Dubrovnik: pearl of the Adriatic

On July 1st a new star has entered the European Union: Croatia. Due to this occasion and my recent trip to Croatia, I decided to write about Dubrovnik.

The so-called pearl of the Adriatic is the most visited place in the country, and in the last few years it's difficult to spend more than two weeks dodging the pictures of Dubrovnik everywhere: on Facebook, the National Tourism Office of Croatia... or  simply watching telly. If you watch the series Game of Thrones, Dubrovnik is used to film King's Landing since the second season (on the first season, they used Valetta).

Dubrovnik

Escaping from the Slavic invasions that devastated the mainland, the people of Cavtat (in Italian Ragusa Vecchia, or Old Dubrovnik) strenghthened themselves on a small island a few metres off the coast. This is the way Dubrovnik was founded on the 7th century, as it comes to be usual in the fundation of other cities along the Dalmatian coast.

In 1324, the Most Serene Republic left Dubrovnik (or Ragusa as it was called back then) to its fate considering the Ottoman advance. To the surprise of the Venetians, Dubrovnik did not fall and they managed to reach an agreement with the invaders, establishing themselves as a prosperous and independent republic that would last till the 19th century -hence the motto of the Republic: Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro (something like: freedom is not sold even for all the gold in the world).

That's when the golden age of Ragusa started: sailors, traders, artists... All that came to an end all of a sudden in 1667, when a terrible earthquake destroyed the Dalmatian Athens, killing over 5000 people (about 40% of the total population) and annihilated the local romanized aritoracy. Shortly after, the city was repopulated with Slavs from the mainland, that would maintain the independence of Ragusa till the Napoleonic Wars. 

The main street during the Serbian siege of 1991-1992

What to do?

Dubrovnik is world-known for its city walls, so it's highly recommendable to walk around them. The first time I was there I wasn't aware you needed to pay an entrance fee... till I crossed with a ticket seller, who kindly invited me to leave the walls. The views to the famous roofs (restored in an unlucky bright orange colour after the war) and the island of Lokrum are wonderful. 

Other must-do visits include the governor's gothic palace, the numerous churches, fortresses... and basically walking around the city. In any of the newstands you will be able to find the city-cards, which include the visit to different monuments... if you're up for a cultural visit, this should save you a few bucks. Some even include the cable-car ride to the hill and fortress of Srđ, from where you'll have a glorious view of the whole citadel... but if you have a rental car, you can skip this part and look for your own lookout. You can drive out of the city and have an impressive view from basically every other hill. 

At night do not forget to have a maraschino, the local rakija made with cherries. Stradun, the main street, is the perfect place -if you do not mind paying heaps of money for a shot-, you will watch the people walking by and if you're lucky enough, the bar will have live piano music. 

Some other tricks 

If you're not willing to pay that much, not even for the views, avoid Stradun. You'll find cheaper and emptier restaurants in the narrow parallel streets... and during the day, it'll be way easier to find a shade there. 

In any case, if what you want is cheap food, try in Gruž, the district around the port. There's more Croats than foreigners there, and prices are way lower. Try some local fast food, like bureks or ćevapčići. Not only the prices will be lower, also the quality of the food will get better. 

Another cool place for a beer are the two small terraces hidden on the west walls overlooking the ocean.

If you're backpacking, there's better -and closer to the city centre- hostels than the Youth Hostel. This one is convenient if you don't have much time want to see the old town and you have to take a ferry or a bus early in the morning... since it is located right between Gruž and the citadel. If you don't like crowded places, you should avoid July-September and Easter holidays... in winter you'll just see the locals, but on the other hand many restaurants and shops are closed.

Day trips

Neum, the only 5 kilometres of coast in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Even if Dubrovnik is an exclave of Croatia, cut off from the rest of Croatia by road or train... it is still a wonderful place to travel from. 

Herzegovina is really close, and you'll be surprised... if not so much for Neum, BiH's only sea-port, Mostar and the tiny hamlet of Počitelj are worth a couple of days. If gastronomical tourism is your thing, Bosnia and Herzegovina is your country: cheap ćevapi, pljeskavice, kajmak or sarma and many other delicatessen are waiting for you. Let alone the country's multicultural influences and a population willing to warmly welcome foreigners. 

