My study days as an Erasmus exchange student in Dubrovnik are now more than a year back. I studied together with other students from different European countries. One day we noticed that there is something huge happening in Dubrovnik. People, seemingly different TV crews, were everywhere, but we didn’t know which TV show or movie was going to be shot. After I saw a guy with the HBO t-shirt I was quite sure that it could be the well-known Game of Thrones TV show. During that time it was also popular, but not to the extent it is popular today. The day after, they were shoot a scene very close to our dormitory.
Naturally, I immediately went to this place with my Erasmus colleagues, and finally saw some actors and a crew. Delighted, we took some pictures and tried to get closer to the actors and the crew, but that wasn´t possible. We saw the British actor Charles Dance standing close to the sea doing something, probably fishing, for a long time. For those who don’t know, he plays one of the main characters in Game of Thrones, Tywin Lannister. There was also Julian Glover, who is playing Maester Pycelle and he was talking to Tywin in this scene. After we saw the scene I presumed it will be shown during the 3rd season of the series. Unfortunately, this exact scene was cut and it can be found on Blu-Ray of Season 3 under ,,Deleted scene“ (and on YouTube as well).
Quite convinced, I dare say there aren´t a lot of Erasmus exchange students in Europe who can say they witnessed one of the most epic fantasy series being shot beside their house in a completely foreign country! It is not just that area, but also other places we knew and the parks where we spent a lot of time were used in 4th season of Game of Thrones. How amazing is it to observe the place you used to live in become that famous! I feel very special. I walked those streets, swam in the Adriatic sea, I lived on King´s Landing and I am proud of it!
However, landscape used Game of Thrones it’s not just Dubrovnik city. It’s also Lokrum, Island near Dubrovnik, Arboretum Trsteno and other beautiful places that make this whole series special. So who can certainly say that they saw one of the most popular TV series not just on TV, but also live? Well, we do!
Author: Viktor Kudzia (Slovakia)
