The Bosnia-Herzegovina road tour ended in Dubrovnik where we were dropped off near our vacation rental in Lapad. By that time, England had already scored Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals. We quickly checked in with our hosts and went out looking for a place to watch the game. We were just in time to catch Croatia score an equaliser. We were in an outdoor space with several restaurants each streaming the game. The crowds outside on the patios were wild. I was conflicted. I had no real issues with England’s “it’s coming home” but at the same time, here I was in Croatia, clearly with the underdogs. I found myself rooting for Croatia and not feeling the desolation of the England fans when they finally lost in extra time. It was such a magical night.
Football fever was serious. Even we debated scrapping our onward trip to Barcelona, to catch our connecting flights to the US, just in order to be in Croatia for the World Cup Finals. It was quite a tempting proposition. Walking around town, we saw lots of Croatian flags and football gear hanging out to dry in preparation for the big day.
But, people don’t come to Dubrovnik to watch football and observe people’s laundry habits. There were sights to be seen.
I found the Old Town of Dubrovnik to be enchanting. It helped that I had the most delicious salted peanut ice-cream up there on there on the walls. Perched above the shimmering Adriatic Sea, Old Town, Dubrovnik is full of history. The walls of the old town were built during the 14th and 15th centuries. Though we were there in July, at the height of over-tourism season, we found that visiting the walls early in the morning and late in the evening were convenient in avoiding the throngs. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site. Though not as obvious as in Sarajevo or even Mostar, if you looked hard enough you can find evidence of the recent war, with buildings still wearing their damage.
We stopped for a drink at Bar Buza, a bar built into the side of a rock on the Southern side of the city walls. It’s a small yet popular bar. They only have a few tables so when it got busy people took their drinks and sat on the rocks from where the adventurous jumped into the water.
Tourism has been booming in Croatia, and Dubrovnik for a few years now. Old Town itself is inundated with tourists especially with all the cruise ships and the Games of Thrones fans (never watched) running all around trying to find where scenes were filmed and trying to get the best selfie for their social media. But even with that for the World Cup Final, Old Town City Walls planned to shut down early. I respect that! There’s a lot we didn’t do so that just means we will have to come back.
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
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