Nate and Tanja: Dubrovnik, Croatia

The next port for our cruise was Dubrovnik, Croatia. I had seen pictures of the city years ago and put it on my bucket list, so I was particularly excited to see it in person during this trip. Dubrovnik was historically an important sea trading port along the Adriatic since the 13th century and has bounced around various empires and nationalities throughout its history (including being the seat of its own Dubrovnik/Ragusa Republic from 1358-1808). It is famous for its medieval walled city surrounding the Old Town. The city was basically destroyed by an earthquake in 1667, so that is the maximum age of most of the old cathedrals, monasteries, fountains, etc. within the Old Town.

The must-do activity in Dubrovnik is to walk along the city walls around the Old Town, and so that is what seemingly every tourist from cruise ships, staying in the area, and elsewhere did making it fairly crowded at choke points along the way. A study using 2019 data found that Dubrovnik was the most overtouristed city in Europe with around 36 tourists for every resident; many tourists come inspired by the Game of Thrones TV show that was filmed on location here (and plenty of souvenir shops catered to those tourists with Game of Thrones merchandise). The crowds combined with the summer heat and lack of shade in many sections of the wall dampened some of the appeal and charm of the city (I think it would be a lovely place to visit in the spring or fall with cooler temperatures and less crowds), but we pressed on.

The walls circle the Old Town and run uninterrupted for over a mile at 6365 feet long (1940 meters) with a maximum height of 83 feet (25 meters). In many sections, the walls sit right over the beautiful blue waters of the Adriatic Sea.

I loved looking out at the water from the height of the walls and watching the ships go by.

Tanja did a fantastic job planning for this trip with copies of Rick Steves walking tours for most of the ports printed off so we could follow along. She played tour guide pointing out different features here in Dubrovnik (and elsewhere) and that worked well for our kids who didn't do well with long guided tours with "boring" adult explanations. Here's Tanja on the wall looking down into the Old Town and the Franciscan Friary/Monastery. The monastery first opened in 1317, but had to be rebuilt following the earthquake.

The walls and Franciscan Monastery in the background from this scenic perch on top of the walls.

In 1991, shortly after Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia as Yugoslavia was dissolving, the Yugoslav army (composed mostly of Serbs) attacked Dubrovnik as they didn't believe Dubrovnik historically had been part of Croatia. I have vague recollections of watching this Yugoslav war when I was a child; people who lived through it in Dubrovnik doubtlessly remember it much better. During the seven month siege, the city and the Old Town was damaged by multiple artillery strikes. This shelling was a public relations disaster for the Serbs leading to worldwide condemnation and broad acceptance of Croatian independence. Because the Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reconstruction and repairs had to maintain the same original style and looking down into the Old Town from the walls, the repaired sections of the roofs were notable as the tiles were redder and less worn than the originals. There are some redder roofs in these pictures looking over the Old Town.

One interesting thing we learned was that in contrast to the Venetians who seemed so desperate to impress visiting dignitaries and their own people with ostentatious displays of their massive wealth, the Dubrovnik Republic was frequently trying to avoid gaudy displays of their wealth so as not to make themselves too attractive of a target for tariffs, taxes, or military takeover for Ottomans, Venetians, and others of their rivals. I found the Dubrovnik method of trade diplomacy and modesty in wealth to be very enlightened.

The walls have strong towers and fortresses at various points.

To escape the heat of the day and since admission was included in the day pass we bought, we ducked into the small Dubrovnik Maritime Museum that was built into one of the towers along the wall and it was interesting learning about the history of the Dubrovnik/Ragusa Republic. One of the funny parts was that everywhere in the museum were the museum's logo/abbreviation "DU'M" (standing for Dubrovnik Museum I would assume). I laughed with the kids that the museum was advertising "dumb puzzles", "dumb shirts", and other "dumb" items throughout their gift shop.

This picture shows some of the scale and height of the walls. Tanja doesn't like my hat, but in addition to providing me shade, it makes it easier to identify me in the distance. ;-)

The island in the background of this picture is Lokrum Island. It is an island frequented by day tripping Dubrovnik residents and families who go there to hike, sunbathe, play at the beach, and explore the ruins of a Benedictine monastery. The monastery was built in 1023 according to legend after the city was spared destruction by a fire that was extinguished instantly when the inhabitants prayed to Saint Benedict for deliverance promising they would build a monastery if the city were spared.

During the period of French rule of Croatia (1806-1813), a French general ordered the monastery closed and the monks evicted. The monks were not happy about being kicked off of the island they had called home for centuries, and according to legend cursed the land for anyone who claimed Lokrum for their own personal pleasure. The superstitious could identify strange and tragic events occurring to many notable aristocrats and nobility with ties to the island, and to this day, the superstitious belief has been modified slightly to mean people can visit the island, but not stay there and certainly not bring anything back from the island.

Karina and I at the highest point on the wall at Minčeta Tower. I like pictures with foreign flags showing where we have been.

Lydia wanted to climb up the outside of the Minčeta Tower.

Derek was hot and tired from the long walk and was particularly grumpy wandering around the walls. He wore Mormor's spare shirt as a semi-cloak in an effort to keep the sun off him. This was one of many times during the trip I was glad to have Mimi and Mormor joining us as Mimi was a good sport and walked along with Derek patiently.

These windows through the outer wall of the tower made for cool photo spots peeking out at the sea below.

The seaside portions of the wall are right against the sea on a tall cliff making the city seem extra imposing.

The Large Onofrio's Fountain, designed in 1483 and rebuilt after the 1667 earthquake, was a good place to refill our water bottles on a hot day.

This fortress in the background is the St. Lawrence Fortress (Lovrijenac in Croatian). It sits outside the main city walls (where we are standing) on the edge of the sea.

We walked over to the St. Lawrence Fortress to go inside and hike around the rock it was built on. The fortress is now regularly used as a theater for stage plays. The first documented records of the fortress are from 1301.