八月一過，英倫轉秋。逃往亞得里亞海，烈日曬，蚊虫咬，以為係另一種折磨。惟杜布羅夫尼克古城紅瓦映入眼簾當刻，一切值了。
August slips away, and autumn stirs in England. Fleeing to the Adriatic coast, the sun still burns and mosquitoes bite. At first it felt like another kind of torment, until Dubrovnik’s blazing red roofs filled my gaze.
沐浴陽光海風，拘束盡脫，身心奔放。無怪這裏成為歐洲自由先驅，早於1416年禁止奴隸買賣。八百年古老城牆守護的，除了財產性命，還有尊嚴。
Bathed in the sunlight and sea breeze, all restraint melts away and the spirit soars. It’s no wonder this city became a pioneer of freedom, banning the slave trade as early as 1416. For eight centuries, its ancient walls have guarded more than just property and life. They have protected dignity.
1990年代，炮火滿天，古城陷危。幸運是人心堅韌，鐘聲、誦聲、海浪聲，抵過風雨，蓋過戰火。今日杜布羅夫尼克依舊靜立在克羅地亞西南一隅。港口船隻往來如昔，海邊孩童戲水依然，城牆與大海之間，每添一點歷史教訓，更曉一點難得自由。
In the 1990s, war and shelling threatened the old city. Yet the resilience of its people endured, and the sounds of bells, chants, and waves prevailed against the clamor of war. Today, Dubrovnik still stands quietly on Croatia’s southwestern shore. Ships come and go, children still play by the sea, and between the city walls and the waves, each lesson of history reminds us just how rare and fragile freedom truly is.