If you are following closely, you will notice that there is no Nov. 6. We were in Bari, Italy. The weather was cold, rainy, and the city did not look that interesting. So, we chose to take a day where we just chilled out. It was actually a nice change.
But, the next day in Dubrovnik was beautiful. The sun was shining, and the temperature was very pleasant. Dubrovnik is a very old city on the Adriatic sea in southern Croatia. In 2009 the population was about 50,000. The old town is surrounded by city walls that are 2 km (1.2 mi) long. There function has changed from city protection to a way for visitors to see the city from above. In a previous visit to Dubrovnik we walked most to the wall, so we chose to not do that this visit.
Croatia was in the news frequently in 1991-1995 during their war with Serbia. The issue was independence from Yugoslavia which the Croats wanted and the Serbs did not.
The picture on the right is the gate where we went into the city. You can see the walls are very thick.
Our visit is best described in pictures.
Chuck made the mistake of petting a cat. (He has always told me during our travels to, “Never touch the animals, they may have a disease! Caroline) The first time went fine. The second time the cat decided to give him a bite, drawing blood. As we walked around the city we saw lots of cats. Chuck gave them a wide berth. Later I saw a young girl ask her mother if she could pet another cat. Mother said yes. I wanted to warn the little girl that the cat could very well be an attack cat, but since she was Croatian I decided it was futile. On the left is the attack cat; on the right is the cute little girl petting the other cat.
The patron saint of Dubrovnik is Saint Blaise. Besides being the patron saint of the city, Blaise is the patron saint of wool combers and throat disease (a little tidbit of knowledge for you next trivia game). There are dozens of churches in the city. Below are two pictures of one of them.
There were several wide streets where most of the pedestrian traffic was. The city was full of locals strolling the streets with their children and enjoying the beautiful Sunday. Many of the kids were on scooters or kicking a soccer ball.
Narrow walkways branched off the main streets. They had shops, restaurants, small hotels, and aprtments. Many of them were closed for the season. The tourist season ends in the next week or so. At the end of most of the narrow street there is a set of steps that rise 3 or 4 stories. At the top of the steps there are apartments. Can you imagine climbing those steps multiple times a day.
We joined the locals and had lunch in on or the outdoor cafes on the street. The picture on the right of Chuck’s lunch is for our friend Dick who always asks for extra anchovies on his Caesar Salad.
As we left the city there was a woman selling her wares. We engaged her in conversation and found out that she hand embroidered the beautiful clothes. She was closing for the season soon and said she and other members of the family would spend the winter replenishing her stock.Those are the kind of souvenirs we like to buy.
All in all, a very nice day.