Our hotel is on the Dubrovnik Riviera, a stunning spot as we look out from our cove to the Adriatic Sea. We are a 20 minute bus ride from “Old Town”. A local guide spoke about the 13th and 14th century history of the Old Town area and more currently about what was destroyed in the 1991-92 war. In the olden days 4,000 people lived within the city walls, now only about 900 people. Their economy relies on tourism so visitors will see many shops and churches, museums, restaurants. I took advantage of the opportunity to walk the entire rampart/fortified wall. We are not here at peak season, but it is busy here with tourists. Since it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, only 2 cruise ships per day are allowed. Game of Thrones was filmed here prompting an increase in tourists.

We visited the War Museum toward Srd Mountain. A local speaker, who was 24 years old at the start of the Homeland War in 1991, shared her experience with us. She recalled the sporadic military attacks and then the 3 months: October -December when there was no water or electricity. The September sporadic bombing probably was purposeful. The world did not know what was happening to the people especially in Dubrovnik, but then the destruction was more frequent and destructive in the “old town”. Plenty of history here and if you want to know more and are visiting, I would recommend a visit to the War Museum.

Cable car ride back to Old Town. I walked the Jesuit Stairs, a Baroque staircase consisting of 136 stone steps, connecting Gundulić Square to the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Stopped in to say a prayer then joined a couple of my fellow travelers for a beer at Buza Bar. Beautiful view from the bar as it is on a rocky hillside!

Dinner was at a rural Konavle region outside of Dubrovnik. A fun way to end the day! We tried his cherry brandy… delicious! Learned about olive oil … and reminded to only use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Also do not cook/heat olive oil! Sauté whatever with another oil, then put olive oil on the cooked food. Cooking olive oil destroys the healthy benefits of it! Night ended with us singing and dancing after a delicious meal: cheeses, prosciutto, bread, olive oil, fish, potatoes, salad, and dessert of a fig and apple pie. We had plenty of his wine! I drank his red wine: 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon… wonderful!

We are off to Bosnia-Herzegovina tomorrow, so I’ll be back in a few days with a post!