Montenegro

Montenegro

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Montenegro is a small country of a bit over 600,000. It is bordered by Bosnia and Herzegovina (northwest), Serbia (northeast), Kosovo (east), Albania (southeast), and Croatia and the Adriatic Sea (about 300km) to the southwest.

Podgorica (Подгорица)

Podgorica is the country’s capital and its largest city with about a third (200,000) of the nations population. It is at the crossroads of several historically important routes, near six different rivers (Zeta, Morača, Cijevna, Ribnica, Sitnica and Mareza) close to the Adriatic Sea and on fertile lowlands with a favourable climate. With all of this going for it, as you can imagine, every man and his dog fought over control of the place over the centuries.

Our introduction was brief and a tad onerous. Firstly we came in at a bit after midnight to be greeted by 31 degrees after a 7 hour bus ride that was less than fun. Thankfully our hotel was only 250 meters away and had both cold beer and air conditioning. Also of benefit was that the list of things to see and do in Podgorica was pretty short. There was the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the Millennium Bridge and Independence square. And that was pretty much it.

So the next day it was 37 degrees and we were off again on what was to be a snappy 2 hour bus ride to the coastal town of Kotor. Sadly this too was an adventure.

After having a 100% full bus (so full in fact that the spotty-faced bus organiser had to stand), we then stopped along the way and picked up a further 8 local people.

They had to pay less than a quarter of what we had paid but being full they also had to stand. In the aisles thereby reducing airflow and adding more bodies, heat and odour to an already uncomfortable bus.

From here we then stopped a few times to pick up and drop off random parcels along the route. This included being parked on the side of the road for 10 minutes waiting for the recipient of one of the parcels to turn up because he was not where he should be. This period was accentuated by sardines for people sweating and dripping in the aisles and on the seats. So after about 50 minutes into our planned 2 hour ride we had travelled around 20 kilometres, in 37 degree heat, and then (go figure) the bus broke down.

At this point, all of the local interlopers who got on the bus and were standing went into rants at the bus driver (as if it was his fault) pushing him and yelling at him. In the meantime the spotty faced organiser (who was the only one who could speak English) ran and hid (imparting absolutely no knowledge of what was going on to the rest of us). After several phone calls by the bus driver we were all offloaded onto the side of the road.

I eventually managed to get furry head (can you tell I am a fan) in a headlock who advised that more busses were on the way to pick us up.

Many of our fellow passengers got the shits and hailed down cars and negotiated lifts.

After about 40 minutes a half-full bus arrived and all of the interlopers (who didn’t have luggage) rushed to the bus taking all the available seats. Some people tried to jam their luggage underneath and then board but by then all the seats were taken by the interlopers and they had to climb under the bus and retrieve their bags. And the rest of us waited.

At least with the ones that scarpered and the interlopers gone, there may be room for us when the bus finally gets here. So after another 40 minutes and almost an hour and a half in the heat, with us sitting by the side of the road, with no shade, our replacement bus arrived and the rest ran swimmingly.

Kotor

After the drama above we found our accommodation (a unit on the 4th floor with no lift) stripped off our sweaty gear, did a load of washing and had well needed and welcome showers. Once the air conditioning did its thing we were ready to head out grab some dinner and see the town.

Kotor is a medieval fortified town that sits on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast with an incredibly pleasant looking harbour. The medieval Old Town of Kotor sits mostly at sea level, on a triangle of land bordered by the sea, a river, and a steep mountain on the third side. In many respects, it is similar to, but much smaller than, Dubrovnik. Something that I haven’t mentioned is that throughout much of this fires had been raging in Greece and the air was getting increasingly smoky and hazy. As Kotor is in a bit of a bowl between valleys the smoke got in but struggled to get out, as did the heat.

And this place is as touristy as all get out.

The main feature of Kotor is the fortified old town with three main entrance gates. The north gate or the River Gate (representing the symbol of beating back the Turkish fleet in the 16th century) was our first entry. As you head through the gates you find yourself in the main square of town facing directly at the Kotor Cathedral or the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon was built on the site of a previous church that was originally put in place in 809, however the current version dates to 1166. A series of earthquakes in the region have variously damaged it over the years.

It was late(ish), hot and we were of ill humour after the day that was, so we found a restaurant on the main square, ordered a cold beer and examined the menu. The prices in Touristville have certainly gone up on what we had been paying the last few weeks. But the food was good and sitting with the cool beer eased the tensions of the day.

On the evening walk home we took some night shots and crashed ready for the heat that was to follow tomorrow.

The next morning saw us entering the Old Town through the south or Gurdic gate. It was built in the 10th century and importantly, was the closest one to where we were staying. Heavily fortified with a wooden drawbridge and a moat (of sorts), it was a pretty cool way to enter the Old Town. The moat was actually the Gurdic Spring. The gate and bastion protect this vital connection to the rest of the world.

The bastion protects a wooden drawbridge with a heavily fortified passage. It was constructed in 1470 and was an essential part of the city’s defensive structure.

From here a set of stairs took you up onto the ramparts and gave you access to wandering along the ancient city walls. Which we took great pleasure in doing. When we climbed the stairs to the ramparts there was an Instagrammer getting photos on one of the outcrops. Having looked at everything and taken our photos they were still perched in the same spot, taking more shots. So Jill walked to the top of the outcrop (right next to her) and took her photos, this action created some very snooty faces.

While wandering the ramparts we hit the western Sea Gate, originating from 1555 (during the Venetian reign). From here we could see the masses of tour groups that were loading up ready to enter the Old Town area.

Having reached the end of the walls we descended the stairs and entered Old Town proper. It really is quite small and is probably only about 3-4 blocks deep before you hit the cliff face and the hike up to the fortress (more about that later). Once in you are greeted by the usual mix of shops cafe’s restaurants and old churches.

The unusual thing in Kotor is an unexplainable attraction to cats. There are hundreds of stray cats all over the place. They are very well looked after by locals and visitors, but they are everywhere. Add to this the abundance of cat stores celebrating their existence through merchandise and of course a cat museum. 

The third gate is the quietest of the town’s gates is on the north side, along the Skurda River. A narrow stone bridge connects the gate with the other side of the river. It was built in 1540 in the Renaissance style leaving the main defence on that side as the moat-like river.

One of the biggest symbols of Kotor is the San Giovanni Fortress. It is situated high above the city walls of Kotor’s Old Town and has been perched up there since around the 6th century. During the peak season, you have to pay €8 per person to gain entry to the path.

This has at times been described as the “great wall of Kotor”. It is long (about 4.5 kilometres) and includes a climb of around 1400 stairs (each way) from the old town.  Sitting 260 meters above sea level the fortress got its name from the old church that was on the top of the fortress. The wall thickness ranges from 2-12 meters.

On the way to the fortress, the first stop is the church Our Lady of Health. The cult of Our Lady of Health relates to the plague epidemic that killed many people in the Middle Ages.

Cruise ship traffic has been steadily increasing with Kotor listed among the five most visited ports in the western Mediterranean last year.

The other ports included Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Mykonos and Venice.

Thankfully only mid-sized ships or smaller seem to be able to get in.

Budva

Budva was next, it is a small town of just under 20,000 on the Adriatic Sea. Set on the Budva Riviera it is the center of Montenegrin tourism and is known for its well-preserved medieval walled city, beaches and nightlife. The town itself is 2,500 years old, making it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast.

Located in the most prominent part of the Old Town, the Citadel was built in the 15th century. The old town includes the remains of St. Mary’s Church, terraced gates, several squares, and a building of the former army barracks.

