Bosnia & Herzegovina

MOSTAR
From Dubrovnik it's only a few minutes drive to the Bosnian border and only a couple of hours to the city of Mostar. Mostar is known for the beautiful medieval old bridge over the Neretva river and it's one of the best examples of Islamic architecture in the Balkans.

I booked the Elite Guesthouse ahead of time and the owner, Misha, arranged to meet us at one of the bigger hotels on the outskirts of town with his motorcycle so that he could guide us through the maze of streets to a safe place to park. It wasn't too difficult but it was a nice touch and he let Sebastian sit on his motorbike as we walked the final few hundred yards. Our room at the guesthouse was huge, with a kitchen, washing machine and a nice terrace with a view of the river and only a short walk to the old bridge.

MOSTAR BRIDGE (STARI MOST)
Known as the 'Old Bridge', Stari Most is a rebuilt 16th century Ottoman masterpiece and the highlight of Mostar. It was originally commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 and stood for 427 years until it was destroyed in 1993 during the Croat-Bosniak War. The bridge we see today was rebuilt and opened in 2004 but still looks amazing and better still it was uncrowded.

We spent an afternoon wandering slowly up the cobblestone streets past the Biscevic House and the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque until the bridge came into view in bright late afternoon sunshine. We stopped in a few markets and had to negotiate a few gypsy children that were hanging around and settled into a lovely dinner spot with a perfect view of the bridge. There were a couple of high divers hanging about on the bridge and apparently if you paid them enough they would dive into the river below. We hung about for a little bit but I never actually saw anyone dive.  After dinner I stumbled upon a little shop selling foreign banknotes so everyone left me behind while I searched through a few binders looking for something unique.

The cobblestones leading to the bridge

Stari Most

The kids by the Neretva River under Stari Most

The following day we drove to a few of the interesting sites nearby; Blagaj - an Ottoman style monastery and national monument built around 1520,  Počitelj - an historic village and an open-air museum nestled on the side of a hill beside the Neretva river, and the Kravice Waterfall where the kids swam while Glen, Ale and I had a few drinks in the sun.  The waterfall was a bit crowded, and very slippery in places but well worth the visit.

DON'T MISS SARAJEVO
The next day we tried to find Tito's Bunker but we had a few navigation issues, plus we hadn't booked. We weren't going to be allowed inside so we carried on to Sarajevo where Glen wanted to visit the Tunnel Museum which is a small military-history museum at the site of a storied Bosnian War–era underground tunnel not far from the center of the city. It was a somber experience but a necessary experience to understand what happened during what was the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare in the early 1990's.  In the city we stopped for lunch and drinks then found the Sarajevo Museum 1878–1918 and the famous inscription the marked the event that would herald in the Great War;

 "FROM THIS PLACE ON 28 JUNE 1914 

GAVRILO PRINCIP ASSASSINATED THE HEIR 

TO THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN THRONE 

FRANZ FERDINAND AND HIS WIFE SOFIA"

No time to waste. We drove to Makarska, back in Croatia, and caught a car ferry to the island of Brač which would be home for the next two days.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

DUBROVNIK
Dubrovnik has been around since the 7th century when the Greeks fled north to escape the barbarian invasions. They built walls around their settlement and established trade and a port which, for the next thousand years, would be known as Ragusa. It wasn't until the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire that the city changed it's name and built an industry around tourism. In recent times the city was senselessly bombed by the Yugoslav army in 1991 but recovered to earn UNESCO World Heritage status and become one of the most iconic spots on the Adriatic Sea. It is absolutely beautiful, very similar but much bigger than Kotor but many. many more tourists. Too many for my liking.

The bus from Kotor in Montenegro took about two and a half hours to reach Dubrovnik with stunning views of the Adriatic for the last thirty minutes or so. We were deposited near the cruise ship terminal but quickly got a taxi to Srebreno beach and our apartment for the next few nights. While it would have been great to stay within the old city walls, there is a ferry from Srebreno beach to the 'Porat' entrance to Dubrovnik.

GAME OF THRONES TOURISM

The best way to see the city and take in the location and views is to walk around the city from the ramparts above. The views are stunning and there are plenty of places to stop for photos and grab a drink and something to eat. The best way to explore the city is to get lost in the streets and alleys below.  There are a bunch of 'Game of Thrones' themed tours but we opted instead to explore without a map or guide - and to be honest that's the best way to do it. We stopped frequently for ice cream, or beer or food and even more frequently for photos.

