7/16 Tuesday
We take a walk into Dubrovnik’s Old
Town, the fortress city. On the way, we stop at a pharmacy. I need Tylenol for
my cold, ibuprofen for my achy bones, and we’re running out of vitamins. We
learn that acetaminophen isn’t sold in Croatia, though we don’t know why. We
buy 12 non-aspirin pills, 24 ibuprofen tablets and 60 Centrum multivitamins for
$38! None of these things are sold through the regular stores. The pharmacies
also sell what we would consider cosmetics, like Eucerin or Roc skin care
creams, and we need a prescription for simple hydrocortisone. Almost everything
is behind the counter, so you need to ask the pharmacist for anything you want.
Sometimes you just want a CVS.
We
have about two miles to walk, along a busy street, but with some nice views of
the waters. We cross a bridge full of love locks, overlooking a swimming spot
off the rock cliffs. The University of Dubrovnik is on the way, with a
beautiful garden that we pass through for a cool and quiet break. We arrive at the city walls to see a plaza full
of tourists. The cruise ships all have a shuttle bus station near the entrance
to the city. Doesn’t look like a lot of fun, although the city does a good job
of keeping things well organized for these big groups.
The
city is interesting, with a wide avenue of ancient, polished stone that is the
main passage. Narrow little streets lead off to the sides, filled with banners
and signs for boutiques and restaurants. Tourists are all filling the shady
side of the street and sitting in huddles wherever the shadows fall on the
fountains or stairways. Most seem to be from the UK. There are passing tours, grim
groups shuffling along in the sun with numbered stickers on their chests,
following a leader with a numbered paddle in the air. Most look like they would
really enjoy sitting in a café with a beer instead. The Japanese tourists are bundled up with
sunbonnets, parasols and knitted arm-mittens to keep the sun off them.
We
walk though the town and around the walls at the inner harbors, where we find
an aquarium to visit. It’s all in the inner walls of the fortress, with arching
barrel-vaulted stone ceilings. It’s cool and dark and practically empty. The
small exhibits show mostly local fish, the types I can see while swimming. They
play soft classical music that fills the tunnels. We give a little extra time
to the octopus, piled against his glass wall, so tender and delicious.
We
stop for just a shared sandwich lunch, sitting under a canopy on the main
street, watching the tour groups pass. Everything is much pricier here, and it
takes some of the fun out of it to pay $12 for a small sandwich. But, oh well,
it’s Dubrovnik after all.
The
entry fees for some of the attractions are fairly high, walking along the fortress
walls costs about $15 each. We decide to buy a Dubrovnik pass back at the
tourist office, which includes a week of bus fares, so we plan for more touring
tomorrow, and walk back to our place.
We
have a dinner of salad, eggplant, zucchini and tuna on our apartment terrace. The
zucchini is practically free at the grocery, about $0.25 each. There are three
big cruise ships at the piers. We can see the flashing neon lights of the disco,
with music carrying over the hills to serenade us.
3 Videos Included
Dubrovnik Part 1
Dubrovnik Part 2
Dubrovnik Part 3
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