Much to do, Friday, 9/6/19

OAT added an extra day in Dubrovnik to this tour, a real bonus for the 14 of us on the tour, and, rest assured, we'd fill it to the max!  We'd all been eyeing the low mountain (1,362') above the city since arriving.  I wondered about it's name ... I mean, what happened to the vowels?  How can you pronounce a word spelled Srd?  Croatian words don't roll off American tongues easily, with their abundance of j's and k's and scarcity of vowels.  Srd is pronounced something like third, only with an S, but it also sounds a bit like serge.  Whichever way you say it, today we'd walk from our hotel to the funicular and make our way to the top of Mount Srd.

Seen from the cable car close to the top, the walled Old Town of Dubrovnik looks quite small, but the panoramic views were stunning.  Atop Mount Srd is Fort Imperial, a defensive structure built by the French in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars, and that's our destination.  Specifically, the war museum housed in the fort.  

The man at far left, Robert, would speak to us of his experiences as a young man who fought during the Croation War of Independence 1991-1995.  Pictures of war damage and suffering line the old fort walls.  Robert's story is every young fighter's story, harrowing and painful, but one that should be heeded.

A word we heard frequently during our entire OAT tour was "complicated," as in the reasons for the 1991-1995 War.  The countries involved, the clashes between people and the religions and sects, all of it was "complicated."  I won't try to sort it out for you or me because the entire region is still trying to figure it out.  Many lives were lost and much damage was done in that war, both structurally and psychically, and none of it has been forgotten.   Undertones of grumblings continue to pervade.  It's sad beyond measure.

I'd like to tell you we gained insight into the struggle for independence, its ensuing war, but I don't think either of us did.  Maybe that's not possible, because it is so darned complicated.  People can complicate anything.

Me and Jimmy flank Dubrovnik's walled Old Town and harbor.

If you're a regular reader of this blog or know me personally, you know I am more of a naturalist, who shuns conflict and war, so I escaped the museum for fresh outdoor views, taking pictures of flowers and bees rather than death and destruction. 

OK, how about some food and fun after the somber morning?  We rode the cable car down and at 12:15, we regrouped at our hotel for a 45-minute bus ride on the highway above to rural Konavle outside of Dubrovnik.  Here we'd have lunch ... and much more!

Great advice:  Eat. Drink. Enjoy.

Our host (below) at the Stone Mill gave us a cook's tour of the making of first-rate Olive Oil, the way it used to be done and the (easier, faster) way it's made these days, as well as a handmade mill stone for making flour, the process of making arancini (sweets from orange peel, including samples) ...

... plus, samples of local wines, brandies, and Prosecco.

Water for the nondrinkers.

Then the group was seated in a large, rustic-appearing room for a four-course meal.  Top left was the meat/cheese platter, top right were pates and hummus with baskets of fresh bread, bottom left was the main course of veal/lamb and roasted vegetables, finishing with miniature apple pie desserts. Something for everyone, and all of it was delicious.  Coffee came with dessert.

While we ate, entertainment arrived!  Our guide, Mario, above at left, joined in on one number with a tiny guitar and song.  The toe-tapping, hand-clapping local folk music stopped during the main course, but restarted at dessert, and soon everyone (including our host, Jimmy and me) were in a conga line dancing through the building!  What fun!

You can't see all fourteen of us,

but we're there enjoying ourselves and this fantastic, hearty lunch.

Zinfandel grapes for Prosecco.

Jimmy visited with this blushing fella on our way to the beach. 

Returning to our hotel around 4:30, Jimmy and I and Bernice and Ibby decided to walk toward Sunset Beach to look for T-shirts.  (It's a guy thing.)  Walk, we did!  The distance was a lot further than we thought (put nearly five miles on the ol' feet again today), but we always have a good time, no matter what.  We found only two tourist-y T-shirt shops and the guys each bought a shirt.  Yippee.

Lots of sunbathers and more than a few swimmers at Sunset Beach.

