Dubrovnik (Croatia)

August 02, 2009

Dubrovnik (Croatia)

Dubrovnik. One thing for sure – it was HOT. The temperatures were in the 90s with humidity and the sun beat relentless on our journey around the wall that encircled the city – a little over a mile. We had the chance to tour an old fort guarding the city and the Franciscan Monastery in the walls of the city which had some amazing original frescoes still on the ceilings – dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. Also pretty cool were the relics within the monastery – reliquaries and pieces of walls and religious artifacts dating back to the 500s. One of the more interesting things was that for lunch we had the best pizza on a side café up the many steep stairs from the center square, away from the hubbub. In conversation with the owner he said that while pizza is not traditional food of Croatia, it sells. I suppose that’s a conversation topic – the fact that many of these towns, which would maybe be nothing more than sleepy villages on the sea, have given up their traditional ways of life for that guaranteed trade called tourism. Guaranteed as long as the ships keep docking and the people keep pouring in by the busload. Overall, despite the harsh light and the heat, it was a really incredible city and very photogenic. A must-see!

And a shameless plug for the shoes that are the find of the decade for me…Naot shoes. Bought on the recommendation of Roderer’s shoe store in Dayton, these shoes are the most comfortable, most amazing travel shoe ever. I highly recommend them for long walking trips – no breaking in required. And no blisters!