Tursday, September 27, 2011
Dubovnik, Croatia then sailing toward Corfu, Greece
A great tour in Dubrovnik, starting with a long bus ride and then a stop at a roadside pullout for a photo of the city and the bays laid out below us. Then onward, way south, passing down a long and narrow corridor of land that is southern Croatia sandwiched between the sea and Bosnia/Herzgovina. There, our guide pointed out B/H on the hillside, so close that all the details of the land area were clearly visible. This was hotly contested area during the 90 / 91 war, the Bosnians desperately wanting the access to the sea that was denied them by this spear of Croatian territory. Further south we went, turning down a valley from the coast road at a point only four kilometers from the border between Croatia and Montenegro. The Montenegrans also fought against Croatia in 91, apparently, said the guide, on the side of the Bosnians. Ahhh, the Balkans, always a trouble spot. Is this all over now, peace in our time? Peace forever in this quiet valley we drive through in our Merceedes bus, through the olive groves? No, I doubt it, too much nationalism here in Croatia and I'm sure an equal amount in the neighboring countries. But it is lovely here, high mountains and green valleys and clear running streams, handsome and industrious people.
The guide told a story of the end of the war in 91, and various countries who wanted to provide humanitarian aid to the region. One group was the Scandinavian countries, who wanted to donate something useful other than just cash. So the locals said, goats, we need goats and livestock, all our animals were killed in the war. So the Scandinavians provided the goats in due course, and the animals soon dotted the hillsides and valleys. But the new goats were different from the indiginous ones, very few of which remained but they were remembered. Now the new goats are called 'humanitarian goats' to distinguish them from the old stock. It was funnier when related by our guide as we rolled along the valley floor.
We stopped at an old flour mill to see it in operation, still working under water power. Amazing sight, mill stones that last a hundred years, all fully functional still though the building is very old (hundred years plus, at least), with pieces of wood from the old water wheel rotted and decayed in one corner. But that mill ground all the flour for the villiage, corn and grains for untold years, though now they buy their flour in little plastic bags at the store. Now the mill is reduced to a tourist curiosity together with the brandy tasting that they provided. Lovely peaceful scenery, and a nice little orange and white cat that wandered around the legs of us bus-people as we sampled the brandy and apple juice and candied orange rind.
Back on the bus, and north along the highway, back up the narrow neck of southern Croatia to a small seaside town called Cavtat. Stunningly beautiful little bay, Centuries old buildings and churches, a real tourist haven. Yachts dotting the bay and moored at piers that joined the town along a wide promenade. We enjoyed the sunshine and the friendly locals and the lovely scenery and crystal-clear water of the bay, bought a mug to celebrate the occasion, then back on the bus and we moved on, north again, to Dubrovnik.
Approaching the Old City, we wormed our way through an enormous traffic jam, the locals use a lot of cars, the streets are one-lane, and with six cruise ships in the harbour today every bus in Croatia is pressed into service and the roads of the town are crowded. We got off, milled about a while, then were herded off by our guide through one of the gates in the old walled town, over a drawbridge, and there we were in Dubrovnik. Our guide was quick to point out that the war damage to the town had been repaired, but there was a map of the town that marked all of the buildings hit and/or destroyed in the indiscriminate shelling by the Serbs. Clearly, the shelling was a hate-crime and in fact useless beyond its destructive nature. There was no military target here, and no town to 'take' as in the days of the Turkish invasions. The Serbs just hated the Croats, and shelled them for that reason. No shelling then followed by invasion, just shelling the people and buildings, destroying for the sake of hatred and destruction. I havn't heard from the other side, I'm sure they have some sort of case, but I can't imagine what that would justify such brutality. And my concerns about a lasting peace in this region remain. Too many bad feelings and resentments remain.
Eventually, after walking the length of the little old town, and some of the narrow and quaint side streets, we were done and headed back to the ship. A good day of seeing some very historic and interesting things.
