Old World/New Country - Croatia and Montenegro

First stop Pula, Croatia - the largest city on the Istrian Peninsula. We noticed the
clear deep blue water and stepped off the boat and right in front of us was the Roman Arena (not to be confused with the Colosseum) constructed between 27 BC and 68 AD. We couldn't decide what to look at first, the children playing at the playground with the deep Mediterranean water as a backdrop. Or the Colosseum, which is pretty much intact. Our guide gave us a quick history lesson: The Romans conquered this area in 177 BC and was ruled by Julius Caesar. When Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, he appointed Augustus (renamed Octavias) as ruler. Marc Antony fought Brutus and Cassius (Julius Caesar's assassins) here and when Brutus and gang won the support of the locals, Augustus destroyed the town.  Augustus's daughter wanted the town rebuilt and it was, complete with the amphitheatre and it all belonged to the Roman empire. Whew.

Currently concerts are held in the Arena and Robert Plant is scheduled to play this July. Talk about a multi-purpose facility - starting with Gladiator fights 2100 years ago and now modern day concerts.  We walked under the Arena and stored there are olive oil pots used in the 1st century. A wheel and crushing stone used to press the oil were there as well. A rack to hold the pots for oil was in a wooden wagon. As relics are discovered in the area, they are brought here for this temporary museum of sorts. I wondered what it would be like to stand and look at this while listening to Robert Plant.

A walk around the city lead us to other ancient Roman structures - namely the Triumphal Arch, and Arch of Sergii and the temples of Roma and Augustus which are completely intact and side by side in the town square. The church of St. Francis was built in 1341 is still standing near one of the remaining parts of the old city wall. Interestingly, the Byzantine chapel of St. Mary Formosa was built in 546 in the form of a Greek cross. It was part of a Benedictine abbey that was demolished in the 16th century. When the Venetians raided Pula in 1605, they removed four columns of oriental alabaster that now stand behind the high altar in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.

Pula was generally under Venetian rule until the 1800s when the Austrian-Hungary empire took over. It became the vacation home of the Austrian royal family. Then that empire collapsed, Mussolini took over the Istrian peninsula and made it difficult for the Austrian or Hungarian people who lived there. When fascist Italy was taken down, the Germans occupied this area and used the port for U-boats. It was heavily bombed in 1942 - 1944. Under the terms of the Paris peace treaties of 1947, Croatia became part of Yugoslavia. It has only

Photo credit - Deb O'Kelly

been a part of Croatia since 1991, when Yugoslavia was broken into six countries, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Serbia, and Slovenia. Since 1991, there have been several wars, most recently in Sarajevo and Kosovo.

The people who lived here keep to themselves, enjoying their Saturday with their families in the small square. I was surprised to think that this region was so old, and very much preserved with characters from the Bible and Shakespeare plays as its first leaders ("Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend me your Ears"). On the other hand, this country is only twenty-six years old. Even the young remember times of war and being under Communist rule. I held the thought of all the battles, ancient and recent that took place on the ground I stood on.

After a night on the Adriatic Sea, we arrived in Dubrovnik port - one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Dalmation Coast. We disembarked and walked through the city gates of the old town walled city. There is one flat main street through the old town and the Franciscan monastery we first encountered had scars near the outside door where shrapnel from recent bombs (1990s) had hit it. A little further down the way and we saw shutters opened with an old man sitting in the window watching the goings on of the town's people who were out for the day. We toured the Sponza palace and the WWII museum that was in the entry way. The Rector's Palace was at the end of the main street and shops and restaurants opened from the palace open door.  palace and had lunch in the square, watching an old man feed the pigeons
and the young children come to play with them as
they gathered. I was struck by the vibrant city center and the relaxed way of the people who lived there. We wiggled around a break in the wall and found the port, filled with all sorts of boats and water taxis. We went into the Cathedral and looked at the neglected pieces of art that were exhibited throughout the church mostly on the floor of the church leaning on the ancient walls.

Dubrovnik has the most preserved city wall and we were determined to hike it to take in the views of the sea and the colored rooftops. This was the most picturesque city for sure. The red rooftops set against the deep blue Sea, highlighted by the brilliant white buildings coaxed us to walk the entire circumference of the city.

I sat on some nearby steps while the rest of our group climbed a tower to view Dubrovnik with a higher perspective. I meditated with my eyes open on the beauty of the city and history it contained.  It has beautifully stood the test of time and it is easy to understand why George Bernard Shaw called Dubrovnik "heaven on earth". We decided to skip the cable ride to the top of the nearby mountain. We clearly were satisfied with all we had seen and returned to our ship to take a rest on our balcony.



The next morning our ship pulled into Kotor and we walked into the country of Montetenegro from the dock.
A view of fishermen casting in the bay was in one direction and the city and mountain settlement in another. We started with the walking tour provided by our ship but quickly decided to skip the tour and explore on our own. We saw St. Tryphon in the town center, rebuilt many times after succeeding earthquakes. Next to it was the clock tower. The maritime museum was in an old run-down palace. The town seemed like a poorer cousin of Dubrovnik. We went into St. Michael's church and the nun there graced us with a impromptu organ recital. The botafumieros were abundant near the altar.

The town wall beckoned, this time going up a hill past St. John's church half way up and to an old fortress of St. Ivan at the top 1200 meters up. These walls were built starting in the 9th centuries and were complete with holes for cannons to poke out. We meandered through the winding streets and found the stairs to the wall. We climbed half-way up the wall, step by step until we
reached the Church of the Healing Mother of God, built by survivor's of the plague. It was about 600 meters up.  The view of the region was fantastic, showing our ship in the bay and town down below. The wind whistled and the rain began as we found cover under the porch of the church. We took time to take it in, but quickly noticed some young tourists ascending the hill with adrone taking a selfie with the
bay in the background. They were seriously messing with the "I'm pretending I lived here in the 900s" vibe and the drone buzzed and sounded out the wind.  We left the hilltop to return to the town center. I couldn't help but marvel at what a fantastic photo they must have taken of themselves.

We parked the guys with a beer in the town cafe and took off to find shops filled with creations from the local artists and baked goods with a Turkey and Greece influence. We were the first cruise ship in port and we were met almost instantly with beggars in the street, usually persistent children who seemed hardened to this way of life. I'm always torn about whether to give and if the children indeed benefit from their day's work. I found a plate made by a local artist and then a local bakery with the best pistachio baklava I've ever eaten. The guys found the local beer refreshing. We gave our unused Euro coins to the gypsy kids in the street and returned to the ship to get our afternoon relaxation on our room's balcony overlooking the bay.

We motored out of the bay and watched the sun set through the clouds. We could see families returning home from school and work, taking the ferry to get from one side of the bay to the other. Maybe our ship was as annoying as the drone we encountered earlier in the day. Travel always give one so much to think about. It changes you, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.