End of Prague visit

I signed up for a wine tour today to try some wines from the Czech Republic. I enjoy trying local wines when I can. The tour ends up being more of a walking tour with a little wine and snacks at the end. It is me and one family of four from the USA on this tour.

Our guide points out some Art Nouveau architecture, the famous upside horse in a mall, and a hidden park (Frantiskanska) – most of it I had already found on my own earlier in the day but its nice to learn the history behind it all. The upside down horse, Statue of King Wenceslas riding an upside-down dead horse by David Černý, is in the same shopping center where I attended a movie the other night. In the same complex is the former Paternoster Lift, an elevator that doesn’t stop or slow down. To ride this elevator one would have to time it just right to jump on. Unfortunately they are all closed to the public now because of safety.

Owl traffic signal. If the owl is upright there is vacancy for horses, no vacancy if turned down.

Prague Free walking tour

In the morning I have another walking tour, this time the free one. It is on this tour I see the rotating Kafka for the third time. He isn’t rotating this time but I think I’ve seen it enough. I do see another Kafka though; another Cerny work.

Astronomical clock and old town hall, only building partially destroyed in war

Rococo facades

Our guide also takes through the Jewish quarter and tells us the terrible history of the Jews in Prague. There are very few Jewish people left in town to this day due to the atrocities during WWII. This town was not spared in the horrors except it is one of few places that wasn’t bombed, rumor is Hitler had a soft spot for Czech Republic or had it in mind as his retirement country. Who knows.

Guide hates this building’s architecture

After the tour I rush down to Náplavka park for their Saturday market. I’ve been to so many markets now that things rarely impress me anymore but it is still a nice market. Some of the booths are on boats on the water. I note the cafes right on the river. It’s just a very hot day so I grab a wrap and a strudel and desperately try to find a shaded spot to eat.

I commute up the hill to the Strahov monastery and associated brewery. The original plan is to tour the monastery and then try some of their beers. The heat has zapped all my energy. All I have in me is to try one beer. I later regret cutting my visit short when I realize I miss out on seeing a historical library – I love old libraries. I run back to my hotel to rest until dinner, hoping going back out later will be cooler.

My plan for the evening is to get dinner and then see the town lit up. I choose pizza for the night because I am tired of Czech food. The restaurant has no AC so it is a very uncomfortable meal. I am actually excited to go back outside since the sun is setting. I don’t stay out too late but I do see the city awaken for the evening.

The next day is a mostly work day. I have to go across town to do laundry but the laundry place is probably the nicest I have seen in a while. I order fancy coffee nearby while I wait. I love this coffee house.

Later I try some open face sandwiches and get a cocktail at an Anonymous themed bar. I had tried to book a massage at the Czech beer spa attached to my hotel where I would soak in a beer tub but they cancel on me because they are having equipment malfunction. The experience wasn’t high on my list but I regret a little that I didn’t try the spa earlier.

I leave early tomorrow to visit another city in the Czech Republic.

I like Prague but I’d come back during a shoulder season for less crowds and cooler temps. And while my hotel was generally clean and had AC, the moisture in the room messed with my sinuses so I felt like I was sick for two days-even taking cold medicine. I do worry at times that I will get sick but 9 times out of 10 as soon as I change hotels I am miraculously better. It becomes more and more apparent that I need to start staying in nicer hotels unless I want to feel terrible during my travels.

Next up Český Krumlov.

Zagreb, I love you

I am glad for a late start today because the rain does finally let up for my first tour which is a general city tour. The tour starts in the park Zrinjevac, one of seven city parks. Our guide talks about the upper and lower cities and Kaptol.

One of the sights is a meteorological box in the park. We are told how it was donated by a local. It holds information on things such as temperatures, sunrise/sunset schedules and more.

We go to a parking lot that once was home to a magnificent synagogue. When the nazis took over the city the religious building was destroyed brick by brick and cheered on by the nazi party. Also as a result of the nazi occupation the population of Jewish people went from around 11,000 to about a few hundred today. Most were sent to concentration camps, some in Croatia, and some migrated to other countries. The city has made sure the Jewish synagogue today profits off the current lot in order to one day build a new home. However due to the small numbers in the city it is unlikely that is happening anytime soon. Along with the Jewish people, the Romani and Serbs were also persecuted at the time of the war.

