From Dubrovnik in Croatia, we drove to the nearby town of Kotor, in Montenegro. It was only a two-hour drive, but we took our time going as check-out time is usually 10am and check-in time is usually 2 or 3pm, so, with only a 2-hour drive in between places, this meant we could stop for a much-needed coffee. Firstly though, we drove up the mountain to get a free view of Dubrovnik one last time. There is a cable car you can take to get the same view, but it was pretty expensive and though the way is narrow and several hair-pin turns must be endured, it was worth it to view the popular walled city one last time.
We then sought out some coffee. This has been a difficult thing to accomplish in Eastern Europe. The coffee makers in Airbnbs are wildly different from place to place, insufficient for our coffee-loving needs, or even worse, non-existent. It is something we’ve had to adapt to and if I were going to this part of the world as a stand-alone trip, I would probably bring my own French press in my suitcase, to be honest. Learning how to make coffee with a moka pot in Slovenia, using a cheap filter espresso maker in Croatia, and a džezva in Bosnia has been an interesting experience, but my interest factor is fairly low in the morning before I’ve had my hit of caffeine. I’m more willing to learn new ways of making coffee after I’ve had my coffee. So, if you’re as addicted as I am, consider my advice and bring your own AeroPress or French press or something. Maybe even your favourite coffee beans or grounds before heading to eastern Europe. This is assuming you stay in Airbnbs like us. Of course, hotels will have coffee for you.
In Kotor we barely did anything, so I have very little wisdom to impart on the matter of Montenegro. I would say my overall impression of Kotor is that staying on the side of the old town would be madness, much better across the bay on the quieter side. Secondly, Montenegrins in Kotor don’t really like tourists. A similar feeling in Barcelona led us to believe the locals are disenchanted with visitors and are merely enduring us. They have no interest in being friendly or welcoming. I cannot speak to any other areas of Montenegro, so other Montenegrins may be more accommodating. The old city was yet another old city. Can you tell I’m getting tired of old, walled cities? A month of it is maybe too much, especially for someone fairly well-travelled. I did enjoy seeing the cat garden and laughing with Callum at all the other tourists taking pictures of cats as if they had never seen cats before. I’m exempted, of course.
We enjoyed our apartment, the pool, and the view of Kotor. It was a nice time, but I don’t feel like I have to go back. We were prompted to visit nearby Perast but didn’t have time or good enough weather to do so. Or, to be honest, energy. It was storming a bit the day we were going to go. The heat was particularly severe, and the idea of being on a stuffy bus and then walking around in it was not appealing.
We moved on to a place I certainly never thought I’d ever go: Bosnia and Herzegovina. We started with a single night stay in the town of Mostar, a tiny place made famous for its arched bridge and, you guessed it, stone streets and tiny shops and cafes. We had a lovely dinner in the old town, trying some local dishes and laughing at how much food Callum ordered. In the morning, we went for a walk to see the sights without other tourists and then went on our way to Sarajevo. This capital city was quite grimy—at least, the part we stayed in—but very important historically. It’s the place the Archduke of Austro-Hungary Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated, sparking the start of WWI. We visited the corner where they were shot and killed and saw the bridge the assassin jumped off in his attempt to escape. It was quite something.
We also visited an important photography exhibit detailing the aftermath of the biggest genocide in Europe since WWII. It was a really good collection of photographs paired with an audio guide which clearly and emotively spoke about what happened in Bosnia in 1992-1996. I thought it was worthwhile and helped me understand why so many buildings in the two places we went were marked with bullet holes, standing unrepaired. I wondered to Callum why the people haven’t tried to restore the buildings. Why not move on? Rebuild? The terrible war and killings of Muslim people in the 90’s was not that long ago, he opined. It’s part of people’s recent memory. It perhaps serves as a reminder.
I wasn’t that enthralled with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but, one thing I appreciated was how many real artists there were. I have spoken before about how I try to support local artists everywhere I go but have often found it challenging to find art I want to buy. In Bosnia I met a few artists who are working honestly, creatively, and with heart. It was lovely to meet real people and buy some unique pieces. You should check out their work: https://www.instagram.com/desiretreegallery/ and https://www.instagram.com/artroom.mostar/.
