We arrived in Dubrovnik last evening after a pleasant but drawn-out eight hour bus trip from Zadar, hugging the Adriatic coastline and passing countless colourful little villages and bays with crystal clear waters. At one stage we passed through Bosnia and Herzegovina (with the usual passport checks) and back into Croatia just ten kilometres later (more passport checks).
Once again, our apartment is right in the centre of the historic, walled old town, just metres from the main town square and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. The apartment itself is in a 900-year-old building, and in one of the lounge/bedroom walls is a stone tablet placed by a former owner, who renovated the house in 1590 for his son. He inscribed (chiselled) and dated a commemorative stone and placed it in the wall, where it remains in plain view to this day.
Dubrovnik has many old churches, a couple of former monasteries and a synagogue, a few palaces and a several squares, each with a defining feature, such as the Lula Square which contains the Orlando Column, carved in 1417 and featuring a statue of Orlando, the medieval knight whose forearm was the official linear measure of the Republic – the ell of Dubrovnik, which measured 51.1 centimetres. And while we’re on the subject of forearms, one church has St Thomas the Apostle’s forearm on display in a glass case. We visited as many of these attractions as were available and saw some wonderful relics of a bygone era, including a bible dating from the eleventh century, transcribed in flawless text. Also on our agenda was a cable-car ride to the very top of Srd mountain, towering 415 metres over Dubrovnik and providing panoramic views of the old town, the rest of the Dubrovnik region, the surrounding sea and nearby islands.
The highlight of the day was our walk around the top of the city walls. Built between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, they are still intact today and it is possible to walk the full perimeter of the town without coming down to earth. They extend for two kilometres and in some places are twenty-five metres high, and from one and a half to six metres thick. We went up every accessible flight of steps, into every nook and cranny and had a wonderful couple of hours exploring and viewing the city and the sea from this commanding aspect.
Our day has finished with a wonderful seafood platter at the Lakanda Peskarija Restaurant (Lonely Planet’s top pick for quality and value), right on the water’s edge in the old port area (and just two minutes from our apartment). Mackerel, sardines, octopus, baby squid, mussels and heaps of prawns, all done in a tasty garlic sauce and served up with a fresh salad, bread and the house white – and all for less than fifty dollars including a tip. We might just have to come back here one day to try it again (dream on!).
Tomorrow – more exploring in this delightful old town, a bit of a look at the newer parts of Dubrovnik, and perhaps a short boat ride to view the old town and its imposing walls from another angle.
No comments:
Post a Comment