11/30
There is much to see around Dubrovnik, so what's next?
St. Lawrence (Lovrijenac) Fortress seems like a good starting place. The fort sits atop a promontory (121' above sea level) jutting into the sea, protecting the town and harbor, just outside the town wall. It is sometimes called Dubrovnik's Gibraltar. Up more steps to reach it, we're impressed by the structure and design...walls are eight feet thick, solid stone, with many vantages for defense. This would be a great venue for an outdoor event (music, reception, wedding) because of the views of the sea and town, and dlarge open spaces. Met a nice German couple when leaving and they wanted to practice their English, so we had a nice visit.
After the fort we went on a 12 person tour boat (yes, we were the only two) and saw the city from the water. Very impressive! Now we've seen the town from above (the fort), on the ground, and from the water. Went around a large very dense island called Lokrum. Had fun talking to the driver and he was fishing while steering and caught a nice fish for dinner. He too talked about the war in the 90's and the earthquake in1979 that caused considerable damage. He pointed out hotels on the shore built by Russian investors (mafia) which are not only ugly, but may never be used. These are resilient people.
We then went to the city museum located in the rector's palace. Aptly named ! Beautiful building with equally beautiful paintings starting from the 4th century. The rooms upstairs are down right opulent and members of the nobility lived there a month at a time. Gave everyone a chance. Describing the prison in the lower part they said one punishment was "mandatory rowing on government vessels".
We are trying to decide whether to take a bus tour into Montenegro to see the city and Bay of Kotor. It's a 2.5 hour ride. Another option is to bus into Bosnia-Herzegovina (2.5 hrs) to the town of Mostar. Both destinations have been recommended to us. Maybe we'll do both on separate days.
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