The Greeks were the first to colonise the area in the 4th century BC when an Emporium was established on the site of Budva. In the 2nd century BC, the Romans took over. Then in the 6th century, it became part of the Byzantine Empire then the Slavs and Avars (850ish) had a crack. And then the Venetians had it for about 400 years.

The Old Town is tiny compared to those we have been to and anything that was once genuine has been replaced by tourist shops or boutique clothing stores. That said, the old buildings are ok and the people watching is very entertaining.

Once again Jill had fun with an Instagrammer. The blonde in the photo on the right had been standing on the stairs taking photos for at least 5 minutes while others patiently waited.

So Jill decided that she had had enough and went and stood behind her (for way longer than normal) ruining her shot. The woman glared and Jill cared not one bit.

As you can probably tell, by now we have had enough of Instagrammers. Our issue is not with Instagrammers per se, it is the attitude that the rest of the world should change their actions to accommodate them. We are respectful and stay back allowing them to get their photographs. But if you are still standing and monopolising the same spot for an extended period, then you will get one or other of us standing in your way ruining your shot.

Anyway, back to Budva, the place is pretty small and it is virtually 100% set up for the tourist trade. It is trying hard to cash in on the tourism dollar and its proximity to Dubrovnik means that it is getting its fair share of day trippers.

The beaches are the type that Aussies hate, the ones where you have to pay to go on it. This inherently offends my sensibilities. The fact that you can be excluded from a public space just does not sit well with me. The prices for hiring a sunbed were exorbitant. And if you did pay the huge price, you could not bring your own food or drink onto the beach and were basically a captive to the big resorts. Oh, and there was very little sand, just the pebbles and rocks. And of course there were the Instagrammers.

The waterfront area was lovely, but again, it had been developed in a manner that was solely for the tourists. It was full of boats offering day trips, cafes and restaurants. Interestingly here, while the prices were higher than elsewhere they were not silly (unlike the beaches). You could still get a meal, in a lovely environment, without breaking the bank.

Budvar was nice, in a very touristy kind of way. It was more expensive than where we had been lately, but not so ridiculous that it was unreasonable. We were glad that we came towards the back end of the tourist season as in mid-season I could imagine it would be like Dubrovnik.

Kosovo

Kossovo

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Kosovo lies landlocked in the centre of the Balkans, With a population under 2 million. It is bordered by Serbia (north and east), North Macedonia (southeast), Albania (southwest), and Montenegro to the west.

Its capital and largest city is Pristina.

In about 1950 the Serbian/Albanian population mix in Kosovo was about 50/50, today it is 5/95. Kosovo is the newest country, having declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. The day of that declaration it unveiled the newborn monument. At the unveiling the monument was signed by the President and Prime Minister of Kosovo, followed by 150,000 citizens celebrating their independence.

By the time we had arrived the shine and gloss may have worn off the idea of being a sovereign nation for some. Somebody had come in late at night and moved the letters around so that it now read No New BR with the words broken republic printed an the letters.

The earliest historians can trace back evidence of settlement in Kosovo to the stone age. There are indications that cave dwellings might have existed, such as Radivojce Cave (Drin River), Grnčar Cave (near Viti) municipality and the Dema and Karamakaz Caves near Peja.

The strategic position of the nation coupled with the abundant natural resources has made the area favorable for the development of human settlements throughout history. There are hundreds of archaeological sites identified throughout Kosovo.

Pristina

Pristina is the capital and it is a safe and easy place to travel in and around. There are not a lot of attractions and activities to see and enjoy but the ones they have are ok. The public transportation is frequent, cheap and reliable with majority of buses air conditioned.

As we came in fairly late in the afternoon and there was not too much to see and do in town we decided to cool off in our hotel before heading out to dinner. We picked a local Italian joint nearby. This was our first introduction to just how cheap this place was. I ordered a pasta and a small (22cm) pepperoni pizza while Jill just had a Margarita pizza. And these were washed down by two beers each. Total bill was 13.80 euros which is $23.17 aussie. $23 for two pizzas, 4 beers and a pasta. That is just crazy.

The next morning we were up, breakfasted and on the bus to town to see the sights. The bus fare was 50 cents for a one way or 80 cents for a 24 hour ticket for as many trips as you wanted. We rode the bus getting off on Bill Clinton Boulevard near the statue of Bill Clinton. This was done to thank former U.S. President for his help during their struggle with the government of Yugoslavia.

From here we wandered up the hill towards the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa. It was opened in 2010 on the anniversary of her death. This is about the 4th country in a row that is claiming a great affinity to Mother Teresa. She was born in Skopje (hence their claim) of Kosovar/Albanian descent (that’s them covered) but she took off at 18 and was never seen again in this part of the world. So the attempts to claim her throughout the Balkans seems a bit of mystery.

From here, the road was blocked off for a festival leading its way down to the park and the incredibly odd and controversial National Library of Pristina. The current building began in 1982 and consists of a total 99 domes of different sizes and is entirely covered in a metal fishing net. It has been described by many as the ugliest building in the world.

After this you find yourself at a long pedestrian mall, full of the usual shops, businesses, statues, restaurants and cafes. Nothing really to see and tourism hasn’t really kicked in yet. But it is neat and attractive and a pleasant place to stroll.

Following the end of the Kosovo conflict in 1999 and no longer under Serbian rule, Kosovo Albanians in 2001 erected a monument within the centre of Pristina to Skanderbeg. He was a medieval Albanian who fought against Ottoman forces in the 1400’s.

HEROINAT is a statue opposite the Newborn statue that depicts the face of a typical Albanian woman using 20,000 pins.

Each pin represents a woman raped during the Kosovo War from 1998 to 1999. The pins are at different heights, creating a portrait in relief.

That pretty much did it for Pristina. There were a few mosques around the traps, the odd statue and a church. We did find one local beer and managed to sample another couple of new ones but they were from elsewhere.

North Macedonia

North Macedonia

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North Macedonia is a landlocked country of a little under 2 million in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Kosovo (northwest), Serbia (north), Bulgaria (east), Greece (south) and Albania to the west.

The thing I could not wrap my head around was why North Macedonia when there was no south, east or west Macedonia. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that the ancient civilisation of Macedonia occupied an area that include areas of Macedonia and northern Greece and Bulgaria. While Bulgaria could deal with this, Greece took another 15 years to finally come to the party.

Skopje

Skopje (pronounced Scorpia) is the capital and largest city that houses a quarter of the country’s population. It only became the capital of the Republic of Macedonia in 1991 when the nation declared independence after spending centuries under the rule of the Roman, Byzantine, Serbian, and Ottoman Empires and Yugoslavia.

By way of background, the city of Skopje was pretty much levelled by an earthquake in 1963 which took out about 80% of the city and killed over a thousand people.

This included most of the neoclassical buildings in the central part of Skopje. When they rebuilt they did so quickly and with ugly modern buildings. After independence the former Macedonian government implemented a program of redevelopment (Skopje 2014) aimed to make the city more attractive to tourists. The program has been the most controversial issue in recent Macedonian politics and the most divisive question among the citizens of Skopje.

The plan involved the construction of around 20 buildings (colleges, museums and government buildings) and the erection of over 40 monuments and countless statues. By the end over 100 sculptures, 34 monuments, 27 buildings, 6 garages, 5 squares, and 1 triumphal gate, were built. Add to this numerous other things like fountains, small squares, and candelabra, while at the same time12 parks and green corners had been ruined (the local’s view).

It was originally costed and claimed to be worth 80 million euro but ended up reaching nearly 640 million.

