Archive | Balkans

Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia (now say it again, faster)

We blew through these three countries, hopping in and out of the car only to eat and sleep, it seemed like.  It was at this point that I started taking fewer and fewer pictures… and taking more and more with my phone instead of my real camera.  So forgive the quality of these and enjoy the memories with me!

In Montenegro we spent the night in the lovely old city of Kotor surrounded by thick stone walls.  The walls open up to a port filled with luxury yachts from around the world, some from as far away as Washington state, USA.  We left the old city and wandered admiringly past the boats until we found this restaurant, where we ate one of the most delicious meals of the entire trip.  Mussels and two kinds of soup for Elliott and me, and topped off with a local Montenegrin wine.  Bon appetite! 

The next morning Elliott took this picture of me doing the unthinkable: numbly strapping Lena into her car seat after our guide told us we had a TEN HOUR drive ahead of us to get to Kosovo.  I stared at him, willing him to be joking.  But he was not.

And he was not kidding the next day.  Or the next day.  Or the next day.  Four days in a row of 10 hours of driving per day!  Our poor frustrated little 9-month-old required almost constant entertainment, as she does not nap for more than 30 minutes at a time in a car.  Ai yi yi.   Due to the unreliability of public transportation in these countries, however, this really was the only way to see the highlights of these Balkan lands.  I will simply say that am grateful that I have seen the Balkans, and I am grateful that we have all survived!

We spent a night in Kosovo and then visited this glorious monastery, which I mentioned before here.   The monk who gave us the tour was so soft-spoken and so in love with the place that into our own hearts there came a sense of supreme peace, a sense that we were visiting a truly holy place.   For me, this was a great highlight of our trip.

And then at last Macedonia!  We spent the night in Skopje, the capital, which is supremely proud of two things: being the homeland of Alexander the Great (on the horse in the photo below) and being the birthplace of Mother Theresa.

Most of us will agree that another thing for which Macedonia will be remembered is the amazing molten lava cake several of us enjoyed for dessert.  We smelled these hot chocolate cakes as soon as we walked into the restaurant and waited throughout our entire meal until we could order them.  (Lest there be any doubt, these three shared one.  I, meanwhile, ate one all by myself.) 

And that was about it for Montenegro, Kosovo, and Macedonia.  One more country to go: Albania!

5 :: in Balkans, family, holidays, travel

Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia (now say it again, faster)

We blew through these three countries, hopping in and out of the car only to eat and sleep, it seemed like.  It was at this point that I started taking fewer and fewer pictures… and taking more and more with my phone instead of my real camera.  So forgive the quality of these and enjoy the memories with me!

In Montenegro we spent the night in the lovely old city of Kotor surrounded by thick stone walls.  The walls open up to a port filled with luxury yachts from around the world, some from as far away as Washington state, USA.  We left the old city and wandered admiringly past the boats until we found this restaurant, where we ate one of the most delicious meals of the entire trip.  Mussels and two kinds of soup for Elliott and me, and topped off with a local Montenegrin wine.  Bon appetite! 

The next morning Elliott took this picture of me doing the unthinkable: numbly strapping Lena into her car seat after our guide told us we had a TEN HOUR drive ahead of us to get to Kosovo.  I stared at him, willing him to be joking.  But he was not.

And he was not kidding the next day.  Or the next day.  Or the next day.  Four days in a row of 10 hours of driving per day!  Our poor frustrated little 9-month-old required almost constant entertainment, as she does not nap for more than 30 minutes at a time in a car.  Ai yi yi.   Due to the unreliability of public transportation in these countries, however, this really was the only way to see the highlights of these Balkan lands.  I will simply say that am grateful that I have seen the Balkans, and I am grateful that we have all survived!

We spent a night in Kosovo and then visited this glorious monastery, which I mentioned before here.   The monk who gave us the tour was so soft-spoken and so in love with the place that into our own hearts there came a sense of supreme peace, a sense that we were visiting a truly holy place.   For me, this was a great highlight of our trip.

