Split

The last place on the trip before going back to Frankfurt was Split, Croatia.  Split was like Dubrovnik, only bigger, older, and (to me, at least) with more personality.

 

 



 

 

It was also hot.  It was supposed to get up to 70 degrees that day, but I think it was closer to 80...and I didn't have clothes for that kind of weather.  In Dubrovnik I had bought a Croatian national soccer team jersey for my brother, and I had to wear it in Split (Sorry, Will!). I was much more comfortable (some gelato helped, too), but I have never felt more like a tourist.     

 

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24 Hours in Bosnia

After Dubrovnik, it was on to Bosnia. We stopped in Medjugorje, a small town that has become a pilgrimage site for Catholics. In 1981 several children from the area reported seeing the Virgin Mary on top of the hill; her message to the children was that members of all faiths are equal under God.  It makes perfect sense to me that Mary would appear and give that message to people in Bosnia; what I don't get is what those kids were doing up there.

I am sorry to report that I didn't make it to the place where the children saw the Virgin Mary.  I tried, but I went about halfway. Some of the rocks had sharp points, and most were slippery because of the rain.  I am a wimp.

I got this far...



...and then I stopped. You can see part of what I didn't climb below.

Next stop was MOSTAR.

 

Above: the famous Mostar Bridge; when it is warm, guys will dive off the bridge for money (the water was still too cold in April). Below: the marketplace in Mostar; it reminded me a little of the bazaar in Istanbul, but without people hassling you to buy stuff. 

We only had a few hours to spend in Mostar, because we wanted to get to Sarajevo before dark. We barely made it. By the time we checked in the hotel and made our way to downtown, the sun was going down, which is why I don't have many pictures of Sarajevo (Who cares about photos??? We had to buy stuff before the shops closed, and we had to eat!)  I can't explain it, but I just got a good feeling about the place...so much so that I have already booked a ticket to go to Sarajevo on a long weekend next fall. So, consider this a very short preview.

 

The famous bridge where Serb Gavrilo Princip shot Franz Ferdinand and set off WWI. Its original name was the Latin Bridge, but after the assassination, it was named after the assassin, Princip! Since the breakup of Yugoslavia, it is again called the Latin Bridge.

 

 

 

 

I took a picture of the restaurant so I will remember it for next time.  We feasted on cevapcici, sudzukice, salata sopska, and kajmak--all for about four Euros per person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

downtown Sarajevo

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning we were drove through the Bosnian countryside, en route to our last stop on the trip: Split, Croatia.

 

 

 



Dubrovnik

I was so excited to get to Dubrovnik! I had heard so much about the walled city that I was sure I would fall in love with it.

I guess I had heard too much.  Dubrovnik was beautiful, but was it more amazing than what I had already seen in Montenegro? I am not sure.

 

I think I had imagined Dubrovnik to be a lot larger than it was. We seemed to be walking in circles, asking, "Is this it?"  I was also wondering how where we were could be the "old town". Dubrovnik was shelled a lot during the war, but it has all been restored.  It may have been an old town, but it all looked pretty new.  Nothing seemed out of place; it was too perfect for me. I'd be willing to give it another try, though, if I had the opportunity. :)

The restored post office; the posters show what the building looked like during the war in 1991