HELLLOOO ALL -
Uni Graz is crazy and gave everyone 3 weeks off for Easter break so the next few
blogs are dedicated to the awesome traveling experiences I had that I’m sure my
words won’t even come close to capturing – but maybe my pictures will! Normal
Austrian students spent the break studying or going back to their homes to
chill after 5 weeks of school – but not this girl J I hit up 5 countries and around
10 amazing cities that I’ve had the crazy wonderful opportunity to meet! After
experiencing the classic Western European cities in all their glory (and
priceyness!), it was time for me to see another side of the beautiful European
continent.
Sit
back y’all the Balkan Tour has begun…
Did majority of the traveling with
Ashley, Calvin, and Justin and we also met up with friends, Gina and Lisa, in
Croatia and Santorini! All exchange student friends made here in Graz from all
over the US and Canada. The weather was mainly rainy, since it was April, but I
don’t think that held anyone back from anything.
Bosnia
and Herzegovina -- April 11-14
When
my good friend, Ashely, and decided to do this trip we wanted to for sure go to
Croatia and Greece but the trek from Austria to Croatia was so long we decided
to make a stop before Dubrovnik – which turned out to be Sarajevo. I had known
some of the background of Sarajevo when we started looking seriously into
staying there and everyone that we were telling we might go there was giving us
“the are you serious?” look. I’ll have to say – of all the places I have
traveled, hitting my 25th country on this trip – this was one of the
cities I was the most inspired and surprised by. It was amazing. Granted, it
did look like a war zone driving in the taxi to our hostel at 6am in the
morning, this city was beautiful in such a different way than anything I've ever experienced. I had a constant feeling as if I had been there all before
while I was there for 3 nights… very eerie feeling.
Sarajevo
is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and with a population
of 370,000. It is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka
River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and Balkans. A perfect first stop of
the trip J The first thing
you notice, or at least I did, was the traditional culture and religious diversity
of the city with Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Catholicism all coexisting there
for centuries. The city boasts of being the only major European city to have a
mosque, Catholic Church, Orthodox Church and synagogue within the same
neighborhood. This was probably one of the most beautiful things to me. You
could hear the calls for prayer ringing through the streets along with the
bells from the Catholic Church. It made me have goose bumps. The city is packed
with history ranging from the site of the assassination of the Archduke of
Austria which sparked World War I in 1914, hosting the 1984 Winter Olympics,
and during 1992-1996 the city suffered the longest siege of a city in the
history of modern warfare during the Bosnian War for independence (1,425 days
long). The city has been through a lot in the past and you can definitely see
this as you wander the streets and see bullet holes and buildings abandoned
from bombings – but there was something beautiful in the strength of the city
and the fight to be more than this.
Our
hostel we stayed at was the perfect location, right next to the Ottoman Old
Town where the typical cobbled streets packed with vendors are (our hostel was called Travellers
Home Hostel). The owner was there to greet us and tell us all the things to do –
along with the history! Amazing detail. He also gave us some traditional Rakia (spelling
varies) our first night there. Rakia is a popular alcoholic drink in Southeast
Europe from the distillation of fermented fruit and normally the alcohol content
is 40% - higher if home brewed. It is the national drink in every country we
went to except Greece, because Ouzo is the way to go in Greece.
We
accomplished a lot with the help of our hostel tour guide J Hit the town by going to the
Sarajevo Tunnel (served as a link while the city was under siege to the neutral
zone of the airport for supplies), did a free walking tour of the city, went to
the city museum that focused on the city’s commitment to justice and peace, witnessed
the mutant bear dogs that travel in pacts all over Sarajevo, shopped in the
crazy cool Bazaar/Old Town, climbed the city walls with an amazing view of the
city and surrounding area. 
