Blogs from Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Croatia, Europe

Croatia has a fascinating history, but most amazingly, its founders had the foresight to build cities that would one day become the set of ‘Game of Thrones’. As we cruised south through Split, Korčula, and eventually Dubrovnik, we could see that every town has jumped on the Game of Thrones bandwagon with Game of Thrones souvenirs and tours for those enthusiasts. For the septuagenarians I was cruising with, they had less interest in these activities. Each of these three stops was once well fortified, but not necessarily at the same time. Split was the Roman emperor Diocletian’s retirement home and it had a lot more living space than a typical Arcare residence. Before Diocletian turned the first sod, there was nothing much along this section of coast and the town of Split evolved around the palace. ... read more

No rush today. Very leisurely rising. Listened to the West Coast Eagles v Richmond Tigers game whilst Jane decided to do some ironing! All packed for early departure for tomorrow. Walked to buy some peasant food for lunch which we ate in our apartment. It was very hot outside. Had a video call from Sam which was wonderful. He is still working on the boat out of Weipa. “All good,” he says. Had photos and messages from Tom and Whitney which was terrific. They were relaxing on the beach in Denmark with their dog, Lenny. I’ve kept up with the AFL, Ashes cricket, Tour de France, Aussie Matildas, Wimbledon and various Aussie athlete performances as well as the swimming … plus … the devastating war … plus news from home. We went to “Sport Pub Mario” ... read more

We made the decision to catch an early bus into the old town so as to be able to avoid the hordes of tourists that would probably descend upon the wall as the morning progressed. An excellent decision as we were not held up, felt rushed or crushed at any stage. Information given to us had the following: "Today’s size of the Dubrovnik walls was shaped in the 13th century. The walls were systematically updated and built up to 1660 when the last Bastion of St Stephan was finished in the southern segment of the walls. The 1940m long walls consist of the main city wall, sixteen towers, three fortresses, six bastions, two corner fortifications (’kantonate’), three bulwarks with rows of turrets, three moats, two flank fortresses, one breakwater, and two drawbridges. At some points up ... read more

Today after breakfast at the hotel, I headed into Dubrovnik’s old town to determine if I was able to join the Game of Thrones tourthat morning. Luckily, I was able to join the morning tour. Some of the Game of Thrones filming locations on the tour included: 1. The Jesuit Stairs – The location of Cersei’s Walk of Shame 2. Fort Lovrijenac: Various scenes including where Sansa almost gets raped in Kings Landing and the Hound saves her, the “Knowledge is Power, Power is Power scene”, and the kings’ tournament for Joffrey’s name day 3. Minceta Tower: The House of the Undying 4. Gradac Park: The Purple Wedding Celebration 5. West Harbour: used in various scenes including Blackwater Bay and the wildfire scene, and where Sansa and Shae are talking on the dock before Littlefinger shows ... read more

Split to Dubrovnik Today we departed Split and headed to Dubrovnik. I woke up early to take pictures of Diocletian’s Palace while it was quiet and check out the view from Marjan Hill. Then, it was about a 3-hour drive from Split to Dubrovnik where we stayed at the Ariston Hotel at the Royal Resort. I had my first cliff-jumping experience which was terrifying but worthwhile. Then we had dinner in Dubrovnik's old town. We went to Dubravka Restaurant which provided a great view overlooking the old city walls and the food was great as well. After dinner, we walked around the old town a bit and I had my first Affogato while watching people climb the Jesuit stairs. Tomorrow, I will get a chance to climb the wall and get a panoramic view of the ... read more