Dubrovnik Old Town

I can fully appreciate Dubrovnik's reputation as the pearl on the Adriatic. Our apartment is within walking distance of the old town, a community housed inside the town walls. On a very small peninsula totally surrounded by a rampart is the historic town that has rebuilt itself after the siege of Dubrovnik  from October to December 1991. 

The huge stone pavers are glossy with wear, and the buildings rebuilt or repaired so well that one could be forgiven for asking what siege? Apart from the oblivious pok marks from munitions on the pavers, a few holes on the exterior of the stone parapet and a few badly  damaged buildings visible only from the walk way there is no further evidence of warfare. A huge  map at the entrance gates scatter graphs the direct hits, the roof hits and the fragment damage.

 The town has been rebuilt over riding and hiding that passage of time. The stradlum main street lined with shops and cafes,  leads you from small monasteries, passing churches, the oldest pharmacy, a fascinating clock tower to the cathedral. 

The atmosphere is exciting, the surroundings vibrant, and the temperatures soaring. There are a cacophony of languages being spoken by the tourists who flock here to enjoy the scene and the atmosphere. Outside the city walls by the Ploce gate are moored small boats and yachts plying for day trip trade. It's a busy wee port. While a short distance  through the newer part of  town is the huge port with cruise liners lining the wharf. 

Last night we walked the rampart, over looking the old town on one side and the busyness  of the modern town on the other. The streets are narrow, so much of Dubrovnik runs on a circular one way system. The sea is an indigo blue with swells causing the small craft to pitch and corkscrew though the water. My stomach wouldn't last 5 minutes out there. The views are worth every step we had to climb up and down and around the parapet.

I am interested in the history of the war. Today we caught the cable car from close to the apartment and went up to Mount Srg the Napolianic  fort over looking old town. It was here that the Croatain flag flew through the conflict in defiance to the Yugoslavian forces mostly the Serbian and Montenegro aggressors. It was here that the army of mostly volunteers and a conscripted police force attempted to protect the town and hold out against an aggressive enemy. And so began the siege. With the Bosnian border a few hundred meters across the valley, and the combined Serbian Montenegro naval ships maintaining a blockade of Dubrovnik, this delightful place was caught. The people refused to leave and refused giving Dubrovnik to the enemy and thus losing the pearl as part of Croatia. 

Displaced Croats from around the region had flocked here believing that Dubrovnik was a strong hold and as an UNESCO heritage site it  would be redeemed from fighting. Not so, the other side wanted the pearl of the Adriatic. Despite talks, pleas to the international community to intervene and promises of a cease fire, the Serbian and Montenegro forces kept shelling Dubrovnik homes on the hillside, the old town and the military strong hold of Mount Srg. By maintaing a naval siege outside the town food and supplies were rationed. Tensions heightened  as talks increased, those inside hoping for respite, but believing a fierce attack would occur.  5:50 am 6 December the attack began with relentless shelling of the rampart and the interior from the sea, air strikes attempting to knock out the communications tower and the military base on Mount Srg, plus rocket fire from the across the valley to people's homes. However the people held out, and as the tide turned in other parts of the country the Serbs were pushed back into Bosnia in the north. 

I tried to engage our land lady in a conversation about the war asking her if her house suffered any damage. She and her children had left, firstly to Ston 50 kms upthe Dalmatian coast, our next planned stop, and then to a cousin in Ljubljana. The house was hit on one side, the force of the explosion destroying the contents of the house as everything was thrown around. Her concluding remarks were that everything was quickly rebuilt with UNESCO money, people have moved on, they don't like to talk about this issue to the tourists. "it was 23 years ago, we have put that behind us and moved forward". 

Tonight I went to pay for our stay and our land lady mentioned the fact that I was flying out of Sarajevo to Ho Chi Minh. We then began to talk of the war in Vietnam and she made parallels to the warfare here in Croatia. Suddenly she just opened up and talked of political issues, current issues, the Serbian involvement and why they became aggressive, the  friendly relationship with the Bosnians, the Balkins war. I felt privileged to be in a position to listen. 

I love being here, enjoying the new Dubrovnik, the work of the artisans, jewellery and art work abound, the view of the water from the doorstep, the history, the culture, and to think I am in the midst of a friendly determined and resilient community of people.