Pelješac peninsula is also easily reached by either car or ferry, you could enjoy the local wines while watching the sunsets over the islands of Mljet (an incredible natural park) or Korčula (I'll write an article about this one)... not to mention the walls of Ston, which established the northern border of Ragusa and which apparently are the longest walls after the Great Wall of China. 

A small bay in Pelješac 

Alghero: the Catalonian Italy

When we think about Italy we usually think of pasta and pizzas, la mamma and la nonna, mafia, Luigi Mario and Mario Mario... Believe it or not, Italy is much more than that (Captain Obvious strikes again).

People would usually assume that Spain is a multilingual country, and they'd be right... some would even mention some of the languages spoken here... but I dare you to find in less than 10 minutes 5 people who know some of the other languages spoken in Italy.

Saay whaaat?!

Yes. There's more languages in Italy besides Italian. In the North-East they speak Slovenian; in Tirol, German; Greek is still spoken in some cities in the South (mostly maintained since the times of the Magna Graecia by the Griko community); Ladin, Ligurian and Provençal in the North-West... and in some parts, the Arbëreshë communities (who arrived in Italy some 400-500 years ago) preserve the Albanian language they brought with them. 

And this was just the simplest distinction. The one most people would agree with... because Italy is a multi-dialectal country: each language has its own dialects (some are almost the same and others are not so mutually-intelligible) and the barrier between a language and a dialect is not that clear.

Languages and dialects in Italy -taken from "trustworthy" Wikipedia. In this case I can say it's quite reliable

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second biggest isle on the Mediterranean and its complex history hides numerous invasions which left architectural, cultural (and gastronomical, I would also say -you can order paella and crema catalana in most restaurants) and linguistic traces behind. For obvious reasons, Italian language is present all over the isle, but the local language (Sard) is also quite important, but it was endangered in the last few decades. Luckily enough it is now shily reviving.

Thanks to the influence of neighbouring Corsica, Corsican is also spoken in the North. And so is Ligurian in the South-West. And, as you may have guessed from the title of this article and the maps, Catalan is the missing piece in this linguistic puzzle. Yes, Catalan is still preserved in Alghero and the areas surrounding this beautiful Sardinian city. But this is still Italy. In this country, standard forms of language are -more than anywhere else- the imaginary friends of some crazy and utopic linguists... so in Alghero, more than 400-500 kms away from Catalonia, they speak the Algherese dialect.

Flags

The first thing that surprised me as soon as I arrived in Alghero was its flags. I guess that's some sort of obsession I have since I was a kid. I always loved flags and knowing where they were from. I had seen Sardinia's peculiar flag before, but I had never seen Alghero's.

Sunset over Alghero bay

As you can see in the picture above, Sardinia's flag is comprised by 4 maures or blackamoors and St. George's cross. Apparently it has two different interpretations:

- It was designed by the king Pedro I of Aragon after the Battle of Alcoraz against the Saracens to celebrate his victory. The legend says that in this battle, Saint George himself appeared miraculously helping them win... and hence his cross.

- It was a banner given by the Pope Benedict VII to the Sardo-Italian troops fighting against the Saracen invasion. But the original banner had inverted colours and it didn't have the four maures either.

The other flag is Alghero's. The official flag is the Senyera, the ensign of the Crown of Aragon and its dependencies (Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Kingdom of Aragon, Kingdom of Valencia, among others). It is comprised of 4 red stripes over a red background. However, there's also another unofficial model I saw in a few houses and places. It takes the official flag (with the city's coat of arms) and on top is written: L'Alguer (the Catalan name of the city) and bellow appears this motto: País Catalá de Sardenya (Catalan Country of Sardinia).

Alghero

Being a plurilingual and historically complex city... it also has numerous exonyms: Alguer in Spanish, L'Alguer in Catalan, S'Alighèra in Sard, La Liéra in Corsican and, obviously, Alghero in Italian. This city was founded by the Genovese in the 1100s and conquered by the Crown of Aragon a century later and it was maintained by the Hispanic monarchy till the 1700s.

Alghero is strategically protecting a white-sanded bay looking West. Needless to say the sunsets are just amazing.

One of Alghero's beaches

Sunset over Alghero. To the left Marco Polo's bulwark and to the right Sulis' bulwark

Alghero is the fourth biggest city in the isle after Cagliari, Sassari, Olbia, but even so, L'Alguer has less than 45.000 inhabitants, so the old town is relatively small and easy to know.

