Yesterday was a busy one! We started early in the morning touring the old city. The city was originally settled in the 17th century by refugees from the neighboring Roman city Epidaurum and was known as Ragusta before Dubrovnik. It was seen as an important city in the Mediterranean due to its positioning along the Adriatic. For years the city existed without a standing army, instead they used diplomacy as the first line of defense. Ambassadors for the city-state visited other countries to pay tribute to larger powers to secure the city's safety.

A number of the buildings are architecturally similar due to a major earthquake in 1667 that destroyed the city. Once rebuilt, the buildings followed a simpler format. Most of the roofs are more recent; during the Homeland War in 1991, a majority of the houses were badly damaged or completely burned.

After the tour we revisited the Sponza Palace (sound familiar?) located at the end of the Placa to take a more in depth look around. The palace is one of the only remaining buildings left intact after the 1667 earthquake and a view of what the rest of the street used to look like. It was the first stop for any traders coming into the city so they would be able to measure their materials before bringing them to the market Today it holds archives of the city and is an art gallery.

Our next tour was later in the evening (because it is so hot!) walking the city walls. The walls surround the ancient city and go on for over 6,000 feet high above the city. It is a great opportunity for some exercise and amazing views.

We finished up the day with dinner at a restaurant along the water called Dubraka. We enjoyed our meal and were surprised that it was reasonable as well!