Dubrovnik Museums

When I heard we were going to visit Dubrovnik, I tucked in my wings and braced myself for huge crowds. If Split was anything to go by, Dubrovnik was going to be mayhem! Sure enough, when we arrived at the Pile Gate, tourists were spilling out of tour coaches in their thousands. Once we had finally made our way through the gate, however, the crowds quickly spread out and it was far from the mill I’d expected. Cruise ships can really take over in this part of the world, but apparently the city has started to cap the number of these floating hotels that are allowed to dock each day. Great idea – and one that appears to be working!

St. Blaise, guarding the Pile Gate, looked on with approval. By the way, I wonder was he ever canonised?

We had just reached the Old Port when the rain started, so the Oldies were happy to duck into the Rector’s Palace instead. Just my luck! I was quite happy to duck past the cats at the entrance though, and I must say the Rector’s Palace is a lovely building. Especially the cat-free interior. The museum itself is quite fascinating.

I couldn’t get over the complicated locking mechanisms on these ancient chests. They certainly look secure and are works of art in themselves. Modern locks and safes might well be more secure, but they couldn’t possibly be as beautiful!

These silver votive offerings reminded me of something I had seen before … It finally came to me: the body parts we had seen in the shops in Fatima. There, they were made of wax and were burnt at the shrine by pilgrims. The silver votives no doubt cost a lot more than the modern wax ones, but then they were meant to last.  Like this lovely ADAC badge from 1929. It sure beats the Oldies’ ADAC Camping Card they are using on their 2019 Auslandstourenfahrt!

I spotted His Lordship drooling over the elaborate light fittings in the museum. Thankfully, Herself was quick to remind him that there is room for only one chandelier in the tent!

I could really fancy one of the sedan chairs on display here. I suppose they were an antique equivalent of Porsches, Ferraris and the like. They even had cool hood mascots on them too. No prizes for guessing which one I would have chosen if I’d been a medieval millionaire!

While we were still in the old town, the Oldies also visited the Franciscan Monastery Museum which includes the oldest pharmacy in Europe still in operation. Imagine, they have been selling pills and potions here since 1317! I wonder how many different currencies this shop has accepted over the centuries – and by what percentage the prices have inflated.

The museum itself was just like me. Small, but perfectly formed. It didn’t take long to get around it, but the quality of the exhibits was incredible. The few illuminated manuscripts on display could give the Book of Kells in Dublin a run for its money, the jewellery would take the eye out of your head, and amongst the paintings there was even a work by Peter Paul Rubens.

Now I thought that this was genius: hanging this priceless works of art next to a large hole in the wall caused by a missle shot during the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991. What a brilliant way to demonstrate how crazily destructive – and just plain crazy – war is.

A few days later, on our meanderings outside the old town, the Oldies called in to the Museum of Modern Art. The art itself was way over my head, both literally and figuratively. Some of the pieces were huge, with often only one or two paintings per room. The Oldies spent quite a bit of time there though, so it obviously captured their interest. I, myself, was most taken with the building itself. Très cool and stylish, and what a location! First off, it’s close to beautiful Banje Beach and the views of the coast and Lokrum Island from the roof terrace are wonderful. Well worth climbing that elegant staircase for!

Ah, good news. The forecast for tomorrow is good so the Oldies are planning to tackle the old town walls in the morning. That pair drive me up the walls quite often, but for once I am looking forward to it!