Dubrovnik Croatia

Dubrovnik Croatia turned out to be one of our favorite stops on the cruise.  Having no idea what to expect, it was a really cool stop with lots of pituresque views and a really neat walled "OLD CITY".  It was a happy day for my camera and I! 

There are only two entrances to the old town which lead to the Stradun, the city's promenade. St. Blaise, or Sveti Vlaho as the locals call him is the patron saint who watches over the people of the Old City.

After World War I, Dubrovnik became part of Croatia which itself was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which became Yugoslavia after World War II.

Dubrovnik was subjected to considerable shelling by Serbs during the war in 1991/2 in a siege that lasted seven months. The Old Town suffered considerable damage, but was quickly restored to its former beauty.

The old town was completed in the 13th century and remains virtually unchanged to the present day. Several turrets and watch towers surround it and were used as it had a vulnerable location right on the coast. 

Franjo Tudman Bridge:  

We started the day by hiring two local taxi drivers to drive us up to the top of the mountain where we could get a great bird's eye view of the area.  We had to drive over the newly completed Franjo Tudman Bridge which was finished in 2002 that they are very proud of.  It cuts down a lot of time for them to get around the ocean inlets and travel through Dubrovnik. 

<>




Just over thes mountains is Bosnia. 

Our drivers were pretty comical.  When talking about the 1991-1992 war with Serbia one of them said "You really start to appreciate the most important things in life; A little Kissy- Kissy, Jiggy-Jiggy"!  It became a most quoted line for the rest of the trip! 

My most favorite group picture from the entire trip.  6 days into the trip and we were feeling pretty relaxed!! Everyone looks awesome in this picuture.  Jared and I have been blessed to keep in touch with these couples.  They are all so fun. 

After lunch we were deciding what to do with the rest of our time.  The main thing tourists do is walk around the old city on top of the ancient wall.  After extensively walking through the city....the group was debating whether or not to walk the top of the wall.  Most everyone had decided not to take the wall tour after seeing the long line and (waiting in it for awhile to buys tickets)  Lisa piped up and said she wanted to and that she would do it herself if she had to.....(fully knowing that Chris would not allow her to do it herself!)  It didn't take me long to jump on the band wagon knowing that I would probably have regretted not going later.  Jared jumped on the band wagon too and I was glad he came  because boy was Lisa right I would have regretted it!  It was gorgeous and definitely one of the highlights of our trip.     

ON THE WALL:

We were glad that the cloud cover burned off.  It turned out to be another gorgeous day! 

Dubrovnik's Old City is most known for its stunning red roofs.  Some of them have been replaced and look much more red.  I prefered these older tiles that were so textured and cool looking.  It is a stunning view with the bright blue ocean just beyond the Old City in contrast to the red roof tops.   

Half of this house has had a new roof and half has not! 

 Thanks for convincing me to go Lisa.   It didn't take much to convince me because if Lisa thinks its going to be cool, then chances are I will too.  Its great having a friend with similar tastes.   I LOVE this girl we have been friends for almost 15 years now.  I am so lucky to live by her right now!

One last parting shot at the fountain in the main part of town.  My only regret of the day is that I didn't buy something from this lady.  She looks like she could have used it and she was just so darling.