Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik Old Town

Dear Family and Friends,

Here are our final pictures of our cruise vacation from our last stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We decided that due to the short length of the stop we would leave the kids on board in the Squok Club and do a little exploring for ourselves.


Stradun Street

Like Rhodes, Dubrovnik is surrounded by large walls and towers. One of the most interesting things to do was to climb the midieval steps to the top of the wall and walk the circumfrence of the city. From this vantage point, we were able to get a good view of the main street and the surrounding bay.


Alleys of Dubrovnik

Narrow alleyways and buildings with red tile roofs are characteristic of this medieval city on the Adriatic.

Looking towards Lovrijenac Fortress

Lovrijenac Fortress, which was constructed in the 11th century, prevented the city from falling under Venitian Rule.

Unrepaired Damage from 1991 War

Croatia was once part of Communist Yugoslavia. After both Croatia and Slovenia declared theirr independence in 1991, forces from Serbia and Montenegro beseiged the city and began shelling. Although most of the city has been carefully restored under the guidance of UNESCO, evidence like these ruined buildings can still be found. For us, it was difficult to imagine how anyone could have attacked such historic and picturesque city.

Pharmacy Dating to 1317

Among the sites that we were able to see was a pharmacy dating back to 1317. Although there are two older pharmacies in Europe, they are not still in operation like the one here.

Fisherman Repairing Net

Tourists are the main revenue for Dubrovnik. Nevertheless, it remains a thriving fishing port.

St. Blaise - Patron of Dubrovnik

Saint Blaise is the Patron of Dubrovnik in much the same way as Saint Mark is the Patron of Venice. He is said to have warned the city of an impending attack by the Venicians in 971. In February of each year, a festival is held in his honor during which his head, his hands, and bones from his throat are paraded through the streets. I guess we'll have to catch that one on our next visit!!

Monastery Cloister

Dubrovnik is home to two large monasteries - a Dominican Monastery dating from the 14th century and a Franciscan Monestary from the same era. According to maratime traditions, ships passing through the harbour blow their whistle three times. Unfortunately, we had forgotten about this and were positioned on deck just below the stack when the whistle blew. As we left, the officer on the bridge of another cruise ship blew his whistle in response to ours. This drew a loud reaction from all of us on deck.

Best Wishes,

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel