Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
Lessons from the Former Yugoslavia:
After the War
Since World War II, Europe has enjoyed unprecedented peace...
except in its southeastern Balkan Peninsula. As Yugoslavia broke apart
violently in the early 1990s, the rest of the world watched in disbelief, then in
horror, as former compatriots tore apart their homeland and each other.
Today—less than two decades later—some parts of the former Yugoslavia
are re-emerging as major tourist attractions. In recent years, I've enjoyed trips to
countries that once belonged to Yugoslavia, including Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
and Montenegro. As destinations, they of er profound natural beauty, a relax-
ing ambience, and a warm welcome. Life goes on here. Local people, while not
in denial about the war, would rather not be constantly reminded of it. Many
think about this ugliness in their past only when tourists ask them about it.
And yet—although I realize that, in some ways, it does a disservice to
these places to view them through the lens of war—I can't help but think about
those recent horrors as I travel here. Seeing the bruised remnants of Yugoslavia
is painful yet wonderfully thought-provoking. And, because this topic is about
how travel can change the way you think about the world, I hope you (and my
Balkan friends) will excuse my narrow focus in this chapter.
We begin at the region's top tourist hotspot—the town of Dubrovnik, in
Croatia. Nowhere else in Europe can you go so quickly from easy tourism to
lands where today's struggles are so vivid and eye-opening. Within a few hours'
drive of Dubrovnik are several new incarnations of old nations, providing rich
opportunities to study the roots and the consequences of sectarian struggles.
