The rain clouds gather all of a sudden, wrapping the sun in their fold. The sky turns grey but the oceans below me are a distinct blue. Two adventurous men in their rafts are heading towards the shore as the rains tumble down. I am standing atop the city walls of the Old Town in Dubrovnik in Croatia at a height of 82 feet above sea level.
The red roofs of the town lie huddled together as the city seems asleep, soaking in the rain.
For a moment, I forget that I am in Dubrovnik and am lost in a fantasy world. I am now in King’s Landing, the capital of the Westeros of Game of Thrones, and taking me on a tour is my guide Ivana Redic – whose claim to fame was playing a peasant in season 2 of the show.
We find a café, high up in the city walls to shelter us from the rains and Ivana tells me that Dubrovnik was not the first choice for King’s Landing – it was Malta in Season 1. But since Season 2, it has morphed into Kings Landing and even Qarth for a season which was shot in the Lokrum Island.
We continue our trail and here are some of the locations in the Old Town that you must not miss if you are a Game of Thrones fan:
Bokar Fortress and Lovrijenac Fortresses
Pottering around Bokar Fortress, which represents Kings Landing, it almost feels like I have stumbled upon Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys discussing the defense of their town.
Everything about the 600-year-old double storied fortress fills me with awe but it is the Gibralter of Dubrovnik – the Lovrijenac Fortress that takes my breath away. Formidable and standing at 37 feet above sea level, it was built to thwart an attack from the Venetians.
I climb 175 steps only to enter a world where a tournament was thrown in honour of King Joffrey. As it rains, I can see a few rafters heading back but I cannot imagine the Battle of Blackwater Bay was fought on these quiet shores.
Pile Gate
It is wet and dark as I stand at the main entrance of the Old Town, watching the boats bobbing around in the jetty. It reminds me of the scene when Sansa Stark escapes after her conversation with Little Finger. But as I enter the Old Town, the silence transforms into chaos as I imagine a riot out here.
Ivana takes me through the scene when the peasants are all out to get at King Jeffrey while Sansa is almost raped. As the rains come in full force, Ivana adds,
The mob was all frenzied. Even my friend who was an extra realised that she was bitten and her clothes were torn.
Mineeta Tower
Located at the highest point of Dubronik is the defence tower which barely looks like the eerie House of Undying where Khaleesi or Daenerys Targaryen searches for her stolen dragons.
Ivana tells me that Dubrovnik also doubled up as Qarth and that there were auditions for extras to shoot as Dothrakis. “All the hipsters with long hair and dark skin auditioned,” she laughs as we continue our trail.
Jesuit’s Steps and St Dominic Street
As I stand on the elegant Baroque stairs near the Jesuit Church of St Ignatius of Loyola, all I can hear are the voices, “Shame Shame...”
Game of Thrones has several shocking scenes but nothing beats the Walk of Shame when Queen Cersei is paraded naked along the Jesuit’s Steps and St Dominic Street. Ivana says that it took over five days to shoot the scene where a body double was used and over 200 security policemen were brought in as well.
Every extra on the scene was emotionally charged, she tells me. “Shame is such a powerful emotion. As she trips and falls down, she can actually feel the hatred,” she says, adding that the market scenes and her 15 seconds of fame were shot here too.
Ethnographic Museum
Once a granary – now a museum, it hardly looks like the brothel where Tyrion Lannister meets Oberyn Martell or the Red Viper. The museum, housed in an imposing building, takes you through small dark rooms and tunnels where you can actually get a glimpse of textiles and costumes.
We are finally at the end of the tour as it starts pouring again. I can now remember discussing a series of expected spoilers for Season 7 (several of which have turned out to hit the nail on the head!) and I am loath to leave. Finally, we part as Ivana gives her last word on her favourite character on the show “It has to be Tyrion Lannister, no one can be king without him,” she adds.
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