Our first stop was the lovely coastal city of Dubrovnik. This was the view that greeted us:
We went on one of the cruise's shore excursions, which took us to a nice vantage point over Old Dubrovnik. In the photo, you can see the famous City Wall and one of its defensive forts/towers, St John Fortress.
Another one of the Wall's forts/towers. I believe this is the Minčeta Tower. According to Wikipedia, this tower symbolizes the "Unconquerable" Dubrovnik.
Pile Gate - the entrance into Old Dubrovnik.
First impressions? Dubrovnik has a completely different vibe compared with Venice. Less exuberance, more subtlety.
Onofrio's Great Fountain
This is probably the very first thing you will see after entering through the Pile Gate.
There are sixteen sides to the fountain, each with an unique "face" from which the water is dispensed. There were quite a few people filling up their water bottles at the fountain.
According to our guide, the source of the fountain is a spring some 20 km away. The water is perfectly drinkable and is even better than bottled water.
You know me, I had to try it for myself.
The water was nice and colder. Very refreshing.
Franciscan Monastery
As part of the tour, we visited the Franciscan and Dominican Monasteries.
If you don't know the difference between the two Orders (like me), the Franciscans are the Hufflepuffs of the Harry Potter universe - helps the poor - whereas the Dominicans are the Ravenclaws - focuses on learning and preaching (I suppose that makes the Jesuits Gryffindors?) If you're a Divergent fan, Franciscan=Abnegation; Dominican=Erudite.
This is also why the Franciscan monastery has a pharmacy but the Dominican one does not.
The monastery is lovely. Very calm and peaceful.
The courtyard is really nice, filled with orange trees.
In the old days, I'm guessing this was probably where the monks grew the herbs needed to stock the pharmacy.
A painting of what Dubrovnik used to look like. In the upper left corner, you can see the belltower which marks the monastery where we were. You can see the belltower in the photo above.
The old pharmacy. Now preserved in a mini-museum.
The current pharmacy. Still in operation. Amazing eh?
Strolling on the main street in Old Dubrovnik. Look at the built-in "gutters."
It's hard to see, but there is a narrow flight of stairs hidden behind those umbrellas. Where do they lead to??? I wonder... no time to daydream, got to return to my group. There are so many of these small alleyways. It would be so fun to just explore the city.
I don't know who this is, but I'm guessing rubbing his nose brings good luck?
Dominican Monastery
Folk Dance Performance
Included as part of the tour, the performance actually turned out better than expected. The costumes and the dancing remind me of Russian folk dancing.
The Adriatic Sea...
...and the orange-tiled roofs of the Dubrovnik houses
We went on one of the cruise's shore excursions, which took us to a nice vantage point over Old Dubrovnik. In the photo, you can see the famous City Wall and one of its defensive forts/towers, St John Fortress. 
Another one of the Wall's forts/towers. I believe this is the Minčeta Tower. According to Wikipedia, this tower symbolizes the "Unconquerable" Dubrovnik. 
Pile Gate - the entrance into Old Dubrovnik.
First impressions? Dubrovnik has a completely different vibe compared with Venice. Less exuberance, more subtlety.
Onofrio's Great FountainThis is probably the very first thing you will see after entering through the Pile Gate.
There are sixteen sides to the fountain, each with an unique "face" from which the water is dispensed. There were quite a few people filling up their water bottles at the fountain.
According to our guide, the source of the fountain is a spring some 20 km away. The water is perfectly drinkable and is even better than bottled water.You know me, I had to try it for myself.
The water was nice and colder. Very refreshing.
Franciscan MonasteryAs part of the tour, we visited the Franciscan and Dominican Monasteries.
If you don't know the difference between the two Orders (like me), the Franciscans are the Hufflepuffs of the Harry Potter universe - helps the poor - whereas the Dominicans are the Ravenclaws - focuses on learning and preaching (I suppose that makes the Jesuits Gryffindors?) If you're a Divergent fan, Franciscan=Abnegation; Dominican=Erudite.
This is also why the Franciscan monastery has a pharmacy but the Dominican one does not.
The monastery is lovely. Very calm and peaceful.The courtyard is really nice, filled with orange trees.
In the old days, I'm guessing this was probably where the monks grew the herbs needed to stock the pharmacy.
A painting of what Dubrovnik used to look like. In the upper left corner, you can see the belltower which marks the monastery where we were. You can see the belltower in the photo above.
The old pharmacy. Now preserved in a mini-museum.
The current pharmacy. Still in operation. Amazing eh?
Strolling on the main street in Old Dubrovnik. Look at the built-in "gutters."
It's hard to see, but there is a narrow flight of stairs hidden behind those umbrellas. Where do they lead to??? I wonder... no time to daydream, got to return to my group. There are so many of these small alleyways. It would be so fun to just explore the city.
The thing I found most amazing about Old Dubrovnik is the streets. Foot traffic over hundreds of years have polished the stones to a mirror-like shine. Look at that reflection! I've never seen anything like this before.
The streets look amazing, but they are incredibly hazardous in the rain. "Ice-like," I believe were the exact words. I have to admit, I found them slightly slippery and the weather was incredibly nice that day. I'd hate to find out just how slippery they can get when wet. Actually, scratch that. I'm super curious. Slippery enough to play curling? Now, that would be a sight! People playing curling in the rain out in the streets. :D
I don't know who this is, but I'm guessing rubbing his nose brings good luck?
More photos of Old Dubrovnik
Doesn't the Dominican monastery look remarkably similar to its Franciscan brother?
It has the same courtyard+colonnade layout.
Next time we meet, I shall reach your summit, Wall of Dubrovnik!
Folk Dance Performance
Included as part of the tour, the performance actually turned out better than expected. The costumes and the dancing remind me of Russian folk dancing.
Afterwards, we had about 45 minutes of free time, which really wasn't enough to do anything except stroll around some more. Oh well.
Doviđenja Dubrovnik! Until we meet again.
P.S. I did not find out until much later that Game of Thrones filmed in Dubrovnik! The city was/is being used for King's Landing. Gah! Curses! The nearby island of Lokrum was used as Qarth.
