...today's blog brought to you by Howard
Continued
north into Croatia stopping at the small town of Cavtat to pay our dues and
spend the night. Left early in the
morning for Dubrovnik, one of Europe’s great walled cities and a World Heritage
Site. The city was bustling with several
cruise ships in port but John pulled right into the middle of the harbor and
Joc ferried us to the dock like the celebrities we are!
The
city is a spectacular example of a medieval town that has passed through the
control of Illyrians, Romans, Venetians, French, Russians, Austrians and others
since the first millennia B.C. We
climbed the fortifications and walked the length of the city walls giving us
great views down into the old city and out into the Adriatic. We wandered the
narrow streets and steep stairways despite Howard’s semi-crippled state (John
lent him his walking stick/cane) passing through a local outdoor market and into
two of the main churches. Then we had
lunch in one of the many al fresco restaurants.
We
also took a gondola to the top of the mountain that overlooks the city. The fortress on the heights dating back to
Napoleon gives control of the city to whoever holds it. Inside the fortress was a very moving
exhibition about the latest violent cataclysm to befall the city. The war of 1991-92 that accompanied the
dissolution of Yugoslavia resulted in heavy shelling of the city by the
Yugoslav National Army along with Serbian and Montenegrin forces. The damage from the more than 3000 shells
that fell on the city has fortunately been nearly completely repaired by the UN
and Croatian authorities.
(although, how scarey is a pirate ship with fenders?)
Main square in the town
able to protect itself from invaders, except during the 1991-92 war when
the Yugoslav National Army took control of the fort at this hilltop location
and bombed the city mercilessly
Howard, wonderful blog, great photos. Only thing missing are a couple of crew from Pasadena. Next time! Keeping hiking, no more gondolas or no more wine. You got to earn it!!
ReplyDeleteThe story continues...!
ReplyDeleteIt's true that after seeing Dubrovnik...Hvar could be feeling like "one-step-down".
I did it the other way around from N to S...
Still a must see, and so is Pula!
Are you also planning a stop in Trieste and/or Venice?
Venice is definitely worth a couple of days, especially if you've not arrived there from the Adriatic before.
The approach from the Laguna is absolutely breathtaking, especially in the early hours of the morning!
But it's a bit tricky to dock (formalities, restrictions, etc)
All depends on what you are looking for.
My own favourite spot to dock there is at Riva dei Sette Martiri, within walking distance of all interesting spots.
In addition you can freely use the tender on the Laguna (but not/never on the inside canals!)
If you also need to re-fuel, the Porto di Venezia is best, with 24h security too. But it is far from center, meaning you'll need to use the Vaporetto public transportation boats.
Keep us posted..wish I could be there again!