Cruise Day 2: Dubrovnik, Croatia

June 5, 2011

We woke up this morning in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The ship had tender boats to take us ashore. While we waited for our boat, we took the boys to the Under 2 Zoo and to play.

It was fun to look out the big windows--they were just at their level.
Going ashore.Dubrovnik is known for its medieval double walls and fortifications. Here we are about to enter the walled town through the Ploce Gate, and the view of our ship.
The town bell tower: the bottom circle shows the phase of the moon, below that is a digital readout of the time in Roman numerals, and two bronze little boys, Maro and Baro, ring the bells up top.
Old Town Dubrovnik is similar to Venice, but instead of canals you'll find cobblestone streets. Below is Dubrovnik's main promenade, Stradun.
Sponza Palace dates back to 1522 and is an example of Dubrovnik's Golden Age: Renaissance and Venetian Gothic.
Orlando's Column, from 1417, was used as a location for the town crier to make announcements. The higher the step, the more important the message.
City Hall.
Sleepy boys on the Stradun.
Onofrio's Big Fountain. In the Middle Ages, Dubrovnik had a complicated aqueduct system that brought water from the mountains seven miles away, and the water ended up here.
The Franciscan Monastery Museum had beautiful lemon trees and a garden. It was so peaceful compared to the busy Stradun.
Al frescoes outside the pharmacy. The pharmacy was opened in 1317. On display were jars, pots, and pharmacists' tools (no pictures were allowed inside).
Just outside the Pile Gate on the opposite side of town.
The Church of St. Savior was built as a thanks to God after Dubrovnik survived a 1520 earthquake. After a 1667 quake that destroyed the city, the church still stood. During the recent war in the 1990s, the church survived when a shell exploded on the ground right in front of it. If you look closely, you can see little pockmarks on the right side of the picture.
And the highlight of our day. Not so much Porter and Eli's day, but Evan and I had a good time. We walked the walls--1.3 miles around and 80 feet above the ground.
Our own little penguin-towel was waiting for us when we got back to our room that afternoon. Porter and Eli were champs to say the least. It was a long day--hot, hot, hot--and they just toted along with us.