Hvar and the cave tour

Our ferry takes us 3 hours to get to the charming Mediterranean town of Hvar. It is the beginning of season and we are the only guests except one other small group at our B&B. This town is pricey so we close this B&B with great reviews because there is a family member that will frequently be able to take you to and from town. Otherwise it is a 2 km walk uphill, which we have yet to attempt. It is still a little chilly in town and they have just refilled the pool for season; not sure if we will have enough time to swim since our time here is short but the pool and the view is nice. They also have a pretty nice breakfast spread but it is 15 Euros, expensive but seems to be on par with this island. This is not a discount vacation location. We are sad that we are too early to enjoy the lavender fields but we do have an all day cave boat tour scheduled tomorrow.

Our ferry arrives in the afternoon so we stop to eat before we have our driver pick us up. We both enjoy a very rich truffle cheese gnocchi. It is so rich that even I, the human equivalent of a cheese-like Cookie Monster, have to scrape a layer of cheeese off. It is rich and very good. Before we try to settle the bill the waiter offers us glasses of free local wine that we enjoy. We glance around town a bit but can’t do much on account of our bags and call our driver. We note that this is a party town and some late night places don’t even open until 2 am. I am not sure I would have even been able to handle that during my “club” days. When I was younger I could extend the fun to the early morning but only if the early evening had started the activities.

In the morning we eat breakfast and we head down to town early before our boat ride.

We meet with the coordinator of the tour and they give us the disappointing news that the blue cave part of the tour is canceled for the day. It is disappointing but not at all surprising. The conditions have to be right to visit the blue cave and this past month alone it had only been reached 50% of the time. Us and many of the passengers decide to carry on with the boat tour anyway due to there being enough other stops to make it worthwhile (besides I already had an amazing blue cave experience many years ago in Capri in Italy).

They split the passengers into two boats and while I am initially sad we are to go in the small red boat, but I quickly realize I am with the fun group and it makes the tour much more enjoyable. First its about a thirty minute ride out and then we ride along and admire the coast of another island. Due to it being a choppy day, no one is manning and collecting money for the green cave so our adept captain takes our entire boat inside to enjoy. Due to the seas being rough we are unable to swim inside today though.

Our next stop is a small secluded beach only accessed by boat or by a steep trail. It was used in the second Mamma Mia movie. Our guide tells us we can swim out to the beach but only one is brave enough for a swim since the water is cold and it is early. We all resolve to watch the beach from the distance until the solo bartender on the beach waves us down and comes out with a small boat to taxi us over. Luckily we all get a better view from inside the beach. We are sure to purchase some beers from him for his kindness.

Supporting the local private beach business man

We are off to our next stop which are some arches in a cave that look pretty cool. Again if the sea wasn’t rough we could have been swimming in there but it is too dangerous today. We do stop in another little enclave that some of us do brave the cold water and jump in.

We next stop for lunch at another island. Mine is not memorable.

Finally we stop at a Cold War submarine cave at Vis. We get off the boat and walk through a tunnel.

We meet up with some of the groups of girls on the boat ride afterwards at an outdoor cafe. About 5 of us are from the US and the rest are from the UK. We talk about various things. It is nice getting to know people while I am traveling and seeing the world through other’s perspective.

I have a not so exiting dinner and then we have the driver from our hotel come pick us up. We have an afternoon ferry tomorrow so we mull over things to do in the morning. Our driver insists we should visit the castle on the hill and he will drop us off in the morning.

The next morning we pack up our bags and the driver says he will bring them to us down by the bus station later so we’ll have them for our ferry. This eliminates the stress of wondering what to do with our heavy bags while we sightsee.

There is a nice view of town from the fortress. We take the walk down to down afterwards watching people walk uphill from town. We definitely have the easier way of doing things by having our driver drop us at the top. There are some lovely gardens of the way down. We learn that it is designed this way by one influential person.

We get to the bottom, pick up our bags and catch our short ferry to split where we will pick up our rental car and drive to Zadar for a couple days in that region.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Today I am taking a bus from Kotor (Montenegro) over the border to Dubrovnik Croatia. I crossed borders by vehicle a couple days ago, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro, and it was pretty easy . But now we are actually crossing into the EURO zone and I guess it gets more complicated. Our bus is 30 minutes late already. No big deal because its supposed to be only a two hour ride; but that was before I found out what crossing the borders actually meant.

Pretty rough street cat at the bus station. My heart hurts watching him.

