Traveling Rats

	*Croatia* Sue & Mark took me on holiday with her this summer when she went to Croatia. Croatia was part of Yugoslavia and gained independence in 1992 following a terrible war. Before the war, Yugoslavia was a popular tourist destination with Europeans. Now the tourist industry is slowly being rebuilt in Croatia. My hosts went to Cavtat, which is about twenty kilometers south of Dubrovnik. They chose Cavtat because it is a very beautiful place and it is on the Rat Peninsula! Here is a picture of me on the Rat Peninsula. behind me you can see Milini. This was occupied by the Serbian forces in the war and it is still being repaired. Sadly, we could not go to the mountains behind us because of the land mines that remain there.
	The famous diver Jacques Cousteau said that Cavtat had the cleanest water in the the world. Sue would agree. She went snorkling and even saw an octopus! I did not join her as I did not want to get my fur wet. Here I am by the beautiful clear blue sea.
	The Racic Mausoleum is in Cavtat. The mausoleum itself is a perfect example in sculpture of sacred art that was designed and constructed by the famous Ivan Mestrovic (1883 - 1962). The sculptures of Mestrovic have an international fame and grace many important buildings like UNO's in New York ("The Archers"). This is Sue and me at the mausoleum. There were stunning views from here and the mausoleum was very peaceful. The sculptures are of St. Sava and because of this, it was spared from being destroyed in the war by the Serbians, as St. Sava was a Serbian.
	Cavtag was originally called Epidaurum. It was founded in the third century B.C. by Greeks from the island of Vis and was abandoned in the 7th century when it was sacked by the Slavs. The survivors moved to Dubrovnik. Here are some of the ruins of the original city.
	Just off the coast of Cavtat is an island called Supertar. I was a bit scared of Supertar as Sue told me that there were snakes called Rat Snakes on Supertar and that they eat rats!!! Sue went to Supertar and really enjoyed it. She was sad because she saw a snake, but no rats. Sue had never seen a snake before. Here's a picture of me and Sue with Supertar in the background. I felt much safer seeing Supertar from a distance.
	One day we went to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is described as the 'pearl of the Adriatic' and it is absolutely beautiful. Here we are leaving Cavtat harbour with the Rat Peninsula in the background.
	Dubrovnik Old Town is a fortified city. Dubrovnik was founded in the first half of the 7th century by a group of refugees from Epidaurum (today's Cavtat). They established their settlement at the island and named it Laus. Opposite of that location, at the foot of Srd Mountain, Slavs developed their own settlement under the name of Dubrovnik (named for "Dub," a type of wood). The settlements were separated by a channel which was filled in 12th century, present Placa or Stradun, and since than the two settlements have been united. At that time the city walls started to be built as a protection from different enemies (Arabs, Venetian, Macedonians, Serbs, etc.), who wanted to conquer Dubrovnik. It is now a World Heritage site.
	As you can see, there are high walls surrounding the old town of Dubrovnik. Here is a picture of me on the City walls. It was very hot that day and I didn't like looking down.
	This is a picture of me on the city walls. On October 1, 1991 Dubrovnik was attacked by the Serbo-Montenegrin army. The Serbo-Montenegrin siege of Dubrovnik lasted for seven months, and in May 1992 the Croatian Army liberated Dubrovnik and its surroundings, but the danger of Serbo-Montenegrin sudden attacks lasted for another three years. Seventy per cent of the Old Town was destroyed, but you can see that they have rebuilt the town. You can see from the roof tiles how much damage was done. All the red tiles are new and have been rebuilt.
	This is the Franciscan monastery. It was badly damaged in the war and you can see the shelling damage around the building.
	Dubrovnik has always been a very important city and here am I helping to defend Dubrovnik from future invaders. My host particularly liked the shadow I cast on the city walls.
	Croatians' claim that Marco polo came from the Dubrovnik region and this anchor comes from one of his merchant fleet. If this is the anchor, I can't imagine how big the ships were!
	My hosts hired a car whilst in Croatia, so one day we drove about 250km to Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina. Mostar is famous for the 'Stari Most' bridge. Stari Most means 'Old Bridge' and it is a World Heritage Site. It was built in 1566 and spans the the Neretva river. One half of Mostar is Muslim and one half is Christian and this has traditionally been the gateway between the east and west. The bridge was seen as a symbol of unity. Sadly during the war, Christian Croat forces shelled the bridge and it was destroyed on November 9, 1993. Mostar was very badly damaged by the civil war and much of the city has been destroyed. The bridge was rebuilt under the aegis of UNESCO. Its 1,088 stones were shaped according to the original techniques, and the reconstruction cost about $15 million. It reopened on July 22, 2004, and its reopening ceremonies were based on the idea of reconciling Bosnian communities. Here I am at the bridge and if you look carefully behind me, you can still see the damaged buildings.
	It was very hot the day we went to Mostar (116 degrees fareheit) and so we were very pleased to find a wonderful shady bar by the bridge. Here's me with the Neretva river in the background.
	We had a traditional meal of Cevapcici which are spicy meatballs served with a goat cheese sauce. Sue loved it so much, she's found a recipe. This was the final day of our holiday so we took a photograph of my hosts, their two friends who accompanied them to Croatia, and myself! I loved Croatia and the Croatians made me and my hosts feel very welcome. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys unspoilt country, and good food and drink. Come soon, before everyone else discovers it!