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CROATIA
Croatia is a sun-filled, mountainous slice of paradise that borders five different countries: Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzogovenia and Montenegro. The Croatian coastline runs 3,600 miles. Yes, you read that right...3,600 MILES...and bellies up to the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea.
In 1991, Croatia declared their independence from what was then Yugoslavia (shortly after Slovenia and Hungary) and it resulted in a violent, bloody war against the Serbs. Under Milosevic and carried out by rebel-Serb forces and their attempt at ethnic cleansing, over 12,000 Croatians were killed. Today, visual remnants of the war are everywhere and in many places, it is still unsafe to wander for fear of landmines.
Not wishing to trapse through unfamiliar terrain whilst in Croatia, we kept to the more populous areas (even some lesser known) and enjoyed every minute. Croatia is easily one of the most beautiful countries we've visited, with fantastic weather.
Because of the hardships many of the locals have endured in the last decade or two, the one bit of advice I can offer in regards to a visit to Croatia is this: Seek out the Croatian owners of businesses (be it hotels, apartments/sobe, restaurants and gift shops) and do your business with them. So many people (from other countries) have come into the area to take advantage of the post-war low economy and bought up many of the area businesses (hotels, resorts, etc). I'm not saying this is a bad thing, as it has helped bring the tourism back up to where it was pre-war, but what I am saying is that many of the Croats are struggling financially and why not help those who, for generations, have called this home? You'll find my suggestions under 'Dubrovnik'.
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