Dubrovnik, A Romantic Medieval City on the Adriatic Sea
Dubrovnik…… UNESCO treasure.......I wasn’t sure what to expect since my impressions of the old city had been formed from travel shows on TV and they had created dreams of a walled city a blend of culture from centuries of influence from Byzantium, Venice and Slavic Empires. These travel shows, while stunning in their cinematography could not hold a candle to the actual experience of being in the city.
As we always try to do, Jim and I hopped the first bus out from the ship early in the morning. No tour for us today! We were on our own. It was one of those magical crystal clear mornings where the sun sparkles off the water and the sky is a beautiful light blue, hiding the afternoon rain that would come in on gray clouds skidding across the sky on a blustery wind to dump a brief deluge on unsuspecting tourists. But at that time of the morning, we were blithely unaware of this and could only marvel at the beautiful day.
I kept wondering where everyone was! This was too good to be true and being in Dubrovnik early in the morning is something I would recommend to anyone on a cruise. Forget the tours, do the work and investigate the city at your own pace.
As we walked under the huge stone arch that guards the old city within medieval walls, hardly a person was to be seen. It was quiet enough to hear birds calling to each other as they soared over the cliffs below the ramparts. We decided to head right up to join them, walking up the steep stairs to the high grey stone parapet and narrow walkway that ringed Dubrovnik. What struck me the most was that the city practically glowed because of the white stone and bright red rooftops and marble streets. It was one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen and completely empty. Dubrovnik is truly one of those places that appear to be out of a fairy tale.
We peeked out of the holes cut into the stone where huge cannons still stood ready to spit out fire and lead and there were sailing ships far out on the horizon giving us the feeling we had stepped back in time. As we reached the end of our walk, we could see down into the harbor area where an antique sailing ship sat quietly rocking next to sleek modern yachts in the tiny harbor.
We left the harbor area after a refreshing expresso and mineral water break and headed into the medieval heart of the city. Here is where we found the Dubrovnik I fell in love with.
Our first stop was the Rector’s Palace which was constructed on the ruins of the prior palace which had the bad luck of being blown to pieces when a gunpowder magazine exploded under it. The new palace was built in 1464 by the famous renaissance architect Michelozzo Michelozzi who was at that time also building the Palazzo Medici in Florence. It is a fusion of Venetian Gothic and Renaissance styles and is a graceful and elegant palace where intricately carved capitals and arches of the logia lead into the small interior courtyard. In the courtyard another elaborately carved marble loggia surrounds you and leads to the state apartments. More stairs lead down into the dark rough stone dungeons where prisoners would have been either walled up alive or punished by being drowned inside their cells which flooded at high tide.
The Cathedral of Dubrovnik is a gem of Roman Baroque architecture built in 1713 on the ruins of an earlier Byzantine and a Romanesque cathedral. The white marble interior seems light and airy with an elaborate cornice and several elegant classical elements, but the most interesting area inside the cathedral is kept behind a velvet rope and can only be entered with the permission of whomever is posted at the roped off chapel. It is the Treasury.
Talk about some startling looking sites! Even though the site was rather grisly, we were captivated by the dozens of richly decorated reliquaries holding sacred body parts of saints. One of the most beautiful is the elaborately carved and bejeweled golden reliquary shaped like an arm and hand which holds the right arm of St. Blaise. This arm is solemnly paraded around the town on February 3rd, St. Blaise’s Day each year. We spent some time checking out each macabre item in the treasury!
We wandered through the cloisters of the peaceful Franciscan Friary and checked out the Venetian inspired Sponza Palace before finally peeking into the Church of St. Blaise which was originally erected in thanks for the end of the great plaque of 1348. Unfortunately, that church is long gone and the current church was built in 1715 in the Venetian style. It truly looks as if it could be sitting along a Venetian canal with its curving lintels and oxidized copper dome.
By the time we had finished visiting the rich history of Dubrovnik, the tourists had begun to descend upon the town in droves, so we joined the busy crowds along the wide marble paved Stradun for some serious shopping! After visiting the shops along the grand main pedestrian street, you can wind your way into the narrow alleys off each side. The alleys that climb the steep hill are narrow winding warrens connected by stone stairways and arched medieval passages.
Dubrovnik has a large artistic community, and you can find a variety of artwork in the shops lining the small lanes off the Stradun. It is also the place to find talented leather and jewelry artisans. Jim of course found the only Irish Pub in town. He is like a homing pigeon when it comes to a good beer!
Knowing that we wanted to have a memorable lunch in Dubrovnik, we decided to spend the money to eat at a fine restaurant with a spectacular view. We couldn’t have picked a more perfect restaurant than Nautika. This restaurant is very expensive, but the outside seating with a view of the Adriatic Sea and the tiny curved cove below the restaurant is to die for. The traditional fine Croation food they serve is sublime and the tables on the terrace were draped with crisp white tablecloths and set with exquisite modern crystal wine glasses.
We ate local fresh lobster, mussels and cuttlefish appetizers presented in a delicately artistic manner, followed by cream of scampi soup and then a light savory fish stew. All of this was accompanied by a crisp cold Croation white wine called Posip Intrada. We ended the meal with strong hot coffee, cheesecake and an assortment of Dubrovnik sweets.
It was while we were finishing our coffee that the brief surprise deluge blew in. We thanked our lucky stars that the terrace was covered and huddled comfortably dry at our table watching the dramatic storm as it passed over Dubrovnik. When the rain and wind died down and the sun finally burst through again we took our opportunity to reluctantly leave what had been a relaxing, elegant and delicious lunch. I will remember Nautik for a long time, but we had more medieval alleys to wander and definitely more shopping to do before returning to the ship!
