David's Diary: Saturday, July 20, 2002

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Yesterday and much of today we continued to enjoy the ACI Marina where we are staying in Dubrovnik. The pool, restaurant, yachting store, and supermarket all hold their appeal, but the whole family were ready for an afternoon and evening in Dubrovnik. Only Jocelyn and I had enjoyed the experience of a Dubrovnik bus trip, so Karalee, Kevin, and Allen got to experience it first-hand as we wound our way into the center of town.

Dubrovnik Harbour

Careful reading of the guidebook had told us that you have to pay to climb the town walls of Dubrovnik. This was why Jocelyn and I couldn't reach the top of the walls from the southern section of town when we visited it on Thursday. The beautifully preserved walls look no worse for the shelling that the city took during the 1991-1992 siege. From the top of the walls you have views over the rooftops and to the harbour and seas beyond.

Allen Hiding

Before long the boys were bored with the views, but the ancient walls and doorways held lots of spots to play hide and seek. It is great to see how adaptable they are to new places and things. Like children everywhere, they adapt to where they are and make the most of it.

The Greer Family in Croatia

We stopped Onofrio's Large Fountain, where we stopped long enough for a kind tourist to take our picture. The fountain was built in 1444 at the entrance to the old town. People entering the city were required to wash themselves as a way to guard against the plague. The water spouting heads and the stonework make an interesting backdrop for this Canadian family.

Streets At Sunset

After touring the town walls we visited the cathedral and stopped for a drink. As the stores and museums closed at 7:00 we made our way uphill until we found a pleasant restaurant for a pizza under the sky as the sun slowly set outside of the town walls.

Street Performers

We ended our evening out with more walking through the narrow streets. We stopped and watched street performers as they played with fire and entertained the large crowd that had gathered. As the performance finished we reluctantly made our way down Stradun, the main street to the city gate, and took the bus back to the marina to complete our evening in Dubrovnik.