Kotor

I woke up pale, clammy and shaky and couldn't even carry my backpack (Thanks tour guide who carried my backpack everywhere this morning!).  The walk to the Budva bus station even without my backpack was hard (I'm not sure what caused it, but it thankfully went away by the late afternoon).

After a very pleasant early morning busride from Budva, we arrived into Kotor.  The walk from the bus station was an easy 10 minutes along the water front (particularly easy for me sans-backpack).  We stayed at a lovely, small hotel right in the heart of the old town called Hotel Marija. 

The town of Kotor and its surroundings are truly breathtaking!!  The area is made up of fjords, the largest in Southern Europe.  Nearly everyone on the tour hiked up the mountain (and had breathtaking views in more than one way when it was revealed that a lady in the group ahead of them was hiking in a mini-skirt sans-underwear), and then went kayaking, but as I had felt really ill that morning decided to take it easy and just relax in the old town in the square with a coffee.  Bliss!

Later that night we went for dinner to a restaurant called Pasteria Restaurant in the old town, and we were totally ripped off!!!  When we received our bill there were numerous charges for GARNISHES, even though it stated in the description of the dishes that they were included.  A number of other small charges were added which they supposedly couldnt remember what they were for.  AVOID it at all costs!!!

Budva

Day 1

After the terrifying and stiflingly hot bus ride from Sarajevo to Ostrog, we somehow ended up with a private AIRCONDITIONED bus to take us to our next destination, Budva!  

Stopped on the way for a photo of Budva, which looked lovely from all the way above on the hill.  Little did we know that when we got to the area where our hotel was situated (NOT within the city walls) it would be a dump, with rubbish, a horrid smell, and garish, trashy tourists. It struck me as The Kuta of the Montenegrin Coast.

The Old walled town itself is quite pretty, and within its walls we found a fantastic eatery called Juice Bar, which wasn't a juice bar at all,  but a cafe/restaurant which sold healthy, tasty food as opposed to the greasy fare served up in all the other tourist restaurants. 


Day 2
Got up early and had breakfast at our hotel before setting off for a boat trip around the Budva Peninsula and Sveti Stefan.

Unfortunately the boat we were on had hordes of rude Russian tourists who pushed and shoved to get to the seats, and were wearing most inappropriate outfits for a morning seaside trip.  I have never seen so many sparkly thong bikinis (on young, old, big and small alike), brash D&G belts, sequinned evening bags, diamonte heels, chavvy hoop earrings, and frost lipsticks and eyeshadows circa 1982 in my life. And I never wish to again.

Thankfully we disembarked at Sveti Stefan and wandered around (you cannot go on the island, which is unfortunate) and had a splash on the pebble beach.  

Ostrog Monastery

Surprisingly, we arrived alive at Ostrog Lower Monastery after a white knuckle busride which by the grace of god, somehow managed not to plunge over the edge of the sheer cliffs on which it resides.  Peering over the edge of the cliff from my ill-chosen cliff-side seat, I spied numerous smashed up & burnt out car wreckages which evidently hadn't been so fortunate.  I pondered to myself whether the occupants of the cars survived.  Not exactly comforting thoughts/sights during that situation.

Had a 'welcome' talk from one of the monks, and were shown to our same-sex dorm accommodation, only to find the door didn't lock.  I figured that theres probably less chance of being robbed in a dorm in a Monastery than a normal everyday dorm in a hostel, so I just left the room unlocked for my pilgrimage up the mountain to the Upper Monastery, which is a stark white church which appears to be built into the edge of a cliff.

It was a 1hr steep climb to the top, but was relatively easy as we stopped often to look at the view and take photos.  Some pilgrims climb up in bare feet and on their knees, whilst some take the mini bus which runs every so often.

It was worth the walk, as we got to the top there were bells ringing, and we went into the church to see the holy relics..it was amazing.  Had dinner at one of the nearby restaurants especially for pilgrims to the site.  After breakfast the next morning (also at one of the restaurants dedicated to pilgrims), we left, as there was not that much more to do/see there once you have seen the monastery. 

Mostar




Stari Most

 

Travelled to Mostar today for a day trip.  Mostar is a pretty town in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia which is home to a famous UNESCO World Heritage listed bridge which links one side of the town to the other over the Neretva River.  The town got its name from the word "Mostari" which means "Bridge Keepers".



