“‘Game of Thrones’ fans are the nicest people ever, but a thousand nice people coming at me gives me claustrophobia.” Peter Dinklage, actor

And I felt his pain as we pushed through the throngs of people under a windy, soaking wet rainy day in the narrow streets of the old town of Dubrovnik, Croatia. It’s beyond my imagination how awful the summertime crowds must jam up the compact, narrow streets of the historic center; probably leaves Venice in the dust.

Our overnight crossing to Dubrovnik … had it been an airplane flight, the seat belt sign would have never gone off. We got caught up in the storm that moved up the Adriatic and hit Venice a day later with a vengeance; breaking 50 year old flood levels. The sea lulled us to sleep, but would awaken us with dramatic rock ‘n rolling motion all night long.

Dubrovnik (historically Latin: Ragusa) is a city on the Adriatic Sea in southern Croatia. It’s one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean. In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade. As the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy.

In 1991, after the break-up of Yugoslavia, Dubrovnik was besieged by Serbian and Montenegrin soldiers of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling. After repair and restoration works in the 1990s and early 2000s, Dubrovnik re-emerged as one of the top tourist destinations in the Mediterranean.

You can tell the differences of the buildings that were damaged as their repaired terracotta roofs are shiny, bright new vs. the ones that escaped the shelling with the terracota having an old age patina look to them. Bullet holes dot buildings throughout the old town.

Over the last decade Dubrovnik has been invaded by a new type of tourist, “the thronies” devotee of “​Game of Thrones​” … as many important scenes of the series were filmed here. Starting in season two the old walled city of Dubrovnik became King’s Landings, the fictional capital of the Seven Kingdoms. The imposing Lovrijenac Fortress, dating back from the 11 century, is perched on top of a craggy rock located just outside the walls of the enclosed city. It represents Blackwater Bay, though exteriors of some local buildings, for example, the Red Keep and the Sept of Baelor, were computer-generated. A “Star Wars” film, too also filmed here.

It was thrilling for me walking through the walled city and recognizing some of the local places where scenes were shot. Our tour guide would flash filmed scene cards shot in the exact spot, making it all the more exciting. The jewel of the crown was the Jesuit Staircase where the character, Cersei Lannister, began her ​walk of shame…shame…shame.​ Many other areas in and surrounding Dubrovnik have found fame for filming. Turns out the townsfolk weren’t too inconvenienced as they were well compensated for their cooperation.

We climbed uneven steps that brought us up to the stone embattlements that surround the city and offer great views into the old town and the sea below. Suddenly, an incredible gale storm whipped up while traversing the north wall. Fortunately it was the end of our “GOT” tour; we made quick haste back to the ship as we were by then drowned rats.

Upon arriving in Dubrovnik, a Celebrity Constellation ship was docked next to ours – our friend Donna is always raving about the virtues of the Celebrity cruise line; we honestly thought of jumping ship right then and there.

​On the Menu …​ the soup was hot.