Category: Montenegro

The Balkans – Heading South for Winter. Part 1

Well I am starting back on my travels tonight (well I was when I started to write this), after a long 5½ months back in Australia and New Zealand looking after family issues. Been a long stint so unfortunately there are going to be gaps in what I can remember from last November (it's now June).

Slovenia

Ljubljana

After a great 2 weeks in Italy I made my way towards the Balkans. Caught a train from Venice to the Slovenian city of Ljubljana. For a capital city this was one chilled out place. Small, very little traffic allowed in the city center, positioned on a river below a hill with a castle overlooking the city. My main memories of here were the delicious dumplings (of which there were multitudes of fillings and sauces), and going out to a old garrison area, named Metelkova Mesto, that had been taken over by squatters many years ago. Now, on Fridays and Saturdays, many bands converge on the site to hold gigs in the many buildings scattered around. Definitely not easy listening but rather alternative and hard core (really more just hard core). Great night until I lost my fellow travelers and struggled to find my way back to the hotel. Found a good kebab place though.

 


Bled

From Ljubljana I stayed in Slovenia and arrived in Bled. Surrounded by wonderful wooded mountain scenery its claim to fame is the beautiful lake it is situated around and the picturesque church found within, located on a little island. Great place for some short hikes.

Croatia 1.0

Zagreb

Next I left Slovenia and headed for the capital city of Croatia, Zagreb. Once this city was actually two medieval cities separated by a bridge, aptly named blood bridge, with the not too friendly neighbors meeting on it for their not too friendly festivities (city tours, you are a wealth of information!) Now it is a modern city that if you choose poorly has many trams running for what seems all night a few meters by your bedroom window. Oh well, at this stage of the trip, in Europe, many of the rooms I stayed in were dormitories so beggars can't be choosers.

If you are out this way drop into the museum called "'The Museum of Broken Relationships"'. As its name suggests the theme behind this museum surrounds break ups, with stories accompanied by a related piece of memorabilia of some type. My pre-arrival mindset bordered on boyfriend-girlfriend, husband-wife breakups - of which there were many - some sad, some perversely funny. But there is much more to this fascinating place. It will be a long time before I forget the emotions I had streaming through me while reading of a daughter's writings of her mother's suicide and the pain she felt at her particular kind of break-up. Going here was like going to a really good movie with all your feelings jumping all over the place. Highly recommended.

Split

I stayed in Croatia and made my way by bus to the port city of Split. I sort of enjoyed Split, a few nice buildings within the alleyways of the old city. The port area with its promenade was quite nice but overpriced which is pretty stock standard when it comes to having a drink close to the sea. I explored around a bit and kept running into posters on telegraph poles for a punk night which I was really keen for, but alas, it wasn't to be. Instead of bouncing around and slamming like the kid that I'm not anymore, I found the place deserted. Sums up Split, enough potential to be enthused but not sure it really delivers.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostar

Left Croatia and entered the previously war torn country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They copped it full on during the Balkans war of the 90's, even now the country seems to be stagnating due to ethnic divisions within the political establishment, pulling the country in different directions under the influence of neighboring countries. My first stop was in Mostar where it's famous bridge had to be rebuilt after hostilities ceased. One local who owned a bar was very keen to recount his stories telling me how old wounds cut deep and good friends of his from before the war still wouldn't talk to him, and how the front line during the war that split the town is still an unofficial demarcation boundary where the different ethnic groups and businesses reside on either side. A building named 'Sniper's Nest' sits on this boundary. Many people died from the bullets that were fired from this vantage point and yet it remains in it's original decrepit post war state, with local government refusing to alter it in any way, towering over many people's homes whose lives were destroyed by the bullets fired by the snipers from this edifice. I am not mentioning sides here as I was only told one side of the story, the one by the bar owner. I am sure the other side also have their present day grievances. But what I did learn was that this country still has a long way to go to reach any kind of unity. Sad, but seemingly true.

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Sarajevo

Next I experienced my first signs of winter in Sarajevo, the capital. I was heading south in the hope of making winter a little less cold and Sarajevo reinforced that idea with my first snow. Pleasant enough city which also had a grim time of it during the war years being surrounded by the Serbs and placed under siege. Nice cafes and some pretty buildings and getting around on the trams made for a lot less footwork. 'The Tunnel Museum' was a worthwhile visit as it showed how the inhabitants of the city outlasted the siege during the civil war. Placed at the far end of the supply tunnel you could even walk, hunched, through a section. Many a sore back must have finally exited at the other end but I'm sure that would have been the least of their worries during those uncertain and horrific times.

Croatia 2.0

Dubrovnik

I re-entered Croatia for the second time, this time the smaller enclave to the south of the main part of the country. You know, sometimes you have just got to accept that you've missed the boat. Arrived at a place way passed it's prime. Got there after the tourists have raped & pillaged the town, so to speak. Hello Dubrovnik. Over commercialized and expensive. Nice looking place with the walled city and magnificent buildings. I enjoyed walking up the surrounding hills for a well earned snack while just enjoying the view. But...in my opinion the place has no soul left and it exists for money alone. I got told off for taking a local bus wearing my backpack by a lady who thought I should rather have caught a taxi. She was quite spiteful. I am sure this came about by the frustration at having to share her 'home' with so many tourists throughout the year. Didn't stop me in telling her where to go.

Montenegro

Podgorica

From my time in Croatia I now continued heading south towards my goal of Greece and warmer weather. I only spent a night in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica, but it was a night that brought back so many memories of my youth, just by having dinner. You see there aren't any smoking restrictions in Montenegro and there seemed to be oh so many smokers. Astrays on the table, the thick ceiling haze creating a ever sinking fog so that everyone can enjoy, and the smoked smelling clothes the next morning. Yep, reminds me of those bygone days at discos in Australia. Not for the last time in this region my lungs were glad when exiting for that "breathe of fresh air" feeling.