Dubrovnik, or

Alternate titles for this post include:

How I got to wear wetsuits two days in a row, or

No I have not seen Game of Thrones, or

How many stairs is that?, or

Channelling Rick Steves

Brian and I arrived in Dubrovnik by bus. It was the first of many bus trips during this vacation - mostly comfortable and all very scenic. Sure, there was some dried vomit on the seat in front of us, but we had a great view of the coastline.

Unlike Split, Dubrovnik won my heart. Just as touristy, maybe, but smaller, prettier and somehow more charming. Our days in Dubrovnik were filled with organized activities. First on the list was bike riding. But when the reservations guy called in sick, our bike rental became a half-price sea kayak trip. It was half-price because they handed us the kayak, paddles and wetsuits and sent us on our way. Only on the paddle back in to shore did Brian point out that all the other kayakers were in groups, following a guide and wearing life jackets (losers).

From the water, we had a great view of Dubrovnik's solid old city walls, made extra famous as the setting for Game of Thrones. Apparently people get pretty excited about this TV show, which I have never seen. Built in the 15th century to protect the city from the Ottoman navy, the walls worked. Even when it became part of the Ottoman Empire, Dubrovnik (then called Ragusa) operated as an independent state. The walls continued to protect Dubrovnik in 1991, when Croatia declared itself independent from Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav army laid siege on Dubrovnik and its locals defended the city from the fortress at Srd, build by Napoleon's forces in the early 1800s. When Croatia fought off the Yugoslavs there was a brief movement to make Dubrovnik an independent state. Much of the town was damaged but the city survived and rebuilt into a tourist-driven economy, with a little help from Rick Steves and TripAdvisor.

 

Brian and I walked up to the fortress after our kayaking trip. Given the abundance of walking tours and organized excursions, I thought it would be a few stairs a nicely paved sidewalk uphill. After all, I live on the 5th floor in a building with no elevator - how hard could it be? Going up was first a question of finding the right staircase out of town. Dubrovnik is a steep city and as soon as you leave the historic center you can only go up (or, in the other direction, underwater). We did not find the right staircase, actually, but walked through a highway overpass (is that in Game of Thrones?) and eventually found the path. Along the way we met up with a fellow hill-climber. Actually she was a fellow Minnesotan living in Germany. Anna is a US Air Force intelligence officer, and an avid reader of Rick Steves travel guides. We had all read about this path up the hill in the Rick Steves guide to Dubrovnik. Brian and I were a little embarrassed to admit it. We are decidedly anti-Rick, but his book was in our apartment so we gave in. When Rick Steves says that you need to be in good shape to walk down the mountain and it will take about an hour, usually that means you shouldn't eat your cheeseburgers during the walk, just beforehand, and you'll finish in 20 minutes while wearing flip flops. This time, Rick was mostly right. When we reached the top panting and sweating (it's also a pilgrimage route, apparently, lined with stations of the Cross images) we ran into some Canadians. It took about two minutes before they mentioned Rick Steves. "Did you download his audio tour of the old town?"

I can't put my finger on what I don't really like about Rick Steves, except that he has a way cooler job than I do. The guy goes on vacation for a living and is (understandably) smug about it.

If I don't know that Rick has been everywhere I am walking, it's easier to imagine that I'm finding the way all on my own. So it was as we walked back downhill, this time finding the right staircase, skipping the overpass and ending up practically at our own doorstep. As I entered the apartment, who was there staring at me from the coffee table but Rick Steves.