Thursday, August 1st: So, right now I write this as I sit on a bench in the shade, overlooking the turquoise clear Adriatic Sea in what is definitely one of the most beautiful AND most touristy cities I have ever visited: Dubrovnik, Croatia. I chose Dubrovnik because I had seen pictures and the entire old, walled city IS a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE site. Other than Paris, it is hard for me to think of a more photogenic city, but after spending the previous 3.5 days in a relatively quiet Slovenia, I was in no way prepared for the hundreds of thousands of tourists that have chosen to flock to this ancient port city. This is a popular time of year for Europeans to travel because so many of them are on summer holiday. Because of Croatia's mountainous and majestic coast line, ease to get to, and its relative affordability, it is a tourist magnet!
Okay, so I need to first reflect on my three hours I spent in Zagreb, Croatia's capital, on Tuesday and then I will get into Dubrovnik. Zagreb is beautiful and very modern and much larger than Ljubljana. In some ways, it remains me of a smaller Berlin in the sense that it has a creative, vibrant soul combined with the challenging past of being a part of, and then separating from, the former Yugoslavia. It has flourishing open-air markets and architecture that is definitely a combination of Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman styles. Because of its central location in the Balkans, it is a major hub to continue on to other Croatian cities as well as Balkan and Eastern European cities such as Budapest and Prague. I took a two-hour train ride from Ljubljana and spent 3 hours walking around the city before flying to Dubrovnik. As of July 1st of this year, Croatia also became a full member of the European Union, only the second Balkan country to do so behind Slovenia!
As far as Dubrovnik, it is a city you need to see to believe and none of my pictures will do it any justice. The Old City was built as a fortification against invasions from the former Venician, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman Empires, and through casual conversation, I learned that in a sense, it was built by Balkan traders from other regions who were required to bring limestone as a prerequisite for entering (almost like a medieval travel visa). It was actually destroyed in the 1600s due to an earthquake and was shelled in 1991 when Serb and Montenegran armies bombarded the city during the early stages of the Balkan Wars and dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. The former Republic of Dubrovnik was also the first European nation to formally recognize American independence from the British.
As far as everything else, I toured the city's old walls by walking on them and went to a handful of museums celebrating and honoring Dubrovnik's history. It has been really hot here (low to mid 90s) and it has also been really dry. Today, I started off by running five miles and then swimming in the Adriatic for my first time ever! I then visited two forts, one in the Old City and one atop a hill. The second one was built during the Napoleonic Era after the 1806 Battle of Austerlitz. During the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, that fort served as defense against the Serbs and Montenegrans. In light of the Balkan Wars, as I was walking around the Old City today, I saw a youth group made up of Balkan children doing a skit to promote peace in the region. They all belong to a summer camp set up for that reason.
Just a few last notes here.
1) Like Slovenia, many people here seemingly long for the former Yugoslavia dictator, Tito. He kept the region together and prevented fighting among 7-10 major ethnic groups.
2) As I travel to Bosnia and Serbia the next few days, it will be very interesting to hear their perspectives and compare similarities and differences to Slovenia and Croatia.
3)Dubrovnik is absolutely beautiful, but I would recommend avoiding it in July and August if you can, unless you don't mind crowds.
4) I LOVED swimming in the Adriatic.
5) Never have I seen a more beautiful coastline than Croatia's!
Okay. Not much else to say except that, despite being overtired and somewhat broke, I am still loving Europe and am happy I still have 14 more days here! Off to Mostar and Sarajevo tomorrow yo :)
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