Just Catching Up

After brief stays in Montenegro and Bosnia, I just finished a relaxing five-day stay at a Home Exchange on the coast of Croatia, where I thought I’d catch up on blog posts, photos, and see a few sites. What I managed to do is see a lot, take many more photos, and not write anything. So here are just a few random thoughts and observations since the last time I wrote several countries ago.

Solo Travel Is In

When I met Gia, she was standing at the “bus station” in Shkoder, Albania, which is just the sidewalk outside of the mosque, with a full roller suitcase. Though I try not to judge, I thought she might be a missionary or a local person going to visit a relative. I did not imagine that this Venezuelan woman was on a two-month solo journey around the Balkans, heading even more off the beaten path than I have been.

We started chatting about the bus situation and soon learned that we were, indeed, fellow solo travelers. And though we are no longer on the same path, we check in with each other now and then to compare notes.

I’m always happy to meet another person on a solo journey. Perhaps it makes me feel a little less weird, a little more understood, and it’s just nice to talk to someone you can instantly connect with.

Two days before meeting Gia I spent the day with two college students, one from France and one from Scotland. The three of us were the only occupants of the van that would bring us to Komani Lake where a boat would glide us through the canyons to the Shula River. It just seemed natural that we would spend the day together once we all learned that each of us was traveling alone.

Georgina and Batiste were on their first solo trips and they were loving it. I was impressed with their skill and maturity, and they were, I believe, inspired by my decades of travel. It was exciting to hear about their future plans to explore the world on their own, in between exams and internships and jobs.

The boat captain brought out a plastic bottle of raki and we all had our share to keep us warm on our morning cruise, as well as to recover from the two-hour journey over mostly unpaved mountain roads.

It turned out to be a bit rainy and cool so we didn’t go in the water as planned, but spent our time at a river restaurant eating and drinking and getting to know each other, and reveling in the fun of solo travel.

Group Travel Is Still Cool

My brother-in-law worries that I like solo traveling more than traveling with him! What I like is a balance. Sure, I enjoy going to eat whatever I want whenever I want, without having to make a group decision. And I love the adventure of meeting new people, which tends to happen more with solo travel. But most of my recent trips have been a combination of the two, which is really just perfect for me.

Letting someone else take over the navigating or driving is a luxury I don’t have when traveling alone. And there’s just the general companionship, never eating alone, and spending time with loved ones. And sharing the costs is more economical!

That being said, my method is to plan a long trip on my own and invite others who might want to come – knowing they’ll come for part or none of it, but never for all of it!

Peace is Precious (and so is Freedom)

I wasn’t thinking about genocide as I took a bus from beautiful Kotor, Montenegro to Mostar, Bosnia. The scenery in Kotor was stunning. I had climbed a mountain the day before for beautiful views, but really I should have just taken the bus around the bay for scenery that was just as moving.

Yet, in Mostar, and later in Sarajevo, I visited at least four museums dedicated to the Balkans war and genocide in Srebrenica. I remember this war from the 90s when Yugoslavia broke up. I saw it on the news but it was a distant and confusing war, and not something that impacted my life.

The images and stories from the museums, though, brought the war and its impact to life. I wandered to the famous sniper tower in Mostar, sneaking in a broken gate to take pictures of the graffiti, thinking of civilians risked their lives to get basic needs during the war.

I saw the new Mostar bridge, the original 400-year-old bridge having been destroyed in the war. I learned of the pride of the residents in rebuilding the bridge and maintaining the tradition of diving from the bridge even through the war period, an act of defiance against their oppressors.

And in Sarajevo I visited the War Children’s Museums, a special collection of objects from children who survived the war. There were a few objects from kids who are currently living through wars in Palestine and Ukraine. Will they soon add objects from children in Iran?

It’s easy to think, “How can people be so cruel?” while reading about atrocities of the past. But one has to just turn on the news to read of the same cruelties being committed in today’s wars, and often by the most powerful nations.

This morning’s train from Zagreb, Croatia to Austria stopped at the border of Slovenia and the police boarded. “Identification, passports,” was all they said, and before I could pull out my passport they had passed me by, apparently not interested. Across the aisle, however, a young brown-skinned man stood and was escorted off by an officer. “Luggage?” the officer asked and the man shook his head.

As our train pulled away, I saw him being led away by two officers, head bowed down, on a beautiful spring morning. I couldn’t help but imagine his story. A refugee perhaps? Taking a chance for a better life in Europe? How many times had he tried this? What will happen now? What about his family?

He’s likely one of millions seeking a better life without the privilege of being able to cross borders without even having to show a passport when asked.

Finding Hope

On a walking tour of Split, Croatia, I learned that until recently it was a dirty city that tourists would never visit. Now it’s a top tourist destination. The guide told me that most people didn’t even have their own bathroom or running water a few decades ago, and that heroine took the lives of a significant proportion of the population. Now there are direct flights from New York to Split.

What happened? Game of Thrones is one reason it’s so popular as locations in Split and throughout Croatia were sites for filming. If I ever get the time, I might have to actually watch the series now that I’ve seen filming sites in Iceland, Ireland, and Croatia, all without having sought them out.

The government, according to my guide, made a difference too. When the former corrupt government was thrown out and the country joined the EU, standards were raised and tourists flocked in. (That’s a very simplistic version of events, I know, but it’s as far as my knowledge goes!)

Anyway, it just goes to show you how places can change so rapidly – either by famous shows or whoever happens to be in power. It is also a reminder that suffering does not have to be permanent. People and places can change. That gives me hope.

Here are some images of recent travels in: Tirana, Shkoder and Komani Lake in Albania and Kotor Bay, Montenegro.

Click on the first image in each set below to open the gallery.

Next are some scenes from Trogir, Split and nearby places in Croatia.

Finally, a gallery from Mostar and Sarajevo, Bosnia, and maybe a few shots from the spy museum in Albania!