Up down, and around the wall

You will be so impressed by our physical prowess. Before we even start, we have to walk down the 153 steps to the road or 153 steps up to the road. We chose……..drum roll……down. Off we went down to the Old City  gate. The first thing you notice is the moat, pass over it, through the gate, to an entry passage and ,what would have been, a second gate entrance.

If you didn’t want someone to come in, they would have had  a difficult time entering. This was put to the test in modern times when the city was besieged during the War of Independence from Yugoslavia. Some of the city was bombed , but the people resisted. It is still in the process of being rebuilt ,using a combination of old materials retrieved from the rubble and new materials.

  To walk the entire walls of the city is approximately two kilometres. This is up and down stairs, round corners, through towers but always with the beauty of the sea in your sights. It is easy to see why it has been used in movies and television programmes. See what you think …. Is this the castle fortress as you imagined it in fairy tales?
 

Modern life continues within the walls. Houses have been built to fit the available space, with narrow streets, steep stairs and tiny courtyards. There are a few large squares ,where people would have gathered in the past and now ,are filled with vendors and tourists. Houses , even if they have been repaired, have used traditional looking materials so to fit into the cityscape.  

People swim around the base of the city wall and of course there are tourist boats. Watch out pirates!

Now I have heaps more to show you but I don’t want to exhaust you,especially after surviving that battle. These two certainly needed to discuss the events.

A father and son, they had immigrated to Australia to work on projects , and now have retired to
Croatia. They come to the family restaurant each day to the “Aussie” corner.

Tomorrow you will see the city from above , if the weather holds and some pictures of the churches….simple outside ,stunning inside. Relax, think of us going down the stairs,  just for you…..well ,we are curious too so we will see , and share.