Yum!
Well, I think it’s about time I update this. What is it, October already? Geez. I really haven’t been loyal here. Since I’ve already written this and never got around to posting it, I’m going to start with a quick recap of summer. While that soaks in to your brains, I’ll get my act together and do another recap of the first month and a half of school!
For those of you who don’t know, I am still here teaching 1st and 2nd grade at Varosligeti Iskola. I’m having a great time, despite feeling worn out at the end of the day. Autumn is looking rather cold right about now, but at least the central heating has been turned in. More to come soon, but now summer!
I’m sure all you followers of my blog out there have been waiting on the edge of your seats to hear about my summer! While there’s much more to say than what I’ve written below, I thought I’d give the highlights. Please feel free to ask me any questions if you want more information, especially if you’re considering traveling to any of these destinations.
Country #1: Croatia
We started our trip in Croatia; we ended our trip in Croatia. First up was Zagreb, which was very green, and very relaxed. If you’ve been to Prague or Bratislava, I’d have to say it felt like a mix between the two. We took some time to explore the
Awesome roof on a church in Zagreb
cobblestoned streets overlooking the busy downtown area, walking past the first pharmacy in Europe and an awesome-looking church roof. At night, we found a microbrewery with some
Cevapcici...uncooked!
cheap food and my first taste of cevapcici! If you’re ever in this area, forget eating anything but these tasty “minced meat fingers.” They will change your life. Forever. Maybe.
After exploring Zagreb, we met with Nick, the US guy living in Italy, and headed to Plitvice. The waterfalls here are breathtaking. Not to be missed. Enough said.
The view with two hooligans in the panorama
Towards the end of the trip, we spent several days in Dubrovnik. I was here a couple years ago, and largely due to my lack of world awareness, I didn’t really grasp the effects of the fighting here that took place in the not-too-distant past. As you walk along the wall, you’ll notice the houses with newer, orange roofs. Those were all bombed. Stunning. We came to Dubrovnik following our travels through Montenegro and Bosnia, making the impact that much more real. According to Rick Steves’ guidebook, Dubrovnik citizens hid in the wall and were able to successfully fight off attempts to be overtaken by Serbians. Please don’t quote me on that; I’m just reading the book. We also took the ferry out to Lokrum, an island worth a walk around, unless you want to find a cove to swim in without repelling 100 feet to, as it is solely a nude beach. If you’re into the birthday suit style, you’ll love it! Back in the city, look out for a hole in the wall, where you can chill with locals while overlooking the serene waters. Jump in, dry off, have a beer, rinse, repeat.
Our first beer of the trip, Karlovac, Croatia
Plitvice Falls...stunning!
- Following Dubrovnik, we trekked to Korcula, an island about 2 hours north of there. It was tough deciding which island to go to, but we definitely did not make a wrong choice. We met Jeremy and Betsy, fellow CETP teachers, and enjoyed
All those orange roofs...replacements of bombed out ones
several days of exploring the island. We also had our worst meal, semi-torched squid, prawns, and fish surrounded by fries. Definitely don’t bother. Instead, find fried calamari. Always a winner. If you come to Korcula, be sure to check out the sword dancing schedule. For 100 years, it’s always been on Thursday nights. Oh wait, that changed the WEEK we were there to Wednesday nights. I’m sure it’s an awesome show, but couldn’t tell you first hand. Instead, we enjoyed a wonderful rendition of a song us Americans had never heard, Smokie’s “Who the (Expletive) is Alice?” Thank you for enlightening our musical taste buds, Croatian singer. Also on Korcula is a special grape called Grk,
Our own private cove, Korcula
which is made only there due to a grape that grows in the sandy dirt of this island alone. We also found a cove to swim in, with some nude bathers — none worth complaining about, though! As you leave Korcula for the mainland, make sure to buy your car ferry tickets early — otherwise you’ll wake up at 4:00 AM only to wait 2 hours for the next ferry due to the long line of cars with the same idea as you!
Nobody should be up this early to catch a ferry
Overall, Croatia is a great escape from some crowds you’d find in other countries, while still enjoying the beach. The food is delicious, but not the affordable prices I had envisioned for seafood. Having a car really made things a lot easier. For instance, we got to stop in a town called Ston, in between Dubrovnik and Korcula, which had Europe’s oldest (or longest) wall, as well as salt fields, some of which I purchased at a souvenir shop in Zagreb.
View from the minaret, Mostar
Country #2: Bosnia
Bosnia was the cream of the crop of this trip. If there’s anything I’ve ever done that surprised me beyond belief, it was driving through Bosnia. Several days before leaving, Nick and I were bouncing emails back and forth about pirates that will pull
Mostar Bridge, Bosnia
us over, rob us blind, and leave us to die. Well, that was not the case whatsoever! Our first experience of Bosnia was Bihac, right across the border and a short drive from the Plitvice
Waterfalls in Bosnia
waterfalls. Tip to the wise: don’t drink so much that you’ll end up sweating bullets trying to cross back into Croatia. Those border guards are intimidating, but at least you sober up pretty quickly! The pizza in Bihac is also delicious, especially when doused with Louisiana hot sauce! The sauce was so good, the waiter let me keep BOTH bottles!
Our real experience of Bosnia started as we actually drove through the countryside. I was expecting to see bombed out remnants everywhere, and that wasn’t exactly the case. Most houses had been rebuilt, but most of those houses were also not finished. We made stops along the way, including some catacombs in a town called Jajce. Makes you want to roll the dice and yell
Jajce, Bosnia
“Yahtzee!” no? Anyway, our main stop in Bosnia was Mostar. Mostar has a beautiful crooked bridge and a lively old town to meander through. We went up one of the minarets, which gave us a great view of the entire city. Too bad someone left their dirty underwear up there!
