Croatia - Dubrovnik

I arrived in Dubrovnik quite late and was met at the bus station by the owner of the room I had arranged to stay in. She drove me in her ancient car up into the hills, around a bewildering array of alleyways to her apartment.

In the main square

After unpacking I headed straight into town to get a quick taste of the place, which involved a very long walk along dark and rather creepy alleyways to make it back down to the main street. Most of the accommodation in Dubrovnik is located away from the old town, along the coast and in the hills which meant my stay involved a whole lot of walking. I'm used to that by now, though!

Inside a guard tower

The town is as charming as it looks in all the postcards, although it is a little overrun with tourists, most of them being shipped in by the thousands aboard cruise ships. It's a very small city and as such it's completely dominated by tourism, with little life ongoing aside from supporting that.

Atop the city walls, looking out across Dubrovnik

The next day I took a walk around the entire city walls, which are supposedly the best examples in Europe. They definitely provide the best view over the city and coastline. Later on I took a ferry across to an island out in the sea, which contains a national park, but my exploration was hindered by half the island being closed due to a forest fire warning. It's certainly extremely hot and dry right now.

The historic fortifications are the best I've seen

Dubrovnik was exactly as I expected - a small but beautiful city rammed with tourists. It was a nice relaxing stop, and two days was enough to see everything important. Next stop - the newest country in the world!

Croatia - Zagreb

The journey through the mountains into Croatia was one of the most dramatic so far. This is why I'm refusing to use planes anywhere on this trip (except the end, of course). You get to see so much more and get a real sense of distance.

The sign says don't lean out the window but it's just so nice!

After arriving in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, I waited absolutely ages for a tram, then 3 came at once. Typical. The right stop for my hostel was also hard to find, being in the outskirts with no real variation in the landscape of dull, grey apartment blocks.

Creepy!

To be honest I really was not very much impressed with Zagreb. With the exception of one short but very lively street full of a great variety of bars, there wasn't too much that caught my attention.

The city at dusk

There's a funicular railway up to another section of the town, although it's the shortest I've ever seen and walking up the adjoining steps is cheaper and probably quicker too. The rather grey weather did nothing to improve my view of the city.

In the old town

I think to really appreciate Croatia, one must visit the coast, of which I've heard many great things. Later I will do just that, heading to Dubrovnik, and hope it's somewhat more enthralling!