Thursday, March 14 - Dubrovnik in the rain, rain and more rain. We’ve had issues all week with the rain starting and stopping but this morning it was raining buckets. Thankfully, it slowed considerably before we began our walk around the old town. Dubrovnik is the crown jewel of Croatia – many cruise ships stop here and there are numerous fine hotels within the walled city. You can walk atop the 15th century walls, visit the war photo gallery from the 1990s Homeland war (very touching and moving – www.worldphotoltd.com), explore the Franciscan Monastery, the Sponza Palace, Orlando’s Column, hear the bell tower chime, visit the oldest working pharmacy from 1271, the Rector’s Palace and marvel at the Onofrio fountain. Even if the citizens were locked within the gates of Dubrovnik, they would have water and food as there are resident flocks of doves and fresh mountain water flowing through the fountain. Walking within its walls is like being transported in a time capsule. The buildings and walls are medieval yet the people wandering the streets are in modern clothing with cameras around their necks – a fine example of a UNESCO site worth preserving.
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| The dots mark the bombings during the 1990s war WITHIN the walls of Dubrovnik |
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| Artist's home destroyed during 1990s war of aggression |
Along the coastline, we were driven to the Cilipi Dubrovnik airport for a supposed quick one hour flight to Zagreb. And guess what -- another delay!...but a short one this time. There was beautiful snow falling in Zagreb as we landed and it looked just like Christmas when we landed. The Christmas markets here must be beautiful!
“Zagreb is perhaps the perfect European capital. With a charming Old Town, a lively café culture and the requisite cathedral, but without the loads of tourists a la Prague or Vienna, the city is easy to explore in a day before heading on to the coast.” There is an Upper Town (Gornji Grad) and a Lower Town (Donji Grad). Donji Grad is where you’ll find the shops and socializing and accommodations and museums. The Regent Esplanade Hotel is next to the train station where the passenger on the Orient Express overnighted. We visited the Katedrala Marijina Uznesenga (Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) and passed the Hrvatski muzej naivne umjetnosti (Croatian Museum of Naïve Art – from 1920s of the village life). And their newest museum, The Museum on Broken Relationships…well, that’s all I need to write about this one. We had a beautiful walk in the snow through the old city. Would have been even nicer to have time to explore the welcoming cafes and shops or ride the blue trams through the narrow streets.
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| Entering Zagreb during the March snow |
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| Gene at Cathedral |
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| Luisa in main square |
We hurried back to the hotel to dress for a lovely dinner at the “ Restoran Okrugljak” in a northern neighborhood. We were joined by Mr. Zlatan Muftic, Convention Bureau Director of the Zagreb Tourist Board, and enjoyed an over-the-top final meal with a multitude of dishes and wines. Croatian food and wine has not disappointed! The Hotel International was in a good location and within walking distance of the old town. All of the hotels offered free WIFI.
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| Group dinner at Restoran Okrugljak |
Facts on Croatia: Possible tourist attractions in Croatia – war tourism (from WWII and the 1990s war), para-gliding, ziplining, bird watching, scuba diving. Brioni Islands were the summer home of Tito. Island of Cres is one of the most green – dolphins, cycling.
On July 1, 2013, Croatia will become a member of the European Union. They will not convert to the Euro currency immediately and they still have several issues to overcome with being accepted into the EU. One issue is involves the simple matter of travel on the lone road along the coast! It will be extremely difficult for some nationalities as this highway crosses through Bosnia Hertzegovina and some visitors who require visas will not be able to cross this small section of road (approx. 5 miles) without a visa!! The Croatians have considered a bridge, a ferry and other options but they are too expensive and Bosnia will not relinquish the land. This issue of driving along the only road/only route from Split to Dubrovnik will not be easy for some nationalities (Americans will not have this problem) and will have a potentially devastating impact on Croatia’s travel economy.
