So Many Places

The journey to the Dalmatian Coast is difficult to forget. Outside of Zagreb, steep, stony gorges and rock-studded plateaus covered in scrub. Rough ridges of grey stone cloaked in a thin skin of greenery - stark and lonely. Brief, violent bursts of rain are pierced by the sun and the scenery shines and steams.

Here and there are towns and villages, many bearing evidence of war: scorched skeletons of vehicles, a single wall or chimney flue squatting on what was once the foundation of a house, bullet-scarred fences. Reminders that, not so long ago, people fought and died here.

To step off the train in Split is to enter a different world. Sunlight reflects everywhere, off white marble walls and walkways, sparkling on rich blue water. The main attraction, Diocletian's Palace, dominates the old cityscape. A relic from 305 CE, instead of standing empty, it is full or apartments, restaurants and shops. What at first seems like a desecration actually makes for a charming and dynamic experience - living history instead of an abandoned hulk.

Travel from Split to Dubrovnik must be done by car or bus. You make your way along a narrow road carved out of the steep cliffs, which runs right beside the sea. Little villages and towns, with whitewashed walls and terra cotta roofs, nestle in snug white coves beside water that ranges from aquamarine to azure. After a few hours, the road cuts away from the water and sinks down into a flood plain of grass and rice fields, crosscut with algae-choked canals.

The city appears suddenly, just around the point of yet another headland. It is completely bewitching. George Bernard Shaw said that those who seek paradise on earth should visit Dubrovnik. It is built entirely of marble, right down to its streets. Its famous walls, creamy white and providing gorgeous views of the city itself, neighbouring islands and the swells of the sea - truly the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic.’

By day, the narrow streets are a mad jumble of visitors. This makes the evenings extra special. The cruise ships take their tourists off on the glinting water and the setting sun turns the marble surfaces to warm and buttery shades of gold and bronze. Cafes and wine bars abound and when the last of the sunlight is gone, spotlights illuminate the city's monuments.

Underneath black skies and pinprick stars, there is music in the streets and a tapestry of glowing bricks behind the dancers. Even the broken-hearted can fall in love here. I know I did.