Seems like an uneventful bus ride, at the beginning

Things seem simple enough leaving Montenegro. They don’t even stamp us on the way out. I have to go to the bathroom but afraid the bus will leave without me i decide to wait. We get to the Croatian border and the line is pretty long. We wait at least 45 minutes until they have us exit the bus to go through passport control. Everything seems fine as persons cross the border line one by one. Then they have us get back of the bus to claim our things and get in another line to get searched. Everyone is thoroughly searched. I am towards the end of the line so I don’t really know what is going on until the end. I just assumed they would X-ray our suitcases like they do at the airports. Instead they search each bag and it becomes obvious they are looking for drugs; not only illegal substance but also prescription drugs that are not accompanied by a prescription. I am even asked if I have marijuana multiple times. I have never been searched like this before, especially at the border of the EU. Two ladies from our bus are taken aside and have to paid fines for their antidepressants they can’t provide prescriptions for. One guy is taken in a private room and made to strip down. Another guy never returns to the bus. One can only assumed he is being detained at the border. After a very long wait we finally resume our journey.

The bus station in Dubrovnik is about 20 minutes from the old town by public bus which costs two euros. It looks like the bus station and ferry port are either the same or very close. The bus drops me at the main gate in town and I waddle myself in between the tour groups entering the city at the same time. This is supposed to be the shoulder season of traveling here but the crowds are so thick during the day I can’t see how it can be worse. It would be downright unbearable during season combined with the heat of the summer. The temperatures are just about right for me right now. Very warm during the day in the sun, chilly at night. Not great swimming weather but great for wandering around town.

Luckily my apartment is available for early check in because there are no guests before and after our reservation. I haven’t had a chance to eat lunch because of out extended bus ride. There are a plate of taffy like candies that I end up devouring. I don’t even really tend to crave sweets and I cannot stop eating these things. I must go out and get some food.

My big plans were to get laundry done but the only nearby laundry closes in 30 minutes and is not self-service. Luckily they have a quick turn around so I plan to drop off first thing tomorrow.

Wandering the back alleys you get a feel for how it was in the past walking the stone streets, especially the streets not packed with tour groups.

As expected I reward my long stressful bus ride with a wine and a cheese plate.

I meet up with some new friends I had met in Mostar a couple days ago and they introduce me to Bar Dodo. We enjoy a drink, good conversation and a good view.

My new friends need to leave early because they are flying home tomorrow so I head to dinner. I din’t plan well and pick a pricey restaurant for my first meal. I try the local black risotto and fresh oysters. The risotto is good but I am disappointed with the oysters. Ive had much better oysters outside of Croatia. For being on the water I’ve had disappointing seafood during my travels thus far.

The next morning is laundry and breakfast. I wander around town while I wait for my friend to arrive. I also light a candle for my mom at a local church as a gesture to remembering her during my travels. I am not a christian but it gives me a moment of peace to do this for her.

I notice a statue of a local Marin Drzic’. There are only a few statues erected in town and this is one of them. People rub the nose for luck or such but there is no official lore related to that. We learn more about him later during a walking tour.

Our apartment overlooks the famous stairs featured in game of thrones – a show I have not watched. The one scene in question has a character walking down the stairs while people chant “shame shame shame”.

I will periodically hear people chanting “shame, shame, shame” outside.

My friend arrives and we decide to eat. She’s had a long flight and she is hungry. I drag her to a restaurant that I see on a travel program Barba. I want to try their octopus burger. The bread isn’t exciting but the burger itself is good. My friend’s shrimp burger not good. It looks like the octopus burger is the best choice there.

We check out some stores and an outdoor market. There are some fun dresses I am tempted to buy. There seems to be a specific style of Dubrovnik tourist fashion.

We try to visit the “must-see” bar buzz bar but it is not open for service yet. I decide to take my friend down to the bar I had visited the night before.

We sign up for a free walking tour to get a feel for the city. We learn a little more about the history and get some advice on places to eat and visit. We learn about the orphanages in town and a story the sounds almost like the original “kids to get off my lawn” from a priest yelling at boys playing football.

We go to one of the restaurants suggested by the guide and it turns out disappointing. I guess we are a month too early for mussel season. They are small, gritty and not very tasty. Bad luck agin.

