By Sophia Braccio

Dubrovnik was out of the way and out of the budget. About 150 miles South of Split, we almost did not make the trip. However, tales of the medieval city walls and the vibrant history they held enchanted us. I will take the blame for the first transportation struggle of our trip when we arrived in Dubrovnik via ferry. I booked the hostel outside of town to keep our budgets on track yet did not consider how we would get there. Hot, tired, and with poor cell service, we wandered around the port looking for answers. After finding a bus map we somewhat made sense of, Billy made the executive decision to get on the 1A bus route and hope for the best. As I stood on the bus with my luggage in tow and sweat dripping down my neck, I thought to myself “Sophia, you messed this one up”. To my relief, however, the bus took us straight to our hostel, where we checked in smoothly and celebrated overcoming our first significant obstacle on this trip.

Our hostel was set on the water, in a suburban area of Dubrovnik. Attached to it was the local café/bar/snack shack where travelers and locals enjoyed coffee and beer. After settling in, we went to the Old Town. Bustling with tourists and Game of Thrones fans as it may be, Dubrovnik’s Old Town still acts as an open history book. Miranda, my private historian, pre-researched the city. As we walked the city walls, she explained how each wall and tower represents a part of the city’s history, built up to defend against foreign enemies, struck down by earthquakes and war, and rebuilt again.

In practically every alcove of the Old Town, there is a statue of the city’s patron St. Blaise, holding a bishop’s staff in his right hand and the city of Dubrovnik in his left. Below him, within the walls, we walked in and out of ornate churches and religious art galleries. Croatia’s history with Roman Catholicism is well reflected in the artwork scattered throughout the city- from paintings of the Virgin Mary overlooking shipwrecks in Dubrovnik’s Maritime Museum, to Renaissance-Baroque cathedrals, and a blue painting of the crucifixion hanging in the studio of expressionist artist Ðuro Pulitika. The beauty and force religion has on the city are awe-inspiring. A tour guide in the Benedictine monastery was quick to remind her tour group, however, that much of the expensive taste and design of Dubrovnik’s religious sites is due to a dark time for the Church when money flowed from indulgences. After walking the walls, rain clouds rolled in, and we took shelter for a while in the back of a cathedral, where we reflected on the unity and division religion has caused throughout history, and in our present day.

The following day was hot. We went for a swim at a rocky beach right outside of the city walls, then walked through a hillside neighborhood to a scenic point overlooking the city and ocean. In the evening, we ran into some friends from the hostel and followed them to an Irish Pub with live music (including all the American hits). We laughed about the intersections of pop culture across Europe, Australia, and the U.S. Naturally, we finished the night with gelato. Though it was a wonderful evening, it made leaving Dubrovnik in the morning even more difficult. It feels to me that as soon as I get to know a new person on this trip, I have to catch a bus or train and they become a part of my memories. I am coming to terms with the fact that this is a sad yet beautiful reality of travel. On the bus back north, we snaked along the coast, admiring the clear water, nearby islands, and picturesque towns. Ultimately, I am grateful that we made our detour to Dubrovnik! The sights, history, and of course the people all made it worth it.