Crossroads of the Adriatic: Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia (2018) Trip Notes

October 27, 2018 - Travel Day

    Off to the Balkan region of perpetual conflict and beauty. First we flew to Chicago to catch an Austrian flight thru Vienna to Dubrovnik.

    A word about O'Hare airport. If you are not a frequent international flyer, O'Hare is not for you. The board indicated out Vienna flight was out of gate T5. There is no T concourse so we asked and were sent to B11 or B12, the United rep wasn't exactly sure. An eleven minute walk got us to B11 where we were told to go to concourse G gate 17 to catch a bus to the international terminal M. Still no idea about gate T5 but we walked another 20 minutes or so and past the gate we started from to G17. Mind you, there were no signs or airport maps anywhere showing the international terminal, and even at G17 there was no signs about a bus or the international terminal. At G17 we asked and the representative there checked out passport and boarding pass and told us to sit, busses run every 15 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later a bus took us on a 10 minute ride to Terminal M where we found our plane at gate M11 where 500 other passengers were crammed into a small alcove serving two gates with their flights scheduled within 10 minutes of each other. Still we have no idea what gate T5 was.

   Our flight to Vienna was in Premium Economy which was very comfortable. The food was OK except Linda got seriously sick but that passed by the time we arrived.

October 28, 2018 - Arrive in Dubrovnik

   We arrived in the Vienna airport where we met up with Linda's brother Mike and relaxed in a Priority Lounge before transferring to our destination, Dubrovnik. At Dubrovnik's airport our luggage arrived and we made it through immigration and customers without incident. There we met our OAT tour guide, Milan (pronounced Meelan) who escorted us to our hotel, Valamar Lacroma. The drive, along the sea road, was stunningly beautiful just like we pictured Croatia should be; except for the dark overcast

October 29, 2018 - Tour Dubrovnik

    The day started out with this overwhelming breakfast buffet in the hotel. It was huge, really big, hundreds of choices. Maybe the biggest buffet ever. And it was good. As we headed out the sky was overcast as all our days on this trip were forecasted to be. A short bus ride took us from the hotel, where route #6 begins to Old Dubrovnik, the walled city, where the route ends. We tour the walled city with Danijela and have lunch at Lajk. We learned about the Jewish section with its synagog, now a museum, the only non-Catholic religion tolerated in the city and they were tolerated because the Jews controlled trade in the region. Hmm. In the monastery there's a pharmacy, the oldest continuously operating pharmacy in Europe. The effects of the earthquake of 1600 and war of 1991 can be seen all around but you have to look carefully. Things are mostly restored to the way they were.

     After lunch we were on our own to do whatever and most of us chose walking the wall of Old Dubrovnik. It's a little under two kilometers to walk the complete loop and about half way around the rain started. Gentle at first then more than gentle. Tourists began flooding into the old city all at once and I decided to leave the wall because it became crowded and wet. But wait, where's Linda? Brother Mike who was behind me and in front of Linda said she left. Great, I have her bus ticket back and all the cash and no idea where she might be in the city in the rain. Both our phones are in airplane mode to save $10 each. I'm walking and searching and it's raining harder still. I try calling her after conceding the $10 and hoping she did same. Meanwhile, Mike's gone exploring a close by fort. The old city now was very crowded and after an hour or so pushing my way around the old city and to and from the bus stop outside and so on, I'm soaked, I'm panicked, where's my Linda. Finally, finally she phones me and we connect. She was touring with some of our companions. The day is gone, it's dark and we head back on the bus.

     Here's a little factoid for those of you fans of Game Of Thrones: Old Dubrovnik is King's Landing!!!

October 30, 2018 - Kotor, Montenegro Day Visit

     This day trip included a visit by small boat to the Our Lady of the Rocks shrine in the Bay of Kotor. Like every other place we go, the Virgin Mary appeared. So here rumor is the local fishermen built the island from rocks and then built the shrine upon the rocks. It's all very picturesque. Our local guide with his man-bun lived nearby and only wanted to talk about his life in the nearby village.

October 31, 2018 - To Mostar then Sarajevo

     Our tour of the Balkan region navigated three different currencies. Croatia preferred it's Kunas and Bosnia it's Bosnian Marks and Montenegro liked the Euro. They were very provincial about the currencies giving us a challenge to have exactly enough and not bring back any and we met it. Any of those currencies left over at the end of the trip became part of our guide's tip.

     Lunch was in Mostar where we walked to Mostar's famous ancient bridge that was destroyed and rebuild. Two interesting tidbits: The original bridge sits in big pieces in the river where people sit upon it and watch the jumpers, a few aging locals who pass the had to collect 50 euros then they jump into the river from the bridge. Draws big crowds. See photos in gallery. Weird. Next we made a short diversion to Hollywood-Yugoslav to see a collapsed railroad bridge from "The Battle Of Neretva", a 1969 film about the most important WWII battle in this area. It was in this battle the wounded Tito, future leader of Yugoslavia, famously said "we will leave no one behind."

