ADRIATIC HOLIDAY

foreign [Music] in comparison with the USA Yugoslavia the home of some 16 million yugoslavs is somewhat larger than the states of Pennsylvania and New York superimposed the two countries look about like this as you step to the Eastern end of 42nd Street in New York City you view the UN buildings as modern in design as is the organization they house a group of Nations endeavoring to promote order and justice among the nations of the world the flags of all member nations fly outside the buildings the flag of Yugoslavia one of the founding Nations flies here with the others continuing Eastward we come to the Idlewild International Airport a Swiss airplane is getting underway while this is not a quiz program have you ever wondered how much gasoline it takes to fly such a sky giant to Europe enough to last the average American family car between three and four years the international character of your trip is established as you board your plane with people of many different nationalities some may well be Americans of Slavic extraction going for a visit to their parents Homeland many North Americans headed for Europe look forward with anticipation to their forthcoming contact with old European cultures but there may be a passenger among you exporting a little North American culture on his own there was a time when travel plans for a trip to the Adriatic shore of Yugoslavia required setting aside at least a week each way just to reach the area and return from it today an overnight flight to Zurich in the case of Swiss Air places you in Switzerland the next day Yugoslavia is but an additional few hours flight to the southeast in Slovenia let's first look at the beautiful mountainous region around kranskagora as a world traveler you are very welcome here they make this obvious and in as many different languages as seem necessary these are the Julian Alps an Eastern extension of the dolomites a curtain of Peaks that lies between Italy to the west and Yugoslavia to the east there are of course passes through this and other ranges and the welcome sign stands at the Yugoslav end of one of them you may easily thread your way through narrow valleys affording intimate glimpses of towering Peaks their austerity more than offset by friendly hotels in perfect settings that provide a comfortable overnight stop or a full season's holiday for The Veranda City or the mountain climber these Peaks are equally rewarding roads in the area while for the most part not hard surfaced are in good condition and well maintained automobile travel is feasible and enjoyable apropos of hospitality you rarely pass a Slovenian youngster today who does not wave at you though sometimes reservedly no two Village squares are the same except that most carry an old world atmosphere many residences date from the 17th century and this one's rugged doorway has served successive generations for three centuries spring is a pleasant time for Slovenia apple trees line many lanes and the color and fragrance of apple blossoms are a happy adjunct to the day's wanderings waterways are tucked away amid valleys and Peaks such as Lake bled its enchantment enhanced by a tiny chapel-studded Island hotels lie in the southern shore of Lakeland a commanding view of them is had from a high Rocky promontory one Jagged Northern Bluff is capped with an 11th century Castle Beyond being a vantage point from which to view the lake area it is also a dramatic Landmark as in reverse order you view it from your hotel window it pleasantly dominates the scene as it has done since 1004. it is fortunate if your visit coincides with a national or religious holiday at such a time you may encounter a folklore group such as these young people from Croatia costume designs are traditional ancestral ones passed on from one generation to another costumes are generally very permanent in character though not so this necklace for durability it cannot compete with row upon row of porcelain buttons gracing this vest the necklace is not very durable it is made of cookies and is not likely to survive the day such young people will frequently be seen performing colorful local dances such as tan chips [Applause] [Applause] thank you these young girls are singing of the Rolling Hills of Croatia while a dance is much too long to be included here in its entirety it is desirable to catch a glimpse or two later on orchestration is added and Men join in the Colo a name applied generally to Circle dances of the Balkans [Music] this is [Music] thank you there are times when the dancer's speed seems to be a matter of trick photography so you might care to observe this spin is not a matter of camera action but of excellent coordination of the dancers [Music] curated Republic of Croatia is the Coastal Island of Coachella it is one of some 800 Islands scattered along the Adriatic shore of Yugoslavia here they are set in a turquoise blue sea communities on these islands are served by efficient modern Coastal Steamers and sailboats have a unique Water World of Their Own on the island of Coachella is a town of the same name for as long as histories have been kept there has been a community at this point a local son is said to have been the renowned world traveler Marco Polo portions of his house heavily burdened with age still stand up these Tower steps he may have climbed or gaze from these windows of the now ruthless building and contemplated future exploits but these window-like insets are old built-in wash basins typical of ancient Adriatic houses there is one beside the kitchen fireplace that served as a kitchen sink where Marco Polo's Boyhood meals cooked in this fireplace no one knows for sure building space in the walled town was limited streets were narrow 20th century pressure has not widened them Coachella while having no corner on the attractive Children of the Adriatic certainly has its share and such action strictly voluntary at one of the nearby coffee houses it may be observed that local children sometimes grow up to be very attractive adolescents while the face of the Old Town may not have changed with the passage of time these two young women suggest the 20th century has made itself felt but no change has taken place in recent centuries in the quiet facade of the old Cathedral a century