Overlooking the entire city is the Millennium Cross. It is a 66-meter tall cross, built on top Vodno Mountain. It can be seen from almost everywhere in town.

It was built in 2002 to commemorate 2,000 years of Christianity in Macedonia.

It is not very attractive and is basically just a massive scaffold with lights stuck on it perched on top of the hill.

Skopje Statues

So as part of the redevelopment, there was a push to build statues (and rewrite a bit of Macedonian history along the way). When it comes to how many statues there are in Skopje, nobody really knows, it’s thought they built 136 in a 5 year period.  If there’s one thing that is certain is that they are everywhere. They are on every street corner and in every square and at times it seems like there are more statues than people.

The decision to spend so much money on statues infuriated a lot of the local residents as they felt the money would have been better spent on infrastructure, say building a metro or tram system. But the Macedonian government wanted to make a statement. They wanted to announce themselves on the world stage.

Not only did the project reduce green space by over half, it reinterpreted history based and glorified some dubious personalities from the history, while perpetuating a false history or mythology, and neglecting or twisting facts proven through scientific methods.

Background set, we arrived mid afternoon on the bus from Bulgaria and were met by our accommodation dude. Our accommodation was a (40 euro a night) two-bedroom apartment, a short walk to the heart of town and close to all of the attractions.

It had everything that you would need and importantly for us, it had a washing machine. So our first order of business was to attend to the domestic basics. This was simple in Asia as washing services were about a dollar a kilo and the shops were everywhere. In America and Canada, laundromats were pretty common, but in Europe, we had been paying big money for really poor washing services (with the exception of Germany when we stole my cousin’s machine). Honestly, apart from an awesome washing experience in Greece (Paros), mostly our clothes have been coming back to us unclean and in worse states than we submitted them.

Once that was done, we had to arrange our bus ticket out of here a few days later. As we have kept going east, we have long since left behind the luxury of trains. So too have we left behind much of the efficiency of online booking and often even the use of card payment. So we physically walked (back) to the bus station and went to the window to buy our ticket (in cash). On the up side, as we have moved easterly the prices have been steadily dropping. So our trip to Pristina (Kosovo) was only going to cost both of us $30.

With all of that dealt with it was time to go exploring. Oh my god, I am in love with this place already. Our first introduction was to find our way to the water and take in the bridges.

From where we were the first bridge we came across was the Mother Theresa Bridge. A vehicle bridge near the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, with some very cool lanterns and lights.

It was built in 1963 after the earthquake but was revamped in 2011 with the addition of new railings (painted in gold) with decorative candelabras. 

Next in line was the Bridge of Art which is a pedestrian bridge that features statues of noted Macedonian artists and musicians. 

The bridge includes 29 sculptures, with 14 at each side and one in the centre.

Next was the Bridge of Civilisations (formerly the Eye Bridge), this one has more statue representations of historic figures whose life’s work has left a mark on this region.

As you do the walk along the river there are a couple of fixed buildings shaped to look like boats. One was derelict while the other seemed to be operating as a cafe or restaurant.

The stone bridge (also known as the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II Bridge – as it was built under his patronage) is an old (built between 1451 and 1469) pedestrian bridge built on 10 arches that span across the Vardar river connecting Square Macedonia and the Old Bazaar area. It dates back to the the Ottoman period and is considered a symbol of Skopje and is the main element of the coat of arms of the city.

The Lion Bridge (Goce Delchev) is the last of the bridges in the main part of town. It is another vehicle bridge. Unsurprisingly, it has very large lion statues on it.

The lion sculptures stand five metres in tall and weigh five tons each. 

Macedonia Square is the centrepiece of the new city. It is the biggest in North Macedonia taking up almost two hectares right in the heart of town. While the grand plan was to pull more tourists to town, the square and waterfront is a perfect conduit to achieve this. Apart from the sculptures there are places to shop, restaurants to eat and cafes to have a drink in the square. Sadly they have also included multiple casinos and gambling establishments.

The centrepiece of the of the square is a a giant statue titled ‘The Great Warrior’ which is so very overtly a statue of Alexander the Great but the name was changed to avoid conflict with Greece over history. Standing at 22 metres, or eight storeys high, the statue dwarfs its surroundings.

Porta Macedonia is a memorial arch leading to the main square that was built in 2012.

The arch is 21 meters tall and is dedicated to 20 years of Macedonian independence. Its outer surface is covered in 193 m2 of marble carvings that depict scenes from the history of Macedonia.

We broke one of our major rules and had dinner in the heart of the tourist area. In fact, we did it on the main square, overlooking the Alexander the Great statue. Usually, this rule is in force due to extortionate prices and poor quality. We have been smashed before by extortionate pricing, (notably in places like Milan, Paris and Rome) hence the rule. The rule typically extends to include airports, bus and train stations too.

But in this case, we were astounded. The food was amazing and the cost was very manageable, in fact, cheap even.

The next morning we were up early to do the rest of the tourist hop (as the projected temperature was again in the high 30s). On the first day we did not cross the river but merely wandered along it and checked out the square. This is when we got most of the statue photos and where we got to take in the buildings along the riverfront.

So the first major stop was at the Opera and Ballet house with an absolutely bizarre set of statues and Greek columns outside of a chunky Russian styled block, with an angular chunk behind it, next to a round lump that is the opera house. The whole thing was totally out there and a little difficult to understand.

The Archeology Museum sits at the end of the Art Bridge. Inside you can see about 7,000 historical artifacts from the Ancient, Medieval and Ottoman Periods.

On the opposite side of the stone bridge, you find another huge statue. In fact, at 28.5 meters tall it is bigger than the Alexander the Great Statue in the main square. This one is of Philip of Macedon (who was Alexander the Great’s father), however, it is officially the Founder of Heraclea Statue (name change to avoid conflict with Greece). It is a 3 tier number with Philip at the top.

Carsija is the Old Skopje Bazaar dates back to the twelfth century and is over the Stone Bridge on the left side of Vardar. This is the old part of the city where the original narrow cobblestone streets take you past inns, baths, mosques and tombs from the Ottoman era. Sadly, much like the new bit this too is being corrupted and much of the old world charm is being lost to commercial uniformity.

Kale Fortress sits on the highest point in the (old) city overlooking the river. The first fortress was built in the 6th century AD and is believed to have been further developed during the 10th and 11th centuries. Interestingly, it is totally free. As was everything else we had seen through the two days of exploring.

Add to the Old Town area the buildings, the mosque, the carvings, and the fountains. There really is a ton to see here. Very little of it is real or authentic, but there is a lot of it.

On the way out of Old Town we came across something that I thought had died out decades ago. A dude running the 3 card scam.

Jill tried to get a photo but he got really pissed. Thankfully her super zoom on the phone allowed her to get far enough away to catch a couple of shots, but he was very keen not to be photographed doing his thing.

Mother Teresa House was built in her memory, there are many photographs and belongings about her childhood and life that started in Skopje in 1910.

The Church of St. Constantine and Helena is a 30-metre tall church covered in white travertine limestone. It was meant to have been built on the main square but in the name of religious equity, it had to be moved to off square so as not to offend the country’s large Albanian Muslim minority.

This post has been huge and has been hard work. This place has so much to see and do that it really needed all of this space and I am certain that I have undercooked the writeup entirely. Yes, it is mostly all new and yes it is largely manufactured and at least a little fake, but long story short, I loved this place. It had a great feel about it, was cheap as chips and is somewhere you could easily spend a relaxing month just pottering about or day-tripping to nearby places.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

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Bulgaria is a southern Balkan country bordered by Romania (north), Serbia and North Macedonia (west), Greece and Turkey to the south.

