It’s a surreal feeling…being finished with my summer explorations, my moments of enlightenment and epiphany, the emotions of excitement and anticipation. I have never had two months go by quicker than these past ones. Part of me is still clinging to the rail of the 7th deck with enthusiasm, seeing our first port of Bergen in the horizon, waiting for us. Everything since is a blur. Everything since is an unawakened dream of wonder unveiled, a masterpiece of magnificence. If I remember myself that morning, I cannot help but smile at my childlike eagerness…it was as if I were about to enter a whole other realm of existence. Today marks the departure of that realm and for now, I am ready to go home, because in a couple of weeks, I will be headed to another one, in the Far East.

Fully recovered from my festivities of the past night, I awoke early and took the tender to shore. I immediately caught a bus to take me down to Old Town for the last time. I had planned to visit a gallery called “War Photo Limited,” which I had read about in one of my guidebooks. Opened in 2003 by a New Zealand photographer, War Photo Limited showcases war photrographs from various conflicts around the world, including Afghanistan, Liberia, and of course, the war here in the early 90s. At the entrance of the gallery is a sign that displays their mission: It is the intent of War Photo Limited to educate the public in the field of war photography, to expose the myth of war and the intoxication of war, to let people see war as it is, raw, venal, frightening, by focusing on how war inflicts injustice on innocents and combatants alike. The current exhibit focused on the child soldier and was shown on the first floor. The second had photographs from previous exhibits and also tv screens showing slideshows. I stood in front of these for at least a half an hour, unwilling to take my eyes away. Perhaps the most shocking photo was of a man holding up a decapitated head, very close to the photographer’s lens, I might add. The pictures themselves were beautifully photographed, but very chilling. The majority of the photographers I had never heard of. There was a quote by one photographer, named Noel Quidu, which particularly caught my attention. As a photojournalist who has done a lot of work in Liberia, he wrote,
“I have always been fascinated by mysterious Africa, a continent haunted by misfortune. I want to believe that my images can ‘make a difference.’ Africa scared me, and it is always necessary for me to return to the source of this fear, this land of huge reservoirs of plundered raw materials, and of manpower condemned to fighting wars or retreating to exile. We have to denounce violence, to call spade to spade and to make our images a document, a relentless protest against these wars, that are a permanent plague of this too often forgotten continent.”

Another thing that stopped me in my tracks was a picture of a young female Maoist rebel, who was wearing a Britney Spears t-shirt. The image was striking…here she stood, with two comrades of hers, all of which had guns in their hands, looking fierce and at the centerpiece is none other than Britney. For three years, this girl was a part of the Maoist Guerilla Movement of Nepal and had no idea who the pop star was. As the photographer took the picture, she recited to herself, “loves makes people weak, while sadness makes them tough.” She sure looked it. There were so many other photographs that made me gasp or sigh…all of which leaving a strong impression. I bought a poster of this picture, which I am looking forward to hanging on my wall (photograph taken off the website).

Besides climbing the walls, visiting this gallery was my favorite activity in Croatia. It’s off the beaten path but a definite must see…especially for those interested in photography and art. The museum itself was very well maintained…I really had forgotten I was in the Old Town. I even wanted to ask about the music playing…it was wonderful. I would encourage people to visit their website to at least view some of the images I saw today.

When I was finished with that, I found a nice bookstore to peruse and actually came with away with a new book, titled Nobody’s Home by Dubravka Ugresic, a Croat. The book is a collection of travel essays which I thought was very appropriate. I then continued to walk around, and ended up buying a pair of earrings from a girl named Mirna Hodonj. They are unlike anything I have seen before! She told me the editor of Elle in Croatia actually contacted her about the designs. Take a look, her website is www.mirnahodonj.com. And that was about it! I knew my day would be short but I need to get started with my papers. We have so many…and our first on is due on Tuesday…which doesn’t leave much time for procrastinating. At least not with our schedule.