I’ve learned a lot from concerned feedback from Croatians and from Cameron Hewitt, the co-author of our Croatia & Slovenia and Eastern Europe guidebooks (and a driving force behind us getting that part of Europe up to speed with our coverage of the West). I’m fascinated by the Cold War and their struggles for freedom, and with the wars of the mid-1990s in the former Yugoslavia, but this is becoming old news. Here is an example of feedback to a recent article I wrote, and the response by Cameron (which I agree with a hundred percent):
Dear Mr. Steves,
It was painful to read your latest article on Dubrovnik and Croatia. I would have thought it was a reprint from 10 years ago. First of all the real story is that Dubrovnik has become a victim of its reputation. It is a laggard in post war tourism restructuring compared to other Croatian destinations. Much as energy wealth has kept Russia from reforming, Dubrovnik’s traditional reputation and hordes of Cruise Ship day trippers have lead to a town that is expensive, and offers second class amenities and value.
The real story of Croatian tourism and its successful rapid growth can be found in other areas, such as the Istrian peninsula, which offers high commercial standards of tourism, or the town of Zadar which is more than twice as old as Dubrovnik, and rapidly transformed itself to offer a far higher level of urban sophistication. National parks like Kornati, Plitvice, Krka, and Pakelnica, each offering unique splendor and are located less than two hours drive from each other. The town of Novalje on the island of Pag has become one of the top draws for the international party crowd with Ibixa-like 24 hour partying in one of the many mega clubs at the Zrce beach. The yacht charter industry is one of the largest and most competitive in the world, offering fantastic value, offering the most fantastic holiday experience. These are the real stories of the Croatian experience.
Milan Šangulin
Rick,
I actually agree with this reader. The point he’s making is that you should be cautious not to fixate on one (ugly) aspect of a destination — such as a war — when there’s so much more to the place. I think a similar case could be made about focusing too much on the communist chapter in former Soviet places, like Prague or Hungary or Poland.
Avoiding talk of old wars and communist times just to appease these critics is unreasonable. However, I would encourage you to think beyond these concepts. For example, I find Mostar at least as engaging for its mosques and Turkish houses and diving-off-the-Old Bridge traditions, as for its war damage and improvised cemeteries.
The more I travel in Croatia and Bosnia, the less I think about the war. The more I travel in Eastern Europe, the less I think about communism. There is so much richness of history and culture to learn about in these places, beyond those unfortunate blips on their history. It’s easy to still think of Eastern Europe as “behind the Iron Curtain,” or as the former Yugoslavia as war-torn—but that’s old news, man. As I say in the guidebooks and in my slideshows, people in Croatia think about the war only when a tourist brings it up. You’re doing readers (and the people who live in these places) a disservice to emphasize the negative/provocative factors too much. A solution might be to occasionally complement these weighty articles with a lighter, more tourist-friendly look at the same places (which you have certainly done before, in places like Dubrovnik). You could write a compelling article about Mostar, Dubrovnik, or the Serb parts of Herzegovina without ever mentioning the war.
Hope this helps.
Cameron
Right on Cameron. Thanks to Rick and to Cameron for bringing a better perspective to the world of travel. Input from your guides and co-athors is greatly appreciated. Cheers!
I agree, especially about the Istrian peninsula. My husband and I spent 4 days there in 2006 before visiting relatives in the Czech Republic, and there was so much we didn’t have time to see (or taste!). We’re especially sorry that we didn’t make time to stop for some roadside spit-roasted pork, but that’s just one of the many reasons we plan to return. The town of Rovinj makes a good base (formerly a Venetian colony, a lot of Italian influence) for exploring up and down the coast. And don’t miss the remarkable Roman amphitheater and other Roman ruins in Pula.
I guess the big names have the best sights, but I really do like to find the hidden treasures in the less known towns and would appreciate a bit more of this in your books. I take my athletes to Kutna Hora every year. I think it was your show that turned me on to that crazy skeleton church.
You know, it’s all about balance…being someone who was growing up in a time when we did not talk about Eastern Europe in school, I greatly appreciate the history lessons…to include more recent history…the more I travel the more I realize that not many people remember what they learned from history books…the locals may not want to think about it, or they may not want tourists to focus on it, but I feel we would be remiss if we did not at least mention it. I love your guide books because they strike that balance. Living like a local means knowing a little about the history of the place so you can understand customs and the context of your visit.
Couldn’t agree more! I lived in Dalmatia for 2 years and found the charms of the small villages up and down the coast to be extraordinary. It was never about war there; it was about delicious wine, grilled fish, and the amazing sunset over the Adriatic. Dubrovnik is over rated with its tourist hoards and high priced amenities. Also, Bosnia is still relatively untouched by tourists and offers many exciting things that true travelers relish. While war is certainly part of their background, most people throughout the former Yugoslavia want to move on to the future.
While in Croatia I only ran into fellow Americans in Dubrovnik; yes it was busier and slightly more touristy, but worth every minute. I would recommend including Dubrovnik on any visit to Croatia along with Zadar, and of course the parks, Plitvice is amazing. While there I did have some Croatians mention the war to me, but only in passing. It is a part of their history and they don’t ignore it, but they also don’t dwell on it.
now change the words Croatia and Eastern Europe in these letters to to Germany….
Good intentions to talk about something other than the horrible Bosnian war… except in the news this week, the UN High Commissioner had to intervene yet again in a row between the Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation. So perhaps being reminded of the war isn’t such a bad thing.
My wife and I enjoyed Dubrovnik, but we loved Split – it has tourist services, but isn’t nearly as touristy or overwhelmed with visitors (at least when we were there in May 2007.) We also wished we’d spent more than a day in Mostar – there is more to see in the area than is possible during just a day trip or overnight visit.
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