Four days - four countries

We ended our stay in Croatia by spending a few days in the beautiful city of Dubrovnik. We had been advised by our hosts that it will be full of tourists, but still not to be missed. They were right on both counts. Dubrovnik is one of the classic cities of the world; red roofs on white buildings nestled into the green hillside and hugging the blue Mediterranean.   Dubrovnik came to the world’s attention during the Croatian War of Independence in the nineties, when it suffered bombing and siege. Reconstruction since then allows one to walk around the walls of the old town.

Views of the Old Town from on top of the wall


 

 

 

 

Dubrovnik hugs the coastline, providing for very scenic walking and driving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next stage of our drive through to Bulgaria was done with a high degree of caution and some apprehension.  When telling people of our plans, comments ranged from from ‘Oh – you’re brave’ to ‘danger’, ‘look out for stones, potholes and donkeys’, ‘expect to pay bribes if stopped by the police’, to ‘the roads are generally good and you’ll fine’.  Well, they were fine and we encountered no difficulty in the drive - apart from the GPS not always recognising addresses, and once taking us on one very long and scenic route.

On Sunday 3rd we left  Dubrovnik (Croatia), and entered Bosnia Herzegovina. The border is not far from Dubrovnik, and following advice from our hosts, we stopped to visit the town of Mostar, an area of Bosnia in which there is a high Muslim population. This is a result of 500 years of Turkish occupation ending in the late 1800's. Mostar is also known for its famous bridge, with the original design built in the 1500's but destroyed in the war of the nineties and since then rebuilt according to the original design.

 

  

 

Mostar bridge (in the distance)

 

 

We had no idea of what to expect in the landscape and after driving through quite marginal country (mountainous, hill, rocky) to Mostar, were astounded by dramatic mountain scenery as we neared Sarajevo (gorgeous rugged gorges). Arriving in heavy summer rain, we were very relieved that our GPS was eventually able to locate a hotel in which to spend the night.

 

 

Early scenery in Bosnia Herzegovina (above and below)

 

 

 

 

Moving into dramatic landscapes as we neared Sarajevo

 

 

 

 

 

 

The city of Sarajevo made a strong impression on us.  Muslim minarets stand along-side of cathedrals. The Old Town has tourist shops with a mix of Turkish and Western wares but it is the rebuilding that is still happening in the city after the war of the nineties that really struck us. Roads are under construction, while large blocks of buildings are still desolate after bombing and many walls bear evidence of fighting, with bullet holes clearly visible. Sarajevo endured the longest siege in modern history, a period of 1,425 days. We took time to visit a photographic exhibition which was deeply moving. There is also a modern side to the city with western style shopping malls and fine hotels. (All of the photos below were taken near our very comfortable hotel)

 

Buildings damaged from gunfire.

 

 Here the restored city hall stands next to buildings not yet restored.

Riverside houses such as these are usually painted and highly attractive, but when a city needs rebuilding some things have to wait

 

 

A mosque at Sarajevo

 

The next day our drive took us across mountain ranges and through fertile valleys where there were small villages and agricultural fields.  We then entered Serbia, initially passing through small towns but as we neared our destination for the night, also passed through very fertile agricultural areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hay stacks

 

 

A horse and cart with a load of loose hay. In the country roads of Bulgaria we see many horse-drawn carts.




We had arranged a two night stay on the edge of a national park, a mountainous area and one of Serbia's top winter ski resorts. In summer however the weather was wonderful and gave us the opportunity to take a day’s walk in the mountains, a pleasant change from the hours of driving we had been doing.


The very up-market ski resort

  Bob went on a bear hunt


Scenes from our mountain walk

 

 

Many people were on the hillsides picking wild blueberries. The wild variety is much smaller than the cultivated ones we know in Australia, but equally tasty.  To pick large quantities people use a special implement (a kind of comb) to take many berries off the bushes at once.

The flowers were beautiful and Anne has many photos of flowers.  We have seen spring flowers in Spain, summer flowers in Eastern Europe and in a few months will catch the autumn leaves.

 

 

On the fourth day, we finally entered Bulgaria, where we are staying for 12 days.  We began in the capital. Sofia, where we were hosted by a couple from the Servas organisation and we are now staying in a small village of Koprivshtitsa at a weekend home they own. Using this as a base we are exploring the nearby countryside before moving onto more Servas hosts in other parts of the country (Servas is a hospitality organisation).

 

These four days of travel challenged us in many ways.

I think we must have read too many spy novels or war stories, for we always held our breath when passing through each border control post. We first of all present passports when leaving one country, then drive several hundred metres until reaching the border control for the next country where the process is repeated.  We also needed to show papers for the registration and vehicle insurance before entering a new country.   This process makes one realise just how much paperwork has been reduced in countries who are full members of the European Union, for there you simply drive from one country to the next.

 

Out of one country

 

 

 

 

And into another







 

 

 

 

 

 

Each of the countries we entered also has its own currency, which we needed even for the short time we were travelling through. By the time we arrived in Bulgaria our old brains were struggling to remember what the currency is current, and how it might relate to Euros (and in due course, Australian dollars). At that point it's easier to just pay the amount rather than try to calculate its equivalent.

While we find costs in these Eastern European countries extremely cheap the flip side is that the local people have low incomes. We were told that we would be travelling through 'poor' countries and this is evident in a number of ways: roads that are patched rather than resurfaced, rusty dented guard rails, empty houses or rundown villages, older cars on the roads, lack of major industries. Of course there are variations to this across each country, with some region obviously more prosperous than others.



Older cars, patched roads and  older guard rails (at least there were some!)

 

 

Small scale industry in Serbia (or was it Bosnia? - tobacco) and a larger city (below). A major highway goes from Zagreb in Croatia to the south of Serbia, but we only drove on this for sixty kilometres and the rest of the time on minor roads

Apart from each country having its own language, a Cyrillic alphabet is also used. This makes reading signs impossible and we are thankful that our GPS can direct us in English.   Most of the museums that we have been in have at least some of the information in English.

(For the teachers who may be reading this, it makes one realize just how important pictures and context are when learning to read!)

 

 

Take your pick and hope for the best

Signs English are limited (but welcome when we see them)

 

 

This sign made us realize that we are very far from home!

These four countries are a history buff’s delight. The scope of history really stretches our minds but being here - and with the assistance of Google - helps us get an understanding of the forces of history that have shaped these areas. No sooner had we read up on Austro-Hungarian rule, the former country of Yugoslavia and its break up, which preceded the war of the nineties, when we moved into Bulgaria and have now learned about the Turkish Ottoman Empire which ruled here for 500 years, the rebellion of the late 1800's that overthrew it (with Russian involvement), and Bulgaria's more recent move from communism to a democratic republic. 

There are also differences in religion across the countries. In the same four days we’ve seen Roman Catholic cathedrals, Mosques, and Eastern Orthodox churches. Bulgaria's predominant religion is Eastern Orthodox, and hence the churches are designed quite differently with open spaces, no seating and icons (paintings, sculptures, frescos) covering the walls. (We have not been able to take photos inside)

 

  

 

Each day continues to bring its own surprises, but at the end of every day we are very thankful the blessings received, particularly for safety as we travel through these fascinating foreign lands.