Stradun - Dubrovnik

Hi. I'm the music professor from southern Illinois who wrote in some
months ago because I had an opportunity to go somewhere, and had decided
on Dubrovnik. I just wanted to let you know that, even though most
people here and my family as well, thought I was crazy -- this turned
out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.
I did my homework. Lots of reading -- history, culture, etc. -- so I'd
know what I was seeing. And I started learning some of the language and
was fortunate enough to find a language class, which was a BIG help! So
by the time I actually boarded the plane, I was "loaded for bear." To
say I had a fulfilling experience barely touches the reality, but I'll
try. This, in part, is from a letter posted to a Flute List.
Dear Flute List:
I have just come back from a city that defies description -- Dubrovnik,
in Croatia. It sits by the Adriatic sea, surrounded in back by
mountains. The part known as the Old City (stari grad) is completely
enclosed by a medieval defense wall on which people may still walk, for
a spectacular 360 degree overview of the entire area. The old city is
completely pedestrian. It is filled with shops, places to eat or have
coffee, etc.etc. It is also filled with medieval and Baroque
architecture, museums, and many churches with the kind of art works
usually found only in museums. Past and present merge beautifully,
neither crowding the other out.
Many places were damaged in the war (the wall didn't help when they
were shelled from a mountain top for three weeks), but the sounds of
reconstruction are everywhere and the people have come through their
ordeal with remarkable aplomb. 
This has been a shipping and trading center for at least a millenium.
Cargo now is tourism, but the old harbor still brings in ships of all
sorts and ferries go to neighboring islands (one of which houses a
spectacular botannical garden) for a very reasonable price.
Musically, I felt that I had hit the motherlode. I was NOT there during
their annual Festival -- and I still went to a concert or performance of
some sort EVERY DAY. I heard the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the
Sorkocevic (Sorko-CHEY-vich) Quartet, several chamber groups, was
traditional folk dancing and ballet and modern dance, heard tamboritzen
music, new music from young Dubrovnik composers, and even a children's
chorus that sang -- among other things -- an Arcadelt madrigal. I even
went to the music school and heard their excellent graduation concert.
Accomodation was outrageously good. For the same price that in America
would put me in a Motel 6 room, I had in Dubrovnik an apartment -- yes,
an apartment -- with an amazing view of the old city, the mountains, and
the Adriatic from each of the TWO terraces. My hosts, Mario and Marija,
lived downstairs and were the soul of kindness. They actually picked me
up at the airport, and sometimes Marija would bring up a homecooked dish
of something just because she thought I might like it. I did! Although
restaurant prices were extremely reasonable, I didn't have to eat out a
lot. Between the local bakery, the daily farmer's market, and the
wonderful cheeses -- my midday meal was usually bread, Trappist cheese,
and Dalmatian figs. At restaurants I learned about seafood! Don't be
afraid -- if it's not moving, EAT. By the way, you can drink the water
straight from the tap here without any worries. And coffee drinkers will
be in heaven.
Through my hosts, I was introduced to Dive (JEE-va) Franetovic, a
flutist in the Dubrovnik orchestra. An excellent player, she is also one
of the nicest people and most artistic souls I have ever had the
extraordinary good fortune to meet. I had brought some flute music of
composers that I thought might not be commonly known in Europe, and a
few days later she responded with a wealth of Croatian flute music which
I am having the MOST wonderful time with! I also met Dive's
extraordinary family -- parents, grandmothers, and 5-year-old brother
Rokko.
I could go on and on, and would love to. But in short I have never felt
so safe or so relaxed in any city area. For a female traveling alone,
that is an enormous plus. English and German are second languages, and
it is quite possible to get around without learning any Croatian.
However! Although I've always had a weakness for Slavic languages, this
one is really beautiful. It flows like music. And if you do take the
time to learn even some rudimentary Croatian, the floodgates open and
you will meet more people, discover more things to see and go to, and
have a much more enriching experience. (It is lovely to make a lunch
order in Croatian and have the waitress smile and say, "Bravo!")
I had actually planned on seeing some other areas on the coast but
there was so much in Dubrovnik that I never actually left. The last
night of my stay, I went to hear one last concert -- the quartet -- play
in the beautiful little Saint Saviour church. Their encore was an
arrangement of the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria and I was having a real hard
time trying not to break down, as I realized how hard it was going to
be to get on that plane the next day and face Wal Mart and Burger King
again. It was my prvi put (first trip) there, but I have a strong feeling that
it won't be my last.

Flutistically yours, Suzanne Lord

Not in the letter, but to you all in the Midwest Croatian Connection,
PUNO HVALA for putting me in touch with all the wonderful people who
made this trip and this experience possible. 
Suzanne Lord