Dubrovnik

We spent a total of three nights and two days in Dubrovnik and stayed at the Hotel President. It was typical of the big hotels - impersonal and somewhat cold. The service in the restaurant was practically nonexistent. Overall, it was overpriced, but so was the rest of Dubrovnik. On the other hand, this top picture is of the view coming in from Montenegro. The red rooftops and walls are of Dubrovnik's old town, which is about a fifth of the size of the city overall.

We spent two days wandering around old town, visiting everything from the aquarium to an exhibit of war photos. This second picture is of the boat basin, where you can catch a boat to go out to the islands just off the coast.

Both my husband and my companion say I have a depth perception problem; it's probably why I have a really bad case of acrophobia. Despite that, I climbed the city wall! This picture is of the stairs I had to go up to get there. Both staircases, plus another one not visible in the shot. My heart was racing by the time I got to the top, and several times at the top, but I did it. The views were gorgeous.

There is a pathetic aquarium by the boat basin. I think this anemone was the only creature looking happy in the place. I think my companion took a great photo of it, don't you?

The cloister in the Dominican monastery is a restful, cooling place in the old town, even if you have to pay an entrance fee - like everywhere else in Croatia. The monastery has a very pretty, still used church and a small collection of reliquaries and other religious objects. The best part is still the cloister with its palm and orange trees.

We had lunch here on the first day. It was just sandwiches, but they were good and the shade was needed. It's in the main square of the old town and about twenty feet from where most of the walking tours gather.

I think we spent just enough time in Dubrovnik. Besides old town, we explored the beach area by the university and had dinner at a cute place overlooking the port at Gruz. If we had spent another day, we would have needed to go out to the islands to find something to do.