For me one full day in Dubrovnik was enough for me. Although the photos may not show it, the place was teeming with tourists and at times I was worried about getting separated from the kids.  This was one of the few places where we organized a meeting point (the clock tower) should we lose each other during the day, but thankfully it never came to that.

NEXT STOP BOSNIA
Tomorrow is Sunday. We're scheduled to pick up a Sixt rental car from the city which we're going to drive all the way to Zagreb in the north. Along the way we're catching a car ferry to a Croatian island, but before then we're headed to Mostar and Sarajevo for a slide of history tour in Bosnia. I can't wait.

Montenegro

THE CITY OF CATS
We were up early to catch a taxi to the Tirana bus station and eventually boarded the bus bound for Montenegro, via Podgorica and then the stunning capital city, Kotor - also known as the city of cats. Kotor is one of the most beautiful walled cities I've ever seen, smaller than Dubrovnik but big enough to get lost in for a little bit. Lots of nice courtyards with appealing restaurants and shops and some lovely churches. Lily and Seb had fun playing with the numerous cats wandering all around the place and even tried talking me into buying a kitten.

Seb & Lily playing with kittens in Kotor

Kotor from the top of the old fort trail

We stayed at the Kotor Old Town Hostel just inside the entrance to the old town and easy walking distance from the bus station. The hostel is in a rustic 13th century stone building and had recently been refurbished. It's an excellent location with a tourist desk next door and plenty of restaurant options right around the corner. We wandered around the narrow alleys and stunning courtyards for the afternoon and stopped for pizza and ice cream.

A DAY OUT AND ABOUT
We took a day tour of Montenegro with a bunch of other like minded tourists out of the city and around the bay of Kotor taking in sights like 'Our Lady of the Rocks' (a small lighthouse in the middle of the bay), Slano lake and the beautiful Piva Monastery.

Our Lady of the Rocks - Seb, Lily, me, Glen & Ale

ZIPLINING IN PLUZINEAfter Piva Monastery was the highlight of the day - a monstrous zipline over Pliva Lake. Both kids were brave enough to take it on and loved it. It was a thrilling was to end the afternoon before starting out for Ostrog Monastery.  We would never make it there though. The tour van broke down several times and we were losing precious daylight at the driver tried without luck to get it fixed properly.  We had to abandon the monastery and head back to Montenegro, hours behind schedule.  The silver lining after all the waiting was that the tour company generously reimbursed the full price of the tour for all five of us.

Viaduct over Pliva Lake.

The zipline group

Montenegro was a surprise.  Next on the list was Croatia and the city of Dubrovnik!

Kosovo

KOSOVO - COUNTRY OR NOT?
A country is a country if enough other countries agree that it is a country. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Although the United States and most members of the EU recognized Kosovo's declaration, Serbia, Russia, and a significant number of other countries, including a few EU members, did not. So officially, Kosovo is not a country and is not a member of the United Nations. Although it doesn't count towards completing the U.N list of 193 countries, it is a significant and intriguing place to visit.

The border crossing from Albania into Kosovo was very quick - less than 10 minutes. And a significant portion of that time was taken up verifying that Ale and her Chilean passport were welcome without a visa. The outbound crossing the following day would be even quicker, even with another Chilean passport check. The road between Tirana and Kosovo is excellent

OF MOSQUES AND MEN
The population of Kosovo is about 95% Albanian and predominantly Muslim. This became immediately obvious as the small town we stayed in, Prizren, boasts more than 40 mosques, all of which were blasting the call to worship as I was parking the car. It was difficult to miss. We were here during Ramadan and were told but someone in Albania that we should head to the Kaljaja (Prizren Fortress) for sunset, to hear the call to worship and see some fireworks.  The town was very quiet and the fortress was an easy 15 minute walk up the hill behind our hotel. We took a bottle of wine took in the stunning views and watched both fireworks - yes, only two - before wandering back to the town now teeming with men, women and children out for dinner.

Atop Prizren Fortress at sunset

TWO GREAT MONASTERIES
We spent an entire day driving around Kosovo in search of two UNESCO World Heritage sites as well as the capital city - Prishtina.

