Dubrovnik

We planned to stay in Dubrovnik for about 5 days so we could enjoy the city and take some great day trips from there.  We lucked out with our apartment rental, which looked really sketchy from the outside...

It doesn't look that bad in this picture, but the building was really dark and creepy looking inside.  I thought we might have to lose our deposit and get a hotel upon first glance.

...but was really nice and modern on the inside.

The best part about this place was it's location.  It was just a short walk from the old town and it had a great patio with a view...

I watched the weather really carefully and picked the sunniest warmest day to head to the local beach.  On our first afternoon there, we found a grocery store and walked around to get oriented.  We also found a few really great bakeries.  The next morning, we headed out first thing to find this hidden beach...

There are lots and lots and lots of steps and hills and cliffs in Dubrovnik.

After trying this amazing path right along the water, we found this hidden beach.  It was really pebbly and you actually had to wade through the water to get back there.  It was fun to see it, but we kept hiking on to find the hidden sandy beach that we were after.

We finally made it there and it was totally worth it.  We had the place all to ourselves for most of the day (3 people came and went while we were there).  It was pretty great...

For all my careful packing and planning, I forgot Bennett's swimsuit!  His first dip in the sea was in his onesie, but he didn't mind.

Reading up on Dubrovnik while soaking up the sun.

We planned to side trips from Dubrovnik - Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.  I'll post about those later, but on one of those days, we ran into some trouble at the border and ended up back near Dubrovnik at the horseshoe shaped bay town of Cavtat.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, flexibility is key...

We still had a great day walking around the bay of Cavtat.

We caught a beautiful sunset and some awesome views as we drove along the coastline.

Finally, we gave ourselves a whole day to delve into the old town.  We started up high on the old town walls and worked our way down.  The kids were troopers (probably thanks to the many snacks and treats I brought to keep them going), so this day was especially nice.

Rooftop views from the old town walls.

Posing near the flag at the tippity top of the old town.

Carver thought it was cool to see a rooftop basketball court breaking up the terra-cotta shingled rooftops.

We found the exact spot the photo from our book cover was taken.

More views from the old town walls, just across the water...

Exploring the various fortifications and what the walls were really meant for - defense...

Near the end of the walk, we were right along the bay and we worked our way into the streets of the old town.

We really noticed a shift from our early morning stroll on the walls, to about midmorning when the cruise ship crowd slowly infiltrated the old town...

That evening, we took a steep and terrifying drive up the mountain to see this monument and some beautiful views of the city lit up at night...

We definitely give Dubrovnik 2 thumbs up.  Though it is now a popular cruise port and is fast becoming a tourist hot spot, it still felt somewhat untouristy and undiscovered...