“Those who seek paradise
should come to Dubrovnik. . .”
said George Bernard Shaw, who is also credited with labeling this city as being “the pearl of the Adriatic”.
We would heartily agree with Shaw on both counts and we’ve just scratched the city’s surface!
But, thanks to the wonders of cruising, we’ve visited this town ---on the other side of the world -- twice in the last decade; our most recent visit a day trip last fall. As with most day-trippers, on each visit we headed directly to the old Walled City:
And much like our first visit, we went straight to the stairway that led to the top of the wall (this time, however, there was a ticket booth and entry fee). The wall at 4 – 6 meters wide and 2 kilometer (1.24 mile) long envelops the old city in a continuing protective embrace that has lasted through the decades.
But the wall wasn’t enough to protect the old town from the destruction caused by a late 20th Century conflict -- a part of the seven-month siege that began in Oct. 1991 after Croatia and Slovenia (once a part of Yugoslavia) – declared their independence. One of the worst battles resulted in 19 deaths and 60 injuries.
More than 56% of the buildings were damaged during the conflict and there were some 650 artillery hits within the old walled city. On our first visit here the new roofs were a striking contrast to the old; this last visit, thanks to weather and time, the new roofs had become less visible.
The views, the history and the beauty from atop that old wall will forever be stored among our special travel memories:
Have you been to Dubrovnik? What is your special memory of this ‘pearl’?
That’s it for this week’s Travel Photo Thursday. Check out Budget Travelers Sandbox for more armchair travels. We appreciate the time you spend with us and hope to see you again. . .real soon!
