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Originally Posted by ask77 Been on the NCL 'Norwegian Jade' from Venice to Greek islands of Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Olympia and back in Aug 2011. Great Ship . I especially liked their freestyle cruising where one does not have to dress up for dinner like on other cruises. Last year we went to France, Belgium and Norwegian fjords on board Royal Caribbean ' Brilliance Of The Seas' on that we had formal dining every night. This year would be trying a tour of British isles aboard Princess Cruises 'Caribbean Princess' . What these cruises have in common is loads of indian employees mainly from southern India. Don't have to pack and unpack in new hotel's every other day, the hotel moves with you . |
Exactly. The casual dining is a big part of the cruise. Even here there was a huge contingent of employees from India. Bombay and Goa were the top contenders. The executive chef was from Goa and whenever he met me he always asked if he could do anything special or Indian for our family.
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Originally Posted by navin This is the best part of a cruise. The only down side is that they usually stay in a port for less than a day and if they have to tender you don't get to see much in the places they visit. |
Absolutely. But then that also pushes you to see what you would regularly do in two days, just because you have the time. Here you are pressed for time so one is always clamoring to see the places one can in the short time available.
So, continuing with my Travelogue!!
Dubrovnik in Croatia on the Adriatic sea reminds me of San Gemignano, the ancient Italian city. By all means this is a great place to visit but i wonder what id do here after one day. If this was not part of the cruise route i dont think i would have come to visit Dubrovnik specially. Im glad i came though, its beautiful to another level. I am an old things buff, so the old part of the city always attracts me. It tells you about the culture of the place and the old walls almost speak to you. It is one of the most beautiful towns in the Mediterranean.
This can be seen by the number of cruise ships that come here.It is indeed a very popular destination by cruise.
It is almost impossible to find a city in Europe which is as well preserved as Dubrovnik. The entire old city is walled. The wall runs around almost 2 kms, around the museum city and is from 20-25 feet n width and about 80 feet tall, running around it. No wonder, no other conqueror was able to capture the city. Therefore the city is so wonderfully well preserved and maintained. It looks like a castle complete with a drawbridge to enter the city and a moat. There is also a system of turrets and towers which were intended to protect the vulnerable city from the attackers who would most likely come from the sea.
We caught a cab from the cruise terminal and drove to the old city which is around 2.5 km or almost 10 minutes away from the terminal.
As i reached the place my entire concept of the city changed. I had imagined it to be a sleepy old town much like the old part of Salzburg but this was a bustling place with so many tourists and tourist buses. Amazing how countries recognize and exploit their tourism potential to the T. Im told a huge and major chunk of their income comes in from tourism. It is so popular with tourists that out of the many Luxury hotels in Croatia, maximum are located in Dubrovnik.
The entrance to the Old city is through a drawbridge and the entire wall is surrounded by a moat that may have well housed some fierce sea creatures to keep unwanted elements out. There is also an orange tree right at the edge of the moat. Attachment 1093195 Attachment 1093198 As soon as one enters, one comes across Big Onoforio's Fountain.
Built in the 15th century and the main water supply to the city back then, water was bought to this fountain from the source some 15-20 kms away through aqua ducts. There are some 15-16 outlets that gush water but only a few were working the day i visited. All these outlets had very intricately carved sculptures adorning them but the earthquake of the mid 1600s heavily damaged this monument and destroyed almost all of the sculptures. The fountain is named after the Engineer who designed this marvel. The water is still used for drinking and i did take a few cool sips from it.
The faucet
The steps surrounding the fountain are usually used by young students who come and squat there for a chat or by vendors selling some souvenirs.
Cross the fountain and one comes to the main square, populated with its share of spectacular churches, restaurants, cafes, boutiques, shops, monasteries, a spectacular clock tower, museums, and fountains and is completely pedestrianised. It is small enough to get around on foot.
The Old Town is a warren of little streets and alleys leading upwards as the city is built on levels. Some of the streets are a little steep though but a pleasure to get around. There is almost a cafe in every nook on every level. There are however signs at the entrances to many of these streets advertising what businesses, shops, restaurants and accommodation are to be found in that direction. Boutiques and shops can be found on the lower level niches of the city with many restaurants.
Just adjacent to the fountain is one of the three entrances to the walls of the city, a steep climb of more than 350 steps in all which take you to the edges of the city's walls from where one can get the best view of the rooftops of the walled city as well as a panoramic view to the sea. A must do for those who are fit enough only. The steps are too many and very very steep which make it more difficult to climb down than up, so beware. There is an entry fee for the walls which is only taken in the local currency Kunas or by credit card. If you do not have any local currency it is best you use your credit card, as your change from foreign currency will be returned in local currency. For children and students the entry to the walls is discounted.
The view from atop is breath taking ........Continued.......