Dalmatian Excursions
Trip Start
Apr 30, 2006
1
34
59
Trip End
Mar 25, 2007
Dubrovnik, Mljet, Korcula, Split, Plitvice Lakes, Rovinj, Croatia
Sunday, July 30, 2006
The People: ... Gentle warriors may be the best expression we can think of. Basically, the people are great. They are fair with tourists, they don't push a sell, and are welcome to give information. However, Croatia was a full-blown war state 9 years ago... It's interesting because you don't need to talk to 'grandpa' and 'grandma' to hear war stories. You can hear the tales over a beer at the local pub. We interviewed one individual while he was driving us to the ferry terminal.... He was about 35 years old and while driving, he pointed to the left "and that's where my best friend was killed by the Serbs..." Sad.
The Recent History...extremely complicated. As part of Yugoslavia it was a non-Warsaw pact (Not aligned to the Soviet Union), communist country ... it then ended communism.... then declared independence from Yugoslavia ... the Serbs attacked (from within and outside) ... they went to war with Slovenia...'won' the war... then successfully rebuilt itself.... all within 20 years...
Anyway, the trip was incredible... the nature was amazing... the people and history... very interesting. However, Croatia (although a gem) is not a HIDDEN gem. There were more tourists here than in Greece... and it was not any cheaper than most of western Europe.... thus hurting the'ol $30/day number. Anyway - in 2 weeks... India... Where, if we do our math right, we must stick to about $10 per day! Ha!
