We gained an hour overnight with the time change and had a leisurely & civilized breakfast in the dining room instead of the buffet. Dubrovnik is known as “The Pearl of the Adriatic” and the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pile Gate, a 15th century rampart, brings you into the old town which has cobblestone streets and magnificent stone walls that are as much as 20 feet thick in places. Once inside the old city, there is a large 15th century fountain. We learned that in the Middle Ages, anyone entering the old city was required to wash their hands and feet here to prevent disease. There is also a bell tower with two bronze bell ringers fashioned to look like 15th century soldiers.
The first stop on our walking tour was the Franciscan monastery just inside the walls. It houses the world’s oldest pharmacy and a wonderful museum. Several 15th and 16th century artifacts reflect that St. Blaise is Dubrovnik’s patron. There are silver and gold reliquaries displaying bones from many saints as well as some exceptional painting. One wall of the monastery features a glassed over hole made by a shell that is lodged in the opposite wall. Few buildings in Dubrovnik escaped the war in 1991; the reconstruction has carefully preserved these memorials to that conflict.
Dubrovnik is filled with Catholic churches. We visited the cathedral as well as an old Dominican church and the Jesuit church of St. Ignatius Loyola. Each is beautifully decorated and quite unique.
In 1637 there was a catastrophic earthquake and fire in the old town. Civic leaders made an impassioned plea for everyone to remain in the city and rebuild. Most surprisingly, long before the American Revolution, they determined that the renewed city should be a model of democracy.
As we wandered the old town, live music could be heard coming from the innumerable restaurants that spill out into the open plazas. You can sit, have a drink, order a light meal, and listen to very fine musicians. We did just that, enjoying a cold local beer, a tall bottle of water, and a Greek salad before continuing our tour.
We probably should have toured the city walls before noon, but we were enjoying our leisurely exploration of the harbor, museums, residential areas, and churches. After lunch, we paid for tickets to climb up the stone stairway to the ramparts of the city wall. It was approaching 95 degrees and there were hundreds of steep stone steps to be climbed up and down as we circled the entire town. That certainly challenged my poor knees and feet, but the view was breath-taking! Part of the old city wall is used for the filming of “Game of Thrones”. We watched as several swimmers dove from the cliffs into the clear blue sea below. There are several spots along the wall where one can stop for a cold drink or a snack, but we carried our own water on this trip.
By the time we had circled the whole town and climbed up to the high fortress-keep that dominates the town, we were hot and stiff. The descent down the worn stone steps was “exciting”. We caught one of the ship’s shuttle busses and quickly returned through the new part of Dubrovnik to the Ruby Princess. A shower, a swim, a hot-tub, and then a lovely dinner filled out the day. The sunset was spectacular as we departed for Venice.
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