It has been a few weeks already since we set out on our tour of the Balkan Peninsula (the former Yugoslavia) in mid-April. What follows is a photo-heavy travel journal of our trip.
We had such a whirlwind trip, that I barely remember taking this photo of Dave in his Life is Good Party Like a Lobstar travel shirt at our connecting stop at Dulles Airport. We took the opportunity to relax with a nice lunch. Travel can be stressful enough, and the last minute changes affecting our flights, didn't help.
We arrived in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina for a city tour with an excellent local guide. I soon learned that I have been mispronouncing this country's name. Its Her-ze-GOV-in-a, not Her-ze-gov-EEN-a. Who knew?
To start our walking tour of Sarajevo, our guide did a quick preview of major events that define the city: 1) the 1984 Winter Olympics (nearly all of the Olympic venues have been destroyed by war), the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, setting off the chain of events that lead to the first World War, and the end of the Habsburg empire, and 3) the Bosnian War, 1992 to 1995.
The 1984 Olympics, is to this day, considered one of the proudest moments in Sarajevo history. Perhaps you remember the ice dancing couple Torville and Dean?--1984 was their gold medal year. In the center photo below, you can see the 'footprints' of assassin Garvilo Princip who was surprised by the approaching motorcade as he sat in a corner coffee shop. The Archduke and his wife were only about 6 feet away when they were assassinated. The last photo on the right is one of thousands and thousands of visible pock marks on the buildings and sidewalks throughout the city from the Bosnian War when Sarajevo was under siege by Bosnian Serbs.
A visit to the city museum and, of course, I found a quilt! Not much information about this one, but the quilt is made of appliqued leather.
Sarajevo is an example of vastly different communities thriving side by side. The dividing line where two worlds meet is below. In the photo on the left, the group faces east, and the backdrop distinctly looks like old world Habsburg Europe. On the right the group faces west, where behind is the remnants of the Ottoman Empire which advanced on the city from the East. To take these two photos, the group only had to turn around to create two vastly different backgrounds.
Mostar and its historic bridge was our next stop in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Lots of boutiques line the streets on both sides of the bridge.
Our lunch stop in Mostar was a lovely restaurant along the river. We had already experienced massive platters full of meat shared family style at group lunches and dinners. Dave opted for yet another plate full of meat for lunch.
One more stop in Bosnia in Višegrad before moving on into Serbia.
This Eastern Orthodox church (above, right) in Višegrad is relatively new. Inside you can see the elaborate paintings and frescoes on the ceiling. On the right, below, another part of the ceiling hasn't been painted yet. A work in progress.
A mural ( pictured on the left) above one of the shopping areas shows Gavrilo Princip (in front all the way to the left) and his co-conspirators behind him. This close to Serbia, he is considered somewhat of a hero for succeeding in targeting Habsburg imperialism. Long story, there. Lots of books you can read, if you're interested.
Next, in Belgrade, Serbia, we visited Tito's final resting place. His statue pictured on the left. Tito was a popular political figure in Yugoslavia, but not without controversy.
Another day another church or mosque. This post would be three times longer than it already is if I included photos from each one. They are all fabulous to visit, but this Eastern Orthodox Church in Belgrade, Serbia, near Tito's grave site and former residence, is exceptional. The interior is covered floor to ceiling in ornate, golden mosaic.
When you visit 7 countries in 15 days, a gal has to keep her energy up. With lots of time on the bus with the group, a unique treat (unique, at least for American Dove-bar fans) found at one of the rest stops could not be resisted! I don't even think it was lunch time yet, but local time in the US is at least 6 hours behind, so let's just call this a late-night/early-morning snack.
Skopje (pronounced Scope-YAH), the capital of North Macedonia was decimated by a massive earthquake in 1963. The train station, shown on the left was destroyed. The building has been stabilized and while some of the building marks the time and destruction of the earthquake, the rest of the building is the city museum.
Seems like two names kept surfacing as we went from city to city in the Balkans. Alexander the Great (below left) and Mother Teresa (below right). Both have strong ties to the Balkans, and every country claims their connection is the closest. . .