hence it can probably be viewed as it is today a not very large Rose window is to be found in this quiet facade and into it placed on its side gaze is a bewhiskered head a startled looking Venetian sailor it may be gazes at all this perhaps startled by some of the other faces sharing the facade or it could be the confusing fact that lions come with monkeys faces or that elephants have most UN elephant-like ears and abbreviated trunks but if our Phoenician sailor prefers reality he need but step inside the cathedral and view say this beautiful icon with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Peter flanking the Madonna and child work of the 15th century Slavic painter Blas of trogir even these fragments of ecclesiastical garments of the 1400s have somehow survived the passage of time and the turbulence of the ages Exquisite stonework as in these windows appears always to have been a product of skilled Coachella Craftsmen a stone plaque uncovered some years ago on a local Farm is thought to record names of refugee Trojan families who settled here after the destruction of Troy but of all Adriatic communities none has had a more interesting past than nearby Dubrovnik some peninsulas like this one occupied by Saint Stephen could easily become an island depending upon the whim of the sea but the peninsula Dubrovnik occupies lies firmly anchored to the coast as early as the 7th Century there was a town here as Ragusa of Latin times it was an independenty state the near perfect walls and towers still standing today were parts of the fortifications that contributed to its independence while various areas fell to the onslaught of one Empire after another Dubrovnik maintained an independence most unique for its time residences and shops have been rebuilt since a destructive 17th century earthquake leveled them but walls and towers are for the most part the original structures massive enough to ignore even earthquakes fortunately parking space is available outside the confining walls in olden days City Gates were closed each night with traffic interrupted until the following morning there is little point in attempting to drive into the old town or it boasts of but one Main Street wide enough for vehicles of any size the one wide Street owes its existence to an old Canal filled in centuries ago when two villages on either side of it joined forces tourism in all of its forms is very much in evidence buildings have seen little change since the Reconstruction of the Town following the 17th century earthquake all repairs today are made in such manner that the ancient styles are preserved arched passageways in a Labyrinthian maze give winding access to various parts of town tucked away literally in one part of the old outer wall is a unique restaurant The Labyrinth few dining areas can boast a more unusual location and few can offer more pleasing evidence of local culinary art take for example an enormous Adriatic Lobster which when served in the Dubrovnik Manor has metamorphosed into a Cascade of lobster meat from one end of the dish to the other imagination has grown mushrooms of hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes the head and tail have had decorative treatments if you can take your eyes off of what lies between if this hors d'oeuvre succeeds in wetting your appetite then you may wish to sample additional salt water Delicacies four as an Adriatic Port Dubrovnik specializes in Seafoods among these fish items is the sea swallow its large wing-like fins are undoubtedly responsible for its common name if you prefer meat have an elongated fillet though modern touches play their part in today's tourist life of Dubrovnik few communities have more pleasantly preserved their old world atmosphere and under present government regulations will continue to do so truta or Adana a speckled trout unique to Lake awkward and found nowhere else in the world it provides a livelihood for many of the local people as with buoyancy is obviously desirable this Lockridge is yugoslavia's largest lake commercial fishing carried on here centers around the nettle Lake awkward trout is understandably rated at delicacy and you will find it served as a specialty of the house in local hotels and restaurants there is an ancient Lakeside Community that bears the same name as the lake okrid and dates from about 300 BC Macedonian architecture made use of a set out design the higher the building the more it hung out over the nearby thoroughfare awkward's Church of Santa Sophia is an ecclesiastical gem restoration work has been going on for several years when the ottoman Turks came in the 15th century they plastered over interior frescoes in converting the church to a mosque they remain covered for some five centuries recently through skillful and painstaking South and considerably to the east of Dubrovnik lies Macedonia and its Lake awkward region half the lake is in Yugoslavia the other half in Albania we can visit only the Yugoslav site on route to Lake awkward from Dubrovnik we pass a lily studded River arm of Lake skadar a deep water Channel cut through the overlaying carpet of vegetation power launches do this and traveling from Villages along the water course to the lake and its several substantial communities robots keep open a straight and narrow channel on the shortest possible course of the past are preserved in folklore of the region such as morushka at korchula this dance tells of a struggle between Moors and Turks for the hand of the betrothed of the Turkish leader Legend has it she failed in her attempt to prevent the ensuing battle [Music] moreshka is thought to have had its origin a full 10 centuries ago the dance portrays the overpowering of the Moorish Soldiers by the Turks and the liberation of the Bride to be [Music] normally dance but once a year moreshka calls for skillful coordination on the part of the dancers they are not using stage prop paper mache or wooden swords but metallic ones anyone who does not have the routine down cold could contribute to a damaged skull [Music] the only modern touch to the dance is the lifting of the veil from the girl's face following her Liberation and the kiss neither would have been observed in public in ancient days however this variation seems to have met with complete approval