Travel Weekly’s features reporter Susan Amos visited Croatia to see how the country has been affected by the Balkan crisis. THEREwere no tanks on the streets, only Mercedes, Nissan Primeras and beaten-up Croatian Zastavas, and the only bomb damage in evidence in the resort was a few black smudges on the townhall – from Serb shells that fell in the early 1990s.
As I strolled along the waterfront at Makarska, I saw palm trees and pavement cafes, designer shades and Vespas. I watched groups of friends chatting over Coke and pizza and market traders selling fruit and veg – it seemed impossible that just the day before I had pictured Croatia as a war-zone.
When I explained to local people that all my friends back in London had advised me to pack a flak jacket and combat gear for my trip, the typical reaction from the locals was: “Kosovo is a long way off. People still think we are part of Yugoslavia, but we have been a separate country since 1991. Now is a good time to come here.”
The Saga holidaymakers I met had been offered the option to fly back early, and instead had chosen to stay put at their hotel.
“We don’t understand why they want us to fly back. We’ve seen nothing overhead, no planes. It’s lovely here, you’ve got the mountains and the sea, and the weather is so good. It’s 20C,” said one bemused couple.