One
story must be told before I move on from this city and all her excellence. So, our
hostel tour guide knew we wanted to do some hikes since the city was in such a
beautiful region of the Balkans. He told us about this crazy awesome waterfall
that was only a 3km hike from a bus stop. We were all game to do this hike and
see this crazy waterfall – well I was a little apprehensive since Bosnia still
has some active landmines from the war in rural areas – so we left early in the
morning after a quick breakfast and headed out. We were about an hour into the
hike and were confused why we still weren’t at the waterfall and we kept asking
people when we saw them how much farther the waterfall was – we kept hearing, “oh
probably another 4km” every time! I was freaking out and concerned about these
damn landmines while we are hiking through, albeit a well-traveled path, in the
woods! FIVE hours later we finally make it to the amazing waterfall gushing
from miles above our heads. It was pretty epic and I was so glad I kept my
anxiety together long enough to see it. We also enjoyed some beers at the top
as well and it was one of the best views I’ve had a beer at. We hiked back down
eating leaves that locals gave us and finally made it back to our hostel 7
hours from when we left. We find the hostel man and he is like, “Well if I told
you it was 16km you wouldn’t have gone!” Classic. Loved Sarajevo. 
Our
next stop on our way to Croatia, was in a small city call Mostar in southern
Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mostar is
situated on the Neretva River and the 5th largest city in the
country but what really makes the city is this famous bridge – which actually
the city is named after! Mostar means “bridge keepers” that guarded the bridge
during the medieval times. The bridge was built by the Ottomans in the 16th
century and one of Bosnia’s most recognizable landmarks and is considered one
of the best examples of Islamic architecture in the Balkans! The city was a
cobble stoned street of perfection and I’m so glad the hostel tour guide
influenced us in going. It was a must and it was perfect that a train went
right to the city from Sarajevo and a bus could easily take us to Dubrovnik
after a few hours in Mostar. Unfortunately, the one day we had to have our bags
with us all day was the day my pink, carry-on nugget of a bag decided to break
and had to be carried all over by Justin in the hot sun. Thankful for boys with
us!
Next
stop Croatia -- April 14-16
Probably
one of the most beautiful bus rides I’ve been on was the one from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia. We were all so excited to be heading to Croatia because
we were going to meet up with our two friends staying at the same hostel as us!
It had all worked out perfectly and after 4 nights with each other, I think we
were all ready to have some new faces in the mix, at least I was!
For
those of you unfamiliar with Dubrovnik, it is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the
region of Dalmatia and is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the
Mediterranean. In 1979, the city joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites
and this is very evident when you enter the old town of cobble stone streets and
buildings with orange tiled roofs all nestled together with high stone walls guarding
the city since the 15th and 16th centuries – among the 10
best medieval walled cities in the world. After the breakup of Yugoslavia in
1991, it was besieged for seven months and significant damage occurred. As of
2014, I can say that I really saw none of the damage and only was gasping at
amazing views and the epic-ness of the entire city. This is one of the places I
would 100% return to on a romantic getaway or even my honeymoon (in 10 years
HAA). Croatia is a really beautiful country and very reasonably priced. 
This
hostel was the best hostel I have ever stayed in – Old Town Hostel – run by an
ex-stock market exchange guy from New York who took a chance and just opened
this hostel up with his brother in the middle of the Old Town. He was amazing
and greeted us with not Rakia but a corky character, maps and a general good
time whenever he came in the room with us. He made me want to open my own
hostel one day. Maybe I will J Blog to follow
this endeavor of course!!
So
this town, had beautiful crazy old things everywhere but you can pretty much
see it all in a day and a half. We walked the fortress walls, roamed the
cobbled streets to where they would just stop when they hit water, watched the
sunset, visited the churches, and museums. The fortress was probably the best
fortress I’ve climbed on – and that is saying a lot since every city we went to
we climbed the fortress walls soaking in the scenery. We met a cute older
couple doing a 3 month trip together and they were all decked out in Detroit
gear so we felt it appropriate to ask them to take our picture following it
with a comment about the Lions. They were amazing. We stood and talked with
them for 30 minutes about how they were so happy we got to see the world at a
young age instead of going when we were 70, like them. It was inspiring and I
could have sat with them forever trading stories. I’ll forever remember them
and I hope their trip is going well J
A
majority of the trip was spent eating, drinking and laughing having a big group
of Austro exchange students all in one place. It was a great two nights and I
wish we could have stayed longer but Montenegro was calling our names!
I
think I shall leave you all with this anticipation because it already so long
with only 3 cities that we went to! Eeek – need to get better about this, I
just have so much to share J
Wonderful
experiences in both countries and stay tuned for Montenegro, Macedonia, and
Greece! I’ve only gotten to the first week out of three!
Živjeli (cheers in Slavic)
Sounds like zeevagelee?
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