The Island of Lokrum

On our fourth and last day in Dubrovnik, Lillian and I woke up early to be able to visit Lokrum.  Our flight back to Prague was at 14:40.  That means we only had the morning to explore the island.

I wish we had more time, though.  I feel I only saw a tiny part of it.  It would be nice to spend a day or two there with a good book or at least swim in that clear Adriatic sea.  It’s remarkable how Croatia has managed to keep their waters clean despite the throng of tourists coming in each year.

It’s very easy to get to the island from Dubrovnik’s Old Town.  I think the boat leaves every 30 minutes from the morning until a certain time in the evening.  We got there at 10:00 and stayed for an hour.  Shame we had to rush back to our room to get our luggage in time to get to the airport at least 2 hours before departure.

Except for the fact that it’s a quick side trip from Dubrovnik and that some scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed there,  I had no idea what to expect in this tiny island.  Most of the time, this is how I travel.  I don’t like reading much about the place ahead because for me, the point of visiting is to explore and form my judgement based on real-time experience.

First sight

It was a nice surprise to see lots of rabbits, peacocks and peahens minding their business in the island.  One field was occupied by a lot of grazing rabbits.  A few of them formed a welcoming party and checked out what we’ve got.  When they realized we had nothing to offer, they went back to busying themselves.  The other “locals,”  on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered by our presence.

Staying here overnight is not allowed unless you’re one of them who have dibs on the island, including its sun beds and loungers.

The beach

How come when I read or hear “the beach” the first thing that comes to mind is either the song from All Saints or Leonardo DiCaprio’s post Titanic face?  You’re as old as me if you right away know what I’m talking about.

So, Lokrum’s beach is pebbly and rocky, at least the one Lillian and I stayed on for several minutes on our very short stay in the island.  The water was not that cold considering it was already early autumn.  Maybe late summer or early autumn is the best time to visit Dubrovnik.  I couldn’t imagine how busy it can get in summer.  According to our host, Ante, it is not busy in summer.  It’s crazy.

Excuse our fashion confusion here.  Whereas it was hot in Dubrovnik and Lokrum, we were heading back to Prague on that same day which, most often than not, has a sweater/coat weather even in summer.

You know those bloggers who flood their Instagram feeds with surreal photos? When we were in this part of the island, I was thinking this is would be a perfect place for a fashion shoot.  Just like Dubrovnik, almost every corner here is photogenic.  These photos, taken in a hurry, can’t match the beauty of the place.

The Throne

Last but not the least,  The Throne.  This is the reason why we came here in the first place, because Lillian is a fan of Game of Thrones.  Like I said in my previous post,  I haven’t seen a single episode of the series but I’m always up for an adventure so I happily tagged along and took her reigning photos on the throne.

Since we were there early, there was no queue to get into the Benedictine monastery museum which houses the original iron throne.  I’ve read that the series’ creators  donated it to Dubrovnik.  Today, this is the main reason why GoT fans flock to the island.

In case you’re wondering if I had a photo of myself sitting on it, the answer is no.  I can just hear a chorus of GoT fans screaming why not in pure disbelief.  In a way I can now understand my Uncle’s reaction (or lack of) when we grilled him for details about the Menudo concert he went to decades ago.  He was there to accompany his friends’ kids  back in those times when we were little kids ourselves, and just the name Menudo made me and my friends scream and cry at the same time.  I remember being exasperated at his lack of details.  Me: Is Ricky cute? Him:  Which one is Ricky?  Right.

If ever I get to watch Game of Thrones later and would regret not doing what a fan should have done,  that’s just another reason to fly to Dubrovnik again and experience it differently next time.  It’s certainly one of the places I would like to revisit.

I shall be back.

Traveled: September 29 – October 2, 2017

xoxo