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Bookmark & shareA Top Day in Dubrovnik
I start my Dubrovnik dream day by nipping out of my room at the Villa Adriatica to grab a fresh cherry strudel from the excellent un-named bakery next door. I'll return to nibble it meditatively on my awesome guest terrace, which overlooks the ancient harbour and the magnificent fortifications of the glorious old city.
If the air seems clear, I'll hike up Srđ Hill before the morning heat becomes too strong. Rising through pines then flower-dappled scrub, the bird's-eye views of the red Old Town roofs are superlative. And they only get better. The panorama is utterly unbeatable from the Napoleonic hill-top fortress, encompassing the snow-flecked mountains of Montenegro as well as the islands of the Dalmatian coast. Until the cable car service gets restored, the fort's ruins remain eerily silent, spookily pocked with bullet-kissed reminders of the 1991-2 conflict.
Back in the old city, I'll glide over the stone pavements to the harbour area for a quick lunch on the Konoba Peskarija's sunny terrace: their grilled mini-squid is the tastiest and best value in town. If seas are calm I might consider a boat trip to convivial Cavtat village where in 2005 you might have bumped into Roman Abramovich or Tom Cruise on the same day.
More likely I'll check out a couple of Dubrovnik's mini-galleries, procure a concert ticket, or restart the eternal cycle of Old Town cafe-hopping. Before sunset I pick Caffe Festival, surveying the Placa in the last lingering rays. As dusk wreaths a purple mantle round the battlements, I'll move on to the stylish Gradska Kavarna. Then after greeting odd acquaintances on a Placa passaggiata, dinner pangs might suggest a pizza at Mea Culpa or something more substantial at Proto or Ragusa 2.
Having walked off the surfeit with a stroll through the charmingly lamp-lit Old Town alleyways, I'll finally settle on the terrace of the wonderful Café Troubadour. Here over a shot of firewater I'll melt into the mellifluence of the live soft jazz which gives those balmy nights a perfect sense of artistic completeness.
Author: Mark Elliott
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