Dubrovnik Old Town

Friday - November 1, 2019

Today we went to Dubrovnik Old Town. The town was first established in the late 1200’s and is surrounded by a fortification wall that is 6,400 feet in length  and 82 feet tall in places.

The stone curtain surrounding the old city includes watch towers, bastions, castles, and fortresses. The entry gates have small moats with draw bridges.

Fort Bokar on the corner of the city wall.

Fort Lovrijenac sits just across the bay from the Northwest gate.

Fort Minceta on the Northern corner of the wall.

The Main Street is called Stradun. It originally was a canal much like those in Venice but was filled in after the great earthquake in 1667. The buildings were rebuilt after the earthquake to a uniform height with nearly identical facades and similar layouts.

St. Saviour Church just inside the Northwest entry gate.

Mount Srd & Konavle

Sunday - November 3, 2019

Today we were to take the cable car to the top of Mount Srd (sounds like bird with an S) but the wind was blowing so hard we had to take vans instead. Luckily we arrived before the rain and clouds obscured our view of the Dubrovnik Old Town. Situated atop the hill is Fort Imperial which was built in the early 1800s during the Napoleonic Wars to protect the city.

Today the Croatian War of Independence Museum of 1991 to 1995 is located in the fort. We had a guest speaker that had lived in the Old Town during the war share her experiences. It was very informative.

For the afternoon we went to the rural area of Konavle. There we learned about the making of olive oil, wine, brandy, and curing of meats. The owner of the farm we visited was very entertaining. We were served a huge banquet meal, had some local music and a little dancing before heading back to town. I ate way too much food but had a great time.

Yellowstone Day 2

Thursday - September 20, 2018

It was an early start this morning with a hike to the top of Purple Mountain by climbing up 1,600 feet in elevation gain. The 7 mile trek offered some interesting views as the morning fog began to lift.

Some elk were grazing along a river bank as I was driving to the trailhead. It was a peaceful setting and great way to start my day.

The trail was easy going in the beginning.

The standard bear warning sign. I had my bear repellent on my side ready just in case.

There were small patches of snow/ice along the trail. 

Small pine saplings 

Juniper with berries

The top of the mountain.

I had been at the top for about 15 minutes when I heard voices of more hikers. It was a couple from England. We had a good chat and then they took my picture for me.

As the fog and clouds lifted you could see across the valley. Those are some geysers spewing steam in the distance.

After my hike, I took a driving tour of the northern part of the park.

This elk made himself at home in the town of Mammoth. 

Undone Falls

Tower Falls

That concludes my visit to Yellowstone National Park. It was nice to see it once again.