The ancient port city of Dubrovnik, on the southern Croatian coastline, has evolved into a major tourist destination. The old walled city, normally entered through the famous Pile Gate, was so crowded with tourists when we arrived, that it took some time to get to the main street of Stradun. The city has completely recovered from the Montenegrin bombing during the breakup of Yugoslavia, with a few shellholes remaining just to show to tourists. The highlights of a visit are the Rector’s Palace, the Tvrdava fortress, and the cathedral. The map covers the urban area outside of the old town as well, as this is where most of the hotels and restaurants are located.
The other side of the map shows the extensive coastline of Croatia in two parts – from the Italian border to Trogir, and from Split to the border with Montenegro. We travelled from Porec to Dubrovnik in a small cruise ship of 45 passengers, which enabled us to visit ports that larger ships could not reach. As a result, we visited islands we could not have otherwise visited. The cover picture shows grandson Johnny in one such small town.