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| Dubrovnik, Croatia |
Kelly and I finally met up with Sara and Pierre, our Swedish friends we met in Losinj. We hooked up with them in Bol for another dinner, and enjoyed their company just as much as before, even though all 4 of us were pretty tired for various reasons. After Denmark, Kelly and I will now definitely visit Stockholm, Sweden and our new friends, who live a couple of hours outside the big city.
We took ferry and bus to get to Dubrovnik. Upon arrival, we were bombarded (for the first time) by about 10 apartment hawkers outside our bus. Each frantically opened flipbooks with pictures of their places, and desperately tried to determine who needed a room, and who might waste their time while all the worthy tenants were snatched up by someone else. I denied and just-a-minuted all offers until I could get to our bags, which were stowed underneath the bus. As I was grabbing our bags from the underbelly, I spied a good looking gentleman holding a simple sign with big letters, advertising an apartment with TV and air conditioning (unusually good amenities for a rented room). He had strategically placed himself by the baggage storage, and wasn't hawking to anyone, just standing stoically with his sign. Bingo, there was my guy. Turned out his room was a great deal, and we left with him. Our new host was extremely friendly, chatting us up about this and that. He even carried Kelly's bag, claiming the bag was "not for ladies." When we arrived at the room, he had us park our stuff (where we met his mother who was cleaning the room), then brought us inside his house (same location) and offered us a drink. A few minutes later, his wife and one year old son came out and we met them too. It was a very different experience from what we had gotten used to. It was by far the best hospitality we have received so far.
Before I tell you more about our hosts, I will get out of the way that Kelly and I saw a performance by pianist Ilia Kim. I think she is pretty well known. The classical pieces she played sounded great, and her fingers were simply amazing how fast they moved. The concert was a part of the Dubrovnik festival that happens in July and August. We also climbed up and walked around the wall surrounding the "old city" of Dubrovnik. You could easily see all the destruction from the war, as well as spectacular views on the sea side of the wall. It was pretty freaky, as the wall was only a few feet high...seemed too easy to fall over the wall. The piano concert and the wall were both cool, but did not compare with our experience with our hosts.
Our host's name was Bozo. It's hilarious for a few moments, but it's pronounced "bosho" and would only continue to be funny if he were stupid or clownish, neither of which he was (although he did have big feet). When we first met him, Bozo casually told us that he is a liason for the military, but it wasn't until the next morning when Kelly talked more with Anita (his wife) that we determined the full extent of his military service. Turns out Bozo is a civilian turned commander in the Croatian war in 1991, and is a national hero. As part of this discovery, Bozo graciously offered to take us to the fortress where he defended Croatia and tell us his story. Talk about lucking into a situation. I paid attention as best I could, and will relay to you what he told us. Keep in mind some of the specifics below may be a bit inaccurate due to my very bad attention skills as well as the language barrier. I also took pictures and will refer to them throughout the story. Just open my photo album in a new browser window, and find the correctly named picture from the Dubrovnik section. This way you should be able to read and photo-gaze simultaneously.
As Bozo drove us up the mountain to the fortress, he was going on and on about his shop customers who are "so ssshhtoopid, they wait until it is already very hot to buy an air conditioner. But it is too late. Jesus Christ! They don't know anything. They are idiots!" Bozo would often get worked up about things like this. He wasn't mad, so much as he was passionate about how ridiculous and stupid certain people and things are, and needed desperately to communicate it effectively (can you say Matt Lewis?). His desperation was underscored by his *constant* use of "understand?" at the end of every single sentence, followed by a pause while he ensured you verbally confirmed you were with him.
On October 1, 1991, Bozo was working his job as a reservations coordinator at the nearby Belvedere Hotel, when he heard several blasts very near the hotel. He called a friend at a nearby hotel to see what was going on. He was told the war had begun. Bozo told us it is hard to conceive (in the moment) of an attack being the beginning of a war, since it really just feels like a single attack. But in fact it was the start of a war. The Yugoslavian National Army had secured the airport just outside Dubrovnik, and was now making their way toward the main city. Bozo's hotel was southeast of the main city, between the city and the airport (see Fort 3. the large rectangle shape on the right is the airport. Bozo's hotel was between that airport and the fortress where the picture is taken from. For reference, the main city is to the right of the photo taker).
Prior to 1991, Croatia was a part of the former Yugoslavia, a communist country. A fire spotter we met sitting atop the fortress (his job is to spot and report fires from the superior view atop the fortress) when we visited summed up communism in this way: "Before 1991, I had to work 8 years to buy a color television. Afterward I could buy one in 2 months." He also elaborated with the following account (paraphrased): "My father wanted to be a structural engineer. The Yugoslav government told him he must be a mathematics teacher, because that is what was needed. My father hated teaching mathematics. His life was ruined, until Croatia was freed. Now he builds houses, and is happy." This man made use of the word "slavery", explaining that the Croatians were very prosperous, and were made to hand over their rich profits to Yugoslavia headquarters. Bozo told us that pre-1991, many in Dubrovnik (including himself) worked their official government job, but also worked one or two jobs in addition to generate extra (undeclared) income. Capitalism was starting.