     Our tour guide, Milan, isn't married and so all of us became matchmakers for him and the local guides, all of whom were attractive and age appropriate. Most were married or not married but single parents disqualifying them in Milan's mind. Here there was Katja whom we think Milan was most partial to. Go for it Milan.

November 1, 2018 - Sarajevo City Tour

     We're in Bosnia and the city of Sarajevo, a city that was under siege 1991 thru 1994. Our local guide Neira, nice looking but married, showed us her city of Sarajevo by bus as it is today. Previously destroyed, today it's mostly rebuilt. Only a few scars remain on some buildings. For the people not so much. After lunch we visited the Srebrenica Exhibition, a small gallery of photos and political signs telling the story of a genocidal massacre denied to this day by the Serbian government.

     Neira had unkind words about Bosnia's three president system of government. Difficult to get decisions made. We have that with just one president.

November 2, 2018 - Sarajevo War Tour

     The siege resulted in more than 10,000 residents being killed. Their water, heat, electricity were cut and they stayed in their apartments using sleeping blankets. Windows blown out; freezing cold in the winter. When they went outside for food and water they faced sniper fire. The family that hosted dinner lived on the 11th floor of an apartment. Everyday they'd have to walk up and down and out while the snipers took shots and mortars were lobbed. One went into the apartment above theirs and killed everyone. Obviously this speaks well of the concrete Russian Baroque style buildings.

     Natasa, a victim and speaker of the Siege experience came and gave a talk she also doesn't care for their three president government but also blames capitalism for many of the problems. She is a Socialist, naturally. But she also painted a picture of the genocide and the Mujahadeem who came from Afghanistan to join the Serbs. The UN was a joke and the Hague court is doing nothing about the Serbian war criminals. There may be another side to the conflict we haven't heard but I doubt it. This is a centuries long grudge.

     During the day Neira took us to the famous Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope that was dug under the airport to get past the barricade to bring in supplies. Only a hundred yards or so remains as a museum but it's obvious how important it must have been for a city under siege. About the airport. The United Nations took possession of that airport and as "peacekeepers" that should have been a good thing only they did nothing to help the Bosnians even though they were right there and could have and should have according to the Bosnians.

November 3, 2018 - Karanac, Croatia

     On a more pleasant note where we met our lodging hosts Dennis and Goca. They have this interesting farm that is very narrow and deep. There chickens and other farm animals reside. As you enter their residence, kitchen and dining hall are on the left followed by a series of "motel" rooms where we spent the night. Before dinner we participated in making breakfast cheese which would be ready to serve the next morning.

     Dinner was at the home of the cheese-maker who we thought was perfect for Milan but she had a child. Her son was learning English and was pushed to ask us questions about ourselves. Charming, we all had a great time with the family.

November 4, 2018 - Karanak to Zagreb

     Breakfast then a pottery demonstration by an experienced potter who it seems has a small studio on the site for doing demonstrations. None of us came away potters but he was good to watch. Then there were the farm's animals. Milan couldn't wait to play with the goat. After some goat wrestling and a look at the orchard and communal cow grazing field, we left Bosnia for Zagreb Croatia

November 5, 2018 - Zagreb City Tour

     Walked around Zagreb, the capital and a split city. There is Upper and Lower Zagreb. Upper Town can be accessed by a funicular or a walk along a different path. We did both. Upper has the Naive Art Museum and the Museum of Broken Promises. The former containing some startling beautiful Grandma Moses style paintings. And Broken Promises describes what it is, a collection of items representing individuals of their broken promises. It's almost a one of a kind museum, someone said there is another. We passed on seeing it. Upper Town also has a great cathedral, what else? Lower town has its open air market that wasn't open when we were there and an extensive electric trolley system which we had to watch out for because it didn't appear they were watching out for us and there were a lot of them sometimes running 2 and 3 abreast.

     Dinner was in Fotic, owned by a family that owned Croatia's largest photo processing chain. Naturally there would be cameras on display. A 12x12 box camera hung from the ceiling and perhaps another hundred old film cameras were squirreled in cubbies around the restaurant. You had to search around to see them all.

November 6, 2018 - Klanjec and Kumrovec

     There's a heavy fog, it's cold to cool and in the US it's election day. So we're going to Klanjec to see Antun Augustincic's gallery. He is the most famous sculpture but dead and because he is so famous a gallery is maintained there where little kids can come and learn. Big kids can learn too from the molds, scale models and giant sculptures displayed there. Antun's known for his sculpture in front of the UN building in New York.

