The Pearl of the Adriatic

I thought it was time to resurrect the Find Penguins blog on my latest trip - Buzzing Round The Balkans. I had long been interested in this fascinating area, and thought it was time to visit some of the cities and countries I had never been to. Given the limited time available to me (10 days) I wanted to try and see and do as much as I could. As can be seen from previous blogs, my preference is to travel by train, but regrettably there are not too many railways still operating in some parts of the Balkans. To get me off to a quick start, I flew to Dubrovnik in Croatia. This involved getting up at the ungodly hour of 2am, getting a lift to Buchanan Bus Station due to a dearth of taxis (thanks for the lift, Rab), and catching the 3am night bus service to Edinburgh Airport, arriving at 4am, thus allowing the required 2 hours before flying at 6.10. I have to say everything went very smoothly and I sailed through security in jig time, soon enjoying a Costa Coffee, unlike many of my travelling companions who, despite the hour, were already swilling pints of lager before heading off for their fortnight in the sun. The EasyJet flight was very pleasant and only 3 hours after we departed from a cold and drizzly Edinburgh morning, we were landing at Dubrovnik in 36 degrees sunshine.

Although I had visited Dubrovnik on previous occasions, you cannot help but marvel at the beauty of the Old Town - surely one of the most beautiful walled cities in the world, and deserving of its title as The Pearl of the Adriatic. I did a suggested walking tour of the Old Town before venturing up to walk round the beautifully preserved city walls with magnificent views over the town and the azure waters below. Quite an extensive and strenuous 1.5 hour walk in the heat. I am sure it was easier last time - but that was 20 years ago!Read more