Baby Steps

We woke up to cloudy skies and a threat of rain.  Really?  Did Victoria's weather actually figure out a way to sneak into my suitcase and get shipped over here?  Before we left, the long range weather report for Dubrovnik showed sunny, clear and warm days - highs in the low 20s and sun.  Perfect - well, not so much now.  We might not see the sun before Saturday.  Ugh!  However, we were not to be deterred.  After a quick trip to the local market, we caught the bus to the entrance to the Old Town - about a 15 minute ride costing about $3.  We had already read about how beautiful Dubrovnik's Old Town was but, quite frankly, it is stunning.  There were times it reminded me of Florence, Vicenza, and other medieval cities where the streets and building are all of stone and there isn't much green to be seen anywhere. 
 

Crossing the bridge and approaching the Pile Gate

 

Part of the city wall - from outside the town

Stradun - before the crowds arrived

The English couple we chatted with while we were waiting for the bus had told us to stroll along the main street (Stradun) and decide which side streets - alleys, really - to explore.  Just remember, they said, that everything on the water side is level but the alleys opposite, the ones against the hill, have stairs and lots of them.  So, be strategic about your choices.  Good advice.  One thing that is handy is that, on the hillier side at least, there are red banners hung at the start of the street indicating what can be found on the climb up - a restaurant, a Christmas shop, a museum, or whatever.  Today, nothing on that side tempted us enough to climb the stairs although there is a museum on one of them that we hope to visit.  It contains a photographic account detailing the horrors of the war here in 1991.  That is definitely on our list to visit.  So, today we stuck to the level side and the only steps we saw, aside from the ones leading to our apartment, were the few taking us around the harbour and into the Old Town.  We are "in training" for the bigger challenges of the hillside!  What was clear to us by noon was that if you want to see this town without having to dodge hoarders of people you need to arrive early.  By one o'clock, it was almost impossible to walk around without being pushed and shoved by the multitude of tour groups.  Believe me it was no fun and what really struck us is how much worse it would be later in the year when the tourist season is actually in fully swing.  So, after wandering to the end of Stradun to the small harbour and up some side streets where we found a market selling local products - like fig salami and bags of dried sugared orange peel (one of my faves) we decided to eschew the crowds of the city and head back to Lapad, the area where "home" is with the hope that we could find somewhere quieter and less crowded to eat.  Besides there were storm clouds looming and all those steps - up the side streets and the 1080 on the walk on the city wall could wait for another day. 
 

 

Hard to see but those stairs are there - in this photo and the one below

 

 

The square at the harbour end of Stratum and St. Blaine Church

 

 

 
Our plan was rewarded two fold:  first, the pedestrian street in Lapad was basically devoid of people and, as it turned out, being within walking distance of the apartment - albeit up a gentle hill and about 70 steps - was a good thing when the thunder, lightning and rain hit.  We managed to get to a bistro for lunch and later back "home" without getting caught in the rain.  However, I have never heard louder thunder - even during a storm in Bergamo a few years ago.  Some of the claps almost shook the building making me think how absolutely terrifying the sound of the 2000 bombs dropped here in 1991 must have been.

In Lapad - a much less crowded part of Dubrovnik

 

Our lunch spot - it would never get on the Michelin list, to be frank!

So, tomorrow we are going to tackle more of those steps, weather permitting.  We are also planning to do a walking tour, hopefully early before the crowds arrive!  I read that it was determined there are 5,395 steps in the Old Town and, as I have already mentioned, 1080 of them are on the city wall.  I doubt we could, would or should do them all but the city wall is part of the plan so we will certainly be doing more than we did today.  We have only just begun.  The muscles in my legs are already twitching in apprehension!