send my pack home with friends), drinking local wine in a café and enjoying some pizza for dinner.
We then said a sad goodbye to sunny Croatia as we caught a morning bus to Bled in Slovenia.