Next on our road trip we drove up to Budapest, Hungary (my 45th country!) in a very long and arduous journey. It took us from 9am to 8pm to get from Sarajevo to sitting down to dinner in Budapest. We rented yet another Airbnb and became completely overwhelmed with the narrow-street city driving, trying to locate the correct parking garage, lock box, tower, and apartment. Once inside, we were pleasantly surprised by the large and clean space. Pictures always make places look better, and reviews mostly overly positive. But this place was quiet, bright, and in a good location to walk around the Jewish quarter of Pest. The only reason we came up so far in our road trip was to attend the Aurora concert. Aurora is a talented singer from Norway who I have listened to for a decade. She is my favourite singer, and I have always wanted to see her live. In a frustrating twist, she actually came to Perth earlier this year, but we were not in the country. Callum, sneaky husband that he is, kept an eye on her whereabouts this year and we created an itinerary that included this very concert. I am not a big concert person, and only reserve attendance at concerts for my absolute favourites. Budapest Park is an outdoor venue, and our tickets were standing room only, two things I hate. The other people made it hard to enjoy, but, seeing Aurora in person and watching her perform was something special. She is such a weirdo, but such a kind and joyful person to watch, and I find her music inspiring, calming, and empowering.
A running theme is not really having anything to say about the city itself—if this is your first time reading my posts, you may not be aware that this is the tail end of a 7-month trip. Rather than being a responsible and interested tourist, I am merely living my life and counting down the days before going home. I will say, however, that after two nights in Budapest, I got a very good vibe from this city and would be happy to return one day, maybe nearer the start of my travels so I can fully appreciate the beauty and importance of such a historic place. I’d love to read other people’s opinions about it!
Our final stop on this month-long Eastern European road trip was Zagreb, a return to Croatia. We found the best deal on flights from Zagreb which is why we chose to come here.
It’s here that we encountered the third-worst Airbnb of seven months of travel and had to change to a new accommodation: blessedly, a nice hotel. The reason we chose the first place was it was sort of the only thing available for the dates we needed. When we arrived in Zagreb, we noticed quite a lot of people walking the streets, all waving or wearing the Croatian flag. Oh, great, I thought. It’s another national day—we’ve experienced a few of those this year. But no, Croatia’s national day had already passed. We found out later that a very popular singer performed a concert that night, to a crowd of over half a million people! So all accommodation in the city was booked, with people checking out the next morning.
In the middle of the night, I couldn’t sleep; the bed was sagging and thin, the pillows lumpy and hard, and the sound of the rumbling trams right outside our window a constant source of annoyance. I am a light sleeper, so noises always wake me up. With a tram going by every five minutes, there was no chance of even falling asleep.
We cancelled the rest of our booking after seeing we could get a hotel room for our last two nights. I waited in the lobby for four hours to get in our room; with all the people in the city for the concert, every single room was booked, and I needed to wait for people to check out and for the staff to clean the rooms. While I waited in the lobby mostly patiently, Callum was driving our car back to Slovenia and taking a shuttle back to Zagreb. It was a strange day.
We didn’t feel like discovering the city. The one interesting thing to see was a church, but renovations of a large building next to it meant the church itself was inaccessible and had the construction site on its grounds. We had a nice final dinner of katsu chicken, Korean bbq, and pork gyoza and walked back to our hotel for our final night.
I must admit this seems like a very anti-climatic way to end seven months of travel. It is rather boring, to be honest. I am alright with that though. It has been a full, exciting, and cup-filling trip. It’s okay to be bored our last day. We turn our thoughts and attention to returning home, to restarting regular life, to seeing our two cats.
Eastern Europe is an interesting place and definitely worth the time. If we had more time, we would have continued on to Serbia, Albania, maybe more. For now, we are thankful and ready to be at home. Thanks for reading.
P.S. There will be a wrap-up post of all our reflections and superlatives coming up.
Travel Bugs 