We take our wine bottle back to our room (yeah fridge) and finally notice the bottle of unmarked brandy in the room. The host left some local treats and this bottle that we can only assume to sample. I taste the wormwood right away. It’s a bit rough to get it down but when in Rome (or Croatia). Hopefully it helps me get to sleep quicker!

We think it’s Pelinkovac, a bitter liqueur

Tomorrow we plan to kayak and walk the walls. Nite nite.

Kotor, Montenegro

My driver drops me off outside the old city gates. We have driven through beautiful fjord looking mountains surrounding a bay. As we get closer to Kotor the traffic gets worse and I see a large cruise ship ahead.

I grab my bags and go in the old city to meet the owner of the apartment I am renting. I am starting to second guess my visit to this town. Crowds are thick with groups doing day tours of the town. I’ve been communicating with the apartment owner by WhatsApp who tells me to wait in front of a church. A boy appears with an older photo of me on his phone “Is this you?” Yes and so I follow him. I am following a little boy to my apartment apparently. I meet his mom. She says he is 7 and she is teaching him English and often sends him on task; a point that is reinforced when he comes to collect my payment later.

I settle in and decide to eat and walk the city walls. The lady at the apartment tells me I am visiting on a holiday time. Many businesses will be closed the next two days, including grocery stores. She tells me that most of the restaurants in the old city are rip offs and not really good but then tells me most things outside the old city will be closed so I really have no choice, do I?

I eat at a lackluster place and then wander around. I start to notice all the cats. I think I read about the cats in my research but perhaps I forgot? Anyway this town is a holiday getaway for many including cruisers, people from nearby Balkan countries and until lately Russians. Despite the slow down it is still pretty busy here, luckily it does ease up a bit during the week.

This town is almost at the coast, actually a bay. The country once was part of Yugoslavia. It held onto the membership more than some but is now independent like all the other former Yugoslavia nations. It is facing some of the same problems politics wise as its neighbor, Bosnia and Herzgovina.

I end up going a wine tasting at a little bar. I had wanted to buy a bottle to take back to my apartment but all the wine shops are closed for the next couple days. Luckily I get a discount on a local bottle of wine. I sip this bottle for the next couple days. I also try a chardonnay that I can handle since it usually is not my favorite. I am also introduced to grapes I know nothing about.

The next morning I let myself sleep in so its too late to start and ascent up to the fort up the mountain. The heat gets unbearable to do the climb if you attempt it too late. I decide to take the day off today because tomorrow I have a very long day tour scheduled. I do go out to eat meals and walk along the city walls late in the morning but I am not doing any planned sightseeing today. In fact I use this time to pay bills and follow up on future travel arrangements. I forgot to schedule days off to do these things so days off have to be forced.

I do have a good sea bass for dinner. More cats are all around me.

Enough for today. Tomorrow I have a day trip to see other parts of Montenegro.

Mostar

This morning I took the train to Mostar, a medieval ottoman city famous for its stone streets and iconic bridge. Mostar is in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia & Herzegovina. It’s confusing because it’s not an actual political border or state but just a region of land. There are actually borders within their country but they are named differently.

Cheese burek this morning before my train

It’s about a 25 minute walk to my hotel where I get to walk through a cute town awakening for the day. Little do I know in just a few minutes crowds will thicken as day trippers come in via very large groups. I drop my bags off at the hotel and brave the crowds for a bit while I wait for my room to get ready.

During my wandering I end up at the famous Stari Most (bridge). This unesco bridge was originally built in the 16th century but was destroyed in the war of the 1990’s. It was reconstructed in the early 2000’s. There is a tradition here of jumping off the bridge into the Neretva river below. I forgot about this tradition until I see three guys “getting ready to jump”. They start collecting money for the jump – I later discover they are actually taking bets whether or not someone will jump. After a production they step down and don’t jump. Confused as I am I watch them for a while repeat this same routine multiple times. I am convinced it is a scam and happy I don’t give them money. I find out later from a tour guy that they do eventually jump but these younger guys make more of a production out of it to collect the most money. I still not have seen anyone jump but like I said it is a tradition and actual club you can join to work your way into the big jump.

I order coffee and a local dessert at a cafe and enjoy a view of the river.

It is now time to check in so I return to the hotel and settle a bit to let the crowds die down before I go back out.

I decide to visit a highly rated cafe to eat before I attend a walking tour I have scheduled this afternoon. I am tired of cevapi so I try some grilled chicken instead. I am very happy with my order.