Bulgaria is renowned for its diverse terrain that includes the Black Sea coastline, a mountainous interior and rivers, including the Danube. Based near the European crossroads it has long been a cultural melting pot with Greek, Slavic, Ottoman, and Persian influences.

Before I get into the exploring, I need to talk about first impressions. This place is fantastic. We got off the plane and onto the Metro for a run into town for our hotel. A slight mishap with the ticket scanning saw me through the barrier and Jill stuck on the other side. Seeing the dilemma some random woman came up and swiped her card, letting Jill through and just wearing the cost.

We then got to our hotel and were met by the friendliest and most helpful dude that we have come across thus far (and that bar has been set pretty high). This friendliness was genuine and extended the entire time through our stay. So much so that on the morning that we were due to leave he even offered to wait around for us (after his overnight shift) and drive us to the bus station, so that we didn’t have to lug our heavy bags.

Our room had a fridge so we popped out to the shop on the corner and bought 4 large beers (2x500ml and 2×1 litre) and a soft drink each and got change from $12 Aussie for the lot.

I’m really gonna like this place.

Sofia

Sofia is the capital of the Balkan nation of Bulgaria. It’s in the west of the country, below Vitosha Mountain. The city’s landmarks reflect more than 2,000 years of history, including Greek, Roman, Ottoman and Soviet occupation. When doing our early research it looked a bit light on, but on arrival we were happy to see that there was much more on offer than the tourist blurbs suggest.

Hopping off the Metro we landed right on top of one of the listed landmarks, the Lions Bridge.

Well that was easy.

It is a bridge over the Vladaya River that was built 1889–1891 and connects the Central Railway Station with the city centre.

It has 4 very large lion statues on it.

Just around the corner from our hotel, we randomly happened upon the Church of St Paraskeva which is the third largest church in Sofia.

It is a Bulgarian Orthodox church dedicated to Saint Paraskeva,

We were aiming for something else but sure enough this popped up and was pretty cool.

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was what we were actually aiming for. It is one of the 50 largest Christian churches in the world taking up an area of 3,170 square metres and being able to hold 5,000 people inside. Construction started in 1882 but most of it was built between 1904 and 1912. The cathedral was created in honour of the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 when Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule.

Virtually across the road, you find the Saint Sofia Church which is the oldest church in Sofia. The floor of the church is covered with Early Christian flora and fauna-themed mosaics. 

Just down the hill a bit and you come across Saint Nikolas Russian Church (Tsurkva Sveta Nikolai).

It was built in 1882 on the site of the Saray Mosque, which was destroyed during the Russian liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire.

Having ticked those boxes we hunted for dinner but were rejected from the first place (Armenian) as I was dressed like a grotty backpacker. They claimed that they were full but really they didn’t want the likes of us in there. So we went somewhere else, got online and made a reservation for the next night, where we dressed similarly. Having done all of that, their snootiness did not translate into good enough food to justify the price (it was OK) and as a protest, they made sure that their service sucked.

A later check of reviews from other people found many similar experiences.

On our walk back from dinner (the first night) we stumbled upon the Opera House that we had walked right past and completely missed on the way up the hill (it was tucked around a corner).

Also on the walk home, we came across roving packs of teens and 20 somethings in the park looking for things to do. Some were drinking, but for the most part, they were just hanging out and discussing the issues of the day. Not protests as such, just exchanges of ideas.

National Museum of History is Bulgaria’s largest museum and was founded in 1973. Set at the end of a very nice park with some lovely fountains it was worth the short journey to get here.

St. Nedelya Church is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral dating back to the 10th century. It has been destroyed and reconstructed many times through the ages. 

The Rotunda Church of Saint George is buried in a courtyard behind other buildings. It dates back to the late 3rd and early 4th centuries.

It was originally built as Roman baths. It is the oldest surviving building in Sofia.

The Regional History Museum is another landmark in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It was built in the early 20th century near the former Turkish bath and was used as the city’s public baths until 1986.

Almost across the road you will find the Banya Bashi Mosque. This was built in 1566, during Ottoman control of the city. It was built over natural thermal spas and at times you can see the steam rising from vents in the ground near the mosque walls.

The mosque has a 15m diameter large dome and prominent minaret.

The Sofia Synagogue opened in 1909 in the presence of King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria.  Buried away in a backstreet it is tough to get a good camera angle for better photos, sorry.

And just down the road and around the corner you will find the Gypsy Markets. The description that we got from our hotel dude was it was a bunch of gypsies selling the things they had stolen or found in the trash that day. He also suggested not eating there as the meat was likely to be cat or dog.

We were here on a Saturday and Sunday and for the most part, the place was closed. Shops and restaurants worked normal hours, none of this I must be open the whole time. It was an interesting throwback to when people had lives.

A little inconvenient at times but hey.

The only places that were always open were the alcohol and tobacco shops.

As with everywhere, the place had a bunch of statues dotted all over the place. But these ones seemed funkier and edgier than the usual ones that typically haunt big cities.

This is the Eastern Europe that we had been hoping for all along. The place is fantastic, cheap and friendly. The food is good and the sights are worth seeing without being mind-blowing. But mostly it is about the atmosphere. The place feels right. You could happily settle in and spend a month here just soaking up the culture and getting a sense of the place, and importantly you can do so without destroying the budget.

Moldova

Moldova

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Moldova, is an Eastern European country of about 2.5 million and former Soviet republic. It has a history of winemaking dating back to at least 3,000 BC.

Moldova is bordered by Romania (west) and Ukraine (north, east, and south). Due to the conflict with Russia, we could only get to the capital.

Getting here

Our journey to get to Moldova in the first place was quite the adventure. Jill had us booked on a 14 hour overnight sleeper train (the Prietenia- means friendship) from Bucharest to Chisinau. We had not done an overnight rail journey since Myanmar and India, neither of which were very stellar. Our cabin was thankfully just a 2 person sleeper which was a blessing as we did not have to contend with bunks and other people.

An incredibly gruff man (the attendant) asks to check your passport on arrival and then delivers you your (very interesting) linen in a plastic bag. The ride involved a 2am wakeup at the border (the town of Ungheni on the river Prut) for an exiting passport control leaving Romania, closely followed by an incoming border control entering Moldova. This was also combined with a 1-2 hour bogey change.

The reason for the bogey change is that countries of the former Soviet Union use a wider gauge railway track so that any invading army could not use their railway system to get troops into Russia. And because the Russian tanks were so big they needed a wider gauge. Each wagon is jacked up individually, the bogey is changed and then the train does a series of tests to make sure it all works. And then you are on your way again for the remaining two and a half hours.

All in all it was one of the more entertaining railway journeys, and despite the bizarre goings-on it was reasonably comfortable and hassle free. Probably not recommended for the light sleepers among you but all things considered, pretty good.

Transnistria

Transnistria is a disputed territory (since 1989) that is officially part of Moldova and has many of the touristy things worth seeing.

It is a narrow strip of land between the Dniester river and the Moldovan–Ukrainian border.

For obvious reasons we did not make it here.

Chisinau

Chișinău is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. It is the main industrial and commercial centre and lies on the river Bîc. It has a population of a bit over half a million at last count. The city’s buildings were badly damaged during WWII but have largely been put back in order.

Our hotel was a bit more of a homestay, with a nice air conditioned apartment upstairs, so we dropped off our gear and cooled down a bit before starting our amblings. But our arrival happened in mid-summer, meaning that the usually temperate climate had turned steamy. So we set off to do our wanderings in 37+ degree temperatures.

