Day 2 on the cruise was in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I was very excited about this port because we had heard only great things about the city. We didn't get there until 1 pm so we did breakfast and then lunch on the boat before getting to explore the city. Since we were in a suite we got to eat our breakfast and lunch in the nicer restaurants if we wanted and that day we did, other days we tried lunch at the buffet and Irish pub but we honestly didn't do lunch on the ship very many times. We loved the staff that served us breakfast, they were super nice and the kids loved the fancy fruits cups!
The view from the dining table in our room.
Hanging out in the room.
After lunch (which took longer than we planned so we had already got into Dubrovnik) we decided to make the kids nap before we went into the city and I am glad we did. We lost a little time but overall the kids were well rested and we had more quality time because no meltdowns were had! Plus we ended up walking the walls of the city which took longer than what I thought and without naps they wouldn't have made it, we were all exhausted! They napped on the chairs by the pool and Dave and I drank a few drinks so it was still a great time. We were so surprised by the number of people that were not getting off the ship, it was such an amazing city and many people were just relaxing by the pool! The weather was gorgeous but relax later!!
Finley refused to nap when the big kids did but we were not worried about her because as soon as she got in the carrier she was out.
When everybody was rested we headed off the ship and grabbed a taxi into the Old Town, it is an easy 10 minute drive. The kids thoroughly love taxis and shuttles because they are not in carseats but it really scares the crap out of me!
We arrived at the gates into the old town and we immediately knew we were going to love the city. It was unlike any other city we had been to yet, the views of the water were stunning and then there was a huge wall! It was so cool!
Leo loves everything Knight and cannons and pirate ships. So whenever we do something he might not really enjoy we make sure to incorporate those things and then he enjoys it. We found these "cannonballs" (I am not 100% sure what they were actually used for...) as we walked into the city and Leo loved the idea of how they used to "shoot them at the pirate ships" and then he was on the hunt for cannons and Knights. The first thing we did when we got to the city was "walk the walls." I wasn't sure what that meant exactly when we read about it but "the walls"are much larger than what I was thinking. It was so high up and walked around the entire Old Town and it was huge! It was the best part of the day for me.
Walking around the walls and enjoying the views.
We learned while reading about the city before we visited that the roofs that are more red are newer and were destroyed during the war in the 90's and needed to be replaced but the roofs that are more faded and a brown color are the original roofs.
There were a lot of different areas you could walk into and lookouts to check out. We had a blast!
We stopped to enjoy an ice cream.
Playing on the cannons.
Leo had so much energy and was enjoying running full speed around the walls and making new friends along the way.
Quinn was the sweetest and after Finley woke up from her nap, she held her hand and helped her the whole way to the end.
Leo's little face was so red he was sweating like crazy and refused to stop running!
We did it! We made it all the way around and we were tired! It was one of my top 5 things we have done in Europe so far, way exceeded my expectations! Quinn is holding a pair of binoculars from a happy meal she got sometime before we moved and the kids love them, they played with them the whole trip. Leo looked out the windows for sharks and on this day Quinn used it has a "camera" to capture our day.
After walking the walls we had time to explore the city so we set off to see what things we could find and Dave was excited to find places that were in the TV show, Game of Thrones. Quinn loved all the stray cats that were roaming the city and wanted to stop and get pictures of all of them. I have found since living in Europe (where there are not many public restrooms and when there are you have to pay to use them....) that when you have a kid, you can usually use the bathroom anywhere. So when Quinn decides she has to go "right now!" I have just started walking into any place (hotel, restaurant, etc.) and asking if we can use their bathroom and so far a lot of places have let us! So while in Dubrovnik, a nice man at a small hotel let us use his bathroom for free.
Exploring the city.
Finley is always eating, I think her favorite part of the day was the slice of pizza we bought to eat as we walked around.
Quinn got her pictures with these parrots while we were walking around and she loved it. Leo was in the carrier and I didn't feel like getting him down to let him have a turn and he didn't act too upset about that but later at bedtime he was talking about how he did not get his picture with the parrots and now I feel bad about it!
Leaving the Old Town and heading to the cable car. The cable car takes you up to the side of a mountain where you get great views of the city. While we were walking up to the car (or elevator as Leo called it) Leo sat down on the steps and said "I'm hungry and I'm tired, I want to take a rest." I'm sure he was so tired, he went 100 MPH all day long. I was not excited about the ride because I am so scared of things like these. Quinn was so cute and was trying to comfort me before we got on the cable car. Leo was pumped because the car was orange and "that is my favorite color!" he said. The ride was not that bad and we didn't die so thats always good. The views from the top were amazing so I am glad we went up.
Quinn was taking a lot of "pictures" with her pair of binoculars and it was cute, she was even telling us how to pose. Her and Leo are developing such a great friendship and I love watching their bond grow. After the cable car we headed back to the ship.
Leo riding back down the "elevator."
In the taxi on the way back to the ship.
It was the best day and the city was unlike any city I have been to, I really loved it. The kids made many new friends and we created lifelong memories. When we got back on the ship we went to the buffet for dinner and it was really good, Dave and I got Indian food and it was THE BEST. Finley is not wanting to sit in a highchair anymore which is super sad to me. We finished the day by getting a "drink of the day" the "rebellious fish" from the poolside bar and drinking it in the room while the kids fell asleep (which did not take long at all!). What a great day.
Good Night Dubrovnik, until we meet again!
Dubrovnik is good, Life is so good.
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