After our spectacular departure from Kotorfjord last night, with brilliant light on the limestone mountains, exact reflections in the still water, and the perfect deck dinner ringing with sailing lore and sea shanties, it was hard to imagine that there could be even more highlights ahead of us on this voyage up the Dalmatian Coast. But with shanties still ringing in our ears and all a little sleep-deprived, Captain Pushkarev anchored the Sea Cloud outside the ramparts of the Old City of Dubrovnik. Of course we had all heard about the jewel of the Adriatic, and some of us had even been here in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but expectations and curiosity were high as we took the tender boats in to land at the old harbor gate and get an early start on this highlight medieval city.
We were all glad that we got in early, as our guides Maris and Marijana navigated the lower city streets from one unbelievably carved façade to the next in a masterpiece of architectural craftsmanship and historic wealth. We only ducked into a few doors like the Franciscan Monastery with its centuries-old apothecary, but it was clear that behind every doorway lay the same limestone and marble workmanship and art treasures that presented themselves to the streets. Some of us stayed in the lower town to wander the main street of Stradun and enjoy the cafes, farmer’s market, and local ice creams, while the rest of us climbed the famous ramparts for the awe-inspiring views and the beautiful perspective of the tiled roofs below.
For the afternoon, we took a swim from the ship with an opportunity to gaze up at the masts of Sea Cloud from the buoyant Adriatic waters, and then our Croatian cultural specialist Marijana Radovan gave a captivating overview of the history of the country that we know as Croatia, but that residents know as Hrvatska.
In the late afternoon it was time to go back into town for the highlight of the day, when we would have a private “Klapa” a capella performance in the privately arranged Dominican Monastery cloister. The cloister columns, the orange trees, the background songbirds, and the dramatic light of the bell tower were a worthy backdrop to the sensuous harmonies and elegant arrangements of Klapa Ostro. It was truly a scene and an experience that none of us would ever forget, and for many of us the memory that will always represent Dubrovnik.