In the grand scheme of things there really is not very much to see and do in Chisinau but we did hit the things that were there. The first port of call was to Cathedral park with the Nativity of Christ Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedrala Nașterea Domnului) which was constructed in 1836 for Orthodox Christians. Then up to the Triumphal arch.

A quick diagonal across the road to Stephen the Great Central Park. This is the oldest park in Moldova and covers about 7 hectares. And according to online images, gets pretty cold in winter (I had to put this in to contrast our 37+ degrees).

Having walked to the park in the heat I took the opportunity to sit in the breeze on a park bench and watch the world go by, this was very pleasant indeed. Until Jill decided it was time to move again. So we embarked on a very long, very hot journey (through the embassy district) so that we could see Dendrarium Park. I had been happily sitting in the shade, on a bench, in a park and did not need to hike 4 km just to do the same at a different park. But I did.

So our journey continued on to Valea Morilor park and the lake. It was established in 1950 at the initiative of Leonid Brezhnev and covers 114 hectares. It is on the shore of Valea Morilor Lake, which covers another 34 hectares.

Having done all of this parking, we found a local bus that would take our sweaty selves back in the direction of our accommodation for a well-deserved (and needed) shower. As we had walked through the parks, we actually missed the sights that were on the roads. So rather than heading straight home we got some happy snaps of the buildings that we had missed.

These included the Chisinau City Hall building, Organ Hall, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and the Presidential Palace.

The buses are something that needs mentioning. They are packed 100% of the time. Packed to the point of not being able to fit another person on, let alone Jill and I trying to get our bags back to the train station on the last day. Did I mention the 37+ degree day. That many sweaty stinky bodies (including our own) jammed onto buses, did not make for a pleasant experience. Add to this the random ticket collector lady who wanders among the crowd, a bit like a sheepdog in a flock, getting money for those entering and exiting.

The Victory Memorial and eternal flame. It is dedicated to Soviet soldiers who died in WWII.

The memorial is a pyramid of five 25-meter-tall stone rifles. A 5-pointed star with an eternal flame in the centre of the monument. 

Cricova Winery is a real underground wine city with wide streets, warehouses, and tasting rooms. The total length of this winery is 120 km.

In terms of time, we totally overdid this one. There really was not too much to see and without the extreme heat, you could easily have gotten around to see everything in a day. The train ride in was great (kind of) and in reality, you could have caught the overnight train in, arriving at 8 am, seen everything and caught the return train back, departing at 5 pm the same day.

I could only find the one local Moldovan beer that was very pleasant and along the Czech lines, but I was however able to sample some Ukrainian numbers. I must admit, they were pretty good. The best bit was that if you bought them at the local bottle shop you could get a 500ml bottle for between $1.50-1.80.

That sort of pricing goes a small way to offsetting our tanking Aussie dollar. The state of the Aussie dollar is seriously impacting our budget and without some improvement on the economic front, we may need to come home and be adults and get jobs again. Now that truly would be disappointing.

While there was not a ton to see and do here in Chisinau, everyone we met was absolutely lovely and friendly. On our last day we were due to check out at noon but not to catch our train until 5 pm. The lady running our place (who spoke zero English and probably didn’t get too many guests like us) let us stay in the (air-conditioned) room until we were ready to leave at no extra cost. When leaving she could not help herself but to hug Jill on the way out and pray that everything was OK.

Romania

Romania

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Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria (south), Ukraine (north), Hungary (west), Serbia (southwest), Moldova (east), and the Black Sea (southeast).

Romania is particularly known for the forested region of Transylvania, long associated with the Dracula legend. It is ringed by the Carpathian Mountains and has many well preserved medieval towns and fortified churches and castles.

Human remains found in Romania have been dated back to 40,000 years ago, making them the oldest known homo sapiens in Europe.

Castle Dracula

We did not get near this one, but I thought that I should at least mention it and provide a few stolen tourist brochure shots. More rightly known as Bran Castle it was built in 1377 and attracts over 700,000 visitors a year.

Bram Stoker’s character, Dracula, is a Transylvanian Count with a castle located high above a valley perched on a rock with a flowing river below in the Principality of Transylvania.

Bran Castle is the only castle in all of Transylvania that fits Bram Stoker’s description.

The Bram castle website offers the opportunity to get in touch with the creatures of the night through an exhibition entitled ‘A history of dreads in Transylvania’. This provides a history of local myths and fears (their symbols and significance) and the way they were reflected in the historiography of the 15th century. And how they were then discovered and used by Bram Stoker in the 19th century for the creation of Count Dracula.

Bucharest

My relationship with Bucharest is a mixed one. I have both loved and hated it at the same time. My first introduction was magnificent, we hopped off the plane and straight onto a local transfer bus that delivered us (close enough) to our hotel – seamless. Our hotel was one of the best we had seen thus far and was clean and efficient. The room was luxurious with a fully functioning air conditioning unit (it was about 37 degrees) which pleased me nicely.

Bucharest is a big capital city (2.2 million), and it doesn’t really have much to make it stand out apart from the main two or three tourist attractions. While certain aspects of the place are stunning and photogenic, the majority are in a terrible state of disrepair. Billions have been spent on the presidential palace and constitution square etc. but the rest of the place is being left to crumble down upon itself.

Having relaxed and cooled off, we had to find our way to the Bucharest Nord train station to pick up our physical tickets (to Moldova) for the next evening. On the map, it seemed like a simple enough task but this is where the wheels started to fall off.

There are two stations at the Nord, one is for the longer trains while another is for the local trains. We landed at the local one one first of all and it was a dump. Having been redirected to the main one (about 800m away) we walked along the urine soaked, rusting, vandalised and generally dilapidated path that at one time connected the two stations together. Travellators had been smashed and destroyed and at some point had became shelter to the homeless population leaving a very overt stench of urine. These have now been barred off to keep the homeless out.

We eventually got to the main station and after some consternation was able to locate and find our tickets (mainly due to the magnificent website the man in seat 61).

This is actually worth mentioning (www.seat61.com) is a privately run website by a guy called Mark Smith who started it as a hobby.

If you are ever looking to get on a train you need to check this website out. It gives you answers virtually any question that you may have almost everywhere in the world.

Having gotten our tickets (and sweltered in the heat) we (at considerable urging from me) opted to catch the Metro to Old Town. Disappointment number two. Old town Bucharest is almost entirely dilapidated or under repair. The buildings are falling down or are covered in scaffolding (at least they are trying to bring it back to its former glory). Those that are open are nightclubs, strip clubs, brothels, rub-and-tugs and really loud (overpriced) lager-lout bars.

Stavropoleos Monastery is a monastery for nuns and was about the only thing in Old Town still worth looking at.

The building which dates back nearly 300 years has been heavily affected by earthquakes. Only the church still stands from its original state. 

Feeling very disillusioned, we caught the bus back to our hotel and had a nice meal in pleasant surroundings… tomorrow would be another day.

Its main draw is the Palace of Parliament is the heaviest building in the world coming in at just over 4 billion kilograms. This place is huge it is 84m tall with a floor area of 365,000 sqm. It was ordered by Nicolae Ceausescu the president of communist Romania and took 13 years to build. Uranus Hill was levelled, and the Uranus-Izvor neighbourhood was destroyed so the building could be erected. It was finished in 1997.

We came at it from the side (through the park) and were impressed by what we saw, but once you make your way around to the front things go up another level. The palace houses the two branches of the Parliament of Romania, three museums (contemporary art, communist totalitarianism and palace) and an international conference centre. The building has eight underground levels, the deepest housing a nuclear bunker, linked to main state institutions by 20 km (12.4 mi) of tunnels. From the palace, you look out onto Constitution Square.

Bulevardul Unirii (Union Boulevard) the Palace and Constitution Square were designed at the same time as an architectural unit.

It connects the Palace with  Alba Iulia Square (Piața Alba Iulia), running through Union Square.

The Romanian Athenaeum is the main concert hall in town and has been since it opened back in 1888. As we arrived almost the entire symphony orchestra was chain smoking at the side door in full tuxedos, not sure what was playing that day, but they were clearly on a break.

Kretzulescu Church is an Eastern Orthodox Church located in one of the corners of Revolution Square. 

Arcul de Triumf is a triumphal arch located in the northern part of Bucharest, Romania, on the Kiseleff Road. It was originally hurriedly built of wood in 1878 so that the victorious troops could march under it after Romania gained its independence. The current version was built in 1921–22, renovated in 1935–36, and renovated again starting in 2014. And of course, it is now the home to Instagrammers (who apparently now bring their own chairs with them for their photoshoots).

Having done the long tourist hike, we found ourselves back in the Old Town area again and thought we would give it one more try. Sadly, the CEC Palace, George Enescu Museum, peoples Salvation Cathedral, Coral Jewish Temple and many of the things we came to see were covered in scaffolding and were unable to be seen. The central part still sucked, but if you hunt hard on the fringes you can get glimpses of what it may once have looked like and hopefully what it may once again be.

There isn’t a lot of nature in Bucharest outside a few parks. It is a major city, and like most major cities it doesn’t have tons and tons of green space. However, Romania more broadly is known for its incredible scenery and nature. It is a bit of a shame that you don’t get a taste of that in Bucharest.

Other things that we missed but would like to come back and see include the Transfagarasan Highway this 80+ kilometer highway runs from Wallachia to Transylvania.

Also, the Statue of King Decebalus which is carved into the rock as you sail through the Iron Gates on the Danube River.

This 141-foot-high face of Decebalus honors this last king, who fought for the country’s independence against the Roman emperors Domitian and Trajan.

And beyond Brand Castle there are another 309 castles dotted throughout Romania that would be nice to see. They were mostly created between the 14th and 18th centuries and have served as fortresses for armies to defend the country against its many intruders.

Leaving Bucharest we once again headed to the Bucharest Nord train station for our overnight train to Moldova. Having learned our lesson we went straight to the main entrance and managed to avoid the urine soaked mess that we were met with on the first day.

A few days later, we found ourselves back in Romania on our way back from Moldova. Nothing really to report other than the highway robbery that was taking place at the train station and airport. Coffee usually ran to $2 but at the railway station it was $7 and at the airport, it was just over $10. We were going to get some food but even the Hungry Jacks at Bucharest airport was charging $25 Aussie for a small whopper meal. We chose to go without.

As I said up front, my relationship with Bucharest is a mixed one. The bad here is very bad and the normal is only barely passable. But the good is exceptional. On the whole, it was ok and eventually, it probably won me over. I would however like to come back to Romania to see some of the sights that exist a little further outside the capital.

Serbia

Serbia

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Serbia is a landlocked country in the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungary (north), Romania (northeast), Bulgaria (southeast), North Macedonia (south), Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (west), and Montenegro (southwest), and Kosovo.

Serbia has about 6.6 million people.

Having loved our (240 km and 8 hour) bus ride into Bosnia and Herzegovina we decided to fly out for a 40 minute puddle jump into Serbia, more specifically Belgrade.

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the junction of the Sava and Danube rivers with a population of around 1.6 million. Belgrade is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world with the first dated records of habitation going back to the the 3rd century BC.

Our accommodation saw us perched between the old and new town directly opposite the old main railway station and associated park.

The park is amazing with an incredibly impressive monument to Stefan Nemanja (over 20m high).

He was a medieval Serbian nobleman who together with his son Sava (who the big church is named after) are considered the fathers of the Serbian Orthodox Church).

As it was early enough we dropped off our gear and headed out on a walk to see the sights. We chose to hit the ones that were away from old town, where we would be spending most of our time the following day. So we turned the corner from our hotel and started our way up the hill aiming towards St Sava Temple.

But within two blocks we had already landed upon the railway museum, which was incredibly impressive in its own right.

Half a block up and across the street we came upon the Government of the Republic of Serbia building.

This was built in the 1920s and was the first public building built in Belgrade for the purposes of the public administration of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

Next came the Department of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belgrade city museum, public health department. And they were all housed in amazing soviet era architecturally designed buildings that were incredibly impressive.

Anyway, we did eventually make it to St Sava Temple which again, blew our socks off. The church is dedicated to Saint Sava (son of the dude with the big statue opposite our hotel), the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and an important figure in medieval Serbia. It was built on the location of St. Sava’s grave.

The next morning we were up and off to the 160 acre Belgrade Fortress. For many centuries the entire town existed within the walls of the fortress. It sits at the meeting of the Sava and Danube rivers.

As with all of Europe, the warring tribes saw this piece of land change hands many times over the millennia. The romans had their turn and according to wiki “in the period between 378 AD and 441 the Roman camp was repeatedly destroyed in the invasions by the Goths and the Huns. Legend says that Attila’s grave lies at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube (under the fortress)”. In the following centuries the fortress suffered continuous destruction under the Avar sieges. 

The name Belgrade was first mentioned in AD 878 by Bulgarians. The fortress kept changing its master as Bulgaria had it then the Byzantines and then Bulgaria again, in the 11th century it was given to the new Serbian state as a wedding gift. In the 15th century it was conquered by the Turks (with short periods of Austrian and Serbian occupation), but it remained under Ottoman Empire rule until 1867, when the Turks withdrew from Belgrade and Serbia. 

From the fortress you got a fair view of the Gardoš Tower or Millennium Tower.

It was built and opened in 1896 to celebrate a thousand years of Hungarian settlement in the region.

Within the walls is St Petka’s Chapel which was built in 1417 and was allegedly erected over a sacred spring. At one time it held the holy relics of St Petka. With all of the destruction of the fortress over the years, the exact location of this chapel is not known so a replacement was built on the grounds in the 1930s.

The amazing thing for us was that to visit and walk through the fortress and associated grounds was 100% free.

There was one odd children’s playground area with dinosaurs in it that had a small fee.

But as we did not want to play on the playground, we avoided that cost.

From the fortress, you spill out into the remainder of old town and the main tourist and shopping district of Belgrade. This part of town is full of funky old buildings with tons of character.

As you wander through you come upon the Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel or simply St Michael’s Cathedral. This is a Serbian Orthodox church in the centre of the old part of Belgrade. It was built around 1840, on the site of an older church dedicated to Archangel Michael.

The Historical Museum of Serbia is currently in this building but it has been granted the building opposite our hotel (the old main railway station) as its permanent home and will be moving soon.

The Stari Dvor or old palace was the royal residence of the Obrenović dynasty (1800’s).

Today it houses the City Assembly of Belgrade. 

Novi Dvor or new palace was was a royal residence of the Karađorđević dynasty (late 1700 & 1800’s)

Today it is the seat of the President of Serbia. 

House of the National Assembly was built in 1936 and has served as the seat of parliament for the Parliaments of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and since 2006, Serbia.

For the most part, Serbia has been great. The food is good (if not exactly heart smart), the prices are reasonable, the beer is well-priced, and there is plenty to see and do (mostly without charge). I would certainly not hesitate in coming back.