Our guide tells us about the statue in the main square, a leader on a horse that originally was overlooking the town in the opposite direction (looking at upper town). During the communist time of Yugoslavia the statue is removed from the square. Thank goodness it is not destroyed and kept safely in a museum. After Croatia becomes independent again the statue is returned to the square but this time pointing in the opposite dirtection because most of Zagreb now exists in that direction and the statue is overlooking the city.

We are told about the performance artist Tomislav Gotovac and the filming of “Zagreb I love you” (I later see this in Graz, Austria in a museum). There is a sidewalk plaque with a footprint noting this moment but I forgot to take a picture.

We walk over to Dolac Market which is normally bustling but due to the constant rain only a few vendors are set up today. We learn how women called Barica would traditionally sell the produce at the market. We also learn the origins of the traditional umbrellas of the city. It of course has love story origins but now you can see example of these umbrellas all over the market.

We stop by the Zagreb Cathedral, closed due to renovation.

Our guide takes us over to the tower near the funicular. It is close to noon and just in time to hear the cannon fire. One man does this job every day at 12:00 noon. It is very loud.

We then take the funicular up to the upper town. It is said to be the shortest funicular in the world.

In upper town many of the street lamps are still gas powered. There are people who come every night to light them as well as blow them out in the morning.

Ahead is a beautiful church, St Marks, from the 1300’s but the tiles the 1800’s. It is mostly covered in construction but the tiles are still visible. We learn that all these “under renovation” buildings are a result of a bad earthquake about 3 years ago. Only one life was lost fortunately because most were on lockdown and not at their place of business due to covid. The repairs needed to all their historic sights are in the many billions so it might be a while before we see Zagreb at its finest again. Hidden behind the screens I can tell there are some pretty impressive sights here.

Finally we end up at the little gate that has been turned into an alter to the Madonna since it is the only thing that is not destroyed in a fire.

As we say goodbye it starts pouring again. We run off in our different directions. I want to grab a quick lunch so I order a prosciutto and cheese sandwich from Pigvin. I eat my sandwich under the over hang until I see the rain lighten. Then I fight the winds as I walk back to my room with my sandwich. I think this is when my poncho gets its first rip. It is getting a workout today.

Art installation around town of solar system

After a couple hours of rest I contemplate bailing out of my afternoon tour because it is cold and wet and I am tired. I force myself to put my poncho back on and go back out for my afternoon tour : Communism & Croatian Homeland War Tour. I have never been particularly interested in history or wars for that matter. For some reason I cannot get enough of these tours during my time in the Balkans. While much of the history is way in the past, I think things are so interesting to me now because we are talking about a conflict that happened during my time, when I was old enough to be aware of the extent of what was happening, but I did not. I was a teenager not really concerned with what was going on in the world and the USA media and education system didn’t really seem to be concerned either. We only really learned of conflicts when they started affecting Bosnia. There were many conflicts going on in Croatia I knew nothing about.

I also didn’t know how much Croatia flirted with fascism in the WWII. They basically were a puppet state of Germany. They thought aligning with nazis would give them status as an independent state but what they found is that they were just another occupied territory.

The history is very complex and I would not do it justice trying to explain it. If you are interested look for resources on Croatia during Austria-Hungarian/Venetian era, during WWII, during communism (Yugoslavia) era, and during the war of the 1990’s fight for independence. Also as all my tour guides say look for non-biased sources and sources from different points of view….in the 1990’s in particular Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian point of view (looks like I need a trip to Serbia in my future). Also as hard as it is don’t ever “take sides” in a discussion with a local. There are many perspectives that we cannot imagine. Basically we know nothing.

During this tour we stop in the bomb tunnel again. I learn that it was used once to host a rave and as a shelter during the wars of 1990’s.

