We arrived at Dubrovnik airport and our host, Damir, was at the airport holding a sign with our name on it. Transfer to the apartment went smoothly, and Ana and her husband, the caretakers, were there to show us how everything worked. Ana also told me she would come every Thursday morning at 9 AM to clean the apartment. Yes! I love it when cleaning is included in the rental.

Old Town Dubrovnik is a medieval walled city built of white limestone that looks like something out of a fairy tale . Historically, the city was an important trading area on the Adriatic Sea and has always taken the path of diplomacy rather than violence to deal with the neighbors. The city's thick walls and moat protected it from both land and sea invasions and threats by Venetians and Ottomans were handled with money and bribery for centuries. The Old Town experienced an earthquake, and was rebuilt, in the late 1600's and looks today very much like it did then. Only recently in 1991 was the city truly damaged by bombing by the Serbians, and the proud Croatians have rebuilt all of the city and repaired the damages. It's still the Pearl of the Adriatic, and as we walked through the city and on its walls, we could see its beauty.

The first day in Dubrovnik we walked the walls of the city. This is something everyone must do when they visit. The walls entirely surround the city and are narrow in some areas and widen to about 25 feet or so in some spots. They follow the topography of the land which means many steps up and many steps down . We were told the walls contain 700 steps but we didn't count! The views from the walls are amazing. You can see the entire city, the new roofs (after the 1991 bombing), and expansive views of the Adriatic and the islands offshore.

The second day in Dubrovnik we took an extensive tour of filming sites used in the HBO series Game of Thrones. The outdoor scenes set in King's Landing for seasons 2 through 5 were filmed in Dubrovnik and neighboring areas of Croatia. Since we are big fans of the show, it was really fun to see where the scenes were filmed. Our guide actually worked on the show as a costume designer and wardrobe mistress, so she had lots of great information about the actors and actresses and places where the show was shot. Then, we took a driving tour to see where scenes were filmed near the ruined Hotel Belvedere and the garden scenes filmed in the Trsteno Arboretum. This arboretum is the oldest arboretum in the world and was the site of the garden scenes in Game of Thrones. We really enjoyed the drive along the coastline and saw more of Croatia and the magnificent Adriatic Sea. Enjoy the pics!