Dubrovnik - Days 137-139

They don't call it "The Pearl of the Adriatic" for no reason. Dubrovnik's perfectly preserved old town almost seems unreal, and my first throught when I stepped in was "Are you serious?" Everything is immaculate and clean and the streets are so polished they literally shine. It's like a brand new cultural theme park except it's been around for hundreds of years and even partially destroyed 20 years ago.

The only downside, and a major one at that, is how much the old town has positioned itself for tourism. There are over a dozen religious structures, museums, historical houses within the 2 km long city wall, and everything requires an admission ticket. Plus every establishment is either a restaurant or souvenir shop with staff outside rattling off menu items and prices. They're merely doing what they have to do for a tourist town - make enough money during the summer season to get them through the winter. However, it's sad to think that this was once a functional city with bakeries, watchmakers, cobblers, etc...

So my first day here was spent exploring the old city and dodging a particularly touchy restaurant owner. My host told me that's a favorite summer pasttime for older Croatian men. Of course it is. There are thousands of fresh scantily clad girls everyday, so leave me and my oversized cargo pants alone. On the way back to the host's home, I ran into a Slovakian guy two doors down who asked me if I knew of anyone renting rooms. He had just crashed his motorbike and needed a place to stay for the night while his bike was being fixed. I'm couchsurfing with my host Mare but she rents out rooms in the summer as well, so I figured I'd let her decide and he could wait with me in the meantime. Mare is a lesbian (all the rainbows and gay themed decor clued me in) but she "doesn't mind straight people" and I was hoping she's not a man hater either. But everything worked out well. I made dinner for us, we chatted and drank a bottle of homemade Croatian wine, she ended up letting him crash for free, and he was off the next day. And now I have a contact in Bratislava when I make my way there in a couple of weeks :)

Yesterday I wanted to make a day trip to Kotor, a town in Montenegro about 2.5 hours away but discovered the public bus schedule was no in my favor. Even with the earliest departuring and latest returning bus, it would have only given me about an hour and half in the city. I was keen on escaping the hoards of cruiseshippers for the day and decided to take a much shorter trip to Cavtat, a small town only 20km from Dubrovnik, and the public transportation was easy and cheap. While Cavtat is still a tourist town, it's less crowded and has some nice bathing areas that are hard to find in the Dubrovnik old town. I can't think of a much better way to cool off than eating a pistacchio ice cream and dangling your feet in crystal clear water. 

To finish the day with a bang, I hiked to the top of the fortress overlooking Dubrovnik city. There is a cable car that goes up but I wanted to save some money and get exercise as well. The decision was made as I was eating a jelly-filled donut. A couple of people have told me not to walk because the trail is not in good condition with loose rocks, and I read on a message board that it's imperative to stay on the track because there are still landmines. Then someone else responded the landmines are not a problem, but just watch out for the snakes... And what do you know, not outside of ten steps, I spot a snake by the trail head. No idea what type but it wasn't too long and didn't look poisonous; I decided to soldier on. 45 minutes later and a couple shades darker, I was on top. And I didn't see any other snakes on the way up or down, and obviously no landmines.

Today is my last full day and the plan is to take a quick ferry ride to Lokrum - a nearby island, and maybe enjoy the old city once again in the evening.

Mostar - Days 134-136

I had never really heard of Mostar until I read more about Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it turns out to be a really important city - both in the context of war and travel. It is a small town in Herzegovina; southwest Bosnia that was pretty much devastated during the war. Today, it is a really popular tourist town because of its proximity to Dubrovnik, and many visit on daytrips, especially those from Adriatic cruises. Due to the town's small size, the influx of tourists during the summer is painfully obvious. There is only one street through the center of old town and usually swamped with retirees fresh off the bus (new definition to FOB?). And tons of Asians for some reason...

The most well-known landmark is the Stari Most or old bridge. It was built by the Ottomans and completely destroyed during the war in 1994. There is a little bookstore right off the bridge that shows footage of its destruction, and it's heartbreaking to watch. However, the story has a happy ending because the bridge was restored in 2004 and is now UNESCO protected, and crazy locals continue to jump/dive off of it as they have in the past. The water in the river Neretva below is a beautiful shade of green but near freezing in temperature with a strong current, so diving and even swimming is extremely dangerous. It is still a bit early in the season for divers, but I was lucky enough to catch one during my stay in Mostar. It looks deceptively easy but my host said with no trace of humor in her voice, "DO NOT jump off the bridge" as if I was really going to try. Apparently there are tourists and locals who die every year, and it doesn't help that many of them were drunk at the time... No need to tell me twice; I have a fear of heights anyway.

