The Last of Croatia

We love walled cities. We loved York, in England, Bautzen in Germany, Cesky Krumlov and Durnstein in the Czech Republic and Austria. There is something about a walled city that is magical. The sense of community, the feeling of protection, the way the physical boundary creates a maze of narrow streets to be wandered endlessly, the anticipation and home-coming I feel when entering the gates, like the relief of opening the door to our house after being away a long time, all make walled cities always my favorites.

So, where in the world are Ethan and Siena? They are standing on the walls of an ancient city. This city, long fiercely independent itself, was the first foreign state to recognize the fledgling USA in 1776 when we declared ourselves a country. This is Dubrovnik. It juts out into the Adriatic at the southern tip of Croatia. Have you ever looked at the shape of this country? Here is a map, so that you can see where we are. Dubrovnik is the perfect walled city. Not only does it have all the usual attributes of being surrounded by ancient walls, but what compounds its wonders are the multicolored hues of the Adriatic surrounding it, and the fact that it is built on the side of a mountain. It is a strenuous hike from the main street in the middle of the city up to the walls at both the east and west.

Dubrovnik was an independent republic for centuries. The city motto is Libertas, Latin for Freedom. The fort pictured on the top right edge of the window was built to protect the city of outside forces, but the city was so concerned that they could be controlled or conquered by themselves, by a strong ruler, that they only built the three walls facing away from the city with the usual, thick, impenetrable stone. The fourth wall, the one closest to the city walls, is only 60 centimeters thick, thus enabling the city to blow a hole in the wall if a military leader undertook to become a tyrant.

In 1991, Dubrovnik as a part of Croatia, declared themselves independent of the crumbling Yugoslavia. Well, the Serbs in power in Yugoslavia were not prepared to let Dubrovnik go peacefully. This tiny city, long past any military significance, was attacked from sea, land and air. The ancient monuments, which has been selected as UNESCO protected for their world cultural importance, were bombed with impunity. I think my children have a much better understanding of the horrors of war having witnessed bombs exploding on streets they have walked, especially as this is not many years in the past, but very recent. It is a miracle that the people of Dubrovnik and Croatia were able to rebuild the city to its current state. I do not know if it is as beautiful as it was before the war—certainly there are scars both on some buildings and in the inhabitants-- but it is incredibly magnificent today.

Can you see what this hedge is? Rosemary grows here with abundance. So do figs, lemons, limes and apples. We pick them to flavor our meals, and smell the lavender sold by the bushel in the markets. We are no longer in Eastern Europe, that is for sure! We are in the Mediterranean.

We rented an apartment on the very top of the hill, the last row of houses before the city ends and the mountain which looms over the city begins. It was 379 stairs up, and that was if we took the sloping way, to avoid many of the steps! But, the view was incomparable. The city, the ocean, the islands rising from the sea up in a chain heading north along the coast, all illuminated by the gorgeous Mediterranean light, here in sunset.

Next, we head to Turkey—Istanbul and my parents who are meeting us there.

Jivili! With the Croatian wine (and milk for E & S)

The Beatties