We had no real plans when leaving England of which countries we would visit. As our journey progressed we found ourselves unintentionally visiting every ex-Yugoslavic country. Time was short but we wanted to make sure we visited Slovenia as it was the only one of these countries we hadn’t visited, and we felt the need to visit all of the countries and hear all sides of the story from each place. Strangely enough, we didn’t see or read much about it during our visit, and the few locals we met didn’t talk to us about it. Very different to our trip …
Author: bristolianbackpacker
Croatia: Coast vs City
Dubrovnik Our first stop in Croatia was Dubrovnik, by far the most expensive and most touristy place we’ve visited so far. Hotel, hostel and restaurant prices all dramatically increase in this coastal town. However, let this not put you off the beauty of the city. The old town is the real attraction to see; you can walk around the old city walls (for a price, of course) and look into the old town which has been so well preserved. Grey houses with terracotta roofs, to look over them and their matching style and colours is really something. When you look …
The Kindness of Strangers
While travelling, getting lost is easy. Signs are in a language you don’t understand, transport works in a different way and maps are often difficult to read.
Sarajevo: More Beauty and War
Unlike Mostar, to walk around Sarajevo you aren’t immediately greeted with reminders of the war. You see banks, bakeries, shops just like any other high street, but if you look down occasionally at the ground you will see splotches of red paint, symbolising where blood was shed during the war. It’s a unique city as within a small space in town there is a Christian Cathedral, Jewish Synagogue and Muslim Mosque. We met up with a lovely local while there who not only showed us a brilliant bar but also took us to the top of the hill and showed us …
Mostar: Beauty and War
We’d met a few people on our travels who had expressed how much they loved Bosnia and Hercegovina, so I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. We spent a couple of days in Dubrovnik and then headed up to Mostar, mostly famous for its stunning bridge, Stari Most. We looked at the picture in our Lonely Planet book and thought that it must be photoshopped – it didn’t look real, but it really was. That photo is real and it does look that beautiful in reality. I was beginning to see why people loved this country …
Montenegro: The Country that Stole my Heart
If you visit Montenegro, you’ll understand why I love it so much. Montenegro: Budva and Sveti Stefan Whilst in Budva we took a trip to Sveti Stefan, a gorgeous island off the shore of one of the beaches. Unfortunately, the whole thing is privatised and you can’t go on it unless you are staying there, which of course we weren’t because it’s way over our budget and was closed during low season. But we looked and marvelled at it as we walked along the beaches and watched the sunset over the sea. We weren’t sure how long to stay …