And then at last Macedonia!  We spent the night in Skopje, the capital, which is supremely proud of two things: being the homeland of Alexander the Great (on the horse in the photo below) and being the birthplace of Mother Theresa.

Most of us will agree that another thing for which Macedonia will be remembered is the amazing molten lava cake several of us enjoyed for dessert.  We smelled these hot chocolate cakes as soon as we walked into the restaurant and waited throughout our entire meal until we could order them.  (Lest there be any doubt, these three shared one.  I, meanwhile, ate one all by myself.) 

And that was about it for Montenegro, Kosovo, and Macedonia.  One more country to go: Albania!

5 :: in Balkans, family, holidays, travel

Bosnia

We flew from Zagreb, Croatia, to Sarajevo, Bosnia, the day before 2012 began.  (Lena enjoyed shopping for some duty-free perfumes in the airport before we took off!)  I can’t say that the countryside of Croatia is drastically different from Bosnia, but something was different.  We were definitely moving away from traditional Europe and into rougher territory, a land burgeoning on prosperity but struggling to get there, and weighed down with a history of war and financial hardship.  In addition, we had made a quick shift from a predominantly Catholic country to a predominantly Muslim one; minarets spiked the sky instead of cathedral towers.  Old clashed with new, Turkish influence and art met glass-enclosed banks and precise European piazzas.  We tucked our hands into our warmest gloves and set off to go exploring.

 We all loved our guide, Anand.  Such a funny, nice guy… and also an honest one.  He really wanted some good feedback on his webpage so that he would keep his job.  There aren’t many jobs in Bosnia.

“When you Google employment in Bosnia,” Anand joked, “Google asks you, ‘Did you mean unemployment in Bosnia?'”

Do you like my hat?  Elliott bought it for me because he was tired of me wearing his hat (see previous post).  I like it too.  I’m a little sad to say, though, that that the hat (and a mug inscribed with “Enjoy Sarajevo” in the style of “Enjoy Coca Cola”) was the only thing we bought on this entire trip.  Maybe that was just us, and maybe that was because there was a lot of imported art from other parts of the world, and maybe that was because… well… there wasn’t much to buy in the Balkans that was very appealing.  That seems a little harsh, I know, but I think my family would agree with me.  Oh well, we ate and slept and drove, and so we invested in the tourist industry in other ways, as all tourists do!

Have you ever felt this way about places you’ve visited?  And does it make you feel bad?  Am I alone in this feeling?

We stayed in this completely funky art deco hotel.  Somewhat creepy, actually, with dark purple walls and probably only about 5 other guests in the entire building.  (December/January is not the tourist season.  At all.)

After exploring Sarajevo, we drove on to Mostar, a lovely riverside city with a strong Muslim/Turkish influence.  Lena was exhausted after the drive and needed a nap, so I stayed behind with her while the rest of the family went on a self-guided walking tour of Mostar.

When Lena woke up, she discovered the Nutella jar.  Clever, clever child.  But next time you might have more luck with the jar instead of the lid.

Later Elliott came to get me and Lena and we walked back together to meet our family for dinner.  We stopped at the famous Mostar bridge to take a few photos as the sun went down. 

And then dinner, which consisted mostly of meat and white bread.  It was delicious, though, and stuck to your ribs.  And Lena learned how to give a high five!

4 :: in Balkans, family, travel

Bosnia

We flew from Zagreb, Croatia, to Sarajevo, Bosnia, the day before 2012 began.  (Lena enjoyed shopping for some duty-free perfumes in the airport before we took off!)  I can’t say that the countryside of Croatia is drastically different from Bosnia, but something was different.  We were definitely moving away from traditional Europe and into rougher territory, a land burgeoning on prosperity but struggling to get there, and weighed down with a history of war and financial hardship.  In addition, we had made a quick shift from a predominantly Catholic country to a predominantly Muslim one; minarets spiked the sky instead of cathedral towers.  Old clashed with new, Turkish influence and art met glass-enclosed banks and precise European piazzas.  We tucked our hands into our warmest gloves and set off to go exploring.