Getting on toward sunset, none of us wanted to walk BACK to the hotel, which was also uphill, so we stopped at a bus kiosk, inquired what number bus would take us to Hotel Lero, (#7), and within a few minutes, the bus arrived and took us directly there.  BTW, still stuffed from lunch, we had ice cream for dinner, just the capper for a super afternoon!

Walls of Dubrovnik, Wed, 9/4/19

If you're visiting Dubrovnik, walking atop the city walls is almost a rite of passage, pardon the play on words.  Before leaving the states, quite a few people advised or reminded us to make sure we didn't miss the opportunity.  It isn't often a person gets a chance like this. 

Scenery from the walls is stupendous, and we took bunches of photos, but the video gives the best overview.  Check it out first.  I'll attach our pics to show you what we saw.

This is where we began ....

The walls encircle the Old Town and around its seashore, protecting it from pirates and invaders. They're enormous, dotted by fortresses, and stretch roughly a mile and a quarter. Today they're doubtless the town's major attraction, because of what they are, their age, and how well preserved they are.  Built between the 12th and 17th centuries, they're over 80 ft high, nine feet thick on the sea side and up to 19 feet thick on the mainland side!

One of the fortresses, flying the Croatian flag, with Mt Srd in the background, and if you look closely, you'll see the funicular taking folks up to the mountaintop.  You can also see people climbing to the fortress, at right.

We grasped a whole new perspective of the square

 and Onofrio's large Fountain from this height.

We wanted to tour the fort, opposite, but ran out of time.  You can see a cannon sticking out of the hole beneath the flag.  Also a kayaker far below.  We would've enjoyed kayaking, too, but time always gets in the way.  Or lack of time!

Sometimes the walkway is narrow, other places it's broad, steps up, down again, higher and lower, curving, right angles, entrances and exits, walking the wall seemed like an above-ground rabbit warren.  Jimmy and Bernice trail Ibby, above.

The sun was low in the sky when we set off, hoping for cooler temps.  I've been suffering from the heat since arriving -- being used to the Swiss Alps' higher altitudes and much lower temps.  Now at sea level, I found the daytime heat oppressive and hid in the shadows as much as possible.

But the colors!  We were blown away by the loveliness -- red tile roofs and beige blocks -- I could stand and gaze forever at such a picturesque scene.  Some roofs looked older, and we learned that the new, brighter red tile roofs were replacements for those damaged in the 1991 war.

Don't think Old Town is just for tourists.  No sir, this town is lived in.

And we get to peek into their backyards!

Pretty as a picture.

Kitty cats were everywhere.

The Island of Lokrum lies just offshore in the blue Adriatic.  Croatia's 1,243-mile coastline boasts over 1,200 islands.  Maybe next time we'll visit one or two!

Karaka (replica 16th Century ship) sails past Lokrum,

Two surprises here.  First, that a cafe/bar was located seaside below the wall, and, second, that two of our group, Neel and Ronnie, were sitting at an upper table.  You see Neel in her blue blouse.  We waved and they waved!

Narrow convoluted lanes and walkways lead to old houses/shops/churches placed every-which-way.  I can't begin to guess how old some of them are.

Laundry colors!
See the kitty?

Yes, we heard church bells, lots of bells.
Always nice to hear.

The cannon was quiet, however.

We walked all the way around; it felt extraordinary.  No guidebook in hand, we were unaware of exact names/locations but were always totally aware of the wall's significance.  We stopped frequently to breathe and study, take a picture, rest our feet.

We began to hurry as sunset approached.  Ibby and I wanted to see the sunset from the fortress (below), while Jimmy and Bernice decided against more stairs.

We needn't have hurried; without clouds, the sun just sank behind the hill and the rosy sky turned dark.  But, what a stellar day this was!  Yes, this site was not to be missed.

We're here! Wednesday, 9/4/19

It was nip-and-tuck for many travelers, whether Hurricane Dorian would impact air travel.  Our Florida friends didn't know till almost the last minute if they'd be able to join the tour, but as everyone now knows, Dorian had its own path which didn't include Florida, thank goodness.

Tuesday morning, Jimmy and I took a taxi for the short distance from our B&B apartment to Hotel Lero, where we connected with our Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) group and began our "Crossroads of the Adriatic" tour, 16 days of scoping out Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia.  We were so happy to meet up with Bernice and Ibby; the four of us will have a great time wandering through these countries.  Altogether, 14 will make up the group.

After breakfast and a welcome briefing at the hotel on Wednesday, the group set off with our fearless OAT leader, Mario, to survey Old Town Dubrovnik -- how to get there and how to get around.  We're actually a 20-minute walk from the hotel to the West Gate, but we could save time by taking a bus.  Who wants to wait for a bus?  We walked!  It promised to be hot, probably close to or at 90F, so shorts and T-shirts were the dress for the day!  The old fort looms above us.

The Adriatic Sea water is crystal clear.

Entering the West Gate.  Dubrovnik Old Town is known as one of the world’s finest and most perfectly preserved medieval cities.  For centuries, Dubrovnik rivaled Venice as a trading port (who knew?), with its sturdy stone walls, built between the 11th and 17th centuries affording protection to this former city-state.  These walls still enclose the historic center, and today we'd walk among 'em.  Was it crowded?  In some spots, yes.  Hordes of tourists have "discovered" The Pearl of the Adriatic:  Dubrovnik.

The first wonder we spied was Onofrio's Fountain, where water pours from 16 "spouts."  Built in 1438, badly damaged in the devastating 1667 earthquake and again in the Homeland war by two grenades, the water is drinkable!  The source is a spring 20 kilometers away.  Jimmy below, right, tested and decreed it "good."  Other, smaller fountains can be found, each with potable water, as Ibby proves, below, left. 

We filled our water bottles more than once from these fountains.

Our local guide, Frederik, talked extensively on his home city, giving dates and places more meaning.  He stayed with us for part of the morning.  Old Town Dubrovnik is so full of well-preserved history; it was rightfully placed on UNESCO's list of world heritage sights in 1979.

I took pictures of things/places I considered artistic or graceful, even if I didn't know exactly what I was seeing.  Consequently I took way too many pics!  Finding beauty in these old buildings was easy.  All of this is vastly different from what we see in America, specifically where we live in California, where history really began in 1849.

Like so many sites we visit, Dubrovnik is not flat or level by any means.  It's up and down.  Flights of stairs, up-up-up, are ubiquitous in this city.  Many walkways or "streets" are little more than narrow, steppingstone alleys.

I had to ask what the beautiful rock was, thinking it was marble, but not sure.  Limestone was the answer.  Polished smooth and shiny by thousands of footsteps over hundreds of years.  It looks slick, but it wasn't slippery, unless you were on a steep cobbled street.  Notice who else likes the surface? 

Still on the main street, the Placa, the four of us wanted to visit the old Franciscan Church and Monastery museum -- a large complex consisting of a monastery, church, library and a pharmacy.  The pharmacy was founded in 1317 as in-house pharmacy for the Franciscan friars, and later served the whole town’s population and even beyond the town’s walls.  We went inside and looked around, but no photos were allowed.  It was small and filled with various sized apothecary jars, just as you'd imagine.  Newer meds were also available.  In 1317, Walgreen's was a distant vision 😉.

The monastery was built in 1360 in late Romanesque style and contains two cloisters.

It was really nice walking along this promenade.  Cool.  And look at all these columns and arches in the lower cloister, 120 of them, and 12 massive pilasters!  I loved the elegant symmetry (above and below).

Then I looked further.  I was intrigued by these, but had to look up what to call them:  "The capitals on the colonnade of double, ornamented hexaphoras are all different, showing various geometric, plant-, human- and animal-like figures."  Each one different.  Amazing.  The look was quite impressive.  

We found this quiet and cool/ish bench off the promenade to sit and rest.  This would be a five-mile day for sure, with many flights and lots of steps.  It's good to rest when you can.  Mario suggested we wait till later in the afternoon to walk atop the city walls.  With no shade, the hot sun would cook us if we attempted the walk any earlier, we'll probably start around 5pm.  We have an all-day bus pass, so we can come and go (via bus) any time.  Dinner is on our own tonight.  More later ....