The tunnel entrances were not convienent for everyone so we finish our tour in a bomb shelter in the basement of a local resident. There we get a in depth explanation of the history of communism (more Tito) and watch a movie about the war of 1990’s. Overall the tour isvery informative.

I am wet and tired and want to call it an early night. I pick a restaurant that looks good enough after I discover my first choice is actually a fancy Michelin place that is booked up more than a week in advance. At the local restaurant I have more Strukli and a big seasoned meat burger. The food is tasty but very filling. I can’t keep eating like this; I need to start asking for to-go boxes. Balkan people love large portion sizes.

Tomorrow I head to my next country in my Balkan adventures – Slovenia.

Montenegro day trip

After my day of work and leisure I meet my tour group at 7 am the next day. We are to explore sights in North Montenegro. Our driver explains the buoys and boxes in the water are for fishing and mussel farming. I have tried some delicious sea bass but mussels are next on my list. We first stop to see the two islands outside of Perast. We do not boat over to them though. I am regretting my day off yesterday since that would have been my only chance to see both the town of Perast and the two islands.

We start an ascent up hill. It is curvy but I am not concerned because I happen to be in the front of the bus. There are beautiful views of the bay of Kotor from above.

I loom at the gorgeous views and then look to the side, a girl from our bus is puking her guts out into the bushes. At first I offer my seat to her but after realizing how far back her seat is I decide to just share the row with her. I share my motion sickness pills with her and the girl on the other side of me who is suffering too. I learned my lesson in Thailand so I always have the pills on me for road trips.

We stop briefly for breakfast and coffee.

Our next stop is a lake called Black lake. It is located in Durmitor National Park. We don’t have time to walk around the complete lake because the levels are high and it would take too long. I admire the views of the mountains and hike some of the shorter trails. It is pretty but nothing more impressive than what I have already seen. This is where my extensive traveling backfires on me as it gets harder to impress me these days. It is still chilly out and there is still some snow on the ground.

From the park we travel to a very large bridge over the Tara River. Some in the group are dropped off ahead of the bridge stop. They plan to zip line across the very deep canyon. The rest of us take the walk across the bridge on a very narrow walkway, making sure the constant traffic doesn’t accidently hit us when we stray off path. Despite the scary walk it is a beautiful view. The river below is a color that almost seems made up on a computer. The view is lovely.

For our final stop we stop at the Ostrog Monastery, a very popular Serbian Orthodox Church built into a hill. Many make the pilgrimage barefoot up the steep switchbacks to pray to the body of Vasilije, the founder of the church. There is also some lore about a grape vine growing in the wall of the church in a place that is not conducive to growth. There are some very old frescos inside. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures inside because it is forbidden and for some reason I am a strict rule follower lately (even though most are not).

We get back late but I still need to eat. I attempt my first of many disappointing servings of mussels. One would think that since they are farmed nearby that they would be fresh and flavorful, but that is not the case. The mussel meat is very small of the ones that are actually opened and the taste is probably the worst I’ve ever had of mussels. I can only guess maybe they are not in season yet. The dessert is good though.

Tomorrow I am switching countries again and head to Croatia where I’ll meet my friend soon. I probably could have spent more time in Montenegro so I’ll just have to come back some day.

Jayce, Pliva Lakes, and Travnik

This might be the two glasses of affordable wine and jet lag talking but I really like Bosnia so far. I slept almost a complete night last night so I hope I am well rested for today: a day tour of areas north of Sarajevo.

We start the tour by visiting the Pliva lakes. One of the advantages of visiting off season is that we have the lakes almost completely to ourselves. One disadvantage is that it is chilly and overcast. During the summer people swim and do water sports here. We only have a short stop but it is beautiful for the time we visit.

The highlight of the area is the mill houses on the lake. They were once used for local housing but now they are mostly a tourist attraction.

I also learn about the fun but political Bosnian music group Dubioza Kolektiv. I am really enjoying their tunes while we go from location to location

We then walk the old town of Jajce to the Jajce fortress (Yie-sz to pronounce, I only include this because I had no idea). It is the best preserved fortress from the former Bosnian Kingdom. The Bosnian kingdom lasted about 100 years around 1300’s to 1400’s. We enjoy nice views of the city of Jajce.