First stop was the Visoki Dečani Monastery near the town of Desan on the western side of Kosovo about 90 minutes drive from Prizren in the south. It is one of the most important monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church, famous for its elegant and peculiar architecture. It dates from the XIII century and mixes western and eastern church building styles to create a hybrid style only seen in old Serbia. This monastery is particularly noted for some of the world's finest medieval frescoes including a kick ass one of Jesus holding a sword - nothing like it anywhere else. Sadly though, no pictures allowed inside.

Visoki Dečani Monastery

Next stop was an excellent lunch in Peja at a restaurant called Kulla e Zenel Beut, then the second monastery, the Patriachate of Peć, 2 km west of Peja city center. Dating from the XII century, this is the mother church of the Serbian Orthodoxy. Another stunning interior with many spectacular frescoes but, once again, no photos allowed.

The Patriachate of Peć

It took the best part of two hours to drive through the center of the country to Prishtina on the eastern side. We had to play Tetris to park the car then walked around the old clock tower and through a market where we stocked up of football jerseys and golden eagle energy drinks.  From there we took the long drive back to the Albanian border to Tirana airport through town with names like Kukes, Rubik and Milot. By 11pm we were back at Tirana Backpacker Hostel for the night.

Albania

BALKANS 2017
The kids and I embarked on our most ambitious and complicated overseas trip yet. Seven countries (five new ones for me), at least ten border crossings, five flights, four buses (one overnight), two rental cars, one high speed train, ten different hostels or hotels a ferry and a whole bunch of memories. This is the Balkans tour of 2017 with Glen and Alexandra (Ale).

100 U.N COUNTRIES
I've been at this travel business for a long time and while all places are memorable for one reason or another, Albania will always be special to me because it is the 100th U.N. country visited. Only 93 to go to complete the set!

Tirana was great. With Seb and Lily I picked up an SUV rental car from Tirana International Airport and drove to the Backpacker Hostel in downtown Tirana.  We took a self-guided walking tour around the city to get bearings, withdraw money and scope out a place for dinner that evening. Glen and Ale arrived at around 7pm - the first time I've seen them since Chile a couple of months ago (but it seemed longer). Sadly the dinner place was closed but we stumbled upon a nameless seafood place where we were the only patrons. It was a really nice meal and a beautiful evening in Albania's capital but I doubt I could find the restaurant again. We went to Skanderbeg Square and saw the Et'hem Bey Mosque & Clock Tower while the kids played in the water fountains. The square had just recently opened and the entire thing is essentially a water fountain.

The next day we drove to Berat via Fier where we visited the Greek ruins of Apollonia. The ruins were a great way to spend a few hours and we had afternoon tea at a neat little cafe. During the drive I got waved down by one of the many police officers beside the main road. I didn't know that it was a requirement to drive with lights on at all times but the police officer was kind enough to reach into the car and turn them on for me once he figured out I couldn't understand Albanian.

The Greek ruins at Appolonia

THE TOWN OF A THOUSAND WINDOWS
The town of Berat, about three hours south of Tirana, is known for its historic architecture and scenic beauty. It's called 'the town of a thousand windows', due to the many large windows of the old decorated houses overlooking the town. In July 2008 the old town, called Mangalem district, was given UNESCO World Heritage status.  There are plenty of gorgeous sites within easy walking distance - the church of the holy trinity, the citadel, Berat castle, the ethnographic museum and the panorama of the town from high of the hill. It's a stunning place, unspoiled by mass tourism and delightful at every turn. I didn't want to leave after only two days there but I didn't want to miss out on some of the other hidden treasures of Albania either. We had to keep moving.

The view of Berat from Berat Backpackers

Beautiful view of Berat

EASY ON THE EYE, TOUGH ON THE TONGUE - GJIROKASTER
The old town center of Gjirokastër is another UNESCO World Heritage site, described as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate". We took a detour to check this place out and it didn't disappoint. This would be the southern most point of the trip - from here it's pretty much north all the way until we get to Paris in three weeks.

Gjirokastër can be divided into roughly two halves, the old town up on the hill, and the new town in the valley below. The castle is the historical and geographical center of the city and where we spent most of our time. The views are amazing and there is a lot to explore including an armaments museum, various chambers in differing states of disrepair and a couple of large open areas used for folk festivals. Dinner was on a lovely little terrace at a restaurant called Kujtimi not far from the huge Kodra hotel. We stayed for sunset and wandered around the old city streets for a while before driving back to Berat (about two hours away) for some late night drinks at Berat Backpackers.

Tomorrow is another new adventure as we drive over the border into Kosovo.