In 1991, Croatia declared itself independent of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia's response was "Oh, no you DIDN'T!", except in Croatian. We asked Bozo why Yugoslavia was reluctant to allow Croatia to be independent. As his answer, he pointed to the water. Indeed, the bird's eye view (see Fort 2) shows the vast access to the Adriatic that Dubrovnik, and many other Croatian cities, enjoy. Then there's the aforementioned profits they were probably not willing to give up. Plus they were communists, and we all know communists are jerks.
After hearing the explosions on October 1, Bozo told his hotel guests to leave and take refuge in the shelters of Dubrovnik, and informed his boss at the hotel that he would be leaving (he thought for a few weeks, it turned out to be much longer) to defend Dubrovnik. He organized a group of fellow Croatians, around 12 people at first, to fight the invaders.
We reached the fortress, which is a massive stone structure atop a huge, steep hill overlooking Dubrovnik. The fortress was built in 1876 by the French (see Fort 11), to ward off attacks from the (I think) Russians and Austro-Hungarians. This same fortress built to protect the French from arrows and spears was used by Bozo and his army to defend Dubrovnik from mortar fire. (I stole this last sentence from a news report video Bozo showed us when we returned to his place). It held up remarkably well, though parts were damaged (see Fort 10). In the video we saw afterward, Bozo pointed out a scene from early in the war where the perfectly formed stone spire-thingees atop the fortress were in tact, a stark contrast from what we saw when we were up there (mostly destroyed).
Bozo and his army of volunteers were responsible for holding the fortress. Atop it flew the flags of Croatia and Dubrovnik. Bozo told us that if the fortress had been taken by the enemy (and the flags changed), all of Dubrovnik looking up from below would have known they had lost the war. The national army had surrounded the land all around Dubrovnik, and was patrolling the seas by battleship. The fortress was the last stronghold Dubrovnik had, and the only thing between the surrounding Serbian army and the town below (hence the importance of holding it).
Bozo showed us how they prevented access to their fortress. The pathway straight down from the fortress to Dubrovnik (see Fort 4) was safe and used to transport men and supplies (often using donkeys) to and from. To the left (see Fort 5) and the right (see Fort 2), as well as all along the opposite side (see Fort 7), mines were laid. Bozo explained they think they probably got all the mines up after the war, but who knows really. Nobody's too eager to find out.
The Serbian troops (13,000 total throughout the war) advanced closer to Dubrovnik in early November. The Croats were able to hold them for a while. They did this by sending just 1 or 2 men near the advancing troops, and throwing grenades at them. Even though it was just a couple of men, they threw enough grenades to make the Serbian army think it was many more. This had two effects. The multiple grenades convinced the Serbs there were many more men there than there were, so they were held back for longer than they would have been if they knew it was only two guys. Using many grenades was also part of a strategy to use up all of their very limited munitions quickly, a calculated decision to make the enemy think that since they were using them so freely, surely they must have loads of reserves. The belief in plentiful munitions was also aided by what Bozo referred to as the "sshtoopid" Serbian government propaganda. Said propaganda was aided by a certain Croatian POW Bozo told us about. This POW told his captors he had spent the last many months on a Croatian shipping dock unloading crate after crate of grenades and mortars from boats. He made up the story to inflate the Serb's estimation of Croatian strength. This captured man had a Serbian name, however, so the Serbs thought he was on their side politically, and therefore believed him. The "sshtoopid" Serbian army did some quick math based on the POW's story, and concluded the Croats had immense arsenals of weapons, when in fact they had precious few. The language barrier made it hard to understand the exact number of every type of weapon, but I'm pretty sure I was told all of Dubrovnik had 600 rifles, and some super low number of grenades and mortars (with only one or two mortar launchers), and they were prevented from acquiring more since they were surrounded. Keep in mind 600 rifles limits you to 600 fighters, so they were hugely outnumbered. As the Serbian troops neared the fortress, Bozo and his fighters had to be extremely careful with their ammo. They had only 30 fortress troops, and few bullets. Bozo told us of their strategy to fire each rifle once, and wait before firing again. In this way they held back the enemy without wasting ammo.
The Croats were short on other supplies, also. Yugoslavia had cut them off from water, electricity, and communication. Croatians began rationing food and water to their citizens. Bathing and most other cleaning was done with sea water. Bozo told us that they were saved by three neighboring Croatian islands (which can be seen off the coast in Fort 2). Though the national army ships patrolled the seas, the Croatians would boat to the islands during the night and when the seas were rough (to avoid attack), and bring back munitions, men, food, water, etc. Without those islands, they would have had no hope.