The Golubac Fortress is somewhere that looked amazing but sadly (at about 120km from Belgrade) we could not get to. It was a medieval (fortified) town on the Danube 4 km downstream from the current town of Golubac. The fortress was built during the 14th century and has ten towers. Most of these started square but evolved to get many-sided reinforcements to accommodate modern firearms.

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Balkan country bordered by Serbia (east) Montenegro (southeast) and Croatia (north and southwest).

It has a small coastline on the Adriatic Sea around the town of Neum.

The 1990s saw the breakdown of the former country of the Yugoslavia into several smaller territories. But the separation wasn’t peaceful and the Bosnian War raged between 1992 and 1995, leaving this beautiful country in ruins.

Well getting here was quite the experience. We were leaving the EU (by bus) and entering eastern Europe proper. Up until now the borders have been open and easy but leaving Dubrovnik and entering Bosnia and Herzegovina made for some interesting transits.

Our bus ride was 240km and took us well over 8 hours to complete. Leaving Dubrovnik in the morning we headed north and found ourselves at a land border crossing. So we all got out of the bus and were individually processed at the border just outside the town of Neum. What we did not know was that Bosnia and Herzegovina has a 20km stretch of coastline on the Adriatic.

So this meant that after a quick stop in Neum, we reached another border about 25 minutes later and had to all get individually processed out of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Another hour or so on the bus and (guess what) another border to get us back into Bosnia and Herzegovina. Everybody out of the bus, queue up and be individually processed back in. Drive a little further and then it was lunchtime for the driver, so we stopped again.

Jablanica

At least at this stop we had some entertainment. We stopped at the town of Jablanica which sits on the banks of the Neretva river and Jablanica Lake. But most importantly it is a common meal stop for those driving. Which means that it caters for large numbers of transiting passengers.

And it seriously caters to large numbers. Our first hint was when we passed a roadside stall that was spit roasting 3 whole sheep. About 100m down the road was another, with about 10 sheep on the spit. And restaurant after restaurant we passed all with 5-10 sheep rotating over fires and embers.

Sarajevo is the capital and largest city (under 300,000) of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is on the Miljacka river. Sarajevo is well-known because it is where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated thereby pushing the entire world into conflict (WWI). The Latin Bridge is the site where the murder happened and therefore became a must-see.

Baščaršija is the historic center and old town of Sarajevo. This part of the city was built in the 15th century, and it quickly expanded.

Sebilj, the symbol of Sarajevo, is at the very heart of Baščaršija.

It is a wooden water fountain dating back to the Ottoman era.

There were hundreds of these fountains all over Sarajevo. However, only one remains to this day.

Towering over the city is the Sarajevo Clock Tower. It sits next to the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque. It is estimated that Sarajevo Clock Tower was built in the 16th century.

It is the only public clock that shows lunar time and is set manually. There used to be more than 20 similar clock towers all around Bosnia and Herzegovina during in the Ottoman Empire.

Gazi Husrev-bey mosque is the main mosque in Sarajevo.

Built in 1531, this mosque is the perfect example of the Early Istanbul Style. It is the largest historical mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the best representative Ottoman structures in the Balkans.

Bezistan is a covered market that was quite common in the Ottoman Empire. Sarajevo has a well-preserved Bezistan, just a short walk away from the Clock Tower. Gazi Husrev Bey built the marketplace in 1540 while he was the governor of Sanjak of Bosnia.

Baščaršija Square is the main area within old town and gives you ready access to the wide array of mosques, bazaars, Jewish temples, cathedrals, cafes, restaurants and bars.

Sarajevo City Hall known as Vijećnica, is in the heart of Baščaršija. Designed in 1891 it was the largest and most representative building of the Austro-Hungarian period in Sarajevo.

One bit that I was not expecting was the heavy Muslim and Turkish influence on everything. This mostly has to do with my lack of knowledge about this part of the world as this is my first time visiting the Balkans (and Eastern Europe more generally). The country is more than half Islamic and the coffee is more along the Turkish lines, strong, rich and with the telltale sludge on the bottom.

Sacred Heart Cathedral is the big catholic church in town. It was built in 1887 in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The two bell towers are 43.2 m high. Above the portal is an octagonal rosette and a statue of the Sacred Heart.

The prices were good and the food was fantastic. We were very pleased to see that the regional love of lamb had also translated to the city. This meant we were able to get beautifully cooked lamb and veal and have eaten more slabs of meat than we had done in almost a year.

The central part of Sarajevo is very nice. But the drive into town reveals a country still trying to rebuild after war and conflict. It is clear that rebuilding efforts are well underway (the tram tracks were ripped up and being fixed all over town when we were here). But there is still much to be done. Almost every building (outside of the tourist heart) looks like it is either being built up or falling down.

I would happily come back to Bosnia and Herzegovina and spend more time here exploring. The countryside that we drove through was magnificent and there is enough to keep you amused.

Croatia

Dubrovnik

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Dubrovnik is basically the most famous Game of Thrones (GoT) filming destination on the planet. It was the filming location for the city of Westeros, Kings Landing. Within the walls of Old Town there were many GoT scenes shot. And today you can barely walk the streets without crashing into a GoT tour, shop, memorabilia outlet or sign highlighting how it related to the show. Suffice to say, that almost everything you see or that I will mention in the following is related in some way shape or form to the show.

Our accommodation (thankfully) was out of the craziness that is the old town. We were down on the water, a few kilometers away near the port. The setting was stunning and at least (while we did not know it at the time) we were away from the insanity. We arrived after 8pm and headed out for a lovely meal by the water, vowing to brave the tourist sights the next morning.

Our first introduction to what was to follow was the slow walk that we decided to take to Old Town (rather than catch the local bus). And this introduction was boat load after boat load of party boats stocking up on their quota of tourists for the day trips. The waterfront was packed with boats, each jamming 50+ people per boat and the bigger ones doing way more. And of course there is the daily cruise ships

Dubrovnik Old Town is known as one of the world’s finest and most perfectly preserved medieval cities in the world. For centuries it rivalled Venice as a major trading port. It was built between the 11th and 17th centuries, affording protection to the main entry gate.

The main attractions within old town include the city walls (which you can walk around (for 35 euros a head) this will include towers, walls and defences. Inside the city proper are the clock and bell tower, churches (Sveti Vlaho, Saint Saviour and the Cathedral), monasteries (Dominican and Franciscan), squares (Stradun, Placa, Lužaand and Gunduliceva), and the GoT favourite the Jesuit Stairs.

Having navigated past the harbour we kept walking towards the old town figuring we would see some cool stuff along the way. The first sight we came across was the Lovrijenac Fortress. This is a 16th Century Fortress with 12 metre thick Fortress walls. Over the centuries the fortress played a pivotal role in the defence of Dubrovnik.

This and the Bokar Fortress (opposite side of the inlet) create a fairly imposing landing point for any old-time invading force. Bokar Fortress was built in the 15th century to defend the town’s main entrance. It is the round lump that hangs off the end of old town just to the side of the main entry gate. Currently, in its interior, there are several cannons on display as well as a small precious stones (lapidary) collection.

Pile Gate is the main entrance to Dubrovnik City, and is one of only two entrances to the city. We were here relatively early in the morning and it was already seriously busy, with bodies all over the place and hellish tour groups taking up all the available space.

As you pass through the Pile Gate you are met with two imposing buildings and a fountain. To the left if the Franciscan Monastery and to the right is the St Claire Convent with the Onofrio’s fountain directly in front. The other thing you are met with is a wall of humanity. Everyone gets through the gates and stops to take pictures. As we were here early it was fairly manageable but by the time we were ready to leave this place was a debacle.

