Dubrovnik    

September 12, 2009

Day One-Dubrovnik

Well, to be accurate, it's actually day two.  The beginning of day two.  Day one I was extremely exhausted and at a loss for words!  The plane ride was....long. Very long.  I don't know how I'll ever be able to visit Australia or New Zealand.  After quickly settling into our hotel, The Importanne we took a swim in the Adriatic.  The coastline of Croatia is very rugged, with large sharp rocks carved by the powerful waves.  Plus, there was this white seaweed that made it very slippery getting in and out of the water.  After a quick nap and dinner, we decide to explore the "Old Town" inside the walled section of Dubrovnik.  After a short ride on the local bus, we were brought to the Pile Gate or main entrance to the city.  Old Town is gorgeous!  Walking through the Pile Gate onto the Placa (Main Street) you feel as if you stepped into a medieval castle.  The Placa is made of worn-smooth white marble that reflects the many shining lampposts.  We turned onto Svetog Dominika, an road veering off the Stradun towards to Folklore festival; we purchased tickets for a folk music and dance event put on by the ensemble LADO.  The folk dances were performed by a group of young people that travel the country each summer.  (Click to listen to Croatian Folk Music!)  The costumes were beautiful and the dancing was quite fun.  The music was played by a group of older gentlemen singers and instrumentalists.  For a couple songs, they sang without there being any dancing.  Their voices blended beautifully!  The concert itself was held in an outside theater.  It was relatively small, but enchanting nonetheless. Standing at the entrance of the theater, you could look downwards to the several rows of seats on the tapered steps.  Since we got there only a few minutes before the start, we sat right in front, but it was perfect because we could enjoy the expressions on their faces as they sang and danced.  After two straight, FULL days with little sleep, I am exhausted!  We shall see what I'm capable of tomorrow!