 We all loved our guide, Anand.  Such a funny, nice guy… and also an honest one.  He really wanted some good feedback on his webpage so that he would keep his job.  There aren’t many jobs in Bosnia.

“When you Google employment in Bosnia,” Anand joked, “Google asks you, ‘Did you mean unemployment in Bosnia?'”

Do you like my hat?  Elliott bought it for me because he was tired of me wearing his hat (see previous post).  I like it too.  I’m a little sad to say, though, that that the hat (and a mug inscribed with “Enjoy Sarajevo” in the style of “Enjoy Coca Cola”) was the only thing we bought on this entire trip.  Maybe that was just us, and maybe that was because there was a lot of imported art from other parts of the world, and maybe that was because… well… there wasn’t much to buy in the Balkans that was very appealing.  That seems a little harsh, I know, but I think my family would agree with me.  Oh well, we ate and slept and drove, and so we invested in the tourist industry in other ways, as all tourists do!

Have you ever felt this way about places you’ve visited?  And does it make you feel bad?  Am I alone in this feeling?

We stayed in this completely funky art deco hotel.  Somewhat creepy, actually, with dark purple walls and probably only about 5 other guests in the entire building.  (December/January is not the tourist season.  At all.)

After exploring Sarajevo, we drove on to Mostar, a lovely riverside city with a strong Muslim/Turkish influence.  Lena was exhausted after the drive and needed a nap, so I stayed behind with her while the rest of the family went on a self-guided walking tour of Mostar.

When Lena woke up, she discovered the Nutella jar.  Clever, clever child.  But next time you might have more luck with the jar instead of the lid.

Later Elliott came to get me and Lena and we walked back together to meet our family for dinner.  We stopped at the famous Mostar bridge to take a few photos as the sun went down. 

And then dinner, which consisted mostly of meat and white bread.  It was delicious, though, and stuck to your ribs.  And Lena learned how to give a high five!

4 :: in Balkans, family, travel

Croatia

To continue the story of our trip through the Balkan countries this Christmas, we go on to Croatia, a land rich in natural beauty and history.  We hit two highlights with our visits to two main cities, but honestly one of my favorite parts of Croatia was the view from the car as we drove through it.  It has such fresh, barely touched natural beauty, from the dazzling blue seas to the towering snowy peaks.  I highly recommend a visit.

We started in Zagreb, the capital, on a crisp winter morning right before the new year.

 We discovered a Christmas market near our hotel.  Vendors sold soap, sweets, jewelry, and other handicrafts.  These two motorcycle dudes were waiting for cups of steaming mulled wine to sip while listening to a band play Christmas music from a gazebo.

We moved on to a main market square and discovered a bustling fruit and vegetable market.  There were some handmade toys, including these cute dolls bobbing on wire springs.

All at once, while peacefully perusing this market…

BOOM!!!

We jumped about a foot and stared at each other.

Crackle POP crackle crackle BOOM!!!

Fireworks?  Gunshots?  Celebrations for the day before the New Year?  Someone trying to spook us because we were the only foreigners there?

We never figured it out, although every few minutes a sound like a gun going off cracked through the air and we jumped about 6 inches in the air and stared at each other.  Strange background noise for market day, but what do we know about how things are done in Croatia?

Get your sauerkraut right here! The acid in the air in this underground market burned our eyes.  I’ve never seen so much fermented food in my life.

 Lena and I wanted to go for a ride in the old Army truck, but we settled for the swing instead.

 Elliott and my sister went for a wild ride on the seesaw.  You can see the grass between Julia and her seat!

Free mulled wine back at the hotel… um, don’t mind if we do.  
Emily fed Lena some yogurt for dinner.

Later we journeyed down the coast to Dubrovnik, the city I said before was one of the loveliest places I’d ever seen.  The old city of Dubrovnik is surrounded by thick stone walls; gleaming limestone buildings and cheerful orange roofs complete the charming picture.  We spent several hours with a tour guide and then sipped coffee in the main piazza of the old city.

The harbor was so beautiful.  We could see the rocks on the sea floor through crystal clear blue water.

 Paddington in every language!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
1 :: in Balkans, family, pretty places, travel

Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes