Dubrovnik, Croatia

After my Scandinavian trip, I did whatever preparation I could for my dissertation, knowing very well that I will be missing for another 2.5 weeks in August - this time to the Balkans. I did wonder whether spending another 2.5 weeks travelling on top of the 2 weeks in Scandinavia was a wise decision, and me being me, despite whatever promises I made to finish as much of my dissertation as I could before I go off again, in all honesty I accomplished very little before the trip. Heck it, I told myself. It's the Balkans. With the colourful culture and sad history. And I am going to countries which most people cannot even pinpoint on the map (Neither can I before planning for the trip). The boost to my street cred is so enticing that I just cannot resist.

            And so I find myself in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Once part of the Venetian empire (hey, my favourite civilization now in Civ 5!). I have heard so much about Dubrovnik being the ultimate tourist spot in summer, where northern Europeans and Australians flock to to get their share of the sun, island hopping along the Adriatic Sea. That was all true. Each day numerous boats and ships of various sizes dump their tourists onto Dubrovnik. The old town part of Dubrovnik is choked full of tourists, both day and night. But that still does not hide the fact that Dubrovnik is a beautiful place. The uniformity as a result of the mud-coloured bricks used throughout the city, beautifully preserved buildings that still evokes the typical Venetian coastal city, and of course the most famous of it all, the City Walls of Dubrovnik.

         Unless you don't mind splurging exorbitant prices for your accommodation, you are likely to be staying far away from the Old City. I walked 30 minutes into the Old City every morning, a part of it being uphill. And the summer heat in Dubrovnik is enough to put any Singaporean to shame. My T-shirt was totally soaked with sweat and I changed them like thrice a day. Climbing and walking along the walls was a real challenge in the heat. (A complete round takes more than an hour). But the scenery is simply amazing, and my favourite photo is the last one up there. 

          After seeing Dubrovnik, I regretted not setting aside time for Split and Zagreb. But then for this trip Dubrovnik was really just a convenient place for me to fly into, my welcome mat into the veiled mysteries of the Balkan Peninsula. And so, I only allocated one day in Dubrovnik before I met up with the rest of my Road Trip fellow travellers, ready to visit the Southeastern  part of Europe, which has been so well-hidden away until recent history ...