Adriatic Sea Cruise - Dubrovnik, Croatia

We stopped a second time in Croatia the following day in the city of Dubrovnik. The skies were threatening the whole time we were in port, but it never rained - hooray! The main attraction are the city walls, which encircle the entire Old Town and run right up to the Adriatic Sea. 

On our way back to the port, Dave and I were riding backwards on the bus and didn't realized until seconds to late that we missed our stop. The bus continued around the peninsula to the neighboring town. It would have been a very long walk back, but luckily the bus passes were good for one hour and we were able to catch a return without too much trouble and get back to our ship - phew!

I love how the walls are built right on the edge of the cliffs

Just pretending to drink from the public fountain because no one wants to get sick

The walls are over a mile long and have 1,080 steps!

Turrets and cannons were spaced all along the walls

Looking back over Old Town

This beautiful clock tower has been destroyed and rebuilt several times due to earthquakes, the original was one of the first public clocks in all of Europe, dating back to the 1500s.

Inside the walls we walked the cobble stone streets, toured museums and stopped at a monastery with the world's oldest operating pharmacy. 

After all the walking through the city and atop the walls, I barely survived climbing even more stairs to reach the Lovrijenac Fortress. Detached from Old Town and built on a cliff, the fort had great views of the city walls. 

Fire away!

Adriatic Sea Cruise - Split, Croatia

The morning we boarded the ship we found out that our entire trip itinerary had changed. Due to a problem with one engine, the ship could only cruise at half speed so the most distant ports were cancelled (Santorini and Mykonos) and Split, Croatia was added. I was so disappointed that we wouldn't be stopping in Santorini, but Split turned out to be a fun destination and I was glad we were able to stop here. We had gorgeous weather for our day in port and loved exploring this historic city.

Passing through one of the gates into Old Town

Dave found a side entrance next to the main gate that popped out into the courtyard of a little cafe

The Old Town has several ruins that date back to the Roman Empire, the largest being the Diocletian's Palace. It's a massive complex that sits in the center of Split. We toured the basement halls that were only excavated a little over 100 years ago and are largely intact. The vaulted ceilings and stone work were very impressive!

Sitting just outside Old Town, planning what to do next

After Old Town we climbed up the stairs to the Prva Vidilica Na Marjanu viewpoint. It's on a hill on the west side of the city and had great views of the harbor. On our way back to the ship we walked the palm tree-lined promenade and enjoyed some delicious gelato!