I was initially supposed to pack up and go to Hvar in Croatia which is an island of pristine beaches, high cliffs and fewer tourists (if you discount the 300 students from my class who planned a graduation trip there). But the romantic in me decided to give my partner a surprise instead. (The graduation party in Hvar was costing a fortune too ;)) So off I went to meet my better half in Dubrovnik to see all things game-of-thrones in 3 days.
King's Landing aka Dubrovnik Old City is the first city I saw which was walled (apart from The Vatican). Dubrovnik, historically, had been structured to protect from invaders from Venice. Some very high cliffs guard the walls.
Just inside the walls begins the pathway where Joffrey faces rebellion from his people (dung attacks) and Sansa's honour is nearly compromised.
As you move in you discover commercial shops everywhere. Some contrast. These shopkeepers are apparently paid in the order of 20000 Euros a month to stay closed during shoots. Whats more a majority of the locals have never watched the Game of Thrones. Our guide seemed to have had deep conversations with Tyrion over wine (yes the man loves his drink in real life too). Peter Baelish's 'whorehouses' are a makeover from a Government museum further in, and our guide claimed the officials had no idea what use it was going to be put to.
Star Wars have also been filmed in the main street within the walls.
From one side of the wall branches the pier where Sansa and Shae have a heart-to-heart about trusting Little Finger. Sansa's escape route on a boat with the clown is located not far from it.
The magical tower of Qarth where the dragons first breathe fire is a regular looking structure outside the Old City walls. Kudos to cinematographers who made us believe otherwise. On the right most photo is a zoomed version of the left picture of Sansa's pier below, which was where Robert's illegitimate sons are sought and killed in the show.
A 25 minute boat ride from Old City takes you to the island of Lokrum. What caught my eye about this island were the peacocks. They strutted around freely, coming close and showing off their plumes. This island has a dead sea, some nice old style architecture and countless coves to swim in.
Some scenes of Jamie and Bran's sword fights were from here.
Old City has no dearth of restaurants. All along main street, several alleys behind, and up flights of stairs.. they are everywhere. On one of these alleys is a fake Iron Throne where you can get your photograph taken.
Our stay was in the new city and atop a hill overlooking the sea, docks and mountains. We walked everywhere, up and down some seriously steep staircases that connect roads along the hill.
The new city has a great dock and downtown around it which is a sight in itself. We actually spent half a day enjoying it.
We took a bus ride that went from one end of Dubrovnik to the other. I have realized that this is a great, inexpensive and A/C-euipped way to discover the index page of a city. At the end of the bus ride, we got off to enjoy some beach time at CopaCabana resort.
Dubrovnik proved to be a surprisingly pleasant trip (notwithstanding the sweltering sun). It has some very good beaches, food and views.
King's Landing aka Dubrovnik Old City is the first city I saw which was walled (apart from The Vatican). Dubrovnik, historically, had been structured to protect from invaders from Venice. Some very high cliffs guard the walls.
Just inside the walls begins the pathway where Joffrey faces rebellion from his people (dung attacks) and Sansa's honour is nearly compromised.
As you move in you discover commercial shops everywhere. Some contrast. These shopkeepers are apparently paid in the order of 20000 Euros a month to stay closed during shoots. Whats more a majority of the locals have never watched the Game of Thrones. Our guide seemed to have had deep conversations with Tyrion over wine (yes the man loves his drink in real life too). Peter Baelish's 'whorehouses' are a makeover from a Government museum further in, and our guide claimed the officials had no idea what use it was going to be put to.
Star Wars have also been filmed in the main street within the walls.
From one side of the wall branches the pier where Sansa and Shae have a heart-to-heart about trusting Little Finger. Sansa's escape route on a boat with the clown is located not far from it.
The magical tower of Qarth where the dragons first breathe fire is a regular looking structure outside the Old City walls. Kudos to cinematographers who made us believe otherwise. On the right most photo is a zoomed version of the left picture of Sansa's pier below, which was where Robert's illegitimate sons are sought and killed in the show.
A 25 minute boat ride from Old City takes you to the island of Lokrum. What caught my eye about this island were the peacocks. They strutted around freely, coming close and showing off their plumes. This island has a dead sea, some nice old style architecture and countless coves to swim in.
Some scenes of Jamie and Bran's sword fights were from here.
Old City has no dearth of restaurants. All along main street, several alleys behind, and up flights of stairs.. they are everywhere. On one of these alleys is a fake Iron Throne where you can get your photograph taken.
Our stay was in the new city and atop a hill overlooking the sea, docks and mountains. We walked everywhere, up and down some seriously steep staircases that connect roads along the hill.
The new city has a great dock and downtown around it which is a sight in itself. We actually spent half a day enjoying it.
We took a bus ride that went from one end of Dubrovnik to the other. I have realized that this is a great, inexpensive and A/C-euipped way to discover the index page of a city. At the end of the bus ride, we got off to enjoy some beach time at CopaCabana resort.
Dubrovnik proved to be a surprisingly pleasant trip (notwithstanding the sweltering sun). It has some very good beaches, food and views.
Very good account of your trip
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
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