Dubrovnik…… UNESCO treasure.......I wasn’t sure what to expect since my impressions of the old city had been formed from travel shows on TV and they had created dreams of a walled city a blend of culture from centuries of influence from Byzantium, Venice and Slavic Empires. These travel shows, while stunning in their cinematography could not hold a candle to the actual experience of being in the city.
As we always try to do, Jim and I hopped the first bus out from the ship early in the morning. No tour for us today! We were on our own. It was one of those magical crystal clear mornings where the sun sparkles off the water and the sky is a beautiful light blue, hiding the afternoon rain that would come in on gray clouds skidding across the sky on a blustery wind to dump a brief deluge on unsuspecting tourists. But at that time of the morning, we were blithely unaware of this and could only marvel at the beautiful day.
I kept wondering where everyone was! This was too good to be true and being in Dubrovnik early in the morning is something I would recommend to anyone on a cruise. Forget the tours, do the work and investigate the city at your own pace.
As we walked under the huge stone arch that guards the old city within medieval walls, hardly a person was to be seen. It was quiet enough to hear birds calling to each other as they soared over the cliffs below the ramparts. We decided to head right up to join them, walking up the steep stairs to the high grey stone parapet and narrow walkway that ringed Dubrovnik. What struck me the most was that the city practically glowed because of the white stone and bright red rooftops and marble streets. It was one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen and completely empty. Dubrovnik is truly one of those places that appear to be out of a fairy tale.
We peeked out of the holes cut into the stone where huge cannons still stood ready to spit out fire and lead and there were sailing ships far out on the horizon giving us the feeling we had stepped back in time. As we reached the end of our walk, we could see down into the harbor area where an antique sailing ship sat quietly rocking next to sleek modern yachts in the tiny harbor.
We left the harbor area after a refreshing expresso and mineral water break and headed into the medieval heart of the city. Here is where we found the Dubrovnik I fell in love with.
Our first stop was the Rector’s Palace which was constructed on the ruins of the prior palace which had the bad luck of being blown to pieces when a gunpowder magazine exploded under it. The new palace was built in 1464 by the famous renaissance architect Michelozzo Michelozzi who was at that time also building the Palazzo Medici in Florence. It is a fusion of Venetian Gothic and Renaissance styles and is a graceful and elegant palace where intricately carved capitals and arches of the logia lead into the small interior courtyard. In the courtyard another elaborately carved marble loggia surrounds you and leads to the state apartments. More stairs lead down into the dark rough stone dungeons where prisoners would have been either walled up alive or punished by being drowned inside their cells which flooded at high tide.
The Cathedral of Dubrovnik is a gem of Roman Baroque architecture built in 1713 on the ruins of an earlier Byzantine and a Romanesque cathedral. The white marble interior seems light and airy with an elaborate cornice and several elegant classical elements, but the most interesting area inside the cathedral is kept behind a velvet rope and can only be entered with the permission of whomever is posted at the roped off chapel. It is the Treasury.
Talk about some startling looking sites! Even though the site was rather grisly, we were captivated by the dozens of richly decorated reliquaries holding sacred body parts of saints. One of the most beautiful is the elaborately carved and bejeweled golden reliquary shaped like an arm and hand which holds the right arm of St. Blaise. This arm is solemnly paraded around the town on February 3rd, St. Blaise’s Day each year. We spent some time checking out each macabre item in the treasury!
We wandered through the cloisters of the peaceful Franciscan Friary and checked out the Venetian inspired Sponza Palace before finally peeking into the Church of St. Blaise which was originally erected in thanks for the end of the great plaque of 1348. Unfortunately, that church is long gone and the current church was built in 1715 in the Venetian style. It truly looks as if it could be sitting along a Venetian canal with its curving lintels and oxidized copper dome.
By the time we had finished visiting the rich history of Dubrovnik, the tourists had begun to descend upon the town in droves, so we joined the busy crowds along the wide marble paved Stradun for some serious shopping! After visiting the shops along the grand main pedestrian street, you can wind your way into the narrow alleys off each side. The alleys that climb the steep hill are narrow winding warrens connected by stone stairways and arched medieval passages.
Dubrovnik has a large artistic community, and you can find a variety of artwork in the shops lining the small lanes off the Stradun. It is also the place to find talented leather and jewelry artisans. Jim of course found the only Irish Pub in town. He is like a homing pigeon when it comes to a good beer!
Knowing that we wanted to have a memorable lunch in Dubrovnik, we decided to spend the money to eat at a fine restaurant with a spectacular view. We couldn’t have picked a more perfect restaurant than Nautika. This restaurant is very expensive, but the outside seating with a view of the Adriatic Sea and the tiny curved cove below the restaurant is to die for. The traditional fine Croation food they serve is sublime and the tables on the terrace were draped with crisp white tablecloths and set with exquisite modern crystal wine glasses.
We ate local fresh lobster, mussels and cuttlefish appetizers presented in a delicately artistic manner, followed by cream of scampi soup and then a light savory fish stew. All of this was accompanied by a crisp cold Croation white wine called Posip Intrada. We ended the meal with strong hot coffee, cheesecake and an assortment of Dubrovnik sweets.
It was while we were finishing our coffee that the brief surprise deluge blew in. We thanked our lucky stars that the terrace was covered and huddled comfortably dry at our table watching the dramatic storm as it passed over Dubrovnik. When the rain and wind died down and the sun finally burst through again we took our opportunity to reluctantly leave what had been a relaxing, elegant and delicious lunch. I will remember Nautik for a long time, but we had more medieval alleys to wander and definitely more shopping to do before returning to the ship!