December 2021
Croatia? Where/what is that? Well, in a nutshell, the country used to be part of Yugoslavia but in the 1990's and early 2000's, the country split apart into Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
Looking at the map below, the yellow arrow points at Croatia....a long, narrow country hugging the Adriatic coast. The green arrow points to Dubrovnik. For reference sake, the orange arrow points to where I live in Mallorca.
As recent as the early 1990's, Croatia was engulfed in war due to its desire to secede Yugslavia and be an independent, sovereign nation.
How did I hear of Dubrovnik? Oddly enough, it was due to a song Liza (with a 'Z') performed which tells the story of a woman living in New York who couldn't find love no matter what she tried. On a suggestion, she went to Dubrovnik where she ended up meeting a man. The twist: the man was from New York who SO HAPPENED to live in the same building, in the next door apartment, as the woman!!! She travelled half way around the world to end up meeting a man who lived right under her nose.
You gotta check out Liza's performance of 'Ring Them Bells'....very fun (and exhausting!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtJSLZnKCv0
Dubrovnik's popularity (known as the Pearl of the Adriatic) has soared in recent years due to the exposure it received from the filming of 'Game of Thrones' (as well as many other movies/series) as well visitations by those of notoriety such as Oprah and Gail !!
With a population of about 28,000, approximately 1,500 reside within the walled area, referred to as 'Old Town'. Life is quite different within the 239 acres comprising Old Town. There are no large supermarkets, no vehicles (other than services), no stores like building supplies/plumbing/hardware, no gyms, etc. It's amazing to think of what it must've taken to modernize structures, hundreds of years old, with electricity, plumbing, sewage, etc. The carless streets make it challenging to bring in goods such as furniture and appliances, cabinetry, etc….then transport them down narrow lanes and up stairs, then into structures and more stairs. Imagine buying a new sofa!!
The airport is 18 miles away on a high-top plain, primarily because of the lack of sufficient flat space to accommodate one anywhere closer.
Dubrovnik had to be rebuilt more than once. First, a devastating earthquake in 1667 nearly destroyed everything, then again after all the destruction incurred from the war in the early 1990's.
Or, click here: https://youtu.be/qtTs5nLnvnM
Keep an eye out for the next chapter where I'll take you on a dazzling ride up the mountainside on an aerial tram overlooking Dubrovnik and the Adriatic Sea!!
By the way, if you're interested in viewing any of my past entries about travelling around Europe and where I live in Mallorca, simply scroll down past my signature to the end. There, you'll see 'Blog History'. You can click on any Month/Year to see the titles I published at that time. Simply click on the title you're interested in and it will take you to that page.
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