We Wish We Spoke German: Croatia Part IV: Dubrovnik

After enjoying a few days of relaxation on Hvar, we headed to Dubrovnik to do some more sightseeing. To get from the island of Hvar to the city of Dubrovnik, there are two options. Option 1: A short ferry back to Split, then a bus ride from Split to Dubrovnik. The bus ride is estimated at 4 hours, but can take up to 6 hours depending on traffic and if the border guards in Bosnia decide to check every passenger’s documentation. Yes, you drive through Bosnia for a short stretch. Also, the geography in Croatia is pretty crazy, so the drive can cause some major motion-sickness. Option 2: A 9 hour boat ride from Hvar to Dubrovnik. After much debate, we chose the sea option. I was nervous about what the boat would be like for such a long ride and also, if we would get seasick. Being seasick for 9 hours sounded like an absolute nightmare. But we bought some Dramamine (or “Dramino” as the Croatia brand is named) and took our chances. It really turned out to be a great decision. The boat was much nicer than we had expected, the views were fantastic, and the weather was pleasant. Although it was a long day, it was pretty relaxing and Matt snapped some great photos.

We arrived in Dubrovnik in the evening, and headed into the town to check it out and eat dinner. The city is just stunning. While the exact history is somewhat disputed, legend has it that Dubrovnik was founded in the 7th century on a rocky island named Laus. It is situated right on the Adriatic Sea. There are fortified walls that run completely around the city. In fact, you can actually walk along the tops of the walls, all the way around the city. Some parts are elevated, with sweeping views of the city and the sea. We walked the walls early in the day on our second day in the city. Fortunately, we lucked out with beautiful weather, which definitely made this walk even better. In the afternoon, we took a small boat to the tiny island of Lokrum. Lokrum is an inhabited island, located about 1/3 of a mile from the city of Dubrovnik. An Austrian archduke once had a holiday home located here, and a botanical garden and a monastery remain from this time. It is a quiet little island that also has a large peacock population. They must be used to people, because they had no problem coming right up to us. We definitely took some awesome pictures. We finished up the day with a lovely dinner. Unfortunately, we had to leave Croatia the following day.

One of the coolest things about Dubrovnik is the fact that one of our favorite TV shows, "Game of Thrones" on HBO, shoots some scenes there. We found a website that tells you where some of the scenese were actually filmed. So we were able to visit these spots, which was really cool. Plus, all of them were very picturesque, as you would expect. It was just another interesting aspect of the trip.