| Page Views: 115 Last Visit to Dubrovnik: September, 2007 | Dubrovnik...Every Bit the Pearl! by tpal - last update: Jan 20, 2009 |
| Sunset over Dubrovnik's Old Town |
Why Croatia?
Growing up in Buffalo, New York, USA, we never studied about Croatia...at least not directly. Since after World War I, with the establishment of the first Yugoslavia and then with establishment of Tito's Yugoslavia after World War II, American school children rarely heard about Croatia. For that matter, neither had we heard much about Serbia or Slovenia or Bosnia-Herzgovenia or...any other country within Yugoslavia. The Balkans were, and in fact still are, a mystery to most Americans. Whether it was the cloak of communism or the fear of communism, Croatia was invisible on this side of the Atlantic.
In large part because of the horrible events of the early 1990's and then more positively thanks to Virtual Tourist, I started to become aware of just how little I knew of the world east of the Adriatic Sea...and what I was missing.
Before we left for our month long visit to the Balkans, the question we were most often asked was, "Why are you going to Croatia?". Now I hope our experiences and photographs will, in part, explain what we all have been missing. |
|  | Our journey began in the south of Croatia in the city Lord Byron is said to have called the "Pearl of the Adriatic". While there is considerable debate as to whether Byron actually said it, there is little debate about Dubrovnik truly being a pearl.
In our continuing efforts to become "slow travelers", Carol and I rented an apartment in Dubrovnik for a week. We were located about a third or 35-40 stairs up Palmoticeva Street located off the main street in Old Town...the Stradun.
It is always our hope that by staying in one location a bit longer and by being in an apartment in town, we will experience what it feels like to actually gain a sense of place. It rarely completely works but we always take away some interesting moments. One such moment occurred on several mornings as we descended the stairs down to the Stradun from our sobe or rental apartment. As we looked ahead we saw 20-30 tourists from one of the many cruise ships, cameras at the ready, photographing the "locals" (that would be us) on the steep, staired walkway. |
| | Interestingly, cruise ships are seen as both a blessing and a curse for Dubrovnik. There is no doubt that the floating hotels are an economic engine that has made recovery and restoration possible. On the other hand, the 3000-6000 tourists who can descend into Old Town in a single day are greatly stressing the infrastructure of the ancient town...not to mention obscuring the views. There is much discussion about limiting the number of dockings allowed at any given time, as has happened in other popular cruise locations but action is probably some way off.
But, you know, we too are tourists. The best we can do is to try to not make things worse. We often planned small side trips to more out of the way neighborhoods or regions during "shore visit" times. This gave us a chance to try out the public transportation, find a local market or just explore. Recently I met someone who had visited Dubrovnik by cruise ship and seemed bewildered as to what we could do there for a week. Honestly, I can say, we never felt we stayed too long. |
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| Pros: | "Still a great bargain, incredible vistas, the best grilled calimari ever!" | | Cons: | "Can be crowded with group tours and cruise ships but you can work around them." | | In A Nutshell: | "History, beauty and enduring spirit...what more could you ask for!" |
tpal's Dubrovnik Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 6 - Photos: 30 | | | Restaurants
Tips: 1 - Photos: 5 | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path
Tips: 3 - Photos: 15 | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips
Tips: 6 - Photos: 30 |
 Comments for tpal about Dubrovnik | | | | |
JessH Tue May 26, 2009 08:38 UTC
Hello Tom & Carol. I *love* your new page; I really appreciate the detail in your tips, thanks for sharing! Where will your next adventure be? My next adventure is a truly big one: my wedding in Scotland this summer :-) Greetings from Dubai / Jess | Karolina01 Sat May 2, 2009 12:57 UTC
I am sorry that I missed your birthday, I hope you had a wonderful time. I love your computer desktop photo. | Pawtuxet Mon Apr 20, 2009 15:09 UTC
Wonderful page! Gorgeous coastline! I love those little alleys, stone streets, tile roofs. We share travelling philosophy...loved your glimpses of daily life. Thinking more about Craotia all the time. | Callavetta Mon Feb 16, 2009 00:27 UTC
Wasn't Dubrovnik wonderful? It always amazes me when people ask, are 4 days too many? I'm looking forward to watching your pages for Croatia develop. |
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