In 1991, I sat glued to the tv much like the rest of the world. On the TV, a beautiful city was on fire. Smoke filled the air as people ran for their lives. Women screamed while carrying babies and men looked around in terror. The Yugoslav People’s Army and Croatian forces battled daily on my TV. As the smoke cleared and interviews took place, something besides the horrors of war caught my eye. In the background of the burned-out buildings, streaming smoke, and crying eyes set some of the most beautiful landscape I had ever seen. My heart broke for the citizens of Dubrovnik and I hoped for peace.
As time passed, I continued to look at photos of Croatia. The blue waters and Old World meets New World continued to beckon me. Then, all the planets seemed to line up for my family and we began to plan a family trip to Croatia. I do not have many places on my bucket list, but Croatia was at the top of a short list.
We spent 4 days in Dubrovnik and I was ready to move there after 5 minutes. Dubrovnik was everything I had hoped it would be, after 25 years of waiting. Every meal catered to my meat-loving side, people were kind and gracious, and the water was bluer than I dreamed. And the Game of Thrones fan in me loved seeing where many of the scenes take place.
I will be describing my trip to Croatia in detail soon, but wanted to share these photos because not all of them will make it into the story. Enjoy the photos.
