Day two in Dubrovnik started with a walk to Fort Lovrijenac (pictured), located just outside the Old Town. The fort was built with very thick stone walls on the sea and land side (12 metres), but only 60cm thick walls on the city side. This was so the commander of the fort could never rebel against the city!
When we were exploring around the fort we spotted a small beach below. Beaches in Croatia are mostly rocks and concrete slabs (for sunbathing)…but the waters of the Adriatic are crystal clear. Lesley can be seen in the picture below showing off her new bikini. We had beers after the swim in the cafe above Lesley…nice!
We also went to the Dubrovnik Maritime museum which was interesting.The prosperity of Dubrovnik has historically been based on Maritime trade (but now mostly tourism). The 15th and 16th centuries were boom times for Dubrovnik, where it was the only east Adriatic city-state to rival Venice.
Next day we set off on a day trip to Montenegro. We were keen to see Kotor’s old town (pictured below). In the photo you can see the walls on the hilltop above, which were built by the Republic of Venice. According to our tour guide, the experts still have no idea how these walls were built, given the technology that was available back then. But built they were! We were hoping to do the walk up to the fort but didn’t have enough time…
After walking around the old town, we took the opportunity to get our feet wet in the Bay of Kotor. Surrounded by the limestone mountains of the Dinaric Alps, Kotor Bay is quite a sight!
Next stop on our whirlwind tour of Montenegro was Budva, which has become a bit of a tourist destination and resort town. Budva also has an old town, which exceeded our expectations (see picture below).
The following day we set off early and caught the ferry to Lokrum Island, just off Dubrovnik. We trekked to the top of the island where there is a fort, offering great views over Dubrovnik (see below).
Tim climbed to the top of the fort to get a better view…
After our hike to the top of Lokrum we found a private ‘beach’. Whilst there wasn’t any sand we took the opportunity to enjoy the crystal clear waters and absence of other tourists.
We feel like we have ‘seen’ Dubrovnik, and we are growing quite fond of the place. Tomorrow we will be heading north to Split (4.5 hour bus ride). Will keep you posted.
TL
timandlesley 
That green bikini is getting good use Lesley. Your pictured make me want to go there.
This iPad double guesses what I want to say, the pictures make me want to go there. I must say the pictures look wonderful on the iPad screen, and Liza has shown me how to save them. Now I can take them over to Cutler Rd and show them to Brian.
Dubrovnik looks amazing! So very jealous of you two!