Dubrovnik (October 21st - October 23rd)(continued)
The walls on the south side were barriers to attacks from the sea but this guy didn't seem too concerned about the sheer drop.
The Old City is a functioning part of Dubrovnik with a school within the walls. It was odd walking around the walls by people's homes as they tended their gardens or hung out laundry. The east end of the City has a harbour with a mixture of fishing boats and ferries that operate to various islands.
In 1991 Croatia declared their independence from Yugoslavia and war erupted but the locals felt most of the fighting would took place in the interior of Croatia. The Yugoslavian army (mainly those from present day Serbia and Montenegro) decided to lay siege to Dubrovnik. A small group of Croatian fighters defended the City from the mountains in the background as the Old City was bombed by the army. The destruction that resulted from the 8-month siege has been cleaned up but the new red tiled roofs provide evidence of the destruction. Most of the buildings had roofs replaced in the intervening years. The residents used the Old Walls to hide from the gunfire and were only able to leave their homes at night to escape the sniper fire from the hills. It's hard to believe that was only 20 years ago.
The City is now back to normal with people going about their business with some things not changing a lot over the years.
The Old City now has bookstores, restaurants, coffee shops and a nice relaxing atmosphere.
While in the Solitudo campground of Dubrovnik I saw a great invention that could save people lots of time in the morning. Why not take a shower and go to the bathroom at the same time? There is even a grate over the seat so that if the shower puts you to sleep, you won't fall in.
