More Dubrovnik and the Peljesac Peninsula

My final post on Croatia......and it's a long one.   More of Dubrovnik, and some pictures from our day trip to Peljesac Peninsula for wine and oyster tasting.

So let's get going!

One of the main local beaches by the city, Banje Beach.

I did get in the water - not at this beach, but at our hotel.  Despite my still-recovering ankle!  It was around 22-23, so warm enough for me (but not for Pat).

Add the Adriatic Sea to my Bucket List item to swim in as many worldwide bodies of water as possible.

St. Sebastian Church. 

Dubrovnik Cathedral.... this one dates from the 18th Century.  But the original cathedral has an interesting story.  Richard the Lionheart (King Richard I) was returning from the 3rd Crusades in 1192 and was shipwrecked on nearby Lokrum Island.  He survived and wanting to thank God for sparing his life, vowed to build a great church on the spot.  But the shrewd Dubrovnik leaders convinced him to build on the mainland, in Dubrovnik, instead.

 

A walk around the Dominican Monastery and it's Gothic-style cloisters.  So peaceful, and nice to get away from the crowds

 

A visit on top of the mountains near the city (by cable car).  Great views of both the coast & Adriatic Sea, as well as Bosnia to the East

This cross is dedicated to the victims and survivors of the 1991 bombing of Croatia by the Serbian and Montenegro armies.  It's located next to the fort (Fort Imperial) that was the main defense location for the Croatian army & fighters

Time for a beer!

The next day......Caught in a massive rainstorm!  The city got 3 months worth of rain in a single day. 

 

And I eventually got really wet

 

So no more swimming for a few days.  Although the rough shoreline was beautiful to stare at from our balcony

 

An old church, next to our hotel

 

Market day, at the port

Cats everywhere!

 

 

A visit to Ston, which is known for it's salt beds and oysters.  It's a fortified town, and located on the Pelijesac Penisula (West of Dubrovnik)
 

 

 

Really wet salt beds (which is not a good thing for salt harvesting!)

So we moved on to wine tasting!  Here we are at Korta Katarina Winery.  Owned my a couple from US, who came to Croatia after the war to help with rebuilding

 

A private wine tasting.  We tried their Posip (a dry white), Rose, and Plavac Mali.  The Posip and Plavac Mali are known Croatia wines.  The Plavac Mali grape is a cross of Zinfandel and Dobricic grapes, and is the primary red grape grown along southern Dalmatia.  Really good!

 

 

Back to Ston for Oyster tasting.  At this point, it was raining and around 60 degrees.  Not freezing, but I wasn't dressed for it.



Love the stone walls surrounding the town.  And the black things in the water are mussel beds

Freshly harvested oysters!

Finally, time to eat!  They were amazing - so fresh and briny, didn't need lemon or crackers or anything.

 

Final shot of Dubrovnik!

 

 

Dubrovnik at night

We had a beautiful view of the old city and Adriatic Sea from our hotel, the Villa Dubrovnik.  I wrote a rave review of this place on Trip Advisor, and recommend it highly.  Here I am on their rooftop bar

 

All of the rooms have balconies facing the sea.  

My favorite of the numerous sunsets photos were took

The city looked amazing at night.  Here is the Cathedral.........

The Rector's Palace.  Gothic and Renaissance in design, it was built in the 15th Century.  It was built for the Rector, or Mayor, of Dubrovnik as his residence and workplace.  It also housed other administrative offices for the city government

The Rector was a "puppet" ruler, and only held office for 1 month, during which he was not permitted to leave the palace. 

The detailed carvings on the doors and walls were difficult to capture in pictures. 

A view of the Sponza Palace, which was also built in the 15th century.  It began as a customs house, but also held the mint, bank, treasure, and armory.  It also is one of the few buildings to survive the 1667 earthquake.  They say that because of this, it helped preserve the Dubrovnik republic.

The Stradum, very busy at night

St. Blaise's Church

 

Stained glass window on St. Blaise Church.  We didn't even notice it during the daytime, but at night.....

I don't remember what this is!

On this night, dinner was at Rozario, recommended by both our tour guide and the hotel.  Exceptional cuttleink (squid) risotto made to order, and fresh fish.  And a nice romantic setting on the city street.......

The harbor

A rock (?) concert on the beach.  The guy definitely looked and sounded like he was local 80's star.  But hey, it's a warm night on the beach!

Grainy picture of Lokrum Island, and a few ships, from our balcony.  And a firework exploding in the background

Good night!