On a somber note, a visit to the Skopje Holocaust museum had this sculpture in its entry. 7,144 beads each represent the Jewish Macedonian victims deported to Trablinka in 1943. The sculpture is meant to evoke the biblical image of the burning bush that burns, but is not consumed.
Switching gears . . . Wine is big business in the region and our visit to this vineyard included lots a yummy samples and fun stories from our guided tour and tasting.
In Kosovo, Americans are big heroes! Again, long and complex story involving culture, nationalism, and ethnic cleansing. In the center of the capital of Priština (pictured left to right below), there are statues of former president Bill Clinton (the statue is just below the banner, barely visible in this drive-by photo), then Speaker of the House, Robert Dole, and then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. All were important in stopping Milošović's destructive actions through NATO intervention. To this day 4,000 NATO troops are in Kosovo keeping the peace.
My favorite stop was Ohrid, North Macedonia. The weather was perfect, the location was peaceful and idyllic, and we only had one overnight there! . . . Difficult to leave!
In Ohrid, we were treated to traditional dancing by an award-winning group of young dancers at dinner. There is a legend about the young lady who took her laundry to the river and ended up bargaining for a husband. It's much more involved than that, but this dance re-enacts the tale.
Rumor has it, the young lady is still doing laundry - it's one of those chores that's never really done.
Before leaving for our next venue, lunch in the sunshine consisted of local trout from Lake Ohrid, grilled perfectly.
You know you're in Albania when the street lights (walk or don't walk), the doors, and the bright red flags are covered in the double-headed eagle, the national insignia.
Tirana, Albania is a welcoming modern city with a collection of oddly shaped buildings - this one is in the shape of the national hero, Skënderbej.
Another day, another country! Montenegro gives us our first peek of the Adriatic Sea on this trip!
And finally, the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik from the cliff above the city (pictured below right). Since we've been to Dubrovnik before, we ducked out of the scheduled tours for the afternoon to find a quiet corner for lunch and refreshment before our flights back home the next day.
The Balkans are a wonderful mixture of ancient and modern history. Cultures live peacefully side by side; however, there is an unsettling, underlying sense that sustained peace is fragile and conflict is not far from reality at any given moment. This is a region where cultural identity transcends nationalism, and war is a recent memory with deep, painful scars.
As stated earlier, this tour covered 7 countries in 15 days - a bit aggressive for my taste. In my mind, travel is not just checking off the photo opportunities from the guidebooks, but it's about exploring the people and culture only found in less traveled paths and in conversation with residents, shop keepers, and patrons at the neighborhood gathering places. These experiences are far more meaningful and important than a phone full of digital images. We visited tons of interesting sites - including but not limited to remnants of ancient civilizations, centuries-old fortresses, museums filled with historic artifacts, copper smiths and coffee culture, and even a Venetian mask factory, not mentioned here for brevity (believe it or not!), and I wouldn't have wanted to exclude any of it. However, we did miss having a bit more time at leisure to explore the things you can't find in the history books.
Even so, I have come away from this journey with a broad introduction to a very unique part of the world. I have gathered a reading list for more in-depth insights to follow on to the tour.
. . . and meat platters, and wine, and baklava, and coffee, and ice cream . . .
There was no shortage of humor in the signs throughout the trip. Sign on the left presents a real threat. The peacock on the right looks like he's thinking, "wut?"
Cobbled streets with shops on both sides of the street selling treasures. Common in each city we visited
Travel day, and one more chance to have breakfast with a view.
Not quite the same view that we came home to, but home is home. And there is something to be said for your own bed and your own shower after being away!
I hope you enjoyed this little photo journal. Overall, it was a wonderful experience in a region that is well worth visiting!
This "Across the Balkan Peninsula" tour was booked through Smithsonian Journeys. I recommend the trip, but it's an aggressive schedule, so rest up and strap on your most comfortable walking shoes if you decide to follow in our footsteps!
Back to stitchy stuff next time!
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
Leave a Reply