Color

My first visit to Dubrovnik was full of color. The sky and sea were a clear blue, and there were flowers everywhere. In the center lay the old town and harbor, with the contrasting light stone buildings with bright orange roofs. I wanted to spend my time gazing at the views from the balcony of our small apartment.

Now, less than 3 months later, I find there is less color. The heat haze has paled the sky and the bright light reflects white on the water. The flowers are spent and the landscape looks parched. I found myself looking past the wide open sea views to notice other details, and found that the light and shadow of the buildings in the Old Town do not depend on color for their beauty.

So this time I didn't feel the need to climb the walls or ride up the cable car for the views. I simply walked around and looked, really looked, at the smaller details. I found small churches and art galleries tucked away among the larger cathedrals and palaces. There are statues, fountains and stairways leading to nowhere. There are walled courtyards, shutters and arched passageways. I found plenty of quiet places to sit, and I found my color. Up away from the more touristy areas, I got lost in

some small streets and found myself at the entrance to a school. Children were arriving for class in their yellow uniforms and backpacks. Above them someone had hung their orange sheets out to dry. The shutters were blue and the small garden was green with plants. In another doorway, an artist was painting, and another artisan was making jewelry outside his house. There is always color, we just have to know where to look.