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It really does feel as if we are on a Hollywood tour. Look at the stops so far, Venice and Verona. We've had the blockbuster magnet and lovers-galore in Venice. We’ve experienced a truly magnificent trip through a literary classic in Verona. Today, we add the "Pearl of the Adriatic" to that list.

This is the first stop on the Oosterdam of Holland America Line and it's a little-known, beautiful coastal city with stunning views and crystal blue-green waters. It's called Dubrovnik in Croatia founded as early as the 7^th century. It's also home to Game of Thrones in Season Two, the American fantasy TV series.

That instantly puts it on the map. Everyone in the Western Hemisphere knows about the HBO (Home Box Office) show that captured the spotlight for years now. Yes, Netflix and other well-known networks have created quality works, but none approach the status of medieval legends, such as Game of Thrones.

Dubrovnik also will star in the new Robin Hood, as well as play a role in Star Wars VIII, and it seems Hollywood is slowly turning towards the beauty in the European bays. But why? What makes it so charming?

It starts with water. I can't say I was expecting any body of water to be so vibrant on this trip, especially in some other place than Barcelona. However, Dubrovnik has exceeded my expectations. The water was the quality of the Bahamas, just with a much milder temperature. Then, the eyes find the houses (there was no shore). Just like Venice with short, triangular red roofs riddled Mount Srđ's side, it looked as if straight from a painting. Speaking of which, the 'hills' were enormous, at least they appeared large in contrast to the flat Adriatic Sea.

Dubrovnik itself was an enchanting 1,400-year-old medieval walled town as well. The closest thing I recall to this city is the Vatican. Not that they look alike, but that as soon as you walk through its old Pile Gate, you are transported from a modernizing country to an ancient culture. One that focused on history and his past from the 12^th century onwards, and one that didn't have anxiety about more cars, skyscrapers, or trains. Unfortunately, it did have cigarettes. Believer or not, Dubrovnik was the birthplace of the former Yugoslavian ironman Tito. After WWI, Croatia exited Austria-Hungary and was merged into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. In the final days of WWII, it joined the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under Tito's Communist control for 43 years. In 1991, Croatia finally became an independent nation.

Dubrovnik is also very small. I was made aware of this fact after leisurely walking through the entire stone-walled city in twenty minutes. The Church of St. Blaise, the Dominican Monastery, the colonnade of the courtyard with stone carvings in the Sponza Palace, the Rector's Palace, the Large Onofrio's Fountain on the Stradun, and the terra-cotta roofs have transformed from its delicate Gothic, to elaborate Romanesque to ethereal Baroque and does resemble Venice as well, minus the obvious waterways. In addition, the Minceta and Bokar Fortresses stand against a myriad of enemies over the Adriatic coast and turn history back maritime. On another note, the old town was tied quite tightly with Latin, which, for a Latin scholar like me, resulted in me geeking out over several inscriptions. "There is nothing valuable if it's to trade off freedom". Who said Latin wasn't useful...

We've reached paradise on Earth at stop one, so I can't expect this to go much higher. Well, that's what I thought about Dubrovnik before exploring the place. So, Gjirokastër of Albania will show me what you've got tomorrow!

【红霞译文】

莫非咱真的在游览好莱坞景点，瞧一瞧几天来所经之地──威尼斯和维罗纳：前者叫我们见识了高票房动作片镜头出处及其蜂拥而至的铁杆影迷；后者让我们透过文学杰作体验了一次名不虚传的华丽旅行。今天，我们又把“亚得里亚海明珠”纳入日程之中。

“荷美游轮·东罗盘点号”出航的第一站鲜为人知，这座海滨城市景色如画，蓝绿色海水清澈透亮，早在公元七世纪时，名叫“橡城”的克罗地亚古城就已经初具规模，它也是美国奇幻题材电视连续剧《权力游戏》第二季的摄制大本营。

橡城一下子便落户地图，西半球每个人都知道近年来由“家庭电影台”打造的这部电视剧抢尽了风头。没错儿，“网飞”以及其它同行巨头业绩斐然，但没有哪部作品比中世纪传奇故事《权力游戏》更为叫座。

橡城还将成为新版电影《罗宾汉》的拍摄现场，《星球大战》第八集相关情节也要到这里取景，看来好莱坞逐渐把目光投向风光独秀的欧洲海湾，到底咋整的？是什么让它美轮美奂？

一切自水谈起。我从不敢奢望此次旅行所有水域都魅力无穷，特别是除了巴塞罗那以外的任何地方，然而橡城出乎我个人预料，其水质堪比巴哈马，而且温度更加适宜；排排房舍呈现在眼前（一眼望不到海边），正如威尼斯一样，矮小山墙式红瓦顶背依橡树山，宛若一幅垂挂的绘画，特别是这些“山丘”雄伟，与四平八稳的亚德里亚海相比明显高大。

橡城本身耀眼迤逦，一座源于1,400年历史的中世纪石头城，这让我想起几乎同时代出现的梵蒂冈，两座城市不仅规模相仿，而且当一迈进古桩门，你立刻从一个现代化国家穿越回到古代文明社会，它既是一个历史底蕴浑厚、自十二世纪之后崛起的古城，又是一个没有加快轿车高楼火车发展欲望的都市，可惜它确实还有香烟。信不信由你，橡城更是前南斯拉夫铁腕领袖铁托的诞生地。第一次世界大战结束后，克罗地亚退出奥匈帝国联盟，与塞尔维亚和斯洛文尼亚组成王国；第二次世界大战临终前几天，它投入南斯拉夫社会主义联邦共和国怀抱，经受长达43年铁托领导下的共产党统治；直到1991年，克罗地亚才变成独立国。

橡城面积很小，经过廿分钟漫步石头全城后我方才意识到千真万确。口吃圣徒教堂、领主修道院、海绵宫殿庭院的柱廊石刻、教区长宫、城市街道上的和平捍卫者大喷泉、陶瓦屋顶等等建筑将精致的哥特式转化成优雅的罗马式和飘逸的巴洛克式风格，除了缺乏水路，它与威尼斯不相上下。此外，闵阙达城堡和恒星要塞过去一直用来抵挡亚得里亚海沿岸无数敌人入侵，两者亲眼见证了海事历史变迁。值得一提的是，古城与拉丁语关系密切，致使像我这样学习拉丁的儒生在铭文面前难掩窃喜之意，“如果牺牲自由，一切变得毫无价值。” 谁说拉丁语没用？

第一站大家便如临仙境，我不敢再有过高的期待，以上即为本人向第二站开拔之前对橡城的见闻感受。好嘞，明天阿尔巴尼亚的银堡市将让我们大开眼界！

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2018: Cavtat the Treasure World, Croatia(克罗地亚海底传说—旧拉古萨城)

2018: Dubrovnik─Home to Tito, Croatia(克罗地亚橡城─铁托老家)

2016: Sailing from Greenock to Kirkwall，UK(苏格兰绿橡城—教堂墙城)

2016: Middle of Nowhere, Irish Sea(苏格兰茫茫爱尔兰海)

2015: Being A Teacher Is Harder Than It Looks(辛苦的园丁)

2014 World Cup—Argentina vs. Germany(阿根廷对德国世界杯足球赛)

2013: Drama Camp-3(戏剧夏令营之三)