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“Live” trip report with pics, Celebrity Constellation, Venice-Barcelona, 8/25-9/03

cl.klink

By cl.klink,
in Celebrity Cruises

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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8 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

Also following along, so thank you.  Constellation out of Venice was our first ever Celebrity ship and Alejandro was the CD then too.  I'm sure you will have a wonderful cruise.

 

I hope that’s a happy memory. Alejandro is a good CD, too. 

 

- Joel

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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5 hours ago, rzmz89 said:

We just got off the Connie when you boarded. I love the ship and the service from the crew is exceptional. Have a great time. Loved the CD Alejandro,

 

 

Ive been pleased with the ship and the service as well. 

- Joel

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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5 hours ago, cs2thecox said:

We're doing the opposite from Barcelona to Venice from 3rd September with many of the same stops. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

 

I’ll leave a trail of breadcrumbs so you all can retrace our steps. 

 

- Joel

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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1 hour ago, cs2thecox said:

Ooooh, Zadar question... do you moor up alongside the sea organ, or at the new port to the east of town? Not quite been able to work it out, and seen conflicting information... The first picture kind of looks like it might be at the port out of town a little way?

 The latter. It appears that this is a trend for all but small ships. 

- Joel

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tcmagnum

tcmagnum

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On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 6:30 AM, cl.klink said:

Dripping with atmosphere. Have to remind myself that this is a real place, not a movie set.

The sound of the canal waters lapping against stone must have sounded the same. Visiting at night, as we’re doing on arrival, gives the city to us more than the horde of tourists, too. 

 

My exact thoughts on my first trip to Venice 2 years ago.  Such a magical place - I plan on returning!!

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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Today we had a late arrival in Dubrovnik and a very late scheduled departure. We again toured independently, armed with a Rick Steve’s Med Cruise book. We again docked a few miles from the city and again there were shuttle buses for $15 RT each. This time we just hired a cab for €15 total.

 

I LOVE DUBROVNIK. 

 

The “pearl of the Adriatic” was a Venice power competitor back in the day, when the competition was commerce, naval power, sea trade, and now is still, but for tourism. Even under Tito’s Yugoslavian rule it was spared some of the spartan buildings so it could retain its old charm, and compete for tourists from the West. The 1991-92 war, as Yugoslavia broke up, caused massage damage here, some signs of which are still present if you look. For example, most every building was hit and damaged, so the famous tiled roofs you see everywhere were often lost. Almost all buildings are rebuilt and the roofs show this by brighter orange tiles (most buildings in the old town have this) rather than the more pale brown or tan ones (pre-war). The “Dubrovnik defenders” are revered and memorialized in several venues. 

 

The old city is the reason to be here. There are some other things to see nearby, but pales against the old city which is dense with things of high value. Though crowded, it is highly visitable, and a must. The main walkway, the Stradun, was once a canal separating two communities, and became the Main Street that serves as the spine of old Dubrovnik with little streets jutting from it like the spine’s ribs. It’s a concentrated stretch of a street that feels like what would be a distance of about 4 blocks in a modern US city.  It is filled with shops and cafes for prime people watching, but many historical sites as well.  Though there are many tourists present, it’s fine. It’s workable. It’s kinda like Bourbon street in New Orleans in that regard. 

 

The old city has a dense wall that circumnavigates the city with a fortress-like feel that surely dissuaded foreign ships from attempting a siege. Apparently it was never really used for actual defense until the townspeople held out within the locked walls against the Yugoslavian forces in 1991-92. It’s now a popular tourism thing to walk on the path on top. Some of us (not DW) joined the throngs that walked the entire wall.  Despite the heat and a lot of steps it was well worth it as it gave a fascinating view of the town, allowing us to see old city relative to the sea and the modern town, see buildings from unique points of view (many you really can’t see at all otherwise), and see evidence of the few actual people who still live there (only 1000 or so of Dubrovnik’s 50,000 permanent residents live in the old city). We had a terrific lunch and cool drinks on the Stradun. 

 

We then hired another cab to take us up Mt. Srd (“Surge”), where in the 1991-92 siege 25 Dibrovnik defenders held off the larger numbers of the Yugoslavian army. From here we had amazing views of the old city and sea below. A cable car takes people up too, but this was easier and cheaper and came with a cabbie to tell us stories and then take us to the ship. At the top we could see Bosnia and Montenegro a small number of miles away, fellow independent states that emerged after Yugoslavia broke up. I asked the cabbie if everyone gets along now, and he gave a Croatian harrumph of disdain that said more than the few English words he could have used.

 

The cabbie said that there is now a limit to no more than 2 cruise ships in port at a time, and “the season” is now April - November rather than 3 months of summer, so crowds may not be as bad as they were in years past. But even in winter, though it’s rainy season, temperatures are in the 50s, so tourism never ends fully, he said.

 

- Joel

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cl.klink

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23 minutes ago, cl.klink said:

Inside the old city of Dubrovnik, the Stradun, as seen from one end, at St. Savior’s Square

 

- Joel

E54A447F-79E9-403B-941C-1DE195303213.jpeg

 

BRW, the clock tower ahead in the distance us the end of the Stradun. 

 

- Joel

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cl.klink

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The old city of Dubrovnik, Rector’s palace. A museum inside gas interesting material on town history. The adjacent bell tower has an analog clock, and a “digital” clock (Roman numeral for hours, Arabic number for minutes). A roundish ball in between shows the phase of moon, and a small windows gives the person in there a bit of light. The bell rings on the hour. The clock needs to be wound every 2 days and in the 1991-92 siege, the one family who for generations had done this had their home destroyed. So, no key, and no clock function. Days later, the key was found on a street, so the clock cane to life, rang again, making a memorable moment for the battle. 

ACABC1F0-D71C-45D0-9EC0-C8EACBC87BD4.jpeg

E8C5483F-24E6-46AD-81DD-7F0FCA6BFB0B.jpeg

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