Friday , May 18, 2012    (Note the previous blog should be dated Thursday, May 17^th) We woke up to SUNSHINE!  For the first time in days!!!!  So were extremely grateful and delighted to discover spring/summer in Dubrovnik!   After a traditional Croatian breakfast of white coffee, yogurt, bread, cheese (with fresh strawberries and cherries and honey from local orange trees) we went off to explore the walled in Old town.

We began the morning with a visit to the markets which were filled with picture perfect fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, as well as a few handmade crafts and too many imported from India and China souvenirs!  But there is incredibly beautiful artwork and the food and gelato has to be some of the best in the world.   Much of it reminds Rose and me of the food we ate growing up in a family of Serbian cooks.   We also discoverd high school graduates singing/demonstrating  through the streets to conclude their last day of school.

After a morning of getting  our bearings, we walked the Dubrovnik wall, which rises to the heights of the church bells and above – some might say the closest they’ve ever been to heaven – and encircles the city with its 1940 meters of walkways and stairs.  The walk and climb takes about 3 hours…so we continue to travel miles and miles by foot each day.   The views are magnificent!  Hopefully the photos will give some tiny idea of the height and grandeur of the wall and the city and surrounding areas…..from the wall are many views of new Dubrovnik and its houses and buildings, as well as the harbor and houses below.   Have only included one or two “laundry” photos, but discovered that air drying clothes is the norm from small houses to rather elegant apartment buildings…..so have become somewhat obsessed with taking photos of laundry  -  those photos may become a blog entry of their own.     

But enough said – the wall and surrounding area speak for themselves.  So please see the photos attached – too many – but it was difficult to decide which of the hundreds to post.   

Also, at the end of the blog are some group photos.  Bob and Judy, friends from Delaware, were on a cruise ship that docked in the harbor today and so we all met up for a special dinner to celebrate his 75^th birthday – with some of the best seafood ever!   Happy Birthday, Bob!    

To end the day, Rose and I went to a piano, violin, guitar concert in the St. Savior Church.  The concert was in candlelight, but my trusty camera enabled me to photograph the amazing triptych and the artists were kind enough to let me photograph them following the concert.   It was a fantastic, full, and fun day in Dubrovnik a town like no other with walls dating further back than the 7^th century!   Old town – with history, heart, and soul!    ( See  the day’s photos below. )