Grilled chicken, salad, cheese, pita bread, grilled veggies

I meet up for the tour. The tour guide is a local who was an adult during the last war. He tells us about town history pre-war and Yugoslav era. Then he tells us how things were during the 1990’s war in this town. The ethnic groups are the same as in Sarajevo but here the residents are majority ethnic Bosnia and Croats with the Serbs forming a minority. I have gotten a completely different perspective than I did in Sarajevo. There was conflict here but the players are different and they change over the course of the war. The whole situation is so complex that I am sure it will confuse me even more if I talk to someone who is familiar with the viewpoint of the other two sides. The only thing to hope is that peace will last here.

Finally I find a place to get a couple drinks after being in a mostly dry town for two nights. I try a flight of beer and a local whisky in a NON-SMOKING area! I love enjoying my evening without a side of smoke. I really take the clear air for granted in the USA since we long since outlawed smoking in most indoor places.

Tomorrow I have a day tour scheduled for the country-side of Herzegovina.

Last Day in Sarajevo

Today is my last day in Sarajevo. My check out is 10:00 am so I am getting a later start this morning while I pack up. I snack on my leftover cheese and bread. Last night I remembered to carry my ziplock with me so I can have what I call purse cheese – a term I coined because I love ordering cheese plates but as a solo traveler it is too much dang cheese for one person. So I am not wasting I try to save some it to enjoy later if the temperature allows or I have a refrigerator in my room. I pack up and put my bags in the lobby to explore what I may have missed.

I had potato burek yesterday and today I try the one with meat. I realize it is a mistake because not being hungry since I already had morning cheese. They give me way too much burek even though I stress I want the small portion. Also it is very greasy. I throw a big amount of it away because I don’t think it will keep well while I explore town due to the excessive grease.

I wander around and see some things I missed previously.

I stop by the market. It doesn’t seem to be a busy day today. Also I don’t see booths available to sample local cheeses like I’ve read online. I wonder if COVID took this industry out?

I walk by the eternal flame of Sarajevo for the victims of the Second World War.

I visit a highly recommended Gallery 11/07/95 and I dont regret it. The museum is a display of photographs from mostly one photographer of the time of the war in the 1990’s. The first exhibit is the photographs of those brutally murdered in the massacre of Srebrenica in July 1995. These photos and the photos of the aftermath paint a clear picture of the horrors that happened. The audio guide is essential for this tour. After there is some Sarajevo advertisements and finally a film at the end called Miss Sarajevo. I took the 30 minutes to watch the documentary. It is a very powerful documentary that focuses mostly on the school kids and students during the war of the early 1990’s in Sarajevo, set to powerful music of U2. It made me emotional because I was finishing high school and starting college at the time of this conflict. I couldn’t imagine having to dodge bullets from snipers while trying to attend college classes. We see students doing just that in this movie. If you have a chance to watch it online then do so.

This is hard to see. Basically the UN failed this town.

Miss Sarajevo, only partially based on a beauty pageant.

The museum is so emotional I don’t have it in me to visit another museum today and learn about more atrocities. I go have an afternoon wine instead. I am still not hungry but I know with my train ride it will be a while before I can eat later so I stop to get cevapi once more. Again it is very good but very filling.

I pick up my bags and head to the train station. I assume the train station was a very nice place for the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics but unfortunately it has not seemed to be renovated since. The government has a hard time with infrastructure projects post war. While waiting for my train I get in trouble for taking a picture inside. I joke that the reason no photos are allowed because they don’t want the world to know they haven’t updated the train station since the Yugoslavian era.

Despite the shaky infrastructure I am sad to leave Sarajevo. I am certain I could have spent another 3 days here with just exploring local museums and other day trips. I must return some day.

Now I head off on the scenic ride to Konjic. The train ride from Sarajevo to Mostar is supposed to be one of the top train rides in Europe. (I stop half way in Konjic). Unfortunately I choose the wrong side of the train. The sun is setting on my side and between the sun blocking and the reflecting on the dirty window I don’t see as much. It is very beautiful on the other side of the train. So I say if you take the ride in the morning sit on the right and for afternoon sit on the left (facing the direction of travel).

I arrive in Konjic to my apartment rental. I can tell already I should not have done an overnight here (I almost eliminated this as an overnight and changed my mind when hotel alterations were challenging). It is slow season here and many things seem to be closed. It is cold out and no one wants to be out I guess. Thank goodness I am still full from earlier because I cannot find any restaurants that are catching my eye.