16 Foreign Guides

With Cavtat as our main port, we planned three adventurous daytrips. The first was historic Dubronik. You can learn a lot by following the self-guided walks outlined in tour books but it doesn’t come close to what you learn from an expert guide. Donna picked a fantastic agency to broker our three excursions. Our driver, Michael, was a cultural encyclopedia. Having grown up in the Dubrovnik region, he ventured off to Australia prior to the 1991 Homeland War where he honed his English before returning to the region after the war. It was odd to have a Croatian speaking English with an Australian accent. He was brilliant, a bit overweight but in a Santa Claus kind of way. On one of our van rides he pulled over on the side of the road and rolled down the shotgun window to accept a change of shirts from his son. He had left “work” without it and called ahead for the exchange. In his voice you could hear the love he had for his son, his family, his job, his life in Croatia.

In Dubrovnik, Michael made the handoff to Daniela, the agency’s official Dubrovnik guide. She too was brilliant. Her depth of knowledge about Old Town Dubrovnik and emerging Croatia was scholarly. An inquisitive tourist could spend a week in Dubrovnik unlocking its secrets. We had about 3 hours with Daniela and she did a masterful job of walking us through the main highlights and piqued our interest with some "backdoor" details. A native from the region, she studied in England before returning to her homeland.

We learned about St. Blaise whose popular pose was well placed in many spots throughout the city. Holding a miniature Dubrovnik city in his left hand, St. Blaise is honored as the city’s protector. Legend says that St. Blaise alerted a local priest through a dream about a planned attack by their Venetian enemy. The city was warned, the premonition came true and St. Blaise’s reputation spooked the Venetians. The city was saved. Daniela took us to a large map that hung on the entrance to the city. It depicted the exact spots where the 462 shells exploded in the city during 1991.

We walked passed by the 16th-century Church of St. Savior that miraculously survived the massive earthquake of 1667 and the Serbian shelling of 1991. The church stood adjacent to the Franciscan Monastery. Its sun-drenched cloister was serene. The monastery houses a museum that displays the old science of a medieval pharmacy and right next door it serves the current residents with modern remedies. In the museum, a defused bombshell sat on the floor next to a war scar from the 15 year old conflict. Also on display was an over-sized ancient hymnal. I love to sing hymns while driving so I keep a hymnal in my car, but this one would be awkward to hold.

Just outside the museum was the Onofrio’s Big Fountain. It made a great rest stop and “meet-back-here” place. Its sixteen spigots surrounded a 12 foot tall hexadecagon well. We gathered around and filled our bottles with fresh cold water. Daniela showed us the birth of graffiti, where a 16th-century bishop scrawled on a public wall a message to condemn the raucous indoor soccer players of their undisciplined ways. She also told the reason behind the knee-high covered banister rails that prevented the men from viewing women's ankles as they walked up a ramp.

We walked down the Stradum, Dubrovnik’s main promenade, and strolled through narrow alleys that branch off the Stradum. Souvenir, high-fashion, utilitarian shops, and eateries lined these walkways. “Light Lunch” signs vied for business from tourists with little time to kill. Daniela took us through the Puciĉ Palace explaining the government structure of the region. Each elected nobleman gets one month to be the Rector (the head of the council, sort of like the Speaker of the House). During his one month "reign," he resides in the Palace to avoid outside distractions and to focus on his elected work. With this short rotation the people get more work for their tax dollars … what a novel idea.

Daniela taught us the story of Orlando’s Column. This 15 foot statue was oriented toward Venice symbolizing its independence from their old time rival. During the earthquake, the statue broke in three pieces. It was restored but now it points to the east ... new rival. One step of the column served as the official measurement standard while the other steps marked the importance of the crier's message. The town crier would stand on Orlando's Column steps. The high the step, the more important the cry. Just behind Orlando is the impressive St. Blaise Cathedral. We didn't get a chance to enter. Beyond the Cathedral up the hill is the Serbian Orthodox Church. Its impressive ornate craftsmanship and reverent ambiance called me to worship our Lord. I asked Daniela for a good website that provided a deep history of Dubrovnik. She said, “Not really but scholars are publishing new books all the time.” She loves to read books.

After a "light lunch" we split into groups. Val and Cassie thought it would be fun to go shopping because after all we were in a high-fashion city. Like a devoted father and husband, Loren smirked, "Don't have too much 'fun'." David, Donna, Curtis and Loren toured the War Photo Exhibition. Petey and I hit the ATM machine. We rendezvoused at the "Big Fountain" where the girls went googoo-eyed over the hand-made baby booties. The crocheter, an ancient woman with a twinkling smile, was selling her wares "in secret." Daniela shared that "Authorities" require a permit (and tax) for any open-market peddling and this was no open market. Since the sex of Curtis and Cassie's unborn baby is known only by God, the girls were having a hard time deciding which color booties to buy. David, a dedicated COS coach, made an offer, "If you buy the blue ones, I'll buy the orange ones."