Friday 29 April 2011

Lokrum

I had never heard of Lokrum.
It turns out to be  a gem of an island just SW of Dubrovnik and accessible by ferry. It is now a nature reserve and nobody is permitted to stay overnight.
It is quite beautiful and serene and very worth a day's visit.
The ferry sets off from the small jetty in Dubrovnik. Today the crowds are brought out by the sunshine.

Or is it the cruise liner in the harbour entrance?

Leaving the old city by sea

Lokrum is quite beautiful and well protected

They call this the dead sea, but it is an inland lagoon connected to the sea by and underground cave.

The main harbour...

Yes the water is as clear as Bombay Sapphire gin!

Here the shadows are gathering at 6.00pm just as the last ferry leaves for Dubrovnik

And the view as we leave the island to the vast flock of peacocks.
End of Dubrovnik. Moving north tomorrow.
End of post. Don't know when I will get online again....

Thursday 28 April 2011

Judith Chalmers/Cliff Mitchelmore eat your heart out

Dubrovnik was always on our list of places to visit since the early holiday programmes in the 1970s. They use to show the city as a wonderful destination but my finances and a period of conflict in the region meant that a visit was never achieved. But now on my Grand Tour I am finally here.

On my way into the city I came across a strange vehicle parked at the side of the harbour

Complete with real hits from a heavy calibre weapon

Home made tank!

Next along a few yards.

Battleship of sorts.

Dubrovnik has a busy harbour..

...and plenty of cruise liners calling.

Walking the 3 miles into the old town things started to get busy.

This is the entrance to the old city from Pile.

The fountain is just inside the gate

The place is full of little alleyways. There is  a similar feeling to that of Venice (without the water of course!) There are no motor vehicles!
The main street has the bigger shops.

With plenty of small shops on small streets

Looking out from the entrance

The walls are restricted to paying tourists but it is worth it for the views over the city

Seaward side

The closest island comes into view

Canons are obligatory accessories in these places

But what is this? It is the famous Buza Bar but you can't gat to it from up here. Thanks Luke, I found it, even though the beer is £4 a bottle!
Fabulous place, packed out with visitors.


You have to get off the city walls and search for this sign, somewhere near the Cathedral. No advertising allowed!

There is literally a hole in the wall....

Which opens out into a lovely series of terraces.

In the main bar it is quite primitive..


But famous for serving beer in plastic cups!


Moving round the view changes

There is even some unfinished work to do.

The little jetty for the day cruises.

Looking down on the road outside


But the most famous features of Dubrovnik old city are the red roofs. Most of the roofs were blown off in 1991 during the conflicts. They have almost all been replaced with clay tiles and the effect is stunning. Click the pic to see which are still the original.



And a nice framed pic to finish with.
There, an ambition achieved. I know it is very touristy but we have all been to Venice and Paris and such places. Needs to be done....
end of post!

Cunning Plan, Dubrovnik!

So far my trip down the Dalmatian Coast has been a bit of a waste of time. The weather has been bad, the view obscured by haze and mist, and the roads so demanding that I had to concentrate on the driving, not on the view. So far there have been very few places to stop and admire the view so the plan was to drive south from Split on the autoroute, then switch back to the coastal route at Ploce (where the autoroute currently ends). There is a second part to the cunning plan that I will reveal if I can make the arrangements......



Travelling south from Split on the A1. Heavy traffic!
It was interesting to see that the whole of the road was fenced off. They claim there are wolves still living in these areas. Pray not to break down.....The fences didn't look so high that a few beasts keen on making you their dinner couldn't leap over and have you away.

The last service station before the road finishes. It was so quiet I could hear the children playing in the schoolyard below in the valley.

I suspect that the road and facilities are so empty because the toll charges are quite high.

Finally arriving at the coast at Ploce

Big butterflies abound, size of the palm of my hand.

The road skirts round the Neretva River delta which is intensely cultified

Round the corner at Neum the views start getting better

Just before the border with Hercegovina there is a pretty village development

The road is not quite so demanding so the views could be glimpsed whilst driving.

Now the islands come into view

And so do the new developments along the coast. They are close to wrecking this coast with advertising hoardings, concrete developments and wind farms. Go soon before it is gone.

Looking north

Same place looking south

Dinky little islands amongst the big ones

Ditto

It gets even better the closer it is to Dubrovnik

Osojnik, I think

Finally the view of Dubrovnik harbour entrance. Our road is the one top right.

The harbour

And the Franjo Tudjman Bridge

Dubrovnik at last. Fantastic surprise ending to the outward leg.
Just now going down to the Old City, need to put a coat on, stand by....
End of post.