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June 2013

Part 2: Dubrovnik

I'm leaving Montenegro behind with really nice memories despite the stuff that was stolen from my bike and a minor fall I had close to Cetinje. Weather's nice with only a few clouds decorating the blue sky. All set to enjoy a ride by the sea most of the time.

At the Croatian border I didn't have much delay due to my wise choice to pick the early season to be around but some hippy(ish) guys in a beetle van might still be there checked by the local police. I guess the officers smelled their weed from miles away. I did :)


Entering Dubrovnik my eyes don't run out of nice things to see. The area is marvellous and so does the city. A local biker horns and smiles on the view of a fully loaded bike from Greece and I try to find the place I've booked to unload my stuff and Carpe Diem around this gem. After some struggle around the narrow uphill backstreets of Dubrovnik I finally arrive at my place. Instantly my bedroom's window triggers a relation with me similar to the one between a piece of iron and a magnet:

How can you not stick out your head to this view like a dog out of a car's window:

Fancy a panoramic?

This stunning view to the old port of Dubrovnik from my bedroom was so nice that I felt like leaving a camera on 24/7 could bring me some considerable income. So beautiful to see all these vessels, especially some antique ones on any time of the day.

Time to walk around and see this lovely seaside from close:

There you can find some beyond impressive old ships:

Without second thought I start walking towards the old part of the city. You bet I didn't regret it.

Dubrovnik's fortress "Tvrđava Bokar"

After the above beauties I am i n front of the main entrance to Old Town, the Pile Gate of Dubrovnik, "Vrata od Pila":

The old town impresses effortlessly from the very first steps despite the crowd:

Hence it attracts weddings too:

Walking around these stone walls more pleasant than claustrophobic:

But even if they do feel too narrow for your taste you always have the chance to enjoy an open sea view at Porat only a few steps away:

The Temple of Saint Ignatious on the left and what the Temple sees on the right:

The beauty goes on outside the walls of the old town of Bubrovnik and residents of the hotel Rixos pictured below can definitely enjoy some of it:

As if I had enough of beauty through the day it was time to accidentally meet some much less attractive pieces of local history. Croatians haven't spared items reminding their conflicts with their neighbours. Actually they placed them close to touristic attractions just to be sure people don't skip that information:

Gotta love those sexy curves. Pininfarina who?

If I asked for the perfect sunset view to close this wonderful first day at Dubrovnik I would have received something like this:

Next morning finds me once again flirting with the view of my bedroom window. Remember that old wood ship I showed you before? Here it is again:

As you can imagine with this heaven around me on such a nice day it's a no brainer that I rushed to walk around as soon as my breakfast was over. Once again I stumble on monuments of war conflicts, navy ones this time:

"The first battleship of the Croatian Navy..."

"...the symbol and pride of the resistence against Serbo-Montenegrian aggression..."

Though the typos and syntax give chances to pepper all this stuff with my English humour which is far from great since I am not a native English speaker, I will not. These are very sad memories flooded by hatred and blood - let's just hope that such things won't happen again. Mission impossible though since people are talented in repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

That aside it's really nice to walk around Dubrovnik's peninsula (Babin Kuk) were they have their local attraction, a beach "aptly" named Copacabana:

Back at my apartment after one more day full of pleasant walks I have my last hours to spend at Dubrovnik so it's time to consume my last local delicious supplies:

Eating and drinking with a view never hurt anybody

Next morning gotta move - more beauties waiting for me along the Croatian coast.

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