     From Antun's village we're bussed over to Kumrovec another village, actually turned into an open air living museum with Marshal Tito's birth home as its center piece. A bunch of people lived in these tiny houses consisting of a living/dining room, a bedroom and a kitchen. The kitchen ceiling was black, imagine why.

     Lunch was by a castle where, as legend has it, a prince and a local girl fell in love, dad didn't approve, so dad has his soldiers drown the nice girl in a bucket and bury her in the castle wall. These legends.

November 7, 2018 - Plitvice Lakes

     On our way to Opatija we hike the upper trail of Plitvice Lakes National Park. There's a lower trail we're told but it's much longer. The upper trail of 3.4 miles in length passes 12 lakes and countless water falls. Some serious work went into building the trail, a buildup wood walk traversing streams, marshes and lake portions. Really gorgeous and not crowded (a case for traveling late in the season).

      We had a friendly lunch in Borje. This region is quite generous with its local fruit brandies. So before checking in to our hotel we got to watch our bus driver back into a space about the width of the bus and listen to Milan tell how a previous driver knocked down one of the decorative gate pillars backing in. You had to see it. Dinner was at the Yacht Club, not private it would appear. Lovely view of the harbor. After dinner was our only time to see Opatija so we walked about, mostly along the waterfront.

November 8, 2018 - Opatija

     Motovun is one stop on our Istra region hilltop tour. It's highly prized for it's truffles at thousands of dollars per key for the best whites. Dogs sniff them out and lots of locals have the dogs. There are many hands between here and the truffle's end market so nobody is getting rich finding these little buggers.

     Then in Buzet was one of many, many fruit brandy distilleries distilling all kinds of fruit. Most interesting but not very tasty was mistletoe brandy.

November 9, 2018 - Postojna Cave

     Postojna Cave has to be one of the natural wonders of the world waiting to be named such. At 12 miles long it is a labyrinth that defies description so I won't try. The engineering work that went into developing the two mile railroad and mile of walkways is its own marvel. The caves' many occupiers include 13th century graffiti artists and WWII German airplane fuel storage and of course thousands of tourists since it opened in the early 19th century.

     And on to Ljubljana Slovenia our last stop. Our hotel was just of the main square and the area all around was closed to vehicle traffic, very nice. We walked along the river a bit, had a great meal and ate some of the best gelato anywhere. Milan knew where to go. Milan's duck special dinner looked so good, I needed to go back the next day to have some.

November 10, 2018 - Ljubljana

     Today we felt we should see Lake Bled, known to some of us as Lake Blah . We're rowed on a flat bottom gondola, plenta to the locals, to a little island with a chapel. The boat was so unstable one person leaning forward could tip it over. On the tiny island and was a chapel, of course, where us tourists could pull a rope once hoping to ring the bell three times. When the bell rings three times from the one pull, whatever wish for will come true. Linda wished nice thoughts and made three rings, hope she gets her wish. Me, I was was so concentrating on getting a lot of rings that I forgot to make a wish. The bell rang seven times. Darn.

     Is this all sound touristy or what? Now, up to a castle for a short walk about, some unexpected entertainment by costumed local children and some Bled cream cake. Superb. Lunch in Lectar where we could see lots of beautiful mountains and villages and castles and such.

     Back in Ljubljana we walked the main square, along the river and back to the duck restaurant. The duck was great, I was right. And of course we again had the best gelato anywhere.

November 11, 2018 - Ljubljana

     Last day started out with a chartered boat champaign boat ride along the Ljubljana river. Not very long but saw the bridges: the Dragon bridge, the Cobblers bridge, the Butchers bridge, the Triple bridge and another twelve. The city is known for its dragons and the Butcher's bridge has a glass bottom walk way and it's sides are covered with personal locks for romance. The Triple bridge attached to the main square is a mystery.

     On our own for the balance of the day we packed and found a sidewalk cafe lunch and a beer. The place claimed to be known for it hamburgers so Linda to be safe ordered a veggie-burger The Sloveanians took a novel approach to Linda's burger, on a burger bun was a pile of grilled vegetables and Russian dressing.

     It was a short walk to our farewell dinner restaurant, Vodnikov hram with its costumed performers. I think they were local dance students and they danced and danced. In between their dancing they played some games. One looked like pass the hat and another like musical chairs and a third like follow me. Our little group was pulled into the gaming and it was a lot more fun that I would have guessed. Linda was a hoot with musical chairs. Down to the final two, one chair. Both competitors grabbed the chair as they walked around trying to hold onto best position. It was all fun, we returned to the hotel to bed for a 4am wake up.

November 12, 2018 - Fly Home

     Up at 4 am and out the door by 5 am with our bagged breakfasts. At the airport by 5:30, check the bags, get boarding passes, pass security and emigration and sit. Flight was OK to Frankfort and then home on a Luftansa premium coach ride. Watched a couple of movies, cannot remember which. At home our bags arrived with us and Uber drove us home. Yea.