When we first woke up this morning, it was raining and I thought I had jinxed ourselves by saying how lucky we've been yesterday. But it was only enough to be irritating and stopped after an hour or so and turned out to be a beautiful day.

For six centuries Dubrovnik was an independent republic - an oligarchy ruled by patrician families. The Republic was overthrown by Napoleon in 1808.


We opted out of organized shore excursions today. We boarded a local bus and took a 15-minute ride to the city of Dubrovnik, the "Pearl of the Adriatic" and one of the most beautiful Mediterranean ports I've ever been to. I know I say this at every port but this really is one of my favourites. Dubrovnik is a beautiful stone jewel hugging the Adriatic Sea. This picture-perfect medieval walled city offers ancient stone buildings, narrow, cobbled streets and fortified ramparts. rising above red-tiled rooftops. Stradun is the city's focal point and main artery and Dubrovnik's Old Town streets are free of vehicular traffic. Despite the heavy damage inflicted by shelling in the early '90s, Dubrovnik has been restored to its pre-war beauty. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the old city remains the pride of the Republic of Croatia.

We began at the Gradska Vrata Pile (pronounced GRAHD-Skah VRAH-tah PEE-leh) or Pile Gate in the Old Town. Pile Gate, part of Fortress Bokar, is one of the oldest encasements in Europe. Built in the 15th century, Pile Gate was, and still is, the traditional entrance to the Old Town. The two Gothic arches link the stone bridge with the old wooden drawbridge. The statue of St. Blaise, the city's patron saint, greets visitors in the entrance's arch.

Entering the Old Town, we immediately noticed the city's wide marble pedestrian walkway, the Stradun (Placa). It's been the town's central thoroughfare since the 11th century. We also saw the circular Onofrio Fountain (Velika Onofrijea Fontana), built in the 15th century and named after its Neapolitan builder. It's still a popular meeting place in town. In the Middle Ages, the town had a complicated aqueduct system that brought water from the mountains 7 miles away and ended up in this fountain before continuing through the city.

We strolled down the Stradun, the heart of Dubrovnik to the Gradska Vrata Ploce (pronounced GRAHD-ska VRAH-that PLOH-Chen) or Ploce Gate at the opposite end of the Stradun. We took in the shops and cafes that line the boulevard. This street was actually a canal in the 7th century. Romans fleeing from the invading Slavs lived on the island of Ragusa, and the Slavs settled on the shore. In the 11th century, the canal separating Ragusa from the mainland was filled in, the towns merged, and a unique Slavic-Roman culture and language blossomed. The street was rebuilt as it looks today after the 1667 earthquake. At the end if the street we saw Orlandos Column (Orlando Stup). These columns were typical of towns in northern Germany. Dubrovnik erected this column in 1417, soon after it switched allegiances from the oppressive Venetians to the Hungarians. By putting a Northern European symbol in the middle of its most prominent square, Dubrovnik decisively distanced itself from Venice. Whenever a decision was made by the Republic, the town crier came to Orlandos Column and announced the news.

Orlando is looking toward the Spinoza Palace, built in 1522. Thais building is the best example of Dubrovnik's Golden Age in the 15th & 16th centuries. Inside is the Memorial Room of Dubrovnik Defenders. There are many photos of people from Dubrovnik who were killed fighting Yugoslav forces in 1991.

Then there is the Bell Tower. The original dates from 1444, but it was rebuilt when it started to lean in the 1920's. Only one of its hands tells time. Below that a golden circle shows the phase of the moon. At the bottom the old-fashioned digital readout tells the hour in Roman Numerals and the minutes in 5 minute intervals. At the top of each hour and 3 minutes later the time is clanged out on the bell up top by 2 bronze bell-ringers, Mario and Bari. Some think this is a copy of the bell tower in St Marks Square in Venice but this clock predates that one by several decades. The clock has to be wound every 2 days.

Behind Orlando is St. Blaise's Church (Crkva Sv. Vlaho), dedicated to the patron saint of Dubrovnik. There are statues and paintings of St. Blaise all over town, always holding a model of the city in his left hand. According to legend, 1,000 years ago St. Blaise came to a local priest in a dream and warned him that the up-and-coming Venetians would soon attack the city. The priest alerted the authorities, who prepared for war the prediction came true and since then St. Blaise has been a Dubrovnik symbol ever since.

Once we took on all the sights in the square, we walked the scenic mile and a quarter city walls. The sea of orange roofs on one side and the sea on the other was amazing. The walls have been here since there was a Dubrovnik. The walls were beefed up in the 15th century, when the Ottoman navy became a threat. Around the perimeter are several forts, with walls rounded so that cannonballs would glance off harmlessly. These forts intimidated would be invaders during the Republic of Dubrovniks Golden Age and protected resident during the 1991-2 siege. I'm not going to say anything more about this. The pictures tell the story.

We had cappuccino in the square and then decided to take the cable car up to Mount Srd (pronounced surge). Napoleon built a fortress atop the hill behind the Old Town to keep an eye on his subjects in 1810. A cable car was built in the 20th century to allow visitors easy access to the panoramic views. When war broke out in 1991, Mount Srd became a crucial link in the defence of Dubrovnik. You can see the mortar holes in the walls here. Remember, this was less than 30 years ago. Scary stuff!!

When we returned to the Old Town we had a delicious seafood lunch and the wandered the streets again to take it all in. We had an early embarkation and returned to the ship by 3:00, in time for trivia and happy hour. I would have preferred to stay in town but.....

To sum up......OMG!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dubrovnik.

We had our second last dinner with the group. Robin, our Southern Belle,and Steve ordered champagne for all of of us and brought us little presents, one of which she and Steve made that afternoon. She concocts all sorts of skin and hair products and she made some body oil for us from ingredients she bought in Greece and Croatia. The other gift was a tree ornament. We all felt very special.