We followed Rick Steves' suggestions on what to see and how to use our time most efficiently. We withdrew some Croatian Kunas from a money machine as we weren't able to use Euros here. Then we entered the Old Town through the Pile Gate and immediately bought tickets to walk all around the top of the Old Town Walls (15th Century fortifications encircling the city). The walls are amazing, and the views over the sea, along the walls, and down into the town were spectacular.
After spending an hour and a half walking around the walls, we headed back down into the town and then up a very steep side street (they are really alleyways) to catch the Cable Car up to Mount Srd (correct spelling, pronounced "surge"). There were amazing views down over Dubrovnik, and the barren, rocky countryside beyond. We had some lunch at the cafeteria at the top, then had a look around the outside of the fortress based up there. This overlooks the town and was built by Napoleon in 1810. When war broke out in the 1990s, this mountain and its fortress became a critical link in the defence of Dubrovnik (more on that later).
My pre-reading about Dubrovnik had indicated a disturbing history of big earthquakes - especially in 1520 (we saw the Church of St Saviour, built as thanks to God for saving the city from this quake), and a massive quake in 1667 that destroyed the city (apart from the aforementioned church and a handful of other buildings). This church also survived the more recent war but you can see the pockmarks on the walls from a shell that landed on the ground right in front.
We saw Onofrio's Big Fountain, a giant round structure, supplied in the Middle Ages with water from a complicated system of aqueducts.
We popped into the interesting medieval Franciscan Monastery pharmacy (opened in 1317) and the lovely cloister. This is one of Europe's oldest pharmacies, having operated continuously since that time, and established by the followers of St Francis. I was interested to see the old prescription books and list of medications.
The Rector's Palace had an interesting history, too. In the middle ages, the Republic of Dubrovnik had been ruled by a Rector (similar to the doges who ruled Venice). They were elected by the nobility, but to prevent any one person from becoming too powerful, their term was limited to only one month!
We walked along Dubrovnik's main promenade - the Stradun - this was originally a canal, that was later filled in and built on. The buildings were eventually destroyed in the big earthquake, and the street was later rebuilt in its current wide, straight style.
We found our way into Luza Square and saw Orlando's column, built in 1417 after the city shifted allegiance from the Venetians to the Hungarians. The city's news used to be announced from here, and the importance of the news was indicated by the level of the step the town crier stood on. The statue also indicated the length of the city's standard measure - an elbow!
The Church of St Blaise is also nearby. St Blaise is the patron saint of Dubrovnik.
The town's bell tower was originally built in 1444, but was rebuilt in the 1920s after it started to lean (a familiar story in a few places we've visited)! Its fascinating clock pre-dates the similar clock in St Mark's Square, Venice. The clock still has to be wound every two days.
We strolled past the Sponza Palace (1522) and went into the Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders, with its photos of dozens of people from Dubrovnik who were killed fighting Yugoslav forces in 1991. Croatia had declared independence from Yugoslavia and within weeks the nations were at war. The first attacks were focused on Mount Srd, right above the town. The giant cross there was destroyed, and a communications tower and a cable car. The city was surrounded by Yugoslav land troops (mostly Serbs and Montenegrins). The newly formed Croatian army dug in at the old fortress with just 25-30 soldiers and held off a takeover of this strategic position, even though they were severely outnumbered. Many young men lost their lives in the surrounding hills, as most of the townsfolk remained in the city below, subjected to bombing that lasted 8 months, until the city was liberated by the Croatian army. Amazingly, much of the city has been repaired (an interesting comparison to Christchurch) and much of the town now sports new, orange roof tiles. So, this memorial room, with its photos of the Defenders, maps, and photos of the town under attack from bombs, was very moving and sobering. I couldn't help but think about what is happening now for the people of Syria.
As we left through the Pile Gate, we took a look at the map showing where each bomb was dropped on the Old Town during the siege of the 1990s. It's amazing how they have rebuilt their Old Town, and been able to draw back tourists to this beautiful coastal area.
We were pleased to get back on the bus, and get back on the ship to freshen up. It was good to get some laundry done and then catch up with Jan and Steve over a cool drink in one of the lounges. We all decided that tonight would be our last night with late dining (8:30 pm), and we would try and switch times and dining rooms. Last night was just too late, and we don't enjoy waiting while others work their way through every course and have multiple bottles of wine - it's too hard, finishing a meal at 10:45 pm or later. We let our Waiter and Head Waiter know, and also our current Canadian dinner companions. We'll see how tomorrow night works out, getting the earlier time after 6pm.
We have a very early start for our tour tomorrow - we have to be in the lounge at 7:30 am for our Princess tour of Corfu (7:00 am for the Barrows' tour!) AND we have to put our clocks forward an hour as well.
Go Team New Zealand!
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