The first thing that hits you about some of the less touristy parts of Dubrovnik is the smell of wet cat. Dubrovnik has an enviable position as the Southern vanguard to the Adriatic. It is why the Ottoman Empire kept it as a protectorate against the encroachment of the mighty Venetian navy.
Named for “du brava” or oak trees, it is hard to imagine the sparse rocky hills once dominated by Mediterranean oak. Now, Dubrovnik’s fortified walls serve as stunning viewpoints for the majesty of the Adriatic. To the thousands of fans, Dubrovnik is also King’s Landing, the fictional setting for George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. It isn’t difficult to imagine armour-clad Knights running up and down the walls, ready to defend the city against sea invaders. Legend has it that each visitor to Dubrovnik was required to bring a stone to the city, and that provided the material for the fortifications as we now see it. It was pretty much a game of stones.
Yet, the wonderfully steep hills which frame the back of the city formed the backdrop of the Croatian War of Independence. In 1991, Serbian and Montenegrin forces tried to take Dubrovnik by force, shelling the inhabitants from the hills and damaging priceless medieval structures. Ancient churches and monastery walls are pockmarked with bullet holes, providing yet another reminder of an ethnic war fuelled by centuries of dogged ideology.
Early in June, the tourist season has already started with thousands of camera-clicking visitors descending upon Stari Grad (the Old Town) from the titanic cruise ships that glide the Mediterranean. Spanish and American tourists made for the majority during my trip, congregating in loud groups at every turn. Shops capitalise on the city’s Hollywood appeal by selling merchandise from the afore-mentioned TV series and Star Wars (scenes for the upcoming film were shot here).
Once you get out of the main drag, the side streets hold more appeal. This is where real Croatians actually live, although many have since sold their little apartments for millions and relocated to newer parts with a lot of money behind them. Real estate in the Old Town is crazy, as are the rents. A typical restaurant on the Main Street with some al fresco dining space pays nearly €22,000 monthly. Thus, they only have the tourist seasons to make a killing – and they do – as they are mostly shut during the winter.
That the average salary is about €700 per month seems a huge contrast to the exorbitant prices that tourists pay for accommodation. Were it not for Airbnb, I don’t think I could have sustained so many days here.
Still, having local friends is a plus, and knowing where to get cheap and delicious food is a boon to the cash-strapped traveller. Bear in mind that the most common form of sandwich is ham and cheese, or some variant of this. You can also get sandwiches with a nice vegetarian paste/spread made from herbs, olives and/or tomato.
The close proximity to Italy means that common Italian dishes such as pasta, pizza and risotto are commonplace, albeit with a Croatian twist. Being a seaside town, the seafood is fresh. Traditional Croatian first soup is clear and watery, full of flavour with chunks or flakes of white fish at the bottom (occasionally bulked up with some arborio rice). Sea bream is one of the most common fish for locals, and when grilled and seasoned with lemon and herbs, hits the spot every time.
Back to the wet cats…well, it’s probably cat urine. Cats rule the place – you will see them lying about in the sun just about everywhere. Locals love these mangy critters and feed and pet them. I wouldn’t find it particularly cat-astropic (ha, see what I did there?) if there were less of them, although they didn’t really bother anyone. Between cat urine and questionable human BO, sometimes you just don’t know where to put your nose. With various a capella groups singing traditional Croatian folk songs before cajoling awe-struck audiences to buy their CDs, sometimes it is a game of tones.