Hoping to beat the heat that was sure to find us, we got an early start to our walk along the city walls of Old Town of Dubrovnik. Our Croatian cultural specialist guided us around and gave us an insight on the great history surrounding the walls. This maritime city joined the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979.
After our walk along the walls, we made our way to Lokrum Island by local ferry to take in some of the natural history there. Half the group took a walk up to the Fortress Royale where there were beautiful views of Old Town Dubrovnik and the surrounding bay. The other half of the group walked around the lower part of the island and the botanical garden. Some passengers even had time to split off and find the replica throne used in the popular show, Game of Thrones. We made our way back to National Geographic Sea Cloud for a swim off the ship before lunch.
After lunch we returned to Old Town Dubrovnik to see the highlights of the lower part of the city. The tours ended at Saint Domino Church for a special performance by a local musicians Klapa Oštro. Klapa is a traditional form of a capella that is famous in Croatia. After we enjoyed the music, we headed back to the ship for a wonderful dinner on the Lido Deck in time to watch the sun set and the city lights sparkle.
But we weren’t ready to leave this beautiful old city, so just after dinner, some of us joined our photo instructor for a guided walk to capture nighttime scenes or simple delight in the bustling nightlife of Dubrovnik. Once back aboard, we set our compass for a new country and new explorations in Montenegro.