Strolling around the city walls and bulwarks is a must. The city is completely surrounded by them and they offer amazing views of the bay. Some parts clearly show medieval traces, while others are more characteristic from modern forms of defense. In any case, if you're a bit geeky, just like me... you'll enjoy the view of the real size catapult and trebuchet they have on the West wall.

View from Bastioni Marco Polo

Torre dell'Esperò Rejal or de Sulis

The same bulwark from a different angle

Following the city walls, you'll arrive to the port. These days it's mostly a marina with big and expensive yachts... but still you'll find a few fishing boats. From there you'll be able to take a small boat-trip or take a boat to Neptune's Grotto.

The narrow and shady streets of Alghero are hiding numerous surprises. Small churches and chapels, tiny squares that in spite of tourism haven't lot their identity yet. Houses and buildings with Iberoitalic influences, palazzos... and obviously Alghero's cathedral, built in Catalan-gothic style and its poligonal tower -quite typical from the architecture all over the territories belonging to the Crown of Aragon.

Excuse me if I didn't attach any picture of the cathedral's main gates, but it is a terrible neoclassical nartex from the late XIX century and that, in any case, it was completely scaffoled by the time of my visit.

Palau de Machin, 15th century

Palau de Machin, built by Catalan builders is just one of the little treasures hiding in Alghero's streets. To my surprise it was not included in my travel guide... But luckily enough it had a plaque with some basic information about this monument in Italian, English and Catalan. 

If you didn't notice yet, the light and colours of Alghero are really special: even if you take a small stroll around the city, you'll have to love it. Are you looking for a sunny place with nice beaches? Alghero is deffinitely a good option. But if you're looking something more Historical and cultural... then... Alghero is highly recommendable!

I promise my next article will be less linguistic and more touristy ;)

Slavonia: Strolling along the rivers Danube and Sava

I had the original intention of writing another article for today, but a couple of days ago I rewatched on TV Harrison's Flowers... so in the end I felt I should write about Slavonia. For those of you who have previously read my blog Ja sam lektor, this article is really similar to this other one.

Slavonia

For the same reasons Slovakia should not be confused with Slovenia... Slovenia IS NOT the same than Slavonia. Slavonia is the region forming the Eastern corner of Croatia surrounded by Hungary in the North, Serbia in the East and the almost-impossible-to-classify Republika Srpska to the south, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Slavonia is located in the Pannonian Basin, making it as flat as can be. Those who know well the area say that the highest peak in the region is a turnip. This metaphore is not completely random, for Slavonia is the biggest vegetable producer in the Croatian market.   But Slavonian cuisine does not end here -it is well-known for its cured pork meats like kulen, prsut and some typically Hungarian dishes like goulash. 

So it would be a great idea to indulge yourself with a cholesterolful fest while enjoying the view: the green plains and the barges travelling up and down the rivers Danube and Sava... flowing slowly towards Belgrade in spite of the murky history around them.

Slavonski Brod

River Sava flowing by Slavonski Brod

On the North side of the Sava river lies Slavonski Brod, meaning something like the ford of Slavonia. Back in the days, this city was the most important Croatian port in the Sava river and it still keeps part of its industrial strength. Right accross the river you'll manage to see its Bosnian equivalent: Bosanski Brod. The river used to be the border between the Otoman and the Austro-Hungarian empires, so the old central European power had to protect the city with a fortress.

This 18th century fortress was designed in a star shape, like many others of its time -quite efficient against the new artillery weapons. It was one of the biggest and most expensive border defense constructions ever built in the Austro-Hungarian empire. Its complexity is comparable to that of Real Fuerte de la Concepción, a relatively unknown Spanish fortress in the Portuguese border. The Brod's fortress is not in the best conditions, though. Grass and trees have blurred some of the bastions and from some angles you may confuse the fortress with unexpected hills in the middle of Slavonia. 

The town is medium-sized (about 60.000) but it is a nice place to walk around and take a look to its Austro-Hungarian buildings and some Baroque monuments, like the Franciscan monastery. A good idea is to have a coffee in the main square (named after Croatian writer Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić), and have a wonderful coffee with wonderful views. If you want to freak out the beautiful waitresss from Mala Kavana, order a coffee with ice. She will observe you really amused while you have your cold coffee observing Bosnia on the other side of the river.

