Dubrovnik is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mediterranean Sea. In 1979 the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The Old Part of the city is absolutely special. I felt like traveling a few centuries back in time. You can really feel a different reality and that’s a treasure.
There is only one problem. The city is jam packed with tourists, which means that you are going to explore it in companion of hundreds of people. If you don’t mind – that’s ok. But if you do (like me), I have a proposition.
How about morning jogging in the Old Town? You will kill two birds with one stone and it will give you a whole new perspective of the city, almost without the tourists.
Let me show you, that the city is worth exploring this way.
I woke up quite early at 5.30am (I know that it is a middle of the night almost, but you won’t regret), wore my sport clothes and I was ready. I lived close to the Old Town, so it was easy-breazzy.
I’ve started with a warm up in the harbor with the beautiful view of the ships that started to take off for the open sea.
Never forget about the warm up before any training! Especially, in the morning, when your body is quite stiff after the night.
Then, I begun the slow jogging, just to finish a warm up before an intense training.
I run around the harbor right next to Porporela. This is a pier and breakwater in Dubrovnik’s Old Harbor. It was originally built in the old times to reduce the intensity of waves, reduce erosion and protect boats and ships anchored in Dubrovnik’s harbour.
Then, I was on my way to Luža Square, located in the eastern end of the Stradun (the main promenade). This is one of the most impressive squares in the Old Town.
I passed by the Clock Tower, an elegant 31 m high timepiece, dating from 15th century. It is a magnificent landmark of the Old Town.
I run next to the Sponza Palace. It was built in XVI century, designed by architect Pasij Milicevic. The interesting thing is that, it is one of a few buildings that survived Dubrovnik’s 1667 earthquake.
Then, I turned into one of the small, narrow streets.
I was warmed up enough so I speeded up my tempo. There were high steps everywhere (as Dubrovnik is a hilly city) so I started to run up and down.
I won’t lie that it was quite intense. However, the view of the city that wakes up in the morning, made it easier for me :)
To make the training more complex, I made some push-ups, squats and crunches on my way. I used the stairs and bench I found.
Then, I turned to the main promenade. In one of the small squares I found a morning fruit market. It looked amazing!
I was running around the small squares and streets and enjoying the silence and city vibes.
I made a short stop at the Onofrio’s Fountain. A fountain decorated with masks. The water there is drinkable, which was a bless, cause I didn’t have any water with me.
That was also a perfect spot to admire another example of early Renaissance architecture – St. Saviour Church (Crkva Svetog Spasa).
It was built in 1520s immediately after the earthquake in Dubrovnik, in the gratitude for the fact that the city had been spared from destruction. The church has survived throughout the history to nowadays, almost intact.
Then, I made a turn, passed by Franciscan Monastery dominating the Stradun and I was on my way back to see Rector’s Palace located in south part of Luža Square.
The Place was originally built in 13th century and housed state offices. Nowadays, it is the Town Museum – Gradski Muzej as well as a concert hall.
It was my last stop so I cooled down in the shade of arcades.
As you can see, I was not the only one who found this place perfect for a rest. Meet my great companion in stretching:
To be clear, I did a stretching and the cat was sleeping and thinking that I am out of my mind do the training so early :)
I need to admit that it was magical. The city is so beautiful and there are plenty of places to run between small streets. Running is the easiest way to workout, because you need only a good pair of shoes and a bit of energy. A great idea is also to run on the City Walls. More challenging, but the view is worthy!
Just to let you know, on my way back, it was like this…
…maybe it will convince you to wake up early sometimes just to avoid a pleasure of meeting a billion people :D
TRAVEL AND KEEP FIT! ;)
Previous
