Thursday, June 1st, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Greetings!

Jasmina, our guide today, took us through the city she grew up in.  She described a childhood that no one should have endured.  At seven, she and her family began to endure the War in Bosnia.  Mostar is a town which did not suffer the worst of the war.  You all know that war from the last year of it watching snipers shoot pedestrians in Sarajevo. But children in Mostar, like Jasmina, hid from the terror of war for five years.  And today, she took us for a walk through her city.

One of the most famous destructions in Mostar is the Old Bridge (Stari Most).  Built by the Ottoman Sultan (Suleiman the Magnificent) in 1566, it was bombed in November of 1993.  Jasmina led us through the tunnels that were used while the bridge was being rebuilt after the war ended.

We've had many local tour guides, but few integrated her own storyline as well as Jasmina.  I think we understand her town better because of it, and we hope that she someday gets to regain her childhood joys.

Leaving Mostar, we crossed three passport checkpoints to get to Dubronik, Croatia, where we'll be staying for the next three days.  Tomorrow, we head to Montenegro for a day trip, and then back here for some final exploring before this group breaks up, and Pat and I head on wth a guide for two more weeks in the former Republic of Macedonia and Albania.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Thursday, June 1st, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Wednesday, May 31st, Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina

Greetings!

Hot!  We're really happy to be on the coast today, and spending most of the day on the water.  It hit 36 degrees Celsius, and tomorrow starts the official summer season here.

Boats are essential here.  Just as the Venetians' use of them led to their power from the 15th to the 19th century, everyone around us is moving throughout their territory on boats.  Dave, one of our travelers, is much more of an expert than the rest of us, and is helping us gain our sailing knowledge.  And we have some gorgeous yachts to view everywhere we go.

We even ran into a reality show filming at our hotel, and the contestants had to use paddleboards and ride a banana boat.  But somebody's going to get kicked off our island tonight.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Wednesday, May 31st, Mostar, Bosnia.

Tuesday, May 30th, Hvar, Croatia

Greetings!

Hvar deserves at least two days, and it was time anyway for laundry.  Which means a bathtub and a balcony in the sun.  That's not ours to the left,  because our hotel window doesn't such a good view.

If you come here, make it early in the season (April-May) or later in September or October.  Summer is crazy crowded, as all of Europe is headed here to party.

Our guide, Nicole, grew up here on Hvar, and explained that easy way to remember how to pronounce the island's name.  She said the island has four main resources: wine, olive oil, almonds, and tourists.  It has four schools, four thousand resident, is the fourth largest island in Croatia, and the way the locals pronounce the name of the island - it sounds like "four".

She took us to a monastery where the last remaining monk had used his artistic talents to paint a beautiful "Last Supper" painting and several bronze statues.    And took us into the church garden to see a Cypress tree which had grown in a miraculous manner.

Architecturally, Rome and Venice did it all. And this part of the Eastern Mediterranean didn't have much destroyed in WWII.  Now if the City can just avoid sacrificing their walls and building facades to the latest restaurant and bank needs....

To see the rest of the phtos taken today, click on Tuesday, May 30th, Hvar, Croatia. 

Monday, May 29th, Hvar, Croatia

Greetings!

We keep waiting for the trip to stop presenting us with exciting, fascinating places.  Today, we started the day with a walking tour of ancient Split.  We visited Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace, built from 295-305 AD, and used as his retirement home.  Now constituting about half the town of Split, the Palace is a large rectangular fortress, with four towers, three floors, and a vaulted basement.  Recently, most of the structure, and its surrounding area, has been filled wth shops and houses.

As our guide, Vessa, directed us though the narrow streets of Split, we stopped in on churches, temples, open squares, and small shops.  Like many other sites we've visited, the architecture reflects the many powers which ruled these cities.  In general, however, the Roman and Venetian influences dominate, and this part of the world seems to have retained the best of the Italian contributions to art, architecture, commerce, and quality of life.

In the early afternoon, we boarded a ferry (with our tour bus on board) and traveled to the Island of Hvar.  Re-boarding our bus upon landing, we drove across the island to the city of the same name.  What a great sailing resort town.  We had dinner at a restaurant just down the promenade, and will be guided through the town tomorrow morning.  In the afternoon, the sea below our rooms, and the pools, cabanas, and massages tables await.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Monday, May 29th, Hvar, Croatia.   

Sunday, May 28th, Split, Croatia

Greetings!

Back on the way to the Croatian coast, we are finding plenty of Venetian and Roman ruins.  So close to the heart of these two great centers of land and sea power for more than two thousand years, it shouldn't be surprising to find a long trail of cities, fortresses, churches, amphitheaters and forums.  Enough to entertain this avid group of travelers for many hours a day, with great guides to lead the way.  

We walked through Zadar, the ancient capital of Byzantine Dalmatia.  It is a city 60% destroyed by allied bombings when occupied by the Germans in WWII.  We had lunch near the Roman Forum, the climbed the tower at the Church of St Donatus, and peeked inside the Cathedral of Anastasius.  Our guide, Lara, also helped us include the Archeological Museum - a prize for any visitor.

An unusual addition to the tour is the installation of wave-generated pipes under the seawall which provided us with a wonderful natural concert thanks to an very innovative artist in 2005.  Just down from it, a regional jet-ski competition was being held to choose yet another batch of crazy Adriatic Sea denizens.

Later that day, we drove to Trogir, and wandered through this island city, listening to musicians and dancers, and admiring the stone streets, walls, and stores. 

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Sunday, May 28th, Split, Croatia.

Saturday, May 27th, Plitvicka Park, Croatia

Greetings!

Independence wasn't won easily here.  You'll remember that, for five years, the towns we are driving through were fighting each other.  While most of us recall Sarajevo, and the awful scenes of snipers shooting fleeing civilians, the civil war was actually much more complex and deadly.

Today was spent driving to, and then hiking through, a popular national park.  And we are so glad that it isn't the high season for visitors.  The trails and boardwalks which allow hikers to see the many waterfalls which flow out of the lakes here were crowded, and they were made more difficult to stay on by everyone taking photos (guilty).

But for outdoor pleasure with only a mild amount of hills and steps, Plitvicka Park is a welcome place.  The hotel we're staying in is always full, and tranquility always available in the cascading pools and waterfalls.  Every country needs a place like this to rest and enjoy a good walk.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Saturday, May 27th, Plitvicka, Croatia.  

Friday, May 26th, Zagreb, Croatia

Greetings!

Croatia looks like a big bow tie from space, with part of it along the coast (where we've been), and the other part parallel to it inland.  The capital of it (Zagreb) is inland, and that's where we went today.  But not before we checked out Opatija's coastal walkway before breakfast this morning.  It winds 12 miles along the waterfront, past hotels and restaurants, and has been the playground of Yugoslavia's beachside community.

Sania, our guide for Zagreb, was delightful.  Knowledgeable as usual, but her sense of humor and ease of english delivery made it fun to listen to her.  At each stop, she used our small group number to spend extra time revealing all she knew.  Did you now that ties originated in Croatia as safety scarves wives tied tightly around their husband soldiers as they went off to war during Napoleon's occupation, and then were picked up by the French army?  Or that Dalmatians seem to smile when they are happy?

Zagreb is actually three cities: the vast communist-built, industrial-looking housing high-rises surround it; the lower central city; and the older upper city.  We walked to the base of the upper city, and took the world's shortest funicular (60 meters - 55 seconds) to the top.   There we saw one of the remaining gates and tower, a lego-like church roof with smiling dalmatians, and lots more.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Friday, May 26th, Zagreb, Croatia.