A Boy Scout in the Balkans

So my detour to the Balkans is coming to an end and as I sit here on my balcony sipping a final espresso and being distracted by the fabulous views of the harbour of Gruz, where boats quietly amble into port, I’m compelled to compile my list of the best travel experiences from this trip. One of the big things I’ve learnt is that Sept/ Oct is the best time to visit Dubrovnik as it’s the end of high season and you easily beat the summer crowds and still have access to all of the tours etc.

But first the stats:

Eurovision Countries visited – Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia I Herzegovina, Montenegro.

Words that kept me occupied – Partick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go, Charlie Higson’s The Enemy, Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s Shadow of the Wind and Erick Setiawan’s Of Bees and Mist.

Lonely Planet Guidebooks used - Lonely Planet Munich, Bavaria and the Black Forest, Lonely Planet Slovenia, Lonely Planet Western Balkans. Will be recommending that Western Balkan’s includes Slovenia in future guides (be having a word to Marg in the UK office).

Soundtrack - Little Boots, La Roux, Cascada, Duffy, Natalie Imbruglia, Marit Larsen + endless Eurovision mega mixes (big repeats of Iceland 09 Yohanna’s Is it True?, Ukraine 08 Ani Lorak’s Shady Lady, Switzerland 08 Paolo Meneguzzi’s Era Stupendo, Israel 09 Noa & Mira Awad’s There Must be Another Way, Estonia 09 Urban Symphony’s Randajad and Armenia 09 Kejsi Tola’s Carry Me in Your Dreams.

Top 5 Highlights

#1: Dubrovnik’s Old City, Croatia.

Whether it’s in the baking hot sun or under the cover of the cool clear night Dubrovnik’s Old City is something very special. This ancient Roman fortification is the most breathtaking sight and once on the walls and looking down into the labyrinth of olive and lime tree laden alley ways you realise that all the clichés are about this place are true.

#2: The Bay of Kotor, Montenegro.

Brilliant day trip from Dubrovnik made all the more special with a small tour provider. Highlights included the faded glory of the tiny town of Perast with its forbidden graveyard island, a step back in time to the Istrian glory of Kotor’s Old City and the climb to the top of city wall and the beautiful little island of Sveti Stefan.

#3: Ljubljana, Slovenia.

A gem of a city - a rejuvenated old town with square after square of shops and cafes matched only by the sprawling food and flower market at the base of the Ljubljana castle.

#4: Pocitelj, Bosnia I Herzegovina.

This Stone Town is a step back into the days of Ottoman glory. Gypsy women sell paper funnels of dried apricots and figs at the entrance to the town. The massive fort at the top of the town gives an incredible view of the towns Mosque from above.

# 5: Bled, Slovenia.

Gothic and glorious this town is special and it’s only 1hr 15min bus ride from Ljubljana. I will treasure that I was being the only traveller that rainy day to take the gondola across the lake to the tiny island to ring the Wishing Bell. Eurovision’s Australian telehost here I come! Watch out SBS.

Other unexpected highlights included the spectacular train ride through the Alps, the moving bus ride from Zagreb to Dubrovnik where you see first hand the devastation of the recent war, the staff at the Berkeley Hotel in Dubrovnik whose generosity still flaws me and leaping from the rocks on a beach on Lokrum Island into the cool Adriatic Sea.

Top 5 odd TV experiences

1. Germany’s Yes I Can Dance – fat and faded German celebrities doing Rock Eisteddfod style dance montage’s with viewers voting out the worst each week. Weird yet compelling.
2. CSI Miami in German – Horatio is scarier in German
3. CSI Miami in Slovenian – Horatio is even scarier in Slovenian
4. CSI Miami in Croatian – proves that Horatio is scary in any language
5. The Monk character in the multi-repeated Croatian Soap Opera – any show with a Monk as a character is OK by me.

Top 5 Frustrations

1. Schloss Nymphenburg, Munich closing at 4pm on weekdays….grrr
2. Munich being closed on a Sunday – particularly with no chemists in sight
3. Hotel Arcotel Allegra in Zagreb unable to accommodate breakfast prior to 6:30 due to a 7am departure
4. Gypsies – bloody annoying
5. Being left behind by tour operator for tour of Mostar, Bosnia I Herzegovina.

Would I come back?

Dubrovnik, Croatia – in an instant – there’s so much more to see here that I’ll need to do next time. The Hamptons of Croatia - Cavtat, Brac Island, Hvar Island, Elaphite Islands, Korcula Island, Trsteno Gardens, Mljet Island with its spooky Monastery, Split, The Istrian peninsula.

