Dubrovnik (Croatia)
27 August - 28 August 2016
27 August - 28 August 2016
I was impressed by the coastline in this part of the world. Crisp, clear colours, wave like mountains that are sparse, intermittently doted with trees, almost in that semi-arid type of way, and then, when the sun beats down on that intimate Adriatic sea, it's beguiling and dreamy.
Driving south out of Zadar in our Renault Laguna (thank you to Inga's parents), we headed south down the coast. Not the sexiest car ever but one that should have been given more credit than it actually received. That beast managed to transport us on several occasions between Riga & Belgrade, plus undertook its own wild trek in the middle of Bosnia one type. This things was like a good 'ole Clydesdale, a real working horse that was surprisingly dependable.
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Our first stop on the coast was Split. This was like taking a step back in time for me. It had been 30+ yrs since my last visit here. On that occasion it was a family holiday, I was 9 years old and I didn't have the understanding or the ability to realise the wonder that Split was then. Of course the whole Croatian coastline has been 'discovered' since the mid-90s and it's become one of the darlings of European travelers. Coming back now, I see the city in a very different way and my appreciation for it has sky-rocketed. I think now that it's still a very under-rated city. Exuberant, buzzing, the atmospheric centre of town bounded by the old city walls is a nexus of intrigue and mystery. Shops, bars and restaurants of all types. My memory of Split didn't quite align with the thriving tourist destination that it is now. Of course it drew people from other areas as a kid, mostly Eastern Europe, and commercialism + consumerism hadn't quite made the impact that it was going to, but now, I can appreciate that there is something really cool about it.
Stradun - Dubrovnik - Croatia
Stradun - Dubrovnik - Croatia
Stradun - Dubrovnik - Croatia
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Inga & I stayed a few hours. I did make an attempt to take Inga to my grandmother's flat(s) and retraced remembered steps from my nine year old mind. We didn't get there, although I think we may have been very close. There were moments of deja-vu and clear memory recollection but still, the goal on this occasion was just beyond our grasp.
Our destination for the evening was the globally renowned location of Dubrovnik. The first error I made however was making the attempt to drive through the streets surrounding the town (idiot!) - ancient streets were made for horses and donkeys, perhaps an occasional cart, but not a clunky Renault Laguna...absolutely brutal, something of the toughest and trickiest driving I've done.
So we were in the fabled Dubrovnik. It was both iconic and symbolic in the old Yugoslavia. I'd seen many posters hung up in the offices if Belgrade travel agents that showed the famous walled town nudging out into the gorgeous Adriatic sea. Still, from my own internal bias against all things Croatian I had assumed that Dubrovnik was simply overrated, not worth the trouble unless fate had put it into your path....how WRONG I was! One of my greatest travel underestimations of all time!
Dubrovnik is beguiling, utterly enchanting. Having past through a few 'old towns' in Europe I'd have to say that I haven't experienced anything like the limestone streets and baroque architecture of this town. The small narrow lane-ways, the immaculate medieval stone walls that surround it and the enigmatic Adriatic, this place is picture perfect, made to be photographed and 100% instagrammable.
On the night that we entered the old town, inevitably it was full of tourists. On a warm Summer's day with the restaurants buzzing and the bars beckoning it's easy to understand how the masses would get punch drunk on all its charms, its so easy. There's a way that the sun bounces off the limestone walls, especially later in the day under the setting sun. There's an intimacy, warm and energy. It's simply radiant and I think every visitor manages to feel that liveliness and vigour. The vibrancy and effervescence is palpable with every turn that you make, every alley that you climb, every doorway that you pass through.
From a different perspective, it appears that the Pearl of Adriatic is fast becoming a victim of its own success. With the hordes of cruise ships & tourist buses that come to marvel at the pearl, so to do they deliver crowds en masse, noise & mess, elements that have not historically been part of this town. For those of whom that still live in the old town, all 1157 of them, this is price to be paid for economic prosperity. It appears now that Dubrnovnik is being chocked, a slow death derived from populism. With that said, the authorities have realised the need to act on the detrimental impact caused by tourists. Additionally, only the year prior UNESCO warned Dubrovnik of the potential of losing its heritage status by letting the numbers pass through unchecked.
For Dubrovnik there is no easy way out that doesn't cause some sort of disappointment. Either for tourists on one side or locals on the other. Estimates suggest that by turning away many of the cruise ships that stop there is tantamount to losing 1 million euros a year. Still, for the sake of preservation and the locals, these are the steps and sacrifices to be made if they want to buy back their city.
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Dubrovnik - Croatia
So we were in the fabled Dubrovnik. It was both iconic and symbolic in the old Yugoslavia. I'd seen many posters hung up in the offices if Belgrade travel agents that showed the famous walled town nudging out into the gorgeous Adriatic sea. Still, from my own internal bias against all things Croatian I had assumed that Dubrovnik was simply overrated, not worth the trouble unless fate had put it into your path....how WRONG I was! One of my greatest travel underestimations of all time!
Dubrovnik is beguiling, utterly enchanting. Having past through a few 'old towns' in Europe I'd have to say that I haven't experienced anything like the limestone streets and baroque architecture of this town. The small narrow lane-ways, the immaculate medieval stone walls that surround it and the enigmatic Adriatic, this place is picture perfect, made to be photographed and 100% instagrammable.
On the night that we entered the old town, inevitably it was full of tourists. On a warm Summer's day with the restaurants buzzing and the bars beckoning it's easy to understand how the masses would get punch drunk on all its charms, its so easy. There's a way that the sun bounces off the limestone walls, especially later in the day under the setting sun. There's an intimacy, warm and energy. It's simply radiant and I think every visitor manages to feel that liveliness and vigour. The vibrancy and effervescence is palpable with every turn that you make, every alley that you climb, every doorway that you pass through.
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Dubrovnik - Croatia
From a different perspective, it appears that the Pearl of Adriatic is fast becoming a victim of its own success. With the hordes of cruise ships & tourist buses that come to marvel at the pearl, so to do they deliver crowds en masse, noise & mess, elements that have not historically been part of this town. For those of whom that still live in the old town, all 1157 of them, this is price to be paid for economic prosperity. It appears now that Dubrnovnik is being chocked, a slow death derived from populism. With that said, the authorities have realised the need to act on the detrimental impact caused by tourists. Additionally, only the year prior UNESCO warned Dubrovnik of the potential of losing its heritage status by letting the numbers pass through unchecked.
Dubrovnik - Croatia
For Dubrovnik there is no easy way out that doesn't cause some sort of disappointment. Either for tourists on one side or locals on the other. Estimates suggest that by turning away many of the cruise ships that stop there is tantamount to losing 1 million euros a year. Still, for the sake of preservation and the locals, these are the steps and sacrifices to be made if they want to buy back their city.