As we learned from the video we watched back at Bozo's house, the whole time this war was going on, the national army was pummeling Dubrovnik with mortar fire. From their positions above the city as well as from the Adriatic, the Serbs punished Dubrovnik for Croatia's declared independence. Yugoslavia's harsh, destructive approach was largely unexpected by the rest of the world, but despite pleas for help by the Croats, no other countries intervened militarily to help. The videos we watched showed them firing mortars rather indiscriminately into civilian houses, setting them ablaze. Eventually, having avoided it for the first few weeks or so, the Serbs shelled the "old city", which is the heart of Croatia surrounded by a huge brick wall, built some umpteen hundred years ago (see photos from Kelly and my walk atop the wall). It was (and still is) a national treasure, and it was a further shock to everyone that Yugoslavia was attempting to destroy it to make its point.
By early December, 300 Serbian troops had secured themselves in positions surrounding the fortress. Bozo's men still numbered only 30. In early December, ceasefire negotiations were taking place, and perhaps were agreed to (not sure..again, language barrier). Bozo indicated that all official signs were that they could relax a bit, but he did not trust the national army, and did not relax. On December 6, 1991, the 300 Serbian troops attacked in the biggest day of fighting the war saw (according to my sources). The Serbs shelled the fortress, and sent men in to penetrate it. Those men reached the top of the fortress. Bozo pointed to ridiculously close locations where the Serbian troops were heading towards them.
As the Serbian troups approached the roof of the fortress, Bozo and his men retreated through the access tunnel (see Fort 8 and Fort 14) into the underbelly of the fortress (see Fort 1.5), positioning themselves in its eastern side (away from Dubrovnik) Once the Serbian troops were atop the fortress, Bozo's unit walkie-talkied their support troups, stationed 4 km away in Dubrovnik, and instructed them to fire mortar shells on their own fortress. Bozo and his men had chosen the eastern side of the underbelly because the western side was where the mortars approached from, and strays could have (and probably did) entered the window holes and killed them. Bozo estimates 20 Serbs were killed and 50 were wounded from that mortar attack. He described proudly how the wounded had cried for help as the army retreated, admitting defeat. That was the end of the major fighting. There were other battles and explosions that continued well into 1992, but December 6 marked the major standoff where Dubrovnik had been protected...by the guy we RENTED A ROOM FROM.
Amazingly, only 3 men in Bozo's unit were killed, and none of them in battle. They were shot by snipers while conducting activities such as retrieving land mines from the field and grenades from trucks. Every year on Dec 6, Bozo and his fellow fighters gather at the fortress to remember their victory on the day of the great standoff.
The drive back down the mountain was a stark contrast to the drive up. On our way up, Bozo had been ranting about his frustrations, but as we drove back home, he was silent, calmly enjoying the patriotic, local Dubrovnik music in the tape player. I think by reliving all the details of the war through his passionate re-enactments, Bozo underwent a catharsis that relieved him of his daily tensions. When we got back to his house, Bozo showed us photos of him in uniform showing the fortress to important political figures from the U.S. and Mexico. One of the pictures was him with John McCain, taken last year.
To top it off, that night Bozo and Anita took us out for drinks in the old city. Bozo walked through that old city like a puffed up peacock. He strolled along in an unmistakably confident, near cocky, strut. As we walked, Bozo stopped to shake hands, hug, or otherwise greet no less than 10 people. It was clear he was highly regarded. The drinks were nice, and afterward we got a taste of how hip the old city of Dubrovnik is. Rounding one corner we came upon an outdoor fashion show, complete with huge video screens, cool music, lights, and a runway with models marching along it like gestapo-troops (I have no idea why they're told to walk that way). Another corner brought us to a fully packed courtyard with live percussion music filling the air. Another corner, and loud music from an indoor dance club was pouring out into yet another courtyard. The people were out to see and be seen, and the vibe was pure energy. Naturally, Kelly and I walked right past all of it and headed home for bed. Good thing, too, because our bus ride the next day (starting at 6am) got re-routed due to a fire, and then stuck in ridiculous traffic as an awesome electric storm passed right over the bus. It ended up being a grueling 14 hour bus ride. But we arrived (eventually) in Zagreb, where I am writing from now.
Our hosts in Dubrovnik were incredible. So nice and generous. Bozo's mother (grandma) got up at 5:30am to say goodbye to us, and give us gifts of bookmarks and doilies that she had made. Bozo drove us to the bus station. We only stayed with them for two days (really one and a half), because the room was already rented for the time after that. Kelly and I decided that although we would unquestionably have stayed longer at Bozo's place, we would rather move on than move to another room. Personally, I felt like we hit Dubrovnik just right, doing so much and having so many unique and serendipitous experiences, that I was happy to leave it so soon.
Last post I wrote about my expectations about staying with a family and really "staying" with them, and how I was surprised that how I had envisioned it wasn't how it was. I also wrote of envisioning stumbling upon historic sites, instead of lining up and paying to see them. One post later, and both of those expectations have now been met. We stayed with an incredible family who took us under their wing, and even showed us a historic site which had no lines or tickets (not to mention a guide who was *there* during the historic part). It is irony squared that I pointed out last post that I had expectations that weren't met and now they have been met, since the expectation in my last post (that my original expectations would not be met) was itself unmet. So my expectations still have not been met, but in the best way. How unexpected!
