2023 Balkans - Day 4 Dubrovnik, Croatia

It rained hard. All night. And with rain forecast for all of today, I feared that my long streak of weather karma may be at an end. 

It’s only about 30 miles from Herceg Novi to Dubrovnik, but there are two border crossings (leaving Montenegro, entering Croatia) and in high season, it can take four or five hours. We drove through the rain, had a relatively fast crossing and were at our hotel in 90 minutes. The driver collects our passports, and we get them back after the second crossing. Regrettably, no stamp for Montenegro. Only Croatia.

It’s known as a scenic drive. But today, only meh. This is where we were supposed to first see the famous city walls of Dubrovnik, somewhere in the fog.

We were met at our hotel by a local expert, Lydia, who appears to be somewhat of a local high-achieving celebrity. 

Lydia explained there were FOUR cruise ships in town today, so thousands of extra day-tripping tourists were in the Old City. But she was hopeful that by the time we finished our lecture, traveled into the walled city and visited a couple of indoor museums, both the weather might break and the cruisers would be done with their own excursions. We’re now back in our hotel, and Greg is napping while I start writing. 

Croatia is shaped like a crescent moon, wrapping around Bosnia and Hercegovina to its east. It has over 1,000 miles of coastline, and over 1,000 islands. (Montenegro, by comparison, has about 200 miles of coastline, largely in the Bay of Kotor we drove along yesterday, and only 10 islands. So Croatia has won the tourist-appeal lottery.) 

- slightly smaller than West Virginia

- 20 counties (for now) + Zagreb

- 3.8 million people

- uses Latin alphabet, but has 30 letters compared to our 26

- joined the EU in 2013

Dubrovnik is not a typical Croatian city. It sits between east and west, the Venetians and the Ottomans.

Population of 42,000

Population of Croatia is shrinking. It decreased by about 60,000 last year. People are leaving because of politics, financial incentives, or seeking a better work-life balance. Some people resent how many foreign work permits are issued, although most of the workers - if they stay in Croatia - take low-status jobs, often to support the booming tourism economy. 

EDUCATION

When part of the former Yugoslavia, the education system was excellent and free through receiving a doctorate.

- Today, from first grade every child studies their native language plus English

- At age 10, they choose a second foreign language (though it’s not taught with the same rigor as English)

- Free through grade school and hsigh school

- State university is free for the first degree. Advanced degrees or a degree in a second subject - you pay for it

We piled into the bus for the short ride to Dubrovnik’s old town. 

Dubrovnik’s recorded history began when Slavs wiped out a nearby Roman city in the 7th century and its inhabitants fled to a rocky islet just off the mainland. They quickly fortified the city, enough to withstand a siege two centuries later. The Venetians took over for 150 years in 1205. A Republic was established, which expanded along the coast and managed to get along with everyone. Dubrovnik began paying tribute to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The 1667 earthquake destroyed most of the Renaissance architecture and art, and the city began a slow economic decline. Napoleon’s troops entered in the early 19th century, and in 1815 the city was ceded to Austria. 

Dubrovnik was heavily shelled after Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. You can still see pockmarks in the walls of buildings within the city. 

The walled town can look confusing when you venture off the main east-west street. But once you know where the landmarks are and can orient yourself, it’s pretty easy, We entered through the Pile Gate (scene of a Game of Thrones massacre, for those who follow the show) and faced straight down the Stradun. Formerly a waterway, it was filled in long ago. At the far end is the clock (or bell) tower. 

It was originally built in 1444, damaged in the 1667 earthquake, and then demolished in 1928 when it began to lean over the Stradun. It was rebuilt, damaged in another earthquake, and restored in 1988. It’s a curious clock, with only an hour hand on the dial, a digital version of the time (using Roman numerals for the hour) and a golden ball showing the phase of the moon,

Immediately upon entering the city, there is a church and Franciscan monastery to the left. The 14th century cloister is lovely, with a garden of fruit and flowers in the center. 

J

The attached pharmacy dates from 1317, and is the longest still-functioning pharmacy in Europe. A side room has an exhibit of old vials, books and medicines from the pharmacy - including an impressively large mortar and pestle. 

St. Blaise, whom I remember from the annual blessing of the throat in Catholic elementary school (“By the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr…”) is the patron saint of Dubrovnik. He was a bishop and physician who died in historical Armenia (now Turkey) in the early 4th century. Curiously, he was identified by medieval Slavs with the pagan god Vêles. He has his own church in Dubrovnik, a pretty little baroque church. 

But I digress. The Franciscan monastery included some reliquaries, elaborate and extravagant cases built to hold relics of saints or holy objects. This boot holds a piece of bone from the foot of St. Blaise.

Our next stop was the Gothic-Renaissance Rector’s Palace, which today houses the Cultural History Museum. The role of Rector was modeled after the Doge in Venice. To assure no one person assumed control of Dubrovnik, he was elected by secret ballot for a period of one month. During that time, he required  permission from the senate to leave the Palace. Rectors governed Dubrovnik from the 14th century until 1808. 

The ornamentation in the central courtyard is beautiful and whimsical. And recognizable to Game of Thrones fans.

A “hand” rail in the Rector’s Palace

Fortunately, the rain had stopped. We split up and went exploring. There are courtyard, two main streets paralleling the Stradun, and narrow little streets running north (towards the former woods after which Dubrovnik was named) and south (towards the original Roman settlement). 

Map of Dubrovnik before the 1667 earthquake. Bell tower middle right; Franciscan church middle left.

The Stairs of the Jesuit, Dubrovnik’s version of the Spanish Steps, have been immortalized as the scene of Cercei’s Walk of Shame. It was the most expensive scene in the series - shutters were removed, awnings and tables taken away, shops and restaurants closed, and residents paid to keep their windows closed and not hang out to watch the action. 

There are narrow, steep pedestrian streets throughout the old city. Rooftop above rooftop stacks up towards the city walls.

Fort Lovrijenac - another GOT site

We’d hoped to walk along the old city walls, or take the funicular to Mount Srd for a panoramic view. But access to the walls cost 35 Euros each, which seemed a little outrageous given the weather and amount of free time we had. And the funicular was closed. We both felt, though, that we got a good feel for the town while wandering the steep, narrow little streets, looking for geocaches and recognizing Kings Landing locations.