Dubrovnik lies in southeast Croatia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has a long history that traces through the Byzantine Empire, Venice republic, Napoleonic control. Austrian Hapsburg empire and Yugoslavia.
Modern day Dubrovnik finds itself a tremendous tourist magnet. This is influenced, to some degree, of various settings in Dubrovnik and other Croatian towns for scenes from the Game of Thrones. We had a walking tour of the town that started in the morning. As the day progressed, the crowds in the old city became very dense. I was surprised as I originally envisioned the old town of Dubrovnik as a quaint and charming European setting. It looks like the pandemic is over for some Croatian towns.
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Approaching Noon, the Number of Visitors Increased
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| "Forced Perspective" was Used so that the Buildings Appear Taller |
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Cersei's Walk of Shame Staircase from Game of Thrones
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Split We started our day excursion with a visit to Galleria Mestrovic, the former home and now art gallery of modern Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic (1883-1962). He was imprisoned by Nazi forces in 1941. Shortly afterwards, he was released to attend an event in Venice. He continued to work in Rome and Switzerland and, ultimately, became an America citizen. He declined invitations to return to Split. Mestrovic served as a professor at Syracuse University and University of Notre Dame.
Our bus then brought us to Diocletian's Palace in the port city of Split. This was the palace of Roman emperor Diocletian (4th Century AD). The palace is part of the town of Split and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We entered the palace grounds through stone walls that now hold vendor stalls. At noon, a costumed Emperor and Empress enter through the main gates and greet the visitors. Apparently, this palace was used in filming of the Game of Thrones.
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| Mestrovic Gallery |
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| Entering Diocletian's Palace |
Sibenik
The number of tourists in Sibenik was much lower than in Dubrovnik and Split. This characteristic and the wonderful informative but entertaining local guide made this my favorite Croatian port visit. This port was not very crowded with visitors and the city population is only 34,300. I think a return visit would be terrific. Though in a few years, I presume Sibenik will have a greater number of visitors.
Although founded by a Croatian King, the area changed rulers several times, from Venetians, to Byzantium rulers and the Kingdom of Hungary. Our guide shared interesting tidbits of information to his group and we ended our tour at the Sibenik Cathedral of St. James, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| We entered The Port of Sibenik through Rain and Moderate Seas |
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| A Dog Water Dish in a Building Wall, Possibly from the 1100s. |
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