Yesterday, I made my way to Dubrovnik, Croatia after a 3 hour bus ride that took us from Bosnia to Croatia, back to Bosnia, and back to Croatia - 4 passport checks. At least they don't bother with stamping anything so it was quick and painless. I arrived in the early evening so haven't really had much time to explore but from what I can tell, it's going to be amazingly picturesque and probably filled with more cruise ship tourists on day excursions.

Sarajevo - Days 131-133

For some reason I expected Sarajevo to be similar to Belgrade. Perhaps it was because of the relative proximity or the fact that they were both part of Yugoslavia, but I was pleasantly surprised by the vast difference.

The bus ride from Belgrade to Sarajevo took about 7 hours and passed through gorgerous scenery and windy mountain roads. Due to the bus schedule and availability of my host in Sarajevo, I didn't arrive until almost 11pm at night, but thankfully she lives pretty close to the station and met me half way so I wouldn't be completely lost. My host's name is Zoe and is originally from Turkey, although she reminds me at every opportunity that she's not actually Turkish but Ocetian. And me being my ignorant self had to ask "What?" when she first mentioned it. But Zoe is unique because she has autism/asperger and very open about it. She said to me when we first met, "I tend to talk AT people and not talk WITH them." It's been interesting hanging out with her and observing some of the quirkiness. She is very much a creature of habit and routine, but clearly she is high functioning since she holds a full time job as an English teacher and college administrator. Kudos to her for participating in Couchsurfing and forcing herself to interact with people all the time.

Sarajevo is situated in a valley and the city is basically laid out in a long strip with the river and tram lines running down the center from east to west; to the north and south are both mountains and ski areas a bit further away. Obviously there are great ski areas nearby since the 1984 winter olympics were held here, before the war started. The city was under siege by the Serbs for three years in the early 90s, but since then has rebuilt much of the city. There are brand new shopping malls emerging in the center, but reminders of the suffering and violence are evident throughout the city. Just walking along the river to the city center, I spotted numerous buildings riddled with bullet holes and spotted a couple of the famous "Sarajevo Roses." The roses are floral like patterns made from dropped mortars on the concrete. Many of them are erased as the city replaces the asphalt but I really hope they consciously preserve some of them as a memorial to the war.

Yesterday I took a 10km walk with Zoe at the foothills of the mountains and then she showed me this amazing little hang out cafe/bar called "The Golden Fish." It was possibly one of the most atmospheric establishments I've ever visited - filled with antiques, mismatched plates, old sewing machines turned into tables, etc. We also walked around the city center, which I've dubbed "Little Istanbul" because the Ottoman influence is so strong that you feel like you're in the Middle East sometimes. Today is my last day here and I will head to Mostar on an early morning train tomorrow.

Belgrade - Days 129-130

I have to say Belgrade is a really cool city. A great place for outsiders to visit, and I have a feeling it's also very livable for the locals. Again, like many other Balkan capitals, it's a crazy mix of architectural styles and influences. The old city center has a large pedestrian mall, tree-lined residential streets, baroque style buildings, and rests on the hilly side of the Danube. On the side is New Belgrade with communist style apartments that are literally named "Block 45", "Block 46," so on and so forth. And it's flat as a crepe.

My first full day in Belgrade started with rain as predicted. Armed with my rain jacket, I set out to explore the old fortress mid-morning and realized 30 minutes later that the rain jacket is only slightly water resistant. Luckily, the weather cleared up and everything dried out. By the time the sun came out, I was so happy to be not walking around wiping off my glasses that I overestimated my physical ability. Or maybe I underestimated the distance, because I ended up walking a good hour and half to another area called Zemun on the other side of the river. I realized about half way through how much further I had to go, but I was committed by that point. The whole walk was really pleasant because it was completely along the river bank, which was lined with dozens of floating houseboats converted into restaurants, clubs, and even hostels.

Zemun lies on the other side of the Danube; actually the other side of the Sava as well. The two rivers converge and there is an island between Belgrade and Zemun. I have no idea if that makes any sense... Anyway, it is another historical settlement with red roofed homes and a tower with a terrific vantage point. I was so thoroughly exhausted and sweaty after all that walking and climbing that I took the bus back.

More exploration of the city today, but I stayed close to the city center. Luckily my host Marija lives quite near so I can come and go during the day to hide from the sun or rain. Plus it's convenient to many small restaurants where I can grab some cheap local fare. Serbian food, and food in the Balkans in general, is very heavy - lots of meat and cream/diary products. I tried a typical burger here called "Pljeskavica" which was heavenly. There's something about the freshness and texture of the meat, and the fact that it's encased in a thick pita bread rather than the typical hamburger buns. Then today I tried cevapcici, another Serbian specialty. It was basically the same as the hamburger but formed into sausage shape rather than a patty, haha. Equally delicious.