 







View from the train on the way to Mostar





Apart from the gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage listed bridge I didnt think Mostar was that great.  It was really touristy, with lots of tacky overpriced souvenir stands, and every time you walked anywhere near the bridge you were constantly harrassed by male teens to give money as an incentive for some other teen to jump off the bridge into the water (they do it every 15 mins or so anyway). 





Old Town



The trips there and back on the train were disgusting, local people throwing plastic coffee cups/cigarette butts/misc other rubbish out the window into the beautiful forest, people smoking like chimneys and spitting out the window...gross. 

Caught the train back to Sarajevo and went for dinner again to To Be or Not To Be...great food (vegetarian!) and service!!



Sarajevo Roses & Franz Ferdinand

Bosnian coffee pots for sale in the Turkish Quarter

Day 1
Our day started at 5.20am as we needed to catch the 7.00am bus into Bosnia to our first stop, Sarajevo! Thankfully a piping hot tasty Pita Sir (cheese pastry) helped ease me into the morning.
For the 8 hour journey I bought some juice (oh so disgusting), pretzels and chips to gastronomically entertain myself.
On our way from Serbia to Bosnia the scenery changed from fields to lush forests, mountains and streams. It was amazing, and definitely the most picturesque scenery so far on the trip. It was an exciting journey, with the bus driver chain smoking, numerous bumps in the roads in conjunction with death-defying driving near cliff edges, blasting Bosnian pop and the aromatic sausage-scented picnics of fellow passengers.
When we arrived in Sarajevo I was stunned to see the damage of the Siege of Sarajevo (1992 - 1995) was still so visible and tangible. There were shells still embedded in the footpaths and roads, bullet marks and bazooka holes in the concrete walls of apartment buildings and buildings so badly damaged they were never rebuilt...all right in the middle of the city.

Another sad sight were "Sarajevo Roses", an impression in the concrete from a mortar shell, which was filled with some kind of red wax or paint. They signified the places where people lost their lives due to that particular mortar shell falling. It is considered very disrespectful to step on one. I didn't take any photos of roses as while I was there looking at then, because it didn't feel right to do so at the time.

Bascarsija (Turkish quarter)

It was the longest siege of a capital city in history, with 10,000 people killed or missing including 1,500 children.

We were staying in the home of a Bosnian muslim family...the lady was so clean and fastidious about keeping everything in order and clean! The house used to be on the battlefront, its amazing to hear how they lived back then.

City Hall

We were famished so went out for a late lunch and I had Sataras, a Bosnian rice dish with red capsicum, tomato, onion and paprika...fantastic!!

Cafe culture

We had a local guide, Mohammed, meet us for our guided tour of the town. He is the same age as me, and was talking to me about his life during the war. It was so sad to think that for the years I was playing outside, he was forced to stay inside, and on the one single occasion he went out to play, was targeted by soldiers and got hit by shrapnel.

We visited the mosque, Bascarsija (Turkish quarter), Morica Han (Bosnian coffee shop and bazaar) and the bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, sparking WWI.

Bridge where Franz & his pregnant wife Sophie were assassinated

Plaque explaining the assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Day 2 Before entering the Tunnel Museum With Mohammed

Tunnel Museum guide explaining the history of the Siege of Sarajevo

Visited the Tunnel Museum with our guide Mohammed. Sarajevo was completely surrounded by Serb forces and people in the city were dying without food and medical supplies. The tunnel, connecting suburbs in Sarajevo to the airport (which was protected by the UN and considered neutral territory) was dug by volunteers working around the clock in 8 hour shifts in order to bring in medical supplies, food, and to move people in and out. It was sobering to see.

View of the airport from the end of the tunnel

Inside the tunnel
Mortar shell embedded into the ground inside the museum

Afterwards I went back into town to wander around and decided to try coffee, Bosnian style at Morica Han.

In Bosnia, some people seem to have terrible front teeth, this is apparently caused from the tradition of grasping a sugar cube in between your front teeth and sucking the strong black coffee through it...as they say not to stir it in!! Of course I tried it this way as well, surely can't hurt just to do it once :P
I found a gorgeous orange embroidered shawl at the bazaar, 2 x Bosnian coffee sets and a handmade silver cuff made in the Turkish quarter.

Bazaar

Went to the old brewery to have a beer and then out to To Be or Not to Be for dinner. Wandered back to the house thinking what an amazing city this is, the only other time I've been touched by a place this much was in Scotland.

