Why Dubrovnik?
Good question, that is a choice determined by fate. In fact, one of Dominique’s friends organised a surprise trip for the group of friends. At 04:50, they were at Schiphol airport, still unaware where they were going. “All sorts of places were mentioned, but it was only when the tickets were handed out that it became clear where we were going – no one had guessed, by the way. Dubrovnik, here we come!”
What immediately caught your attention in Dubrovnik?
Croatia was still unknown territory for Dominique, so she didn’t know what to expect in terms of landscape and architecture. “With a taxi van, we drive towards Dubrovnik and at one point we see the city from above. I immediately see that it is a port city. The wall surrounding the city is striking, old and imposing, yet looks slim. The orange roofs add colour to the city from above.” And when they are settled, they walk from their cottage into the city. The difference in height is immediately noticeable.
What did you not know about Dubrovnik?
When the group of friends is in the old part of town, it turns out that one animal takes centre stage: the cat. “There are trays of water and fish in cafes. The cats walk around and lie on the terraces and the staff no longer looks surprised. I had no idea about this phenomenon until we realised how many cats we had already seen.”
“The rough sea smashes against the rocky side of the island. I didn’t know the rocks ran so steeply into the sea!”
What are your top recommendations?
- Buy the Dubrovnik city pass. This pass allows you to visit several museums.
- Walk on top of the city wall. The city pass is as expensive as the ticket for the wall walk and you’ll want to walk it anyway, according to Dominique. “It is ideal to enjoy the view of the sea and the city. And for those who love people-watching, this wall walk is perfect! Furthermore, there is a door in a few places in the wall, so you end up on plateaus on the seafront. Here, we enjoyed the water coming down on the rocks and on us. This was a great place to be.”
- When Dominique was in Dubrovnik, it was raining heavily and there were strong winds which cancelled all planned activities such as ziplining, visiting island, snorkelling and kayaking. “But definitely consider these activities, because they all sounded really cool! Anyway, since we couldn’t do these, we decided to put our brains to work in Dubrovnik’s only escape room: Puzzlepunks. The escape room was about Dubrovnik’s history, I did not expect to learn about this in an escape room.” But this way, Dominique learned more than she usually would have learned. “For example, Dubrovnik was founded in the 7th century. Despite an earthquake in 1667, a siege in 1806 with 3,000 cannonballs and shootings from the mountains during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991, much remains of the historic centre. For example, one of the oldest pharmacies in the world can be found in Dubrovnik, it has been in use since 1317!” So if you like history and architecture, there is a lot to see in Dubrovnik.
- Dubrovnik is a port city, so if you like fresh, well-prepared fish and seafood, this is the place to be. “At Bar and Restaurant Orsan, we had dinner with the group. We were unsure at first because it looked quite fancy. But luckily the price was good, so I definitely recommend it! I ate octopus and squid here for the first time.”
- Go to a pub. “These are often places where you can easily speak with locals or other tourists, so if you come for fun or want to watch sports, a pub is the place to be!”
- If you are a ‘Game of Thrones’ fan, then there is plenty to see. After all, scenes were shot in Dubrovnik. According to Dominique, the local tourism industry makes good use of this. “You can even walk the ‘walk of shame’.”
- A tip when preparing your trip to Dubrovnik: “Practice some words in the local language, it is always appreciated!”
What would you avoid?
Officially, you cannot smoke in public places. In cafes, it is sometimes allowed, but then they cannot sell food. “But in my experience, rules on smoking in a space are very loosely handled in the newer part of the city. In case you don’t want or can’t sit in the smoke, you have to scan carefully where you sit.”
What is your fondest memory?
Dominique doesn’t have to think long about this. “Exploring the city with our group of friends! Especially the combination of personalities makes discovering a new city so much fun. One has the orientation skills of a pigeon, while the other can’t remember which direction we came from. And of course, we would have loved to do the planned activities because we are a sporty group that loves nature. But the strong winds also introduced us to Dubrovnik in a different way. Otherwise, we would never have stood with our arms spread out in the wind, waiting to see if the next wave would hit us. (This turned out to be quite dangerous, by the way – just because there are fences, apparently doesn’t mean that it’s safe).”
Earlier, Nini shared her experience with Dubrovnik. Read it here.