Slovenia – I’m disappointed I did not get to Piran and Ptuj but they’ll remain on my wish list.

Munich & Zagreb – probably not

Pomegranates, Gekkos and Butterflies.

How do I start this without getting too over-dramatic? Well, Dubrovnik might just be the loveliest place I have ever visited. Ever! I’m staying in Gruz which is docking-side of the harbour and from my room I have a spectacular view of the harbour, surrounding hills and the dramatic houses that speckle them. I’m on the top floor of a small apartment complex (Berkeley Hotel) and the room is perfect – a small kitchen, huge King size bed, balcony with setting and a great little bathroom. This all bodes well for my 5 night stay here. After a night of icing my leg I chance a walk into the city – on foot is the only way to see a place – and I set out early for the Old City that I’ve heard so much about.

On my amble through the streets I’m just in awe of this place. Where a house has fallen into disrepair instead of weeds springing up and taking root these ruins are covered in flowering Bougainvillea, Plumbago, Limes, Mandarin and Salvia all in bloom. This place is magic. Marbled staircases lead up and down to who knows where…a 1000 different places. Huge ornate iron gates hang awkwardly on their hinges, painted shutters sit lopsided on the exterior of houses, Pomegranate trees too laden with fruit are painfully bowed, shattered fruit at their bases…it’s all off centre but it’s perfect.

And then I see…Dubrovnik Old Town. After descending 1032 marbled steps I’m finally standing in front of Pile Gate (mind you with 3 cruise liners full of visiting tourists) and looking at the walls of the Old City. Without blinking I’m through the gates and off to the ticket desk to get on the Old City Wall Walk to see as much as I can. Once ascended to the rim of the City Wall I’m finally able to drink in all of this ancient Cities Roman splendour. Terracotta roofs slant this way and that. Streets go up and down for an eternity, cats sun themselves on window sills or in barely frequented courtyards, gekko’s scurry down baking hot walls and butterflies mill around lime and olive trees. This place is magic.

Eurovision Rating: Solo Female singer standing alone – no backing dancers, no gimmicks. Dangerous move – the song has to do the talking. Powerful ballad with a killer key change and enough passion and umph to get the crowd frenzied. Qualifies for final. Finishes Top 3.

Tomorrow: Lokrum Island, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Detour via Sveti Coc

The start of today was not great – courtesy of torrential rain, a hotel where breakfast started at 6:30 (but I had to be at the bus station at 7am) and a ridiculous communication error regarding “paid” and “to pay”. Not to mention that my base of my leg has doubled in size. Thanks to some kind responses to whinge texts (Rich and Mum) I boarded the bus from Zagreb to Dubrovnik. 11 hours of solid bus trip…with no breakfast. After the quickest of Espresso’s and a Berry muffin my Croatiabus experience commenced in sleeting rain.

After a shortwhile I noticed a marked change in the landscape as we went from thickets of autumnal coloured forests into a rockier terrain market by low lying shrubs. About 3 hours out of Zagreb we were detoured off of Highway 1 onto a side road (due to some works on that section) via the township of Sveti Coc. This was a profound detour. The bus hurtled through the small streets like it was trying to escape an oncoming army but I could not escape the scarred landscape. I was struck by one town in particular where a Church had been burnt to the ground, its steeple missing replaced by a huge trunk of a fallen tree, opposite the rubble of what would have been thirty homes and next to it a dilapidated building marked with two letters UN. I cannot fathom what this place experienced. This is a country still very much recovering. As the bus moved from town to town the same scenario repeated abandoned farmhouses, ruins, desolation, destruction and then an apartment building with someone’s washing hanging from the 8th story.

Finally we arrive in Split for a half hour refreshment stop and a chance to use the toilet (horray!).

Tip # 1: The 11 hour bus ride will have about 4 stops – ensure you use the toilet at every opportunity

Once on the way to Dubrovnik the scenery transforms again as the bus winds the coast road. I’m so close to the Adriatic that I could almost reach out and touch. The water is ridiculously clear and even from the bus I can see the rocks at the bottom of the water. After 3 hours of winding road passing countless resortish towns that announce Pension or Apartmen we head inland for a final stop before Dubrovnik.

Fortunately my apartment, at Berkeley Hotel, is only a short walk from the bus terminal and the kind receptionist there provided me some ice for my leg. I’m on the 4th floor with a direct view of Dubrovnik Harbour (with a couple of Cruise Liners in town). My small balcony gives an excellent view…I can’t wait for the morning.

Tomorrow: Dubrovnik Old Town.