Tonight I'm going out with Marija and her boyfriend Vladimir for a casual dinner and maybe after dinner drinks. A little taste of the famous Belgrade nightlife - the tame kind.

Timisoara - Days 126-128

The 5:30am bus to Timisoara was rought...nothing went wrong just super early. I've been waking up after 8am on most days so my body was protesting but it was really nice to see the city in the early morning. It was still dark when I left and to see the city square completely empty and embraced by early morning fog was a treat. 

The bus arrived in Timisoara before noon and yet again, a random stranger offered to give me a ride part of the way when I asked for directions. Little random acts of kindness and the trust from Couchsurfing hosts really help restore faith in humanity :) 

Timisoara is one of the largest towns in western Romania and is about as flat as Florida - a sharp contrast to the mountainous Transylvanian towns of Brasov, Sighisoara, and Sibiu. But it is dubbed the "City of Gardens" or "Little Vienna" because of the abundance of public parks and green space. It's a nice town to walk around and has its share of old town piazzas but personally I didn't find it as impressive or unique as some others in Romania. However, the hosts I stayed with were spectacular. Roman and Sorina are a young couple working in the IT industry but looking for a change. Sorina in particular is a theater buff and currently directing an independent play she created. I tagged along to a rehearsal and couldn't understand a thing, but it's always nice to see people live out their passions. Also, they live with another young couple who are equally awesome :) Despite having to sleep on a cot in a closet/storage room, I would have gladly stayed longer for the company. 

I've come to the premature conclusion that Romanians are very cultured people because after the concert and museums in Sibiu, my hosts and I attended more of the same in Timisoara. After the rehearsal, we went to a screening of a 1931 silent film called Tabu with live orchestral accompaniment then immediately went to another student play about AIDS. We walked out of that one though... 

At the moment, I'm in Belgrade, Serbia. I took a minibus transfer with door to door service; probably the most luxurious transportation of the trip so far. Weather forecast says rain for the next 3 days. 

Sibiu - Days 124-125

Apologies for being a bit behind on my blog - double entry for today.

I made my way from Sighisoara to Sibiu a couple of days ago but haven't really had computer internet access. Sibiu is the last of my three Transylvanian medieval cities and it was also a European Capital of Culture back in 2007. I didn't realize that meant anything until I arrived and discovered the non-stop events going on throughout the city. Plus I totally lucked out on location. My host has a tiny apartment that doubles as a nail salon right in the city center. I mean it is literally on the main square and about 15 steps from the hub of it all.

My first evening in Sibiu, Ovidiu (my host) and I attended a Mozart and Mendelssohn concert by the local Philharmonic. Cost a whopping $2. The next evening was a free, open air concert in the main town square by Loredana Groza, who is apparently the "Romanian Madonna." Perhaps the moniker wasn't derived from her level of fame but rather her age and chosen hair color. But she definitely had tons of energy and jumped around on stage for a good two hours. Then today began a weekend Baroque festival as well as a free museum night. During the day, I walked the town a bit more and attended a folk dancing show and mini concert. At night, all of the museums in town opened their doors to the public. At the moment, "free" is my favorite word, so I took advantage of all of them. First was the art museum, followed by the history museum, then an open air village museum outside the city, then finally the ethnography museum. City of culture indeed. Too bad I'm going to miss the theater festival, jazz festival, book festival, and documentary film festival...

Tomorrow, I'll catch a 5:30am bus to Timisoara, a town in western Romania, close to the Serbian border.

Sighosoara - Days 122-123

I love couchsurfing because you never know what experiences will come your way. Well, yesterday I was privy to a traditional Romanian funeral gathering in a small village.

I'm couchsurfing (or in this case - bewelcome.org) with a German fella who is doing voluntary work at a local guesthouse. The owner/manager had to attend a funeral yesterday in a village about 25 km away and offered to bring us along. Luckily I had something black to wear in my arsenal.

Romania has a strong mourning culture, so the moment we stepped into the family's home, people began wailing and hugging each other. Meinhard and I just stood awkwardly to the side with the flowers we brought. Despite initially feeling totally out of place and invasive, the family quickly embraced us (figuratively and literally) and included us in their celebration of life. We feasted on roasted chicken, potatoes, olives, homemade bread, etc... and the mood turned rather jovial. It was a very international gathering too. In addition to the Romanians, there was a German, two French firefighters, and myself. There were all combinations of languages spoken, and I even tested out my pitiful high school French.