Around the Wall in 80 Frames ~ Dubrovnik, Croatia

Photo taken from bridge to entry gate. The rounded piece on the right end is Bokar Fortress which dates from the 15th century.

Every tour starts somewhere. Ours starts at the bottom of these stairs.

My camera is already captivated!

Our first view of Lovrijenac Fortress from atop the wall.

From the Franciscan Monastery to the Bell Tower, the ancient stones of the main street are highly polished from constant foot traffic over hundreds of years.

The colorful laundry, the contrasting colors and shapes of the architecture against the ever changing backdrops of sea and sky made me very happy!

We are headed south on the Walls of Dubrovnik toward Bokar Tower (the rounded tower in the shadow in this photo) following the best views of the ever-photographable Lovrijenac Fortress. The awnings in the lower right corner are at the Dubravka Café – a lovely place for breakfast before you begin the tour!

The Onofrio Fountain is a great spot to meet friends and fill up your water bottles. Stay hydrated!

Very few tourists this early in the day makes for better photos!

You can see the wall continuing up from the right corner of the photo and one of the numerous courtyards inside the city walls. I love the beautiful patterns the colored roof tiles make.

Fort Lovrijenac or St. Lawrence Fortress, often called “Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar”, is a fortress and theater outside the western wall of the city of Dubrovnik 121 feet above sea level. The canon in this photo sits atop the Bokar tower.

Google found this image on traveledmind.com.

The Minčeta Tower, at the top left of the photo, was built by Italian engineers in 1463. It is the most prominent point in the defensive system towards the land. The tower’s name derives from the name of the Minčeta family, who owned the ground upon which the tower was built. I like the shadow of the bell tower on the Franciscan Monastery.

Ruins from the Siege of Dubrovnik in 1991-1992.

The patterns of the stones and the lines of the gables!

I love the lines and all the windows in this composition!

New red tile roof nicely compliments the azure blue sea.

Lovely stone buildings, lovely garden.

The stones along the wall are beautiful and at this point wind to a little café (see the little umbrellas just ahead?) with AMAZING views and overpriced refreshments. If you forgot to bring your water bottle, you better stop and hydrate!

Canons at the café in case you are attacked during cappuccinos.

Like I said: AMAZING views.

Continuing to follow the beautiful stones east towards Saint John’s Fort.

following your photographer along the wall…

The walls run an uninterrupted course of approximately 6,360 feet, encircling most of the old city, and reach a maximum height of about 82 feet. The bulk of the existing walls and fortifications were constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries, but were continually extended and strengthened up until the 17th century. – Wikipedia

Saint Ignatius Church

These roof tiles are old, which means they are originals that did NOT have to be replaced after the war. All the bright red and orange roofs are newly replaced since the war.

Spectacular views from every angle and spectacular angles from every view!

a small turret overlooking the island of Lokrum

this winch helps bring supplies up to the cafés around the walls

The view of Old Port from Saint John’s Fort

I believe this is the back of the Rozario Church.

Left to right: the towers of the Franciscan Monastery, Minčeta Tower & the Bell Tower above Old Port.

The Franciscan Monastery and Minčeta Tower dominate a skyline of red tiles.

MANY boat excursions available from the very picturesque Old Port.

Here we see the dome of the Assumption Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral and the seat of the Diocese of Dubrovnik, towering above red tiles and stone courtyards.

Narrow stone streets define life in the walled city.

In alignment with the Walls of Dubrovnik, Assumption Cathedral makes a point.

a huge stack of paperwork inside the first window betrays ordinary office life inside…

Canon and turret overlooking Dubrovnik.

Little pink houses stand by Old Port.

The church of St. Sebastian was built in 1466.

Looking back at Saint John’s Fort over Old Port.

The interplay of tiles, stones and shadows make me giddy!

Fort Revelin sits at the northeast corner of the city.

The dome of the Assumption Cathedral and the Clocktower set amidst new tiles, old tiles and renovations.

Old Port, Saint John’s Fortress and the island of Lokrum.

Old Port, Saint John’s Fortress and the island of Lokrum, the tower of St. Sebastian, and the dome of the Assumption Cathedral.

St. Sebastian’s tower frames the sparkling sea and Old Port.

The Minčeta Tower

The Walls of Dubrovnik curve their way up the hill to The Minčeta Tower.

Just more pointy things and tiled roofs set against the sapphire Adriatic.

The Minčeta Tower at the northwest corner of Dubrovnik was used as a filming location for the “House of the Undying” scene in Game of Thrones.

Ruins among new tiled roofs.

Old roof, new roof, red roof, blue sky.

That pointy thing at the top of tower of St. Sebastian’s kept demanding we shoot it, so we did…

Parking near Old Town is a problem – about one space for every 10 or so cars I would guess…

Stairs going up, stairs going down.

Franciscan Monastery in front of Lovrijenac Fortress.

A beautiful red and orange tiled mosaic.

The dome of Church of St. Blaise and the dome of the Assumption Cathedral awash in a sea of red tiles set against a magnificent blue Adriatic.

The Clocktower, the dome of Church of St. Blaise and the dome of the Assumption Cathedral in front of the island of Lokrum.

Red tiled roofs surround the Lovrijenac Fortress and the Franciscan Monastery.

This shot shows a pretty long section of the wall . See the crowd of people in the middle of the right side? Then follow the wall down to the lower left of the photo. Around 9:30 am, so the crowds aren’t huge yet.

Stone tower towering into the blue.

We finally made it to the Minčeta Tower!

Looking down from Minčeta Tower to Fort Bokar and Lovrijenac Fortress at the mouth of Dubrovnik West Harbour, and a basketball court for local kids.

The view just keeps getting better the higher we climb!

Right above the domed turret in this shot, you can see up on the hill the Restaurant Panorama where tourists land when they take a four minute cable car ride up the hill. I highly recommend going for the view!

Lovrijenac Fortess from the window of Minčeta Tower.

We’ve nearly come full circle now! We are headed back down toward the entry gate.

A small orchard, a bombed out ruin, lovely patterns in red tile roofs and the island of Lokrum.

Saint Ignatius Church

Comparing old roof tiles to new roof tiles.

A small vineyard with a view.

Assumption Cathedral and Saint Ignatius Church frame the pointy thing on top of the Franciscan Monastery. And we are back to where we started the tour!