Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik. Known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic,” this beautiful medieval walled city was once the independent Republic of Ragusa. Situated on the Adriatic coast of the Balkan Peninsula, Ragusa was a sort of medieval Hong Kong, trading and negotiating with both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice. Today, the visitor to the city feels its Mediterranean history, in the both the architecture and the stories told by our guides.
Shortly after sunrise, we approached our anchorage off the Old Port of Dubrovnik. Photographers were elated by the panoramic views of the city walls, ramparts and bastions, bathed in gorgeous morning light. During breakfast, Croatian Customs and Immigration officials boarded the ship, clearing us into the fourth, and final, country of our trip. Our tender boat arrived, and we were off to visit the city.
In the early part of the morning, we were spared the crowds, and listened to our guides’ commentary while photographing the city waking up. Grocery deliveries, garbage collection and morning greetings among locals added modern color to the historical picture our guides painted. We toured the old city, walking the main street of Stradun from the clock tower at the Ploce Gate, to the Franciscan Monastery near the Pile Gate. The monastery is famous for its beautiful cloister and museum collection, well as for the fact that it houses the oldest operating pharmacy in Europe. Opened in 1317, this pharmacy has dispensed remedies for countless ills for nearly 700 years. Today, as we entered the monastery, we were immediately struck by a delicious floral fragrance. A quick visit into the modern pharmacy revealed that they were actively distilling rose water. What a treat!
From the pharmacy we ascended the city walls, a challenging climb, but well worth the effort for the view below. Walking the southwestern portion of the wall, we admired the turquoise sea on one side and the tile roofs of the city on the other. Listening to our guides’ stories of the war of the 1990s, and looking out over the city, we were saddened by the destruction and impressed with the reconstruction. New clay roof tiles showed us clearly which buildings had been damaged and repaired, and they were many.
Back aboard the ship, we had lunch, a quick swim and a short siesta before gathering again in the Lounge for presentations by our National Geographic Expert Grace Fielder, and Croatian Guide Paola Mihovic. In the late afternoon, we returned to the Old Town for a very special performance by the award winning group, Klapa Ostro. Dressed in the traditional costume of Konavle, the region south of Dubrovnik, these seven men charmed us with their voices and instruments. Their performance included traditional a cappella singing known as “klapa”, and several pieces accompanied by guitar and mandolin, and brought us to a standing ovation. It was a lovely end to our day in such a lovely city.
