Travelogue – The Dalmatian Coast

Last Wednesday (9 January 2019) LBPC “went to the dogs” as club members were entertained by our very own Roger Gage and his travelogue “Dubrovnik & The Dalmatian Coast” from his 2018 holiday.  This was mostly spent in Croatia but also took in a couple of places in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Making his excuses before he began, Roger explained that the holiday was a tour and so he had had no control over the time of day that he visited the sights or the number of people around those sights.  Accordingly, the light conditions were not the most helpful for photography and most framing-up was constrained by the close presence of hordes of tourists.

Croatia is a modern independent republic and a member of the EU, the UN, NATO and the World Trade Organisation.  It stands at the boundary of Christianity and Islam and has a tumultuous past.  Roger gave us a rapid recital of the main facts and dates of its history, culminating in the break up of Yugoslavia and the consequent 4-year Croatian War of Independence.

The Dalmatian Coast is, broadly, the narrow belt of land adjoining the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea.

Roger’s holiday had started and finished in Split (the second city of Croatia and the largest city in Dalmatia), taking in the Krka National Park (near Sibenik), Mostar (in Bosnia and Herzegovina), Dubrovnik (“the pearl in the crown of the Adriatic”), and Kotor and the Bay of Kotor (in Montenegro).

Roger’s photographs accordingly included various hotels and interesting images of:

• The port, the marina, Diocletian’s Palace, the Catholic Cathedral, and other views (Split);
• Verdant valleys and waterfalls (Krka National Park);
• The famous bridge (including young men leaping into the river below), bullet holes and other war damage, and market stalls (Mostar);
• The old town, Stradun (the main street), rooftops, walls, forts, churches, the Catholic Cathedral, the old harbour, and the modern harbour (Dubrovnik);
• An ornate island church (in the bay of Kotor); and
• Wall, churches, and the Cathedral (Kotor).

Roger is, of course, an experienced photographer and his plentiful images and informed narration colourfully evoked the many delights of an interesting region with a fascinating history.  His commentary and photography were much enjoyed by the assembled members who were certainly given a strong flavour of what Dalmatia has to offer.