Trg Ivane Brlić-Mažuranić

Some bullet holes on a cafe's wall

To the children dead in the Croatian war

Osijek

On the banks of the Danube and right on the border with Serbia lies Slavonia's most important city: Osijek. It was founded back in the days of the Hispanic Roman emperor Hadrian as Mursa Maior, but it was later re-named Osijek by the Slavs, Ösek by the Turks, Eszék by the Hungarians and Esseg by the Germans. 

One of the funny things of Osijek is that is quite hard to find THE city centre if there's one. Maybe around Ante Starčević's square (where the concathedral is) feels kind of like the centre, but not quite... besides, there is another centre, the citadel -but not much happens there and it is completely separated from the rest of the city.

Trg Svetog Trojstva - and the current university

  The old city is a stronghold with star-shaped bastions along the banks of the Danube. Its center is the Holy Trinity's Square (Trg Svetog Trojstva), and it's designed following a grid plan. Parks surround completely this part of the city. Apparently it's one of the biggest concentrations of Baroque buildings in Croatia, but if you're used to Spanish Baroque you may find it a bit dull or maybe even confuse it with New-classical buildings since Croatian Baroque is not as lavishly decorated as Portuguese, Italian or Spanish. 

St. Michael's church in the background

Even if you're not that much into architecture, Osijek is a great place to walk around and relax. Its streets were mostly deserted during our visit and -like in most parts of Croatia once you leave the coast- you will not find many tourists. The promenada along the Danube offers easy and nice views of the Serbian countryside.

Bastion by the river

Bullet holes on a wall

The same holes compared to my hand

This video is one of the most well-known images from the beginning of the conflict: the Yugoslav People's Army thanks destroy a Zastava 750 (usually called fićo) that was trying to block the street to the tanks.

This tank is on the road between Osijek and Vukovar. By the end of the war it was full of abandoned and destroyed cars and tanks. The government eventually decided to clean the road but left this one as a reminder.

Fishing in the Danube. Serbia is just accross the river

Vukovar

Finally we make it to our last stop today: Vukovar. This town, 35 km to the south of Osijek was happily unknown to the rest of the world until the early 1990s when it was completely destroyed. This town, just by the Danube, is still Croatia's main inland port. It was mostly known by its industry and it's Baroque buildings and art galleries.

One of the tiny passenger barges on the river

Vukovar, like many other towns in Slavonia, has a Hungarian name meaning river Vuka's stronghold/town, since it's placed right on the mouth of this river. Before the war it had one of the most heterogeneous populations in Yugoslavia: 43% Croats, 33% Serbs and some important minorities of Germans, Hungarians and Ukrainians. Industry helped the town to highly increase its population, and by 1990 they reached the peak of 44.000 inhabitants. In the last census published in 2011 there were just around 27.000.

The tension raised between the different groups after the outbreak of the war, and the Yugoslavian army invaded this part of Croatia in order to form some sort of Greater Serbia. The conflict was especially intense here. The Serbian siege lasted for three months and it left thousands of casualties. Vukovar became the only European city to be completely destroyed since Stalingrad during World War II. This is the way the city looked after the siege:

Twenty years later, the scars are still visible in the buildings everywhere -let alone the not-so visible scars in the local people. 

Baroque palace on the main square

 

The heavily damaged water tower.
Now it's one of the city's symbols

Reconstructing Vukovar, together...!

During my visit, they were commemorating 19 years since the end of the siege... but the Heroic City (as it is often called) was not celebrating it. When the attacks ceased, a paramilitary group entered the hospital where the injured and wounded were healing. You can guess the rest.

The hospital's basement

Some of the victims of the hospital's massacre

The fire finaly ceased in 1992, but this city would not be returned to Croatia till 1998. Since then and every year, the people in Zagreb light candles all along the 5 kilometres of Vukovar Street. I took the pictures bellow in Zagreb in November 2011, on the 20th anniversary of the massacre.

I love Vukovar. Kindergarten: Future

Vukovarska Ulica, Zagreb

People praying by the Lisinski Theatre

Visiting Vukovar is an eerie and indescribable experience. Tourists usually stay on the nice beaches in Dalmatia and Istra. Croatia's idiosyncrasy and history are far more complex than the waves of the Adriatic sea and a dish of lignja na žaru.

This is also Croatia and this is its history.