Dubrovnik

Port of Dubrovnik

Today, Friday, May 29, Katya and I enjoyed strolling around Dubrovnik.  This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a feast for the eyes, with stone buildings roofed with red tiles contrasting with the green hills to the north, the cerelean blue sky above and the deep turquoise of the surrounding Adriatic Sea.

Rooftops of Dubrovnik

At 9 a.m., we left our apartment, which is just a block from the Dubrovnik Cathedral, and walked to the Ploce Gate on the northeast side of the walled city.  Climbing up to the ramparts, we walked in a counterclockwise direction along the top of the walls, which encircle the city for nearly 2000 meters. The walls include 3 forts--the most impressive and highest being Fort Minceta--16 towers, 6 bastions, 2 corner fortifications and 2 citadels.

Dubrovnik Cathedral

Katya and Sherri on the City Walls

Originally, the site of the Old City was a high island almost completely surrounded by steep cliffs.  The narrow waterway between it and the mainland was filled in Medieval times so that now it is a jagged peninsula thrusting into the sea.  Since earliest times, it was a maritime trade center.  It prospered and avoided conquest, particularly by the Ottoman Turks, through diplomacy and economic agreements.  The Dubrovnik Republic, an independent city-state, lasted until its conquest by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Fort Lovrijenac from the City Walls

While we enjoyed visiting the Rector's Palace, which houses the Dubrovnik Cultural Museum; the Maritime Museum; and the Ethnographic Museum with its displays of pottery, baskets, tools, household goods, clothing and other items from various periods in Dubrovnik's history, it was randomly roaming the alleys and stairways that enchanted us.  At the end of one alley, we came across a little shop, where a tiny old woman beckoned us to enter.  For sale were textiles and jewelry, and Emma (as she asked us to call her) insisted on showing us many of the handmade necklaces.  She was spritely and garrulous and alternated between showing us inexpensive but good quality pieces and "special" pieces we wouldn't find anywhere else (and couldn't afford).  She was just too engaging, and we had to purchase a few things.

Today, we paced ourselves better than we have been, stopping for lunch at a sidewalk cafe on the Placa and returning to the apartment to rest around 5:00.

Katya enjoying her lunch

At 6:30, we ventured out again and walked outside the City Walls to visit Fort Lovrijenac, an integral part of Dubrovnik's fortifications.  The high cliffs around the fort provided us with great views of the Old City as the sun was getting low in the sky.

Old Dubrovnik from Fort Lovrijenac

Walking back into the Old City through the Pile Gate, we bought some food from a bakery and went to sit on a bench beside the Rector's Palace to enjoy our food.  As we were walking toward the palace, swallows were squawking and circling above the red roofs and around the towers and domes, preparing to settle down for the night.  It was like a seen from an Alfred Hitchcock film.  The early evening was pleasant, so we lingered after our al fresco meal and spent time trying to distinguish the locals from the tourists among the people walking by.

Tomorrow morning, we shall wander around a bit more and then catch the bus back to Split, where we will spend a day and a half.