We headed to Croatia, where our stop will be in Dubrovnik, nicknamed "The Pearl of the Adriatic". It is known for being one of the most beautiful fortified cities worldwide--a UNESCO world heritage site.
Five hundred years ago, Dubrovnik was a major maritime power, with the 3rd-biggest navy in the Mediterranean. Dubrovnik flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries, but then faced tragedy in 1667 when an earthquake and fire destroyed nearly everything. It was later restored and became a popular tourist destination.
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| The walled Old Town of Dubrovnik |
The ship docks at Port Gruz, a couple miles outside the Old Town gates. Instead of buying the ship's shuttle tickets for $15 x 2 roundtrip we braved the city bus, which we boarded just outside the port gates for a total of $6 x 2 roundtrip. We entered the Old Town through the Pile Gate.
Our first goal was to walk on top of the city walls for some fantastic views of the city and the coastline. We followed Rick Steves' recommendation to walk through the city on the main street to the gate at the far end and start the city wall walk there, as it is less crowded and we would tackle the steepest part of the walk first....as well as enjoying magnificient views across the Old Town and the Adriatic Sea.
We were amazed at how clean the street was....it actually had a shine to it.
The main street is officially called the Placa, but is better known as the Stradun. It is filled with tourists and plenty of shops. Many of the shop windows are built right in to the doors to provide maximum view of the goods inside.
We reach the Luza Square at the end of the Stradun. In the center of the square is Orlando's Column. It was erected in 1417. Whenever a decision was made by the Republic, the town crier came to Orlando's Column and announced the news. The step he stood on indicated the importance of the message...the higher up, the more important the news.
Orlando's Column faces the Sponza Palace, built in 1522. It was the administrative center of Old Town with the Council, courtroom, prisons, arsenal, etc. It is the finest surviving example of Dubrovnik's Golden Age in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Next there is the Bell Tower. It was originally built in 1444, but when it started to lean, it was rebuilt in the 1920's.
Also in the square is St. Blaise's Church, dedicated to the patron saint of Dubrovnik.
Having spun around the square,it was now time to pay our 100 kunas (about $12) each and climb the steps to the top of the city wall.
We passed the Dominican Monastery and climbed high on the back wall of the city.
Dubrovnik's original 12th century cathedral was funded largely by the English King Richard the Lionheart. On his way back from the Third Crusade, Richard was shipwrecked nearby. He promised God that if he survived, he would build a church on the spot where he landed, just off shore on a small island. At Dubrovnik's request, King Richard agreed to build the church inside the city instead. It was destroyed in the 1667 earthquake but rebuilt.
A little more history needs to be told. As Croatia violently separated from Yugoslavia in 1991, Dubrovnik became the only coastal city to be pulled into the fighting. The city was devastated with bombings but has been repaired. The only physical reminders of the war are lots of new, bright-orange roof tiles.
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| New post-war roof tiles vs. old roof tiles |
As we reached the Pile Gate area, up the steps come our friends, Karen and Richard. It was nice to walk along with them as we headed toward the sea wall.
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| View of the Stradun from on top of the Pile Gate |
On the coastal sea wall we run into Phil and Gay, so we all join forces and continue on the walk.
After we all finished the 1.25 miles of the wall, we headed to a restaurant for a drink near the harbor before returning to the ship.
It was a great day, made even better by enjoying some time in Dubrovnik with our friends.
We took the city bus back to the ship and caught the final minutes of a beautiful sunset on our balcony.
Next port....Salerno, Italy
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