Thursday, November 15
We found a really great website that showed many locations around Dubrovnik where scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed. We set out in the morning to try and track down as many as possible.
The old city of Dubrovnik, which dates from roughly the eighth century, is a fascinating place. It’s completely surrounded by high defensive walls and built into the side of a large hill. If you’re not willing to climb stairs made out of slick, smoothed limestone then you’d better stay away. At the lowest level, just 15 feet above sea level, there is a long, wide main street which connects to innumerable narrow winding alleys that seem to go on forever. It’s easy to imagine that you could get lost there.
We investigated a number of interesting places on and just off this main street. There are quite a few churches and medieval buildings made out of stone. In the city’s first incarnation the buildings were all made of wood. Frequent destructive fires lead to an ordinance requiring all buildings be made out of stone. Because of this regulation some of the buildings that can be seen date from as far back as the 12th century.
As we wended our way through the streets we immediately recognized The Jesuit Staircase. We knew it as the place where Cersei left the Sept of Balor and began her walk of shame. At the top of the stairs is an old Jesuit Monastery that now houses one of the most prestigious high schools in the entire city. Sadly, the Sept of Balor only exists in the world of special effects.
After a pizza lunch and a little grocery shopping we headed back to the apartment. Neither of us were feeling very energetic. We were both suffering from bad colds. If looking for Game of Thrones sites had been a scavenger hunt we would have ended in last place.
Distance walked: 2.3 miles
Monday, November 19
In the intervening days we’d stayed in the apartment and binge watched shows on Netflix. We really weren’t feeling much better today but in spite of that we decided to venture out and see some more of the city.
Dubrovnik is indescribably beautiful. The city is set against the deep blue water of the Adriatic Sea. The further you go from the water the higher your elevation and the more lovely the sight. By the time you reach the northern most walls the entire city is laid out before you. You can see many tall towers, church steeples and portions of the crenelated wall and you can hear the sounds of the ocean crashing on the rocks below. To the west is another fortress set high on a cliff. This was our destination for today. It is Fort Lovrijenac (Fort Lawrence) but might be more familiar to GOT fans as The Red Keep.
We walked up the stairs from our apartment, passed through Buža Gate and along the outside of the northern wall. In the distance to the southeast we could see a small scrap of land called Lokrum Island. This island is the place where Richard the Lionheart of England was said to have been shipwrecked in 1192 on his way back from the crusades. It’s also where many of the scenes from the City of Qarth (the greatest city that ever was or will be) were filmed. There’s a ferry that runs out to the island. Hopefully they have not closed for the season.
As we rounded the city walls to the south we came on to a small bay with a stone pier separating the walled city from Fort Lovrijenac. This pier was also quite familiar. It was featured prominently in the scene where Marcella leaves King’s Landing to board a boat destined for Dorne.
We walked up a long series of winding stone staircases and arrived at the entrance to the fort. Cost of entry was 100 KN / $15.00 per person(!) The fort dates from the 11th century and was instrumental in keeping the Venetians from conquering the city. There’s not much to see in the interior. We climbed the stairs to the revetments and were rewarded with a commanding view of the area. This fort was used for many scenes from GOT. Several exchanges between Tyrion and Varys were shot there. Whenever you see an exterior shot of The Red Keep you are seeing this fort.
(Fort Lovrijenac)
After touring the fort we reentered the walled city through Pile Gate and had hamburgers at one of the many restaurants along the main street. It had been a long morning of walking and climbing stairs and now we had to face the daunting task of climbing back up the hill to our apartment. It wouldn’t have been so bad if we hadn’t been so sick.
Distance walked: 2.6 miles
Tuesday, November 20
After being sick for over a week we finally caved and went to the doctor. The only local clinic in the area opened at 5:00 pm so we decided to head over to a clinic associated with a nearby hospital. It was raining and the hospital was about 1.5 miles from our apartment so we decided to take an Uber.
We arrived at the clinic without an appointment and were told that the doctor was busy and would fit us in as soon as possible. After only 30 minutes the two of us were seen. Deborah’s diagnoses was a sinus infection. The doctor prescribed antibiotics that we were told we could pick up at any pharmacy. My diagnosis was bronchitis. They did a blood test to check to see if it was viral. Since it was bacterial I was prescribed antibiotics too; he handed me a box of pills on the way out. We have our own private insurance that will cover us anywhere the world. We paid for the services in full and will have to submit it for reimbursement.
The receptionist and the doctors all spoke English quite well. All of the paperwork (including the diagnoses) were all in English, too. Excepting the absence of Purell dispensers we could easily have mistaken it for a medical office in the U.S.
Distance walked: 1.6 miles
Thursday, November 22
Happy Thanksgiving! In spite of the fact that we’re supposed to be resting and recuperating we decided to go out today. Of course it’s not a holiday in these parts so all of the shops, stores, attractions, etc. were all open for business. We decided to walk the walls.
For the low, low, low price of 150 KN / $11.25 per person you can walk on top of the walls that surround the old town. We’d seen people doing it and it looked like a lot of fun. Of course it turned out to be even more stairs than we expected. It’s hard to exercise when you are having trouble breathing but how many times are we going to be in Dubrovnik?
The weather was fine, the air was clear, the sun was shining and it was a great day for some sightseeing. The first part of the path overlooks Fort Lovrijenac. As we turned towards the south we noticed that large parts of the wall had been recently reconstructed. We also saw piles of rubble below that had obviously been homes and businesses. This was all damage that had occurred as part of the war of independence in the 1990s. The entire old city of Dubrovnik had been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 so all of the post-war reconstruction had to follow the appropriate guidelines and use authentic materials.
To the east was the ancient harbor that now serves are a marina and home to the aquarium. At the north end the highest point on the entire wall is Minčeta Tower. Many portions of the wall have been featured in scenes from King’s Landing but this tower was actually the home of the House of the Undying in the city of Qarth.
(The Walled City)
After climbing the equivalent of 30 flights we were pretty tired so we were looking forward to a nice “Thanksgiving” lunch. We tried a couple of restaurants that had been recommended but they were both closed for vacation. One of the restaurants near the main street was open and was quite busy so we headed over there. It had a very high Google rating and there were tables outside in the sun. It looked inviting.
We started off with a couple of drinks. Deborah had an Aperol Spritz and I had a Poseidon (it had fig liquor, curaçao and fruit in it). For our main courses we had roasted chicken with a melange of vegetables and Dalmatian Fish Stew with a side of polenta. Both were excellent. The fish stew attracted the interest of a nearby stray cat who also wound up enjoying part of our meal. We thought that we were finished but when the waiter suggested coffee and cake we decided to take the plunge. We wound up sharing a piece of Krema Schnit that was so good that it rivaled the one we had in Bled, Slovenia. Of course nothing is inexpensive in Dubrovnik and since this restaurant was in a very touristy area it exceeded or normal budget by quite a bit – but it was our Thanksgiving dinner so we splurged. Total cost: 450 KN / $71.00. The place was called Restaurant Arsenal. We’d strongly recommend it.
(Dalmatian Fish Stew and Polenta)
Distance walked: 3.6 miles