Back to Dubrovnik

Our second visit to the old, walled city of Dubrovnik was rather more wet than the first. While the Monday was hot and sunny, by Thursday, it had turned uncharacteristically cold and wet. But we were not to be put off as we travelled by bus along the coast road. Umbrellas were in evidence when we got there and the rain made the cobbled streets shiny.

We stopped for an espresso - something the Croatians do very well indeed - before setting off to explore some of the steep side street.

Everywhere there were hundreds of stone steps to negotiate, which was not always as easy as it seemed as the cobbles and flag stones were wet and slippery and the the steps were heavily worn and uneven.

Soon, as we became chilly and wet, we decided to head back for the bus. It was all a bit different from our hot and sunny visit on the Monday. In the sunshine, the grey city walls were a formidable sight.

The imposing tower of Fort Minceta was originally built in 1319 but, following the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the walls were reinforced and the tower was redeveloped.A huge round tower was built around the original, quadrilateral one, with walls 6m thick.

The steps up the tower were steep and uneven, so Malcolm decided not to risk the climb (knees not what they were!) So I set off up the tower alone. The views from the top were wonderful. The keen-eyed observer might make out the figure of Malcolm below...

... Aah yes! There he is.

From Malcolm's perspective, the tower was everything you might expect from a fortification.

From this part of the walls, we had some nice views outside the old city and up some of the side streets of the 'new' town.

And a very colourful sight it was too...

Still a little more to come tomorrow.