City Hall by night

Belgrade

Day 1
Left Novi Sad bright and early to take the 7.10am train to Belgrade, a name which translates to "White City".
Once we arrived we had a guided tour of the city with a local lady named Bojana. She was very entertaining and took us to

Kalemegdan Fortress

Kalemegdan Fortress (a 2000 year-old fort & park area perched on top of a cliff, which has impressive views over the Danube & Sava Rivers).

Knez Mihailova (the main parading/walking street in Belgrade). While in Knez Mihailova we witnessed a fight between two women, one being a transvestite with her top ripped down and no bra on (with fake breasts) against a gypsy girl who had been standing very close behind a group of people and we think they caught her pickpocketing). Ended the tour with lunch at a famous local Kafana, Srpska Kafana, which is a bit of a local institution and was built in 1830. As you can imagine, vegetarian food is quite thin on the ground around these parts, but I managed quite well with a Serbian baked bean dish served with hearty rye bread, and a delicious Šopska salata (Serbian salad of tomato, onion, cucumber and a type of soft white cheese).
Had an aperitivo and a piece of delicious cake at the famous
Cafe (Russian Tsar)...which is so decadent and gorgeous, and quite expensive for Serbia, but definitely worth it!
http://www.ruskicar.net/

Fountain

Odd statue

Day 2
Had a free day today..started it quite late with rolling out of bed at lunch time. Tried to go to the Ethnographical Museum but it was closed for renovation during the time we were there. Wandered down to Skadarlija, the Bohemian Quarter .





It was originally inhabited by gypsies living outside the town walls, and later to artists and writers. I had a few beers and coffees there just enjoying the atmosphere. Ended up being quite late by the time I got back to the hostel and I couldnt find anywhere to get food..so ended up having a chocolate bar and yogurt drink for dinner from the convenience store...grrr!!

Bye Bye Serbia!

Novi Sad & Serbian Armed Guards

Church from small wine & honey making town next to Novi Sad

Day 1
During the lovely yet eventful 8 hour train ride from Hungary into Serbia across rolling sunny sunflower fields, I had my passport confiscated by Hungarian border officers, and then a toilet visit rudely interrupted by Serbian border officers.

Our train was detained at the border for several hours while Hungarian border officers stamped everyone's passports. Finding something not to their liking in my passport (they didn't explain what), the two officers left the train with it. I could see them holding it, pointing, shouting and gesticulating wildly to other officers off the train much to the amusement of surrounding passengers. Afterwards, it was promptly returned with no explanation (much to the disappointment of surrounding passengers, who obviously thought something interesting was about to occur).

A little while after this incident, but still no sign of departing yet, I was BUSTING for the toilet. I literally couldn't hold on any longer. Since the Hungarian guards had left, I snuck off to the toilet. All was going well, until mid-way into my visit, 5 armed Serbian guards unlocked the toilet door (from the outside!!) and ran in screaming and shouting, seemingly unconcerned as to my vulnerable state. I started screaming and tried to kick the door closed, which they strongly resisted and got very mad about. It probably wasn't the wisest idea but I was in a state of shock. Satisfied I was not a terrorist or a would-be illegal immigrant, they also left without further explanation.

Novi Sad town square

We eventually arrived into Novi Sad. I wasnt sure what to expect, it definitely wasn't somewhere I would have chosen to visit if it hadn't been on my tour's itinerary. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised. I found a lovely small university town with cobblestoned streets, a lively yet pretty main square, and a fortress on a hill where they hold the annual EXIT Festival, which was happening 3 days after our departure!

Novi Sad shops

Only saw the town by afternoon/evening, and it was lovely. Going to explore a little more tomorrow!

Day 2
Had a tour of the city this morning with our tour guide. We then hiked up the hill to Petrovaradin Fortress, where the EXIT Festival was to be held. We saw some rocker looking dudes wandering around and wondered whether they were from famous bands (I have no idea lol). The views over Danube were fantastic...and my god was it hot!!!

Stopping for some refreshments

We took a trip to a nearby town later in the evening and got to sample some honey and wine that they were famous for. Went out for dinner along the Danube...lovely!

Pretty little town next to Novi Sad

where we sampled honey...and lots of wine!

View over the Danube from Petrovaradin Fortress