“You don’t have to do a lot in Dubrovnik, just walk around and enjoy it.” -Laura Hyatt

Dubrovnik, Pearl of the Adriatic, has been around for a long, long time. It began sometime in the 7th century under the name Ragusa and overtime merged with nearby Slavic settlers to form a fortified city-state. This independent republic became a major maritime power and traded widely. Over time the wall defending the city grew taller and stronger and helped repel many an invasion. The name Dubrovnik began appearing around the 12th century, but it wasn’t until 1918 that the name was officially changed. Today Dubrovnik is a stunning medieval walled city with a well-preserved Old Town and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most visited cities in Europe and gained additional fame by being a filming location for the Game of Thrones.

We found a charming little Airbnb just outside of town. The home had been in the family for generations and had only recently been transformed—from its original dirt floors into the beautiful apartment we were lucky to stay in. The owner remembers being in kindergarten when Dubrovnik was bombarded by Serbian and Montenegrin forces in late 1991. While her father left to help defend the city, she and her family hunkered down inside the house. The scars of that bombardment remain visible today: when you look out over the Old Town, the patchwork of roof tiles tells the story, with more than 68% of the buildings having been damaged during the attack.

One thing we had to do was to walk the walls. It is a bit expensive, 40 euros each, but it is so worthwhile. The total distance around is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) and takes around two hours, depending on how many pictures you take and stops to gaze. We chose to go in the late afternoon and it was such a great decision for the wall was practically empty. When we came to town the next morning, the walls were teaming with people fresh off the cruise ships. I mean they were butt to stomach across the entire wall, just inching their way along. Ugh!!! The wall is not flat, in fact there are over 1080 steps you must go up or down. But every step you see another amazing view….overlooking the Old Town, out to Lokrum Island the the Adriatic Sea, behind to the towering cliffs….this city is stunning.

The next day we arrived early in the morning to explore Old Town itself. We of course found a bakery and a nice cafe with good, strong coffee. Heidi posed on the stairway where Cersei Lannister performed the infamous “Walk of Shame,” a naked walk of atonement through the streets of King’s Landing, forced upon her by the High Sparrow. Of course Heidi wore clothes and instead of an angry mob of people, we had the spot to ourselves. We went into Baroque Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola and saw the oldest grotto in all of Europe. I grabbed my pin at the Hard Rock Cafe, and we walked and walked and walked all about this stunning town.

Tomorrow we grab a plane to Athens, a car to Piraeus Port, overnight at the Piraeus Port Hotel, and then bright and early the next morning we hop on a ferry to our final destination of this trip, Serifos Island!!!!