Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro

Our expedition across the former Yugoslavian countries also included crossing the borders into Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

We visited Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina:  (See the bridge diver in the below photo?)

This area was a war zone from 1992 to 1995.  This war was more complex and destructive because it was between three ethically based parties.  Many buildings have not been rebuilt or still have bullet holes.




War was more apparent here than the other cities we visited.  Tombstones showing deaths in 1993 were scattered throughout the city.


The beautiful town bridge was destroyed during the war and reconstructed in 2004.


Mostar also had more buildings which I thought looked 'communist'.

Reminders of the past are everywhere in Mostar, which makes it alluring.


Our fourth and final country of this trip was Montenegro.  By vote (so more peacefully), Montenegro became a country in 2006.  We drove along the coast and stopped in the city of Kotor.

Kotor is an old port and fort protected by mountains and water.  And in our true fashion, we decided to climb to the best view.

View down on the Bay of Kotor and our cruise ship friends:

We couldn't pass by the Cats Museum without stopping.

We enjoyed our two weeks through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.  It was a good mix of nature, history, and beach time.

Happy birthday Megan.  Happy birthday Mom.  You are both amazing people and I will happily celebrate you!

Croatia: Primosten and Dubrovnik

Our final week in Croatia was hot and sweaty.  We were on the coast so we tried to be in the ocean as much as possible.  Follow the pink stars to see where all these photos were taken. (same map, different post)

Our Croatian journey continued with stops in a quiet town, Primosten, where we met some friends and relaxed on the beach.  

We got more greenery at Krka National Park near Primosten:

In Southern Croatian, we visited Dubrovnik.  Old Town is the main tourist attraction.  Old Town is surrounded by huge walls and stepping inside these walls feels like going back in time.  FYI: Game of Thrones films the King's Landing scenes here.

Old Town:

We walked around the city on top on the walls:

Of course we had to check out these bars built on the outside of the walls:

Walking through Old Town:

We enjoyed a kayaking trip and got to see the city walls from the water.

The braver of the Holmes bunch partook in some cliff jumps.  The other member certified to perform risk assessments did not.

We really enjoyed our time in Croatia.

Croatia: Plitvice

We then headed to Plitvice Lakes National Park (see pink star) because nature is the best! We were again in awe of the crystal, clear water.

Travel trip:
We enjoyed our time at Plitvice Lakes National Park, but it was expensive to enter (about $30 US per day) and extremely crowded.  The first day we were in the park from 3:30 to 7:30pm.  (The crowds thinned out at 5pm.)  That night we stayed at a hotel in the park (which means the entry for the second day is free), so the second day we started around 7:30am.  That helps us avoid the crazy mass of people.  The park is much better when quiet.  If you don't stay in the park, then you have to pay the hefty entry fee again.   

Happy wedding and birthday Courtney!  Sending lots of love.  Happy birthday Grandma Fran.  Hope you celebrate to the fullest!

Croatia: Zagreb and Istria

The majority of our trip was spent in Croatia.

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Croatia became a country in the 1990s.  It was previously part of Yugoslavia.  After WWII but prior to 1991, maps looked like this:

Today, Yugoslavia has divided into multiple countries and the map now looks like this:

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This post will cover our adventures at the locations indicated with pretty, pink stars:

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We flew in and out of Zagreb, so were able to explore the capital some:

Then we headed to the coast.  We enjoyed our time in the region of Istria.  Between WWI and WWII, Istria was part of Italy.  It still has an Italian feel.  Istria is covered in vineyards and the menus are filled with pizza and pasta options.  

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We stayed in Motovun which is a medieval town on top of a hill with a real castle.  A REAL castle!  I was so excited to act as queen and sleep in my castle, but it turns old that real castles don't have air conditioning.  Being royalty is a sweaty job.

We cruised along the coast with stops in Rovinj:

and Opatija which was a popular vacation destination for wealth Eastern Europeans before WWI: 


It left us wondering if this trip could get any better?  Spoiler: It did!

Blown-off

John Kerry was in Doha and he didn't come visit.  I can't believe it.

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