David's Diary: Thursday, July 18, 2002

A Bus Trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia

Yesterday, after checking in with Croatian customs in the harbour of Gruz where we first arrived in Dubrovnik, we took Dragonsinger up the nearby Rijeka river to the modern ACI marina. After a good night's sleep we were still a little tired from our three-day trip. By late in the afternoon, Jocelyn and I were ready to do more exploring while Karalee and the boys went for a swim in the marina swimming pool.

The marina is located some distance outside of Dubrovnik, so we had to figure out how to find and ride the local bus into town. We stepped out of the marina and immediately found the tiny bench that marked the marina bus stop. Before long we were joined by both locals and others from the marina all waiting for the bus.

Lock Box and Ticket Dispenser

The bus showed up and we climbed onboard. We presented our money and were surprised when the driver opened up a wooden drawer sitting on a post in the center of the bus. The drawer contained all of the bus fares and change. Crime must not be a big problem in Dubrovnik as there was no security that we could see. The locals all took it in stride as this is just the way things are done.

Stradun

The bus could have been ten or even twenty years old, with wooden seats and a swaying ride that made us think the shocks hadn't been changed in some time. Jocelyn and I had to stand the whole way into Dubrovnik, doing our best to peer out the windows to capture on first looks at the city. We followed the river we took Dragonsinger up yesterday and passed Gruz where we checked into the country.

We took the bus all the way to the town walls of the old town of Dubrovnik. We stepped off the bus and crossed the stone bridge that has been standing since 1471 which leads to Pile Gate, one of the main entrances to the old town. After walking down the steps the Stradun stretched in front of us. Stradun runs the length of the old fortified town in an east/west direction.

Narrow Streets

Jocelyn and I explored the streets and climbed to the south. We poked our noses into some of the shops as we absorbed the sights and sounds of the city. We eventually reached the southern town wall. While we could see people on top of it, we could not figure out how to climb up to the top of the wall.

Jesuit Church

Unable to reach the town wall, we followed it for a ways. As we did more exploration we stumbled onto the large Jesuit Church, the biggest church in Dubrovnik. We explored inside and enjoyed the bright interior in the late afternoon light. We then made our way back to the center of the old town where we once again walked along Stradun and out to the bus stop. A twenty minute bus ride saw us back at the marina, glad that we had made the effort to have a first look at Dubrovnik.