WOW so yes I know it’s been forever since I updated the blog. Thus, route is very long.
Where: Dubrovnik – Split – Hvar – Split – Mostar – Banja Luka – Sarajevo – Beograd – Novi Sad – Zagreb – Ljubljana
When: 2.7.09 – 16.7.09
where to start, where to start…
CROATIA = HRVATSKA
Well, Croatia is beautiful, picturesque, gorgeous, blah blah blah, lots of beaches and pink sand and green mountains and AMAZING misty islands, cool steep old towns smelling vaguely of fish…In Dubrovnik the old city is practically shaped around tourists, crowded but cool little alleys if you know where to look. We checked out some metal markets and old cathedrals and a tiny aquarium which, I must say, was not worth the 4 bucks we paid to get in. BUT later on there was a Libertas film festival we caught, two hours of free short films from Croatia, Poland, France, Slovenia…they were pretty amazing, all of them. Romance, horror, comedy, take your pick.
I would say I like Split better, it had more ‘character’ more attitude with a huge roman palace chalked in chiaroscuro and washed by the sea winds. Not much, swam a little, got chatted up by two Norwegian dudes, wandered around. I dunno, but something about spending so much money at one sitting sours the travel experience. Which is why I was relieved to escape back east to the mountains of Bosnia. Oh yes, that night we also got kicked out of our hostel (by a little misunderstanding and overbooking) and almost despaired over shots of vodka when we found another place, waaaay cheaper. Score! It was one of THOSE nights, you know, the ones you figure what-the-hell and feel like doing the randomest shit. Thank god we found a bed before we did any more damage besides terrorizing the waitresses of overexpensive bars.
ANYWAY, it took us about 2 hours to escape Split, since we took the highway to hitchhike. We finally nailed it with some very well-built bloke on his way to (guess it?) MOSTAR our destination yay! But, of course, we just HAD to take a detour into one of the quietest, most loveliest, secretive beaches right off the Dalmatian coast, where this boy Pavle dared Noura to jump off a 15m cliff which she subsequently did. Haha!
He also showed us these two amazing crater lakes, Blue Lake and Red Lake. We spent half-hour by Red Lake, trying to toss stones into the water–but the gravity is so strong, and the crater is so deep, that the cliff’s gravity actually pulls the stones INTO the cliffside, never hitting the water!! wow! Red Lake is also where they used to throw in the bodies of dead soldiers from wwii. and guess what–despite some investigations into its coppery depths, no human eye has yet seen the bottom! woooo~!!! twilight zone music ensues.
BOSNIA
Anyway, so he dropped us off at a hostel and we explored Mostar for a day. It was incredible, with the classic famous arch bridge, destroyed in the recent war, and buildings bullet-ridden, dividing the Croat and Muslim sides. There, on the curvy streets, we met Arek and Rafal, two crazy Polish dudes biking and camping their way down to South Africa from Poland. They were playing their guitars and singing in half-broken voices to collect beer money. I love Poles! They were so funny, entertaining, and we explored some mosques and later drank wine and vodka down by the riverside. Only Rafal spoke English, but Arek managed to teach us some Polish swear words and other random phrases like: Bunkeruff njema. O lyetse boza! Or something. I have it written down. Down by the river we almost got accosted by these friendly, if assertive, Bosnian boys, but, escaping them, Noura had the BRILLIANT IDEA to invite the Poles to sleep at our place, even though this is kind of sketch. Haha! So the next morning, as we are trying to sneak out of there, the owner bursts out (the owner is a huge bear of a man, by the way, shaved head and all) and starts yelling for money. We finally calm him down after 10 minutes, and the Poles bike along their adventure, 10 euros short. It was hilarious, if somewhat nerve-wracking.
So anyway, NEXT, we hitchhike all the way to Banja Luka, where the next three nights we stay with the fabulous, fast-talking Igor K., who takes his entire weekend to hang out with us–take us to a local rock concert, drink with his friends, visit the little citadel, bike to his summer home, visit an abandoned factory…he really was very accommodating, and a most delightful host!! One of our best couchsurfer hosts so far. I really hope to meet him again. PLUS, when we said goodbye he gave me a Serbian-English phrasebook, and anyone who knows me can just imagine my excitement!
