Eastern Europe retroblog: Dubrovnik

Again, photographs of a beautiful place render description rather unnecessary. Dubrovnik is touristy and therefore everything is relatively expensive, and the walkable old town wall doesn't seem quite so marvelous when you realize it was recently reconstructed...but my, what a lovely place! After we walked the walls we went to the nearest beach and had ourselves a soak.

You'd walk around more than once, of course, which meant you'd be passing the same tourists two or three times. I remember walking by a couple of middle-aged English ladies in sensible shoes, and smiling every time I caught a snatch of their conversation--they were SO happy to be there. Everything was a delight to them. Man, I love people like that."Mosquito bites all over, including my face...Kate's all bitten too--we joked we have the plague...Been sniping them, and when I do there's a smear of blood on my palm. My own blood--the little bastards! One just dive-bombed onto my thigh. Smack! Serves you right."(Detail of a fountain just inside the old town entrance.)We'd arrived late in the day, and while we walked a quiet street right by the city wall we spotted a sign for a bar. We passed through the wall, and found this outdoor spot literally perched on the cliff. It was touristy, of course, but over drinks we enjoyed one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life.Next installment: Hvar Island.