We've spent a few days racing (leisurely) through various places and today we're going for a slow walk and a relaxing time!
Today we are at the Port of Dubrovnik. Gruz to give it its proper name. Never ones for lazing on sunbeds and burning to a crisp, but wanting a more gently paced day than the previous two, we decide to take the sketchbook for a walk to the bottom of the harbour and see whether the view is - or can be made - simple enough to draw.
It's a respectable walk by the time we reach the far end of the harbour and here the road carries straight on and a path leads to the right along the harbour wall and off up a dirty great hill which would eventually bring you to the coast with a turn to the left and still a long walk to the walled city of Dubrovnik. But given that there's a massive map and a very clear signpost pointing along the road that says "Centrum" (not that hard to translate into "Centre" I would have thought...) it turns out to be a bit amazing how many people look at the sign and then the map and then walk past us along the harbour wall and then return saying the hill is massive and they weren't sure if they were going the right way. If you want to walk to Dubrovnik, by the time you have reached the map you are roughly one third of the way to the walled city.
Some take half an hour to come back and then look at the map again and then come back past us to retrace their climb... Now that's dedication! As for me, I'm quite happy sitting here with an empty mind (yes I know - that's its usual state...) and happily doodling away. A boat owner comes along and drags a tiny dingy out to paddle out to his motor boat that is moored in the harbour somewhere. He takes a look at what I'm doing. "Very nice!" he says and we fall into a conversation. He is going fishing for the day as he does most days, bringing home the family meal.
The Croatians are lovely, friendly people I have always found. Several stop to look at what I am doing and make comments in perfect English which makes me stop to count how many words I can speak in Croat. I don't finish all the fingers on just one hand...
We spent a couple of hours sitting there whilst I ignored most of the ships and boats but included Thomson Dream and the Karaka a wooden broad-hulled sailing ship which we have admired on previous visits. Just beyond the Dream the River Ombla enters the Adriatic via a ria, a 5 kilometre (3.1 miles) long estuary which flows under a suspension bridge whose support cables can be seen over the Thomson Dream.
We walked back towards the ship, looking in one or two shops, including a shop dedicated to Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik is the location for the show's King's Landing.
Gruz is a pleasant place to visit even without the more well-known attraction of Dubrovnik. Buses run from just outside the cruise terminal entrance into the city, stopping just outside the main entrance, Pile Gate.
Tomorrow will be our final day and port before we leave the ship for home on Friday. Join us next time in the city of Kotor, in Montenegro.
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