We then visit the old Bear Tower, named so because the walls were strong as a bear.

We walk down stairs to the catacombs that were never actually used for their intended purpose – to bury Hrvoje Vukcic Hrvatinic and his family. It was used as a church. Notable is the cross symbol on the lower level accompanied by the moon and the sun. These two symbols often appear in Bosnian history as they tried to mix the former pagan symbols with Christianity symbols.

We walk into the newer part of town and see two memorials to people fallen in the war of Yugoslavia. We have lunch at a local restaurant where I finally try Cevapi. The bread is the most amazing thing I’ve had in a while. I added the cream cheese on the side and it takes like a combination of sour cream and butter. Very rich.

We walk over to the Jajce waterfall. My guides insist this place is even more beautiful in the summer (it is Spring). I don’t see how it can get much better than this.

Our next stop is at Travnik where we visit another fortress, this town is very important in the origins of the Bosnian Kingdom. It is in the museum we learn about all the different eras of Bosnia from prehistoric, to the Ottoman, Austo-Hungarian, Yugoslavia, to present day. One display is traditional dress from the three distinct ethic groups: Bosnians, Serbs and Croats. We learn about an annual scrambled egg festival.

We stop for Bosnian coffee, not unlike Turkish coffee if you are familar. This place near the water has a special where the cofffee comes with a cigarette – smoking can be considered a national pastime here, it is still wildly popular.

We then visit an old restored mosque. It is very nice inside. I forgot my scarf today but luckily they had some to borrow.

After our last stop it is the long ride back to Sarajevo to complete the tour. As always I wish I had more time at all of the stops but the tour is a great introduction to a beautiful country.

For dinner I choose a small but cute restaurant. I didn’t try the Travnik cheese earlier so I want to try that and other local cheeses but knowing I cannot handle all that cheese at once I settle on only the one. It is a feta like cheese. Very salty but good. For my main course I order a squid ink seafood risotto. I am also very happy with my affordable glasses of local wine. It is raining and I am jet lagged so I head to bed after dinner.

It is a nice full long day in Bosnia & Herzegovina .

Giants Causeway day trip

Today is a long day. I am taking a coach tour north to see the Giants Causeway with a couple other stops. I contemplated renting a car and doing the drive on my own but since I have limited time here in Belfast I decided the whole rental car business is too much trouble – I really need to come back and do it properly when I have more time. There are some things I miss without the car: stopping at the cute small towns that catch my eye along the ride, the rope bridge that forbids bus tours from visiting, and stopping for whatever views I like. However not having to stress about driving is nice too.

We stop briefly at one town to see the Carrickfergus castle. Not really much time to see anything but walk along the water a bit and visit the bathroom. I’ve gotten my fill of castles lately so I skip trying to tour it quickly.

Our bus isn’t totally full so I get a row of my own as well as do other single travelers. There are days I am social and there are days I am not. Today I really don’t feel like being social so it is nice to have my space.

We pass by this hill that hides a school place where kids where taught Gaelic language in secret when it was outlawed by english.

We additionally stop at the dark hedges, famous mostly for a Game of Thrones scene. They are nice but I bet were much nicer in the past. There are parts not so dark and scary anymore….perhaps it is because it is technically still winter maybe. Before the dark hedges we are advised to get lunch at the hotel. It is a buffet of pub food. I wish I would have skipped it and snacked instead. I would have liked more time to take a longer walk down the street with the hedges.

The highlight of the day is visiting Giant’s Causeway, a rock formation near the water in Northern Ireland. Lava created this formation many millions of years ago. It is kind of impressive to view the symmetry that exists among the rocks.

I made dinner reservations at a pub but I still have a couple hours. I need some more St Patrick’s paraphernalia so I pop into shops real quick before they are about to close. Shops close early around here just like a small town. After shopping I decide to do a tour of a couple pubs since I have yet to do this in Belfast. Dinner at one more pub and then time to sleep since its been a long day.