As I sit in my apartment in sleepy Hvar with the rain crashing down outside, I already miss the sunshine and the people of Dubrovnik.

Right after I arrived there, Oleg (my server) noticed me eyeing up the wine list. He brought me a glass and invited me to join him after his shift the next night to share a bottle and the scenery at a Buza nearby. At first I was a little skeptical. Meet a complete stranger for wine at a place with a name I had never heard of?

Buza in Dubrovnik

But, Oleg seemed harmless, so I decided to check it out. I’m so glad I did. We stepped through a hole in a cliff wall to a bar perched on the other side. He introduced me to his boxer named Bella and we traded life stories as we sipped a crisp white Peljesac. He told me about the divide that still exists between the Serbs and the Croats and his dreams of owning his own bar. At the end of the night, he gave me a friendly hug and wished me a good journey.

The next day I was taking a photo of one of the Dubrovnik stairway alleys when Lucia poked her head around a corner and with wheezing breaths gestured for my hand. As she leaned on me for support, her musty smell and broad toothless smile hinted at her age. The youthful sparkle in her eyes melted my heart. In broken English she cursed her aging body and told me of a time when she could have swam all the way to Rome or danced all night with her friends. As she kissed me goodbye on the cheek, I wished I could have invited myself over for dinner with her and her family.

On the morning I left, I had the pleasure of meeting Pepo. He and his friend provided transportation from the aiport on my arrival and to the bus station for my departure. If you are going to Dubrovnik, you must call him because he also does guided tours of the area. (http://dubrovnikshoretrip.com/).

We shared a few laughs before the conversation turned serious. He told me what it felt like to wake up to the sound of grenades in the distance at 6am on the morning of October 23, 1991. How his dreamlike city had turned into a real life nightmare overnight. How he joined the army to fight for his life and the lives of his family and friends. Although the fighting ended years ago and the physical damage has been repaired, he told me that the spirit of the people would never be the same. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to not be safe in your own city anymore. The strength it would take to get through the terror of every day.

As we had coffee before my bus arrived, he asked me the same question that I continue to hear from everyone I meet. ‘Are you scared to travel alone?’ A year ago, I would have said yes. I would not have attempted 2 ½ weeks and three countries solo. But now, my perspective has changed. Cancer is scary. Chemotherapy is scary. Surgery is scary. And as my new friend Pepo might say, war is VERY scary.

Traveling is the opposite of scary. Every day is a chance to meet a new friend and gain a different perspective. Pepo said to me when he dropped me off, ‘we only need to ask ourselves the right questions in life. If we ask the right questions, we will realize that we already have all of the answers.’ I have reflected on this comment ever since. It was pretty poetic for a 20 minute exchange at 8am.

So, you can see why I miss Dubrovnik. But, maybe tomorrow the sun will shine in Hvar and my next adventure will begin. For now, I will stay inside where it’s warm and dry and log some time with my book.