Days 14-15: Dubrovnik, Croatia and day at sea

Day 14 (May 12): Dubrovnik, Croatia

Today the ship stopped in Dubrovnik. We bought the 24 hour Dubrovnik Pass so we could access buses, the City Wall, and other museums. We initially were going to take the bus to the old city from the port, but the first bus filled and we were still in line. A taxi van pulled up and offered rides for 3 Euro each, so we (and 6 others) hopped in.

When we arrived at the Old Town, it wasn't super busy yet, and you could still find several empty or nearly empty streets.

We spent a few hours just wandering the streets 

and admiring the architecture.

We visited a couple of museums, including Rector's Palace

and a few churches

We then found a farmers market near the Jesuit Steps 

where we bought some cherries and figs.

We then spent a bit of time walking around the old port 

From there, we decided to walk the city walls and entered at Ploce Gate.

The walls give a different perspective of the city 

I only walked half the way, exiting at Pile Gate. Steve continued all the way around and exited at Ploce Gate where we started. 

Then we had a series of miscommunications while trying to find each other, but eventually reconnected for a late lunch.

We walked around a bit more, then shared a van taxi with a few others who were also heading back to the ship (the busses were packed).

Day 15 (May 13): At Sea

Today we had our final sea day, which gave us a chance to relax and recover from all the stairs and walking yesterday.

Days 16-17: Trieste, Italy

Day16 (May 14):

Today we arrived in Trieste, Italy and disembarked from the ship 

Here is the view from the ship.

Because we had luggage and it was a little rainy out, we took a taxi from the port to our hotel, Nuovo Albergo Centro.

Once we settled in, we went for a walk around the area. Our hotel was only a couple of blocks from the Grand Canal, so we headed there first.

There was a nice view of Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Nuovo (Church of Saint Anthony the Thaumaturge) at the end of the Grand Canal.

We then walked to the Piazza della Borsa, where we saw the 

Palazzo della Borsa Vecchia (Old Stock Exchange)

and the Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune Fountain).

From there, we walked to the Piazza Unità d'Italia, where it started raining again. Here we saw 

the Fontana dei Quattro Continenti (Fountain of the Four Continents),

The Palazzo del Municipio (Town Hall),

and the Palazzo del Governo (Government Palace), also known as the Palazzo della Prefettura.

We also walked to the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and 

Went inside to check it out (and stay dry).

From there it was a short walk to the Roman Theater 

As we were heading back to the hotel, it started to rain again, so we ducked into the Saint Spyridon Serbian Orthodox Church

Inside Saint Spyridon Serbian Orthodox Church

Since it was close to our hotel, we went back to our room to dry off, warm up, and take a short nap.

Later we went for another walk and to find a place for a late lunch. A few landmarks we saw on this walk included, 

Palazzo Vianello

Statue of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, located in the Piazza della Libertà

Greek Orthodox Church of San Nicolò dei Greci

And of course, pizza for lunch (pesto, buffalo mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes).

Day 17 (May 15): 

This morning, it was even colder and rainiet, but we wanted to see more of the city. We saw the

Tallero di Maria Teresa (Maria Theresa Thaler) monument, located in Piazza Ponterosso,

and the outside building of ITS Academy - Museum of Art in Fashion. We wanted to visit but they were closed.

We saw this bee on the outside of the former Cassa di Risparmio di Trieste bank building. Fun fact: the bee is a symbol of thrift and industry, often found on historic bank buildings.

We then walked down to the pier and saw

the Monumento al Bersagliere (Monument to the Bersagliere), on the historic Scala Reale (Royal Steps) along the waterfront promenade.

We saw the Aquarium building, but didn't visit it.

We then walked through a few neighborhoods before stumbling on the Arco di Riccardo (Arch of Richard)

and then walked up a lot of hills to see the Cattedrale di San Giusto Martire. It was also a nice place to view while hiding from a downpour.

There was a tower attached to the church. 

Steve climbed up in it.

On the same grounds of San Giusto Hill, walere the Monumento ai Caduti di Trieste (Monument to the Fallen of Trieste) 

and the Castello di San Giusto, a 15th-century fortress.

We also saw the Fontana di San Giusto (also known as the Fontana di Montuzza), which stands at the top of the Parco della Rimembranza on the slopes of San Giusto Hill.

To get back to the main city, there were lots of steps connecting Castello di San Giusto to the 

Scala dei Giganti (Staircase of the Giants)

After or long walk, we ducked into a restaurant to hide from another downpour.

Steve ordered this seafood pizza.

After a rest at the hotel (to get warm and dry) we walked around some more and saw the James Joyce statue by the canal.

it was raining harder, so we ducked into another restaurant for a light dinner of cheese, meats, and bruschetta.

Rain on the Grand Canal at night