Our next stop was sarajevo, the sleepy, small, sunny, circular city with a bagload of stories to tell. Stayed with a French intern, who took us to two bars, one a smoky, rakija-saturated bar with musicians painted on the walls and traditional music every monday. Met a fantastic girl from Vancouver, Washington. The second bar was actually a theatre bar, where we were treated to loads of short films on communism and some lovely honey rakija. Then it was off to Beograd!
SERBIA
It was initially a nightmarish day for hitchhiking, we walked 1km to the edge of sarajevo, caught about 7 different rides to Beograd. One time we waited for half-hour until an old man whose car smelt like a strawberry banana milkshake picked us up. Another time, we walked for an hour before escaping a tiny town just across the border. (the border, by the way, is a little rusty bridge, where serbs and bosnians walk across nonchalant with their groceries) Then, it happened to start STORMING while we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but a truckstop to protect us from the lightning. Fortunately, I caught a truck about an hour later, and who dropped us, shivering and dripping, 5 km from Beograd. Had to take a taxi the rest of the way. Woo! Quite an aventure for one day, I think!
Beograd is an awesome city, with old austrian-inspired buildings cast over with colorful graffiti and a grayish tint that is decidedly unique. It is amazing, just large enough to keep the traveler inspired. We visited Sasha’s jazz club, but unfortunately he wasn’t there. Checked out the Nikola Tesla museum, where we got to see his innovative bladeless fan (which is still not being commercialized?!?) and his electro-zapper thingy. First discovered alternative energy and remote engineering. It is a perfect city for idling, visiting parks, fountains, outdoor art exhibitions, gelato, statues, cafes, creative bars and whatnot. You feel relaxed, inspired, and sort of alternative at the same time. There was also a huge marketplace with special arts and crafts, each seller for his own. Bought a cool copper and marble necklace, received a bonus ring from the clerk, Pavle. I was accosted by two reporters interviewing foreigners for a city magazine. What do you think of Beograd? What about Serbian guys? You can find the paper and article here.
Stayed for one night, then it was off to Novi Sad for the Exit Festival. We stayed with this totally cool guy, Igor G. Although this Igor is more reserved than the last one in Banja Luka, just give him some beers and some topic–tattoos, comic books, films, politics, religion–and he opens up with a quirky smile. He took us to his favorite haunt, a bar called Frida, everyday and left us alone every night to party at the 4-day concert of Exit. Saw some interesting bands, notably The Prodigy, Arctic Monkeys and Patti Smith.
Sad to leave Igor and Novi Sad, we had to hop on the night train to Zagreb, which arrived at 6am in the morning. Extremely hot at first, trapped in a booth with 3 talkative british girls, but everyone passed out so it was A-ok. BREATHTAKING sunrise, by the way, the red sun shyly peeking through feets upon feets of fog. Later on in the day, we met the lovely CSers, Marija and Danijela, both medical students studying hard to pass their third year of medical school. In Croatia, m.d. school is different, you take 3 years of general medicine, 3 years of field practice, and then you specialize. No bachelor’s necessary. They were darling girls, taking a bit to warm up, but soon revealed a mountain of knowledge of literature, politics, and science. I think they study because they find it fun. We had to leave early and switch to another CSer’s place, the fast-talking, charming, hilarious Ivan, and after he offered us everything under the sun (including our own separate bedrooms!), international phone, computers, etc., and showed us his fascinating pictures of Berlin, we took him out with the girls to a couple of local, low-key bars. One of which, by the way, played oldies’ music and so, naturally, the girls and I danced until 3:30am.
So now I am in Ljubljana, Slovenia, wheeling away one of those lazy days on the computer, got loads of business done by the way (you know they’ve never heard of the phrase ‘run some errands’ here in the balkans?) so kudos. It’s so different here, like we’ve finally left the Balkans and entered Central Europe, the buildings, the atmosphere, the automatic voices announcing train times??? (So advanced!) Haha! After Morocco and the Balkans, toilet paper seems a luxury sometimes haha! The city here is gorgeous but super tiny and we’re heading to Bled and the lakes, hopefully catch the caves tomorrow or Sunday. So, it is until next time, hvala ciao~!
