September 17 - Cavorting in Croatia
I really want the Venetians to invade and take over America.
Just think, we would finally have some really beautiful cities in the
USA. And some good
pizza and pasta too.
The Venetian Empire spread down the Croatian Coast. I just wish they
had spread all the
way to America, because they just did a fabulous job with whatever city
they touched.
THE DALMATIAN COAST
The Dalmatian Coast is the crown of Croatia, and the city of Dubrovnik
is the finest
jewel on that crown.
Here's a simple map.
Maria (the Swede) and Marco (the Italian) walked me to the train
station in Sarajevo and
bid me farewell.
I arrived late at night in Ploce, Croatia, which is near Baina on the
map. I camped and
took the 5AM ferry to a small island, hoping to cross it by bus. No bus
on Sunday. So I
hitchhiked with a guy who was delivering bread. I bought some bread off
him to thank him,
even though he wanted to give it to me for free.
From that small town I hopped on a ferry to Korcula.
I MEET MY MATCH IN KORCULA
Korcula is pronounced "Core-chu-la". Marco Polo, the ultimate world
traveler, made this
trip I am on look like a daily commute for him. He started his trip
across Asia from his
little house in Korcula. It's still there, although not in great shape.
Polo's journey through Asia lasted 24 years. He reached further than
any of his
predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China. He became a confidant of Kublai
Khan (1214-1294).
He traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which
became the greatest
travelogue.
Although the temps were warm, the citizens told me that it gets quite
windy and cold in
the winter, although it never snows. So the smart Venetians built a
high wall around
Korcula to block the wind and made tight convoluted little streets to
also deter the
wind. It makes for a delightful city.
OFF TO HVAR
I crossed the island of Korcula by bus to get to Vela Luka, a simple
but cute town. I
grabbed the ferry to the town of Hvar.
Hvar is another spectacularly romantic city at the base of several
small hills. At the
summit of a hill is a castle that's worth checking out.
I slept in Hvar and took a crowded bus to port of Stari Grad. While an
Italian couple
looked after my bags I ran a couple of miles to the old town of Stari
Grad (which means
"Old Town" in Croatian). Stari Grad was another cute town with a rich
Venetian heritage.
I ran back just in time for my ferry to Dubrovnik.
THE DIAMOND OF DUBROVNIK
I saved the best for last and took a 7 hour ferry to Dubrovnik. Just
the ferry ride
itself was marvelous, passing endless islands along the Adriatic Sea. I
sat outside,
reading a book while reveling in the warm temps.
Dubrovnik is like Venice's ugly sister. But Venice is such a hot
sister, that Dubrovnik
is still incredibly beautiful.
It's a horrible crime that the Serbs shelled Dubrovnik during the war.
It had absolutely
no military value. They ravaged the city with bombs. Fortunately, the
Hague also thought
is was a bad idea and
sentenced the Serb admiral for 7 years in jail:
International aid helped repair Dubrovnik. The upside is that
the
rooftops and cobble stoned streets are all new.
Maybe the Serbs should shell San Francisco....
BEING MACHO
See this picture?
I swam from Dubrovnik to that island. It looked pretty close, but after
45 minutes of
swimming I realized that it's not. Luckily no motor boats ran me over
and I only cramped
up at the end.
The best part of swimming to the island is that the ferry doesn't check
for tickets so
you save $6 bucks. ;-)
But bring sandals because walking all over the island on bare feet is
more challenging
than swimming there. There are a couple of old buildings, including a
fort to see there.
THE ONLY DOWNER
The only negative on Dubrovnik is that it's like a NY grid in a bowl.
So it misses the
charm of many Venetian designed cities which have circuitous streets
and random plazas
sprinkled around for variation. But it least the edges have mini hills
that adds a cool
dimension.
Go to Dubrovnik. It's the poor man's Venice and that's still pretty
darn good.
ZIPPING THROUGH ZAGREB
When I was going from Slovenia to Hungary, I stopped for 24 hours in
Zagreb, the capital
of Croatia. It's a very nice city, with an old section on a hill. For
fun I went to a
Tolkien's Cafe, which has a Lord of the Rings feel to it. You don't
need to linger there,
but it's worth a peek if you're flying into it.
CROATIANS AREN'T SAINTS EITHER
The past two emails have made the Serbs look like the bad guys in the
conflict. But as
the Serbs like to remind me, the Croats were allied with the Nazis and
did some of their
own ethnic cleansing in the 1990s when they pushed Serbs out of Slovania, a popular Serb
region in Croatia.
Croats will tell you that the Serbs started it. That's correct. After
all, all the
weapons in Yugoslavia were in Serbia. So there's no reason why the
Croatians would start
a war with Serbia. It's like Estonia attacking Russia.
Although all parties share part of the blame, I conclude that the wars
in the Balkans
during the 1990s were basically the fault of the Serbs. After all, when
I ask them what
started the conflict, they get flustered and bumble through the answer
like child who is
guilty and knows it. Meanwhile, the non-Serbs give a crisp and clean
answer: "The Serbs
started it."
The average tourist has no clue of any of these tensions. So you can
visit the Dalmatian
Coast and delight in one of the most beautiful regions of the world.
WILD COINCIDENCE
I was waiting in line to buy my bus ticket to from Dubrovnik to
Montenegro when I turned
around and saw Marco and Maria! I thought I would never see them again
after we parted
ways in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
Maria decided to explore Croatia some more before returning home to
Sweden. Marco and I
bid her farewell and then boarded the bus to Montenegro.
My adventure in the Balkans continues...
NEXTALE: MOVING TO MONTENEGRO |
Korcula made me happy.
Korcula was home to one of my heroes: Marco Polo.
Korcula's tight Venetian influenced streets exude charm.
In the center of
Korcula is a charming church.
Peering through a window in the outer wall of Dubrovnik.
Am I exaggerating the beauty of Dubrovnik?
Dubrovnik's outer wall.
Another look above Dubrovnik.
You can clearly see the Venetian influence.
This was the main drag in Dubrovnik.
In the early morning I hiked to the top of a small mountain next to
Dubrovnik. At the top there is an abandoned fort where I could see where
the Serbs had been while they shelled the city.
The coolest looking church I've seen in Eastern Europe. Awesome roof! |
