The Tourists are Back

Dubrovnik is a city that completely runs on tourism. When I first arrived in September I could barely walk through the Stradun (main street). I would have to leave my apartment 10 minutes early just to walk to class that is usually 3-5 minutes away. Dubrovnik has 2 main ports that together can hold at least 5 cruise ships at once. Imagine yourself walking through Old town with the small streets filled with passengers from 5 different cruise ships- it is chaos!

 From November to March there was not a single cruise ship. The town was empty and it was oddly peaceful. Many of the cafes, bars, restaurants, and stores closed down for off season. Most importantly ALL of the gelato shops closed! The cafes and bars that are still open usually lower their prices during these months. There is a bakery we regularly visit and the women working did not realize Monika (my roommate) speaks Croatian. She overheard them talking to each other asking “why are there still Americans here?” It is very strange for locals to see a group of foreigners during these months. While it was quiet during this time, it was nice. There were still plenty of cafes and bars to keep us busy. We felt like locals who owned the city. Also, our Croatian friends were not working, because they only work during tourist season, which meant we were able to hangout all the time!

 It is the middle of May and the tourists are back in action. The first of hundreds of cruise ships arrived on April 1st. It is nice because everything is open again. There is a restaurant that opened right next to our apartment and they always let us borrow a cork screw. We have become best friends with the owner of a gelato store and he gives us half priced gelato. We still know of the cafes that keep their prices the same as they were during off-season. All of the beach bars are open again and all of the kayaking companies are running again. The city is full of new and interesting people, which we are always able to meet on a night out.

The two seasons are like black and white. They make Dubrovnik feel like two completely different cities and I am fortunate enough to have been able to experience both! They allowed me to have different experiences during different times of the year, which is something very new to me. It was quite exciting and interesting to witness the transformation of the city, especially because when I lived in Florence two summers ago I only experienced tourist season which I feel inhibited me from a truly getting to enjoy the city.