Ston and Dubrovnik

We are in Dubrovnik. This city is why we decided to come to Croatia. Why? ... It's because I was captivated by a really huge painting of this walled city while attending the Croatian Hall in Geelong. I went there each week, for several weeks, a couple of years in a row. It was a long time ago, when my oldest girls were in their latter years of high school. I was organising debutante balls for North Geelong High and the practices and the ball itself were held there. For some reason I was really taken by the enormous painting on the wall. Dubrovnik was not a tourist hot spot at all back then. Many people had probably never heard of it. It was long before Game of Thrones - which incidentally I have never seen. I look forward to seeing more of this beautiful and captivating city. (By the way I didn't have to force Russell to come - he too was very happy for us to plan this trip!)

We left Korčula this morning and headed back to the mainland. Our first stop was at Ston. We were amazed to see a wall in the hills that looked like the Great Wall of China!! On a much smaller scale of course. The Walls of Ston are a series of defensive stone walls, originally more than 7 kilometres long, that surrounded and protected the city of Ston, in Dalmatia, in southern Croatia. Their construction began in 1358. While in Ston we visited a local oyster farmer, to learn about the cultivation and harvest of oysters - and mussels too. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of prawn risotto and then a sea-to-table tasting of the fresh shellfish.

After lunch we had a scenic drive as we continued on to Dubrovnik. This walled city is known as the Pearl of the Adriatic. George Bernard Shaw called it 'Paradise on Earth'. A local guide took us in behind the walls for a glimpse into local life. We explored the stone-paved streets inside the 16th century bastions of the Old Town. We had a little time to explore further but will have to go back to have a better look. We were lucky today that there were no cruise ships in town - so the old town wasn't wall to wall tourists. Dubrovnik didn't disappoint!Leia mais