Koinonia Sailing and RVing

5/4/2012 - 5/6/2012
Dubrovnik

The approach to the town of Dubrovnik was a spectacular view. We motored up the river for our first marina stay this season. Navigating through the tightly packed marina required skill through the narrow turns and array of many boats with their mooring lines. The boats in this marina, as with most marinas over here were docked using the Mediterranean moor. Boats were backed into the wall, which had two lines attached to the wall, one on either side of the stern. The other ends of the lines were secured to the sea floor. The procedure required that you grab the line from the wall and pull until the forward end of the line can be secured to the bow cleat. The process gets repeated for the opposite of the boat. Once docked, it looks like you have an anchor line of each side of the bow. This type of docking is very different from what I am accustomed to. What a great opportunity to enhance my skills as first mate and crew! I was relieved to arrive at our assigned slip and find we had plenty of room on one side to get the boat backed into the slip and secured.

It was late in the day so we decided get settled at the marina and tour the city the following day. We made a trip to the local market that evening. The amount of groceries purchased is usually based on the number of bags you can physically carry during the walk from the store to the boat. The clerk recognized we were from the marina, and was kind enough to offer to let us take the "trolly" (grocery cart) to the boat. What a great gesture of customer service! That was one shopping trip where we did not have to overexert ourselves juggling a load over a great distance.

The next morning, Don and I took the bus to the 'Old Town' section of the city. We passed by several cruise ships in port, whose passengers were descending upon the city at the same time we were. At each bus stop more people packed onto the bus, with none getting off until the stop at the Old Town. It was comical to see just how many more people could actually get on the bus. We were told that there are a many as sixteen thousand people who visit the city per day during the summer. So, the crowds in the Old Town were relatively light at this time of the season.

Walking through the city gates required a bit of strategy, as the crowds of new arrivals tended to clog the first sight and take pictures. We broke out of the herd and got ahead of the crowd. The lower level of the city was filled with shops, restaurants, churches, museums and monuments. The upper levels were filled primarily with apartments and homes. We were told there are approximately three thousand people living within the city walls, most of whom inherited their dwellings. Access to the upper levels required climbing numerous steps. I overheard one tour guide telling her audience "imagine living way up there, you have reached the bottom of the steps and realized you have forgotten something at home and you have to go back up the steps to get it". This comment prompted me to think about doing life way up there; hauling groceries, furniture, mamas carrying babies, restoration workers getting building material to the upper levels, etc.

Residences were busily tending to their daily routines as the masses poured by their windows and doorways, at times taking pictures. We opted to walk along the city wall, which offered amazing views of both the interior of the city and the Adriatic Sea. There were a couple of basketball courts and what appeared to be a school or some type of class in session. The students seemed to be attentive to their work and not distracted by the masses of curious people passing by their opened windows.

Dubrovnik was founded in the 7th century and has been designated as one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. During the Homeland War in 1991, the city was damaged by bombs and missiles. Restoration efforts continue throughout the city to this day.

Don and I rode the cable car up to the top of the hill just outside of the city to get an overall view of Dubrovnik from above and to tour Fort Imperial, which was built in the 1800's. The fort served as a fortress for defending the city during the Homeland War in the early part of the 1990's. The fort sustained some damage during the war. As we walked along the hillside, we saw the remains of the trenches and collapsed fox holes used by the city's defenders.

We enjoyed our tour of Dubrovnik. I never imagined that when I first heard of Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian Coastline, on the Today Show's segment 'Where in the World is Matt Lauer' in 2005, that I would someday visit the 'Pearl of the Adriatic'. It is truly a beautiful city.