Dubrovnik and Croatia

Dubrovik Morning

On a Balcony facing the Adriatic in Dubrovnik, Croatia 20 Sep 2005. Each morning, the Adriatic Sea beckons us as we sit on our balcony enjoying the breeze and the view. It is blue and gentle. Here is the place where there is a placid view of the sea whilst behind us lies sun-baked homes scattered on the high cliffs. This picture of Dubrovnik, in the morning, captures some interesting colours of the city from the colours of the clouds painted by the rising sun. In the night, the walls of the old city of Dubrovnik is lighted up. Bright lights shining from this fortress city, inform us of the hive of activity within the walls.

On the parapet of the city walls

From our hotel, the Excelsior, it is a 5 minutes walk to the old city . We could also walk on the parapet of the city walls which encircled Dubrovnik. There are churches, galleries, restaurants, concerts and museums, all contained within about one square mile. Dubrovnik dates from the 7th Century. The city has about 50,000 inhabitants. It is one of the most charming cities we have been to. This was special shot because the colours at the time of sunrise was I thought worth capturing.

Visovac – A Place for Quiet Reflections 25 Sep 2005. An island in a lake in Croatia's KRKA National Park, Vivovac must surely be the choicest place on earth to have a quiet retreat. The Augustinian monks colonized this piece of rock in the 15th Century. It is right in the middle of a lake. The lake itself is surrounded by mountains and wooded hillsides. They brought soil and built a monastery. They vacated the place when the Turks ruled the Balkans. However in their place the Franciscans came. Today only 8 Franciscan monks and novices lived on the island tending the gardens, chapel and monastery. Visovac is reached by boat from Skradin But. One cannot help but feel that for these monks seclusion is medicine for the restive soul. Here the monks live and work, pray and meditate. It is the perfect place to recede from our busy, crowded world towards a contemplative study of faith and theology. For here is where one can visit with God often, where it is still enough to hear the quiet whispers of God’s clear injunctions and leading. Here is where moments of insights reaches someone open enough to receive them.

Island Hopping

The Dalmatian Coast. There are 1185 islands and more than 4000 km of coastline in Croatia. On the 23 Sep 2005, Pat and I went island hopping visiting Sipan, Lopud and Kolocep. They are called the Elaphite islands. among others. The yacht we travelled on is called the Astral. The water of the Adriatic sea is very blue and clean. There are very quaint villages on these island and several would have fortresses, forts and castles. The resturants serve delicious seafood meals. With the cool breeze and entertainment an island hopping cruise along the Dalmatian coast is not to be missed.