As we approach the end of our stay in Dubrovnik I feel the need to reiterate: The people of Croatia, contrary to what I was told thirty years ago by a Croat living in Toronto, are good friendly folks. Croatia has architecture to match the best in Europe. The most memorable aspect for me however, will be their rugged landscape with almost 5,800 kilometres of coastline touching waters that are the clearest of clear.   For those planning a trip to Dubrovnik: ...

  While swimming in the Adriatic the other day I swallowed a bit of water and noticed that it didn't taste particularly salty. Puzzled, I went up to the apartment, whipped out my device and went googling. Turns out the Adriatic collects a full third of the fresh water flowing into the Mediterranean group of seas. This in turn causes much of the salt to be washed downward, out of the Adriatic and into the Mediterranean. This may or may not account for the Ad...

 The island of Hvar in the Adriatic sees more sunshine than anywhere else in Croatia say the Hvarians. It is also the island where those of wealth and fame come. Last night Elenka heard the band called The Killers performing on a rooftop patio. She came to our apartment all excited and we rushed back to the scene. Others were sitting, squinting upwards and listening, but I was leery. I couldn't detect any movement on the patio, couldn't see anyone sittin...

 Thirty years ago a fellow who was part Croatian told me horrible stories of how Croats despised and poorly treated foreign tourists. Since that time I'd never given the idea of visiting Croatia a thought. Croatia, along with a few despotic African nations and most of the Middle-East were all off my radar. That said, here we are: ZAGREBThe first people we met were at an outdoor cafe. A giant of an off-duty policeman, his fiancé, and two other gals who mig...