Dubrovnik, Croatia
/We are still working on some of the finer points of travelling. For example, we spent about 8 hours getting from Kalambaka back to Athens for a flight that we had booked to meet up with my Dad and Cindy in Dubrovnik. If I had done a little more digging, I would have seen that there are flights from Thessaloniki, which would have taken only an hour or so by train. Regardless, we arrived in Croatia. It was a short flight and we flew in a double prop plan. It seemed like we cruised at a considerable lower altitude - we had stunning views of the mountains and the Adriatic coast the whole flight. As we started our descent, we had a perfect view of the old city walls right at sunset.
We stayed in a great little apartment within the walls of historic section of the city. Our host told us that for the most part, any locals that own apartments in the old town rent them out to tourists, and really very few Croatians call Old Town home, the reason for which became clear anytime we went outside. Dubrovnik has become an enormous tourist destination in recent years, largely due to Game of Thrones (which was obviously super cool to see!). They filmed nearly all of the King’s Landing location shots here, and there is a bustling industry selling themed tours of the city. Fortunately peak tourism season hasn’t started yet, but in July and August literally hundreds of thousands of tourists will descend on the tiny city, making it impossible to do anything. We felt swamped as it was, with just a fraction of the numbers.
It was really great being with Dad and Cindy, even if just for a couple days. We spent the morning at one of the beaches in the Lapad section of town. It was super hip, with chairs and umbrellas for rent and house music playing. Afterwards we returned to our apartment to get changed for a historical tour of the city and the massive walls. In the evening we had a wonderful dinner at the really great Asian fusion-y spot that my dad found. It was really great having a touch of home, and I’m really looking forward to seeing them again with Jake in about a week.
After saying goodbye to the parents, Sam and I rented some kayaks and took a trip around the nearby island of Lokrum. The small island is home to a botanical garden and some monasteries. We had lunch before spending the afternoon snorkeling and laying on the rocky beach. It was an awesome experience, especially seeing the walls of the city from the water. Next Samantha and I will be renting a car and heading south to the bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Photos to follow!