One thing throughout Bosnia that was interesting was the number of mosques. There’s a collision of religions here, but mosques were the most prevalent of the religious buildings. Only on a few occasions did we hear the prayer call, though. On the second day in Mostar, we drove out to some waterfalls, which we were able to swim in (unlike Plitvice). This was a great find, and definitely worth doing if you can get there! Even better was the fortress we walked around on the way back. Beautiful houses line this hillside, but above is an old fortress. We were plenty worried that there had been no renovations to the one tower you could climb in, but braved it anyway. We started doing some trekking beyond the fortress, but worried about landmines and with no goats to sacrifice, we quickly backtracked out of there!
The water was...freezing!
After leaving Mostar, we stopped in Sarajevo. To be honest, I was not thoroughly impressed with Sarajevo, but look forward to going back to revisit some of the historical aspects, such as
Jamie, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Nick
the tunnel tour I did not get to do. This tunnel linked Bosnians to the airport so they could escape without being killed in an area known as “Sniper Alley.” I did, however, get a Sarajevo Shave here, which hurt. The haircut, however, was one of the better choices of the trip. Thanks, Nick! Without you, I’d probably still be looking like Cousin It or something! Also, don’t
Inside the abandoned fortress
forget to eat Burek in Bosnia! This tasty pastry, filled with cheese, spinach, or meat, is mouth-watering. I could seriously live off of burek and cevapcici!
Overall, Bosnia left us all with a sense of awe. Here we were, in a place that not too many have probably visited, and it may be a while before even more make there way there. The food was great, the countryside was just stunning, and the sites were worth visiting without a doubt. Mostar should be on everyone’s must-see list!
Country #3: Montenegro
Montenegro was hard to find, at first. Despite a useless GPS that only showed that we were going somewhere, without any imagery of freeways, cities, or any other helpful marker, we found the road to the border. Unfortunately, it was a one-lane road made of dirt with cows to pass by around every other turn! Luckily, a car drove by and confirmed we were headed in the right direction! Once we got across the border, we made our way to our bungalow/campsite along the Tara River.
Near the Tara River, Montenegro
Another experience not to be missed: River rafting the Tara. While the river itself is tame, especially compared to rivers like the American in California, the canyon is amazing. You can’t help but not paddle, like our German companions who probably didn’t know what a paddle was, as you look up along the canyon walls. Our river guide said no more than, “Stop, go,” but that’s all we needed to survive that ride! We stayed there for two nights just to relax, and that’s exactly what we did! The place was all-inclusive (except drinks), so it was easy to choose what to eat (what’s in front of you) and what not to eat (what’s in front of you).
Sveti Stefan, Montenegro
Following our river rafting adventures. We drove towards Kotor Bay. After a quick stop in Cetinje, Montenegro’s first capital, we made our way to the Bay. We also stopped at a monastery built into a hillside WAY up. How did they do it? Who knows! Props to Nick for backing uphill about 60 feet while a tour bus that should never have been on that one-lane road cruised
The dam we really weren't supposed to take a picture of! Montenegro
upward towards us. Even the cars behind us were applauding his efforts!
Kotor Bay, Montenegro
Once we got to Kotor, we settled in and walked around the bay. Starving for calamari, we walked towards some yellow umbrellas I spotted. Oh, it’s a bar! Well, let’s have a drink. I offer to buy the first round. Three beers come our way, and 20 Euros go the bartenders. “No.” He won’t take my money? Oh no, it’s not enough! Maybe they don’t take Euros here! Nick’s going to have to sell himself or something here! Wait, what’s this? Opening night of the bar? Free drinks for all? Sweet! What way to start our time in Montenegro. And to top it off, we found calamari back at the hotel. Score!
View of Kotor Bay from the hotel
The rest of our time in Montenegro was spent hanging out at the beaches in an area called Sveti Stefan. We’re positive that in the next few years, this destination will only allow access to the beaches to those who pay to stay at the neighboring hotels, so go now! Kotor, once a stronghold of Venice, is a cool old town to walk through, but very reminiscent of Venice (narrow walkways without canals). There’s also lots of yachts around, as well as cruise ships, making Kotor one of those up-and-coming tourist destinations!
Beautiful Tara River
Best Food: Cevapcici and Burek for a close 2nd!
Worst Food: Semi-torched squid
Most surprising place to visit: Bosnia, especially the countryside
Most rewarding place to visit: Mostar, Bosnia
Most disappointing but still worth visiting: Dubrovnik ONLY because of the number of tourists. We spoiled ourselves with the less-touristy Bosnia and Montenegro before arriving at this amazing city.
Best Bar: The hole in the wall in Dubrovnik, or the open bar in Kotor Bay (but that was a one-time deal)
Best Game: Rummy at 2 in the morning
Worst Game: ABC Signs and License Plates. You try calling a letter out of the Cyrillic alphabet!
Worth a splurge: Steak at Domino Restaurant in Dubrovnik. Definitely was time for a decent steak in Europe!
Don’t bother: Spending more than a day in Zagreb. There’s so much more to see in Croatia!
I’m sure there is plenty more to say about this trip, but that’s a pretty good chunk of it. Following this trip, we headed back to the US for a couple of weeks to divulge in friends, family, and food! From pizza to Mexican to Chinese, I made sure to enjoy some of the things I knew I’d miss before coming back to Hungary for round two! Also made sure to go to Santa, Cruz, South Lake Tahoe and even an amusement park (Great America) before hopping on that plane!
