Peka with meat and vegetables
Dubrovnik
Romantic poet Lord Byron called it the Pearl of the Adriatic , and this ancient city ’ s walls look much as they have for ages . Founded in the 7th century , the village then known as Ragusa sat amid a crossroads of maritime trade that included Genoa , Pisa and Venice . Head directly for the ancient wall surrounding the old town and climb the stairs to embark on the 1.2-mile one-way walk along the city ’ s perimeter , pausing at its forts , towers and lookout points .
Stroll the Stradun , the main thoroughfare , to marvel at the Renaissance palaces and churches . The Rector ’ s Palace still stands - a grand residence for long-ousted regimes - and today ’ s visitors can tour its private chambers , public halls and even its dungeon . Game of Thrones fans will recognize the exterior stairway as the location where the Mother of Dragons beseeches the Spice King of Qarth to take her army across the fictional Narrow Sea .
To complement all this heritage , come back to modernity at one of the many superb waterfront restaurants over a pot of mussels served with dense local bread to soak up the aromatic and flavorful broth . Or select peka , the quintessential Balkan dish of meat , vegetables and herbs cooked in a heavy iron pot with hot coals placed on the lid . Cap off the meal with a slice of kremšnita , a layered vanilla custard and whipped cream dessert topped with puff pastry dusted in powdered sugar . End the day sipping a Croatian grappa wine as the sun sets . �
Dubrovnik , Croatia
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