Dubrovnik, Croatia
A bright and early rising allowed us to enjoy the old town before the giant cruise ships disgorged their passengers later that morning. The farmers market was bustling as we passed by on our walking tour of the town and a history of this unique city and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our intrepid guides, Mariana and Vedrana, were on top of everything and made sure that we were the first groups into the Franciscan Monastery (in fact before they officially opened). The Franciscan Monastery is home to the third oldest operating pharmacy in Europe and the exhibits in the museum there contain a wide variety of pharmaceutical equipment, books of recipes, reliquaries, vestments and ex voto jewelry typical of the nobility of the area including the elaborate filigree “Dubrovnik Button.”
Dubrovnik was originally settled to the south in Cavtat by Illyrians, then Greeks and finally Romans until an earthquake prompted the inhabitants to relocate on this rocky promontory. Like Hvar, Dubrovnik (or Ragusa as it was first called) is divided into two sections by a large promenade Stradun stretching from Ploce Gate (where we made our entrance from the old harbor) and Pile Gate. The plebian side was up the hillside, named Dubrava for the oak trees that once covered it. The city's motto is “Libertas” and from the 13th century until the arrival of Napoleon, Dubrovnik has been, for the most part, an independent republic.
Each month a new rector was elected and required to live in the Rector's Palace, only coming out for official appearances. In this way the city kept any one person from gaining too much power. One mark of Dubrovnik's independence is the absence of the Venetian symbol, the Lion of St. Mark; instead, St. Blaise (Sveti Vlaho) holds the city securely in his left hand. Another unique landmark is the statue of Orlando (or Roland as he is known in French ballads): the length of his forearm served as an official measurement in the times of the Republic.
At the other end of Stradun, next to the fountain of St. Onofrio, was our entrance to the impressive walls of Dubrovnik that have protected it since the 13th century. To our right were panoramic views of the sea (including the Panorama anchored in the old harbor) as well as the island of Lokrum, allegedly cursed by the Benedictine monks when they were forced to abandon the monastery. Legend has it that Richard the Lion-Hearted was shipwrecked on this island. To our left spread the old town with its mixture of new red tile roofs intermingled with the older yellow tile roofs that survived the siege of Dubrovnik by the Yugoslav Army in 1991.
As a reminder of the strategic importance of the walls, several soldiers in medieval garb were stationed at lookout points (they were filming the HBO series “The Game of Thrones”). Once back down in the old town we had free time to explore the narrow alleyways decorated with colorful flags of laundry, sample the grapes, figs and brandies at the farmers market, visit the Maritime Museum and Jewish Synagogue or just sit in a cafe to watch the local scene.
To escape the heat and crowds of the afternoon we returned to the Panorama for lunch and a refreshing swim (or a nap, or both). At 4:00pm Grace Fielder presented her lecture on “Language and Identity: The Case of the Language Formerly Known as Serbo-Croatian.” We then returned to the old town for a private concert of klapa music by “Ostro Konavle” at the Dominican Monastery. Klapa is a traditional folk music, typically male voices, but sometimes female as well. “Ostro Konavle” is an amateur group that has won numerous international prizes and has a wide repertoire of both Medieval and Renaissance songs, as well as a few traditional Dalmatian Coast songs. In the quiet courtyard of the cloister we were transported by the exquisite harmonies and even the birds up in the trees of the garden added their voices to the concert. Since this was a private concert, guests had the chance to talk with the members of the klapa group (all of whom have day jobs).
We had the option of returning to the ship for dinner or staying in town to sample seafood specialties at the many local restaurants and practice night photography. Our last day in Croatia – tomorrow Montenegro!