Between the two runs the Stradun (main street) which connects the western and eastern entrances to the city. It was created at the end of the 9th century and was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1667. At the beginning and end of Stradun, there are two fountains (Big and Small Onofrio’s Fountain) and two bell towers (City bell tower and the bell tower of the Franciscan church and monastery).

Minceta Tower is the highest point in Dubrovnik City and as you would expect, delivers impressive views over the sea and the Old Town.

Locally known as Tvrđava Minčeta, the tower was built in 1319.

Palace Sponza was built in the 16th century and has been used as the customs house, armoury, treasury, bank and school.

The Rector’s Palace or Knežev dvor used to serve as the seat of the Rector between the 14th century and 1808. Originally it was a site of a defence building in the early Middle Ages. It was destroyed by a fire in 1435 and the city-state decided to build a new palace.

Sveti Ivan tower was built in the 14th century on the south side of old town. On its ground floor there is an aquarium, and on the 1st and 2nd floor there is a Maritime Museum.

Lokrum Island is located just off the Dubrovnik coast. According to legend Richard the Lion-Heart was cast ashore here after being shipwrecked in 1192 while returning from the Crusades. The vow he made to build a church on the spot where he came ashore should he be saved was kept at least in part. Although he came ashore in Lokrum, at the request of the people of Dubrovnik, he agreed to have the church built in the city itself.

At its center is a medieval Benedictine monastery complex that’s surrounded by botanical gardens planted with exotic trees, flowers, and bushes.  Inside the Visitors Centre on Lokrum Island is a small exhibition dedicated to GoT and it is the final resting place of the original Iron Throne.

Located near Gundulic Square in the centre of Dubrovnik Old Town the Jesuit Staircase and St Dominika Street are the two most popular areas in the whole of old town. This is the area where one of the most famous GoT scenes were filmed (Cersei’s infamous walk of shame).

We were totally over the crowds and the people and were on our way out of old town by 11am. On our way out the bedlam that we saw on the way in was multiplied by about 5 times. The lines were longer, the crowds were denser and the tempers were shorter.

Dubrovnik is an absolutely lovely city to visit. Just don’t do it in peak season. July and August are hellish and should be avoided at all costs. Don’t get me wrong, you really want to come here, but the peak-season crowds make this place unbearable.

Croatia

Knin and Split

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Knin

Our journey to Split started with an early morning train from Zagreb. What we did not realise was that we were travelling on the 5th of August, which is a national day of celebration and remembrance. On this day in 1995 the town of Knin was liberated from Serbian forces in a combined military and police operation “Storm”. 

In the course of the operation several towns liberated and at exactly noon, a twenty-meter Croatian flag was hoisted at the Knin Fortress. After 84 hours, Knin and additional 11,000 square kilometers of occupied territory were freed. The Croatian Army and Police forces liberated area up to the internationally recognized border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

From 1996 till today this day has been marked as a public holiday that is now called Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders.

And we were belting past and briefly stopping on the train. The first sign was a bunch of military uniforms and checkpoints. The next was monster tanks and rocket launchers. A look up the hill showed the fortress and what appeared to be quite a lot of commotion, which at the time we were oblivious to.

Split

We arrived in split mid afternoon and immediately descended into a nightmare. The train station, bus station and tourist docks were all in one very tiny spot of land and there were bodies and vehicles going in every direction. It was bedlam.

Thankfully our hotel was only about half a kilometre away (up the hill) and was near Bacvice Beach (the main tourist beach in town). As it was the national holiday, most of what was available was closed.

Split is the second-largest city of Croatia after the capital Zagreb, the largest city in the region of Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian coast. It lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea and is spread over a central peninsula.

The most important thing to know is that there are three Splits.

The first is Land Split – which is full of old buildings, castles and palaces along with Game of Thrones (GoT) filming locations.

The second Split is Water Split which takes in stunning water locations such as the blue cave, blue lagoon, shipwrecks.

Unfortunately this also runs into the third Split, Party Split.

A ton of 18-20 somethings are being fed unlimited fixed price drink packages in a sunny and decadent location. This is a recipe for disaster. I’m sure in my 20’s I would have loved it.

Sadly, third Split necessitates the printing and signposting of this photo.

The main show in town is the Diocletian’s Palace. The ruins of the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace date back to the late 3rd to early 4th century A.D. This isn’t just a palace or a ruin, rather it has been consumed by and now constitutes the entire old town centre. The ancient walls, gates and columns ring the palace but over the period (1700 years or so) the Renaissance houses, palaces, cobbled streets and squares all grew within the space that was once the palace.

The Cathedral of Saint Domnius was built in the 4th century and is known locally as the Sveti Dujam. Strictly the church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the bell tower to Saint Domnius. Together they form the Cathedral of St. Domnius. It was consecrated at the turn of the 7th century AD, is regarded as the oldest Catholic cathedral in the world that remains in use in its original structure. The structure itself was built in AD 3.

In the Palace is a Game of Thrones Museum that allows fans to step inside Meereen and the GoT more broadly. The museum has some original artifacts, props, costumes, actual size figures, weapons, city dioramas, sets and more.

Froggyland – well, let’s just let the pictures speak for themselves.

About 14 kilometres out of town you can find the Klis Fortress perched in the mountain pass between Mosor and Kozjak. Getting here was a simple 20 minute bus ride on the local transport for the princely sum of three euros.

The fortress has a history going back more than 2000 years, beginning with the Illyrian tribe called Dalmatae that used it as a stronghold before it was taken by the Romans. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the site became a seat for several Croatian kings. And of course, the fortress was used as a GoT film set.

Jill even found herself in her own drama with an overly entitled Instagrammer. We were appalled to hear this whiny nasal voice telling everybody to move as she was trying to take a “real photo”.

As soon as the path cleared a bit another person would step into the shot (it is a pretty popular place) causing another round of whining. I made sure to step in and get my photos and Jill stepped in a short while later to get hers, ensuring to take her time. When the girl tried to pull Jill on, she responded that we had all paid the same amount of money and were all able to get our photographs and that she was not going to pander to her sense of entitlement.

This was met by giggles from those around and prompted a steadily annoying stream of people standing exactly where she was trying to clear. The worst thing about all of this, the whiny, nasal voice was accompanied by an overtly Australian accent. I am hoping that this is not the future touring reputation that Australians will get.

Back to town to see the remainder of the Palace and old town and then back to our accommodation to prepare for the next leg through to Dubrovnik.

The next day we had hours to kill while we waited for the bus trip that we had been dreading for a while now. The further east you go in Europe, the shittier things get. The organisation and schedule of Germany falls by the wayside and is replaced with increasingly half-assed versions. The trains go from fast, comfortable transports through to old diesel clunkers. And eventually the trains disappear all together and bus transfers are all that is left.

This was the first of the bus transfers. And our dread manifested immediately at the chaos that was the bus station. There were about a thousand (literally) people with luggage waiting and no board available to figure out where/when (if at all) your bus may turn up. Busses turned up and left with little or no explanation and the poor drivers were besieged by confused (and annoyingly needy) tourists.

Ok first things first, the Croatian coastline is stunning. After the debacle that was the bus station, the rest of the trip was perfectly satisfactory. There were some overly chatty (chain-smoking) bus drivers that answered every question (from each other) 4 -5 times. So the bus was filled with second hand smoke and the sounds of da da da da da or ya ya ya ya ya ya. But otherwise, the trip was great and the scenery was incredible.

Travelling the world in a pre and post COVID state