Cool City Planning, Eclectic Architecture, and the Shockingly Unexpected Consequences of Globalization

Dubrovnik was perhaps that city that I was most eager to see on the trip. I had read a little bit about and had seen a ton of pictures and figured that this would be a city that I'd really enjoy. The only problem with going to Dubrovnik is that the city is really remote. So remote, in fact, that if you take a bus there, the map seems to indicate that the bus will go through a few miles of Bosnian territory (if someone reading this knows whether or not this is the case, I'd be interested to know so please leave a comment.) As I discussed in my previous journal, we figured that the best option would be to fly.

Our flight on Croatian Airlines from Zagreb to Dubrovnik was quick and efficient. The first order of business there was to book a private room to stay in. We went to the information desk at the airport and the attendant was able to book us a private room about 30m out of the old city for 20 euros a night. We were booked rooms in Marija Kesovija's little pension, which was excellent. We took the bus down from the air port and got situated, then left to explore the old city.

Dubrovnik is located on a spit of land on the extreme southern end of Croatia's Dalmatian coastline. Directly over the few hundred meter high hill that forms half of Dubrovnik is Bosnia. In other words, if the area weren't infested with landmines, you could make what looks to be a mile long hike and be in Bosnia. You can also take a brief bus ride and be at the Montenegrin border. Clearly, Dubrovnik is in a fantastic neighborhood.

I suppose a tour book would describe Dubrovnik as a "more intimate Venice." Dubrovnik is a tiny, medieval city with very high walls, high buildings, narrow streets, and whose important buildings are in a style derivative of Venetian Gothic. While the city is jammed with tourists, it somehow doesn't seem overcrowded. Due to it's nature as a port city, I wouldn't be surprised if its planners had intended its large squares and main streets to accommodate large crowds of out-of-towners.

The 15th century Rector's Palace is the most interesting building in Dubrovnik. From what I gather, the current incarnation of the Palace was initially contracted by Onofrio della Cava of Naples in 1435 and, after an explosion a few years, was reconstructed by the Florentine Salvi di Μichele. A few people made subsequent modifications to it, but none of the changes substantially affected the facade. The facade is reminiscent a Venetian Gothic inverse of Palladio's Palazzo Chiericati in Vicencza (1550).

What really architecturally surprised me about Dubrovnik was the sheer height of the walls. Looking down from the walls, people and buildings become surprisingly tiny. The walk around the walls is mandatory, and one should bring plenty of water ahead of time. Families run shops out of the upper floors of their apartments and sell incredibly over priced drinks to exhausted tourists.

The first night we were there, we decided to go out on the town and try to meet some Croatian women. We started out in the square in the old city suggested by everyone, but found it to be full of tourists and stuck up Croat Women. We decided to leave the square in search of a new place to drink. We found a packed bar on a side street that was blaring this Croatian (?) metal and really seemed to be hip. I'm still kicking myself for not writing down the name of that place.

We pushed our way through the crowds and purchased a some beers and started to talk to Irish blokes and this one Croatian guy. The Croat confirmed my fear that picking up Croatian women was unfortunately only possible if I had a lot of money and flaunted it (e.g. by driving a Mercedes). We both agreed that Slovenian women shared the Slavic good looks of Croatian women but were much more accessible. He told me that he always looked forward for the summers because had good luck with better luck with tourist girls than with his female compatriots.

It was at this point when the conversation really began to get interesting. He began casually telling us how Germany was the greatest country in Europe because it was so efficient and proceded to make some rather bigoted comments. After receiving several comments from people who, with varying degrees of politeness, urged me not to share his remarks, I've decided to remove them.

Sociologically as well as aesthetically, Dubrovnik was an unforgettable place that I wouldn't mind returning to. Next stop is the Czech Republic.

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