Balkanology

Bosnia is... a little rough around the edges...  The river is brown, there is trash everywhere, and evidence of the recent war runs rampant.  However, it has a unique flavor all its own.  Muslims constitute 45% of the population, Orthodox Christians 36%, and Catholics another 15%.  This unlikely combination gives Bosnia a curious intrigue that draws you in.  The tops of the minarets peek out over the city and the crosses on the cathedrals stand beside them.  Then the call to prayer sounds throughout the town, in stark contrast to the church bells.  It's a little strange, but somehow it works.

Stari Most, Mostar

  After my stay in Dubrovnik, I traveled across the border to Mostar, famous for its bridge that collapsed in 1993 after persistent shelling attacks.  Now the bridge is rebuilt exactly as before, but the town still houses many ghosts from the past.  The owner of the hostel I stayed at picked me up from the bus station and gave me a tour of the city, showing me the front line of the war, where the snipers used to hide, and she described what the sunken-in buildings used to be.  Entire cemeteries, not just in Mostar but throughout Bosnia as well, are full with people who died only between the years of 1993-95.  It was really one of those eye-opening experiences, and I realized how lucky we are as Americans that we haven't had a war fought on our ground for over a century.  In Bosnia, and even across Europe from the World Wars or other recent conflicts, you can still see scars on the towns, and inside the people's minds as well.  Every person I met in Bosnia had a story about someone who passed away, or someone who escaped across the border, or even their own stories about getting personally involved in the conflict... we are very lucky indeed to not have had to deal with something like this for sometime within our own borders.

Sarajevo

   After Mostar, I traveled up to the capital Sarajevo for two days.  I met a guy from California who was taking a break from running his orphanage in Ethiopia, so we explored the city a bit.  Sarajevo is easy to see in a short amount of time, and we got to cross the bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, starting WWI.  I had another little wake-up call then, as I passed a young girl, no older than 12, dressed in dirty clothes and smoking a cigarette.  Of course, I instantly started judging her (why is it that humans judge each other so much?), when she suddenly introduced herself and her friends to me, shook my hand, and told me I had