Pigeons, Pastries and Panoramas
Our Airbnb, being right in the centre of the old town, is in very close proximity to the bell tower. The bells here cannot be missed and as well as ringing on the hour, every hour, they also seem to ring at other random times. I heard them chiming out at 4am this morning. Someone needs to work out how to put them on silent.
Having only one shower and one toilet means we are a little slow off the mark. Patience required. We have a washing machine/dryer combo that has more buttons and dials than NASA’s Artemis II. The first two loads we attempted to wash, were not washed at all, simply tumble dried for about three hours at a ridiculously high temperature. Ross has some shorts that will never be the same again.
Molly has been feeling a bit under the weather the last couple of days with a sore throat and a sniffle. Just as she’s started to turn the corner, Ross woke this morning with the dreaded lurgy. A quick trip to the pharmacy had him stocked up on sprays, inhalers and lozenges before breakfast. Our accommodation comes with complimentary breakfast each morning at the cafe where we’d been instructed to meet Predrag yesterday. This morning he had switched out his high viz for a bowtie and was actually our waiter. A man of many talents. The cafe has an old-world feel, somewhere you’d imagine Humphrey Bogart could turn up at any time (if he were alive that is).
They are filming a show here in town - something to do with the poet, Keats, who I actually studied for my HSC. Consequently, there are film crews all over the place and people gadding about in 19th century get-up. The markets were on in the town square today too and I could’ve sworn I saw Mrs McGillicuddy from Upper Kubukta West, manning the veggie stall.
Tucked away on the outside of Dubrovnik’s magnificent medieval walls, is the famous Buža Beach, which in reality is not so much a beach but a collection of rocks masquerading as a ‘beach’ There’s not a grain of sand in sight and if you were hoping to spread out a towel, pop up a cabana or build a sandcastle you’d be sorely disappointed. There’s a bar at the top where a ghetto blaster was pumping out some George Michael tunes when we visited. Instagrammers were out in force, holding up traffic on the steep stairs while they perfected their shots. One couple were filming themselves kissing, checking the footage and then puckering up several more times to get it right, seemingly oblivious to the traffic jam behind them. The view across the crystal clear Adriatic Sea was spectacular.
Something that can’t be missed when visiting Dubrovnik, is a walk around the top of the ancient city walls. As with most things in the old town, there’s a fee involved. If the city wasn’t as charming as it is, they’d never get away with it. We had decided to book a tour which was only a few euros extra. Arriving at the meeting point, however, we realised we had accidentally booked into the walking city tour that didn’t involve a walk on the walls after all. Ross and the kids decided they would try and get a refund and go for a swim instead. I thought it would be fun to do the walking tour anyway so popped my earpiece firmly in place and prepared to stock up on fun facts. My guide, Dragen, a local and a history buff (who claims he was the best looking peasant in season 5 of Game of Thrones- extra #57) pronounced his city’s name: Doobra-vnik. He told us they are not too sure of the actual age of the old town, but they think it was established around the 7th century AD.
The limestone used in all the beautiful, time-worn town pavers was taken from several islands off Croatia’s coast, each of which claims to possess the original house of Marco Polo. Maybe Marco was a property tycoon?
The signature red terracotta tiles that adorn the rustic rooftops of the old town residences, were apparently made in the traditional way, moulded around the thighs of the builders. If you look carefully, you can see that they are each different sizes, depending on whether your builder had thunder thighs or was more inclined to skip leg day.
There’s a statue of a sitting man - Marin Držić (don’t ask me to pronounce that) a 16th-century Croatian Renaissance playwright often called the "Shakespeare of Dubrovnik" - with a lap that just asks to be sat on. Legend has it that good luck will come from rubbing his sizeable proboscis. His poor nose is worn shiny from all those who’ve had a go and if ever he was self-conscious about the size of his honker, he’d be horrified to see how it stands out now. During the war of 1991-1992, poor bronze Marin also copped a bullet hole to the neck, still clearly visible to this day.
Another statue with a cool story is the medieval warrior brandishing a long sword -Orlando’s Column - carved in 1419. The forearm of this stony fellow (elbow to fingertip) was used as a standard measure in Dubrovnik, known as an elbow. You might walk into a fabric shop for instance and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll take 5 elbows of the gingham thanks’.
I was intrigued to see a long line of people waiting their turn to stand on a small gargoyle head protruding from the wall. Apparently successfully balancing on this thing will bring you the love of your life. The wall behind it is worn into a pattern that looks like a heart. I guess it must be true then.
In 1667, a devastating earthquake destroyed lots of the city, most of it having to be rebuilt. Balconies were banned from then on, so any building still standing with a balcony is a true survivor. Dubrovnik also has a staggering 54 churches just in the old town (hence the loud bells) making it very Catholic. Back in the day, the city needed Papal protection from their Venetian enemies so the more churches they built, the more brownie points they’d earn with the Vatican, who would go in to bat for Dubrovnik, warding off their enemies.
October in Dubrovnik is the shoulder season when things are normally winding down but this October, the city is still pumping! The streets are packed with camera–toting tourists, restaurants packed to bulging. As Sam Molly and Toby wandered the bustling streets, they were pulled over by a news crew wanting to know their thoughts about the crowds. Toby was interviewed for the TV news!
You can’t help but notice the pigeon population here. Pigeons were brought into Dubrovnik initially as messengers but later to help curb the rodents population responsible for carrying the black plague. Now they seem to own this town, perching their feathery little bottoms on every inch of the city. They’re officially fed each day at noon so they are not disappearing anytime soon. Poor Molly became the recipient of a pigeon dropping its load on her head today. It was just a matter of time before one of us copped it.
Keen to try Croatia’s famous flaky burek, we queued for the pleasure at Holy Burek, where they claim to follow a 500 year-old recipe. The bucket-hatted chefs were a well-oiled machine, rolling out pastry at breakneck speed to keep up with demand. We found some sitting space on a steep staircase and enjoyed their buttery, flaky deliciousness.
Following steep staircases northward, we found a basketball court (slightly askew to fit in with the space) that even had a ball for us to use. A great family game ensued, with everybody’s competitive juices flowing. Molly was a standout, shooting goal after goal. We think she should take up the sport when she gets home. The basketball court also had an incredible view over the city.
We continued to climb higher (surely Dubrovnik holds some kind of record for its number of steps) and bought ourselves tickets to ride the cable car. We fluked it so we were first onboard and had uninterrupted views of the old town in all its terracotta-roofed glory. We could see for miles. The view of the shimmering sea filled with islands that looked as though someone had casually scattered a handful of green jewels across the water was magnificent. Boats in the port looked like toys and big mountains in varying shades of brown rose up behind us. Enterprising Croatians had control of the best vantage points, asking for payment to view. Who said the best things in life were free?
Sam, Molly and Tobes went for a quick Buža Beach dip before we enjoyed an incredible dinner at Taj Mahal - surprisingly not an Indian restaurant but one listed in the Michelin guide. The food was insane!
