Suitcase and World: March 2008

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Dubrovnik, Croatia.


N
icknamed the "Pearl of the Adriatic" by Lord Byron, Dubrovnik will be our last and final destination on our trip through Turkey and Croatia. I know that by the time I arrive in Dubrovnik I will have very mixed feelings - excited at finally being able to experience all that I seen and read in the guidebooks and on the web and sadness that my trip will soon come to an end.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Serbia vs. Croatia. Round Two?


S
erbia's Neighbors Recognize Kosovo. That was headline news today.

The Balkan nations were borne of the disintegration of Yugoslavia. In 1991, Croatia broke free and immediately plunged into war with rebel Serbs who wanted to create "Greater Serbia" from Croatian and Bosnian and Herzegovian territory. The war came to an end in 1995 with a Croatian victory and the signing of the Dayton Agreement. Although the two countries have greatly improved relations since, animosity between Serbia and Croatia has lingered.

Backed by the US Government and in defiance of Serbia and Russia, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on February 18, 2008. Today, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary officially recognized the newly independent nation. France, the UK, Germany and Italy have also pledged their support.