Saturday (Dubrovnik)…

T

he battle of blue sky versus clouds resolved in our favor as we sipped morning cappuccinos. We started the day with the Rector’s Palace museum. Jeff calls these “tapas museums”, because they are small and tantalizing, and you can sample a few of them in a meal. The main floor highlights period portraits and furnishings. A fascinating collection of “sedan chairs”…those wood-and-glass, single-occupant transports that are hand-carried through streets. Varieties of silver oil lamps. Downstairs is a glimpse of prison cells. Two green-patina statues…bell ringers from the town clock. A series of B&W photos from the recent war lined the walls of another set of stone-walled rooms. The images stand in stark contrast with the same streets–fully restored and full of tourists–just through the walls.

Next the Maritime Museum…included in the same multi-museum admission. Although the intricate wooden models and ship artifacts were interesting, the highlight was the stone fort that housed the museum and the booming crash of the surf against the thick walls…a reminder of Dubrovnik’s relationship with the moody Adriatic.

Found an umbrella-shaded seat on the terraced rocky cliffs at Buža…the must-go bar outside the walls on the rocks overlooking the Adriatic. Two Ožujskos as we watched the heavy surf pound the rocks below. Salty spray scented the warm breeze. White sea foam added lacy fringe to the spectacular blue sea. Sinatra belted “That’s Life” on the speakers. As we finished our second round, Tony Bennett crooned “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”. Perfect.

A final museum for the day…the tiny Ethnographic museum housed in a four-story former grainery. Not really a subject that piqued our interest, but the building was interesting with it’s dozen-or-so deep stone grain silos in the ground. An photo exhibit on all types of bicycle transit in Copenhagen seemed out of place.

We grabbed a gelato (no competition for creamy gelato in Venice) to fuel our big later afternoon activity: The Wall. A rather pricey site (around $15 each), but the number one must-do activity in Dubrovnik. The walled fortification of the city provides an uninterrupted walk along the entire perimeter of the city.

We thought afternoon would provide us the best light across the city, and we weren’t disappointed. To keep the usual throngs orderly, the wall walk runs counter-clockwise. We decided to start above the Maritime Museum…definitely the less crowded part of the wall.

What a wonderful, different perspective on the city. You can really pick up on the undulating terrain of the city as the wall climbs steeply only to dip down again…it’s a stoney roller coaster. Towers and strategic fortresses dot the perimeter. Monastery cloisters, rooftop terraces, and hidden vegetable gardens are exposed from above. Along the sea-side wall, the glistening Adriatic spread out in front of us. Surf pounded the fortification as it has for centuries.

In all, the walk took us around two hours. You could definitely do it faster, but we strolled and stopped often. The crowds were (thankfully) very light today. We got a nice mix of sun and clouds, which enhanced the lighting for our views.

With only two nights left in Dubrovnik, we planned a return to a favorite for dinner…well…MY favorite. We had a nice Pošip white wine from Korčula. I had my wonderful truffle steak from the other night…still wonderful (and probably the best beef dish I’ve ever had in Europe). Jeff had a fish that stared back at him…a filet full of bones…go figure. Dessert was gelato (a tad bit better than earlier) on the Stradun.

Later drinks at Sky Bar. Unexpected fireworks lit up the sky from the old harbor at midnight. Real fireworks (aka thunder and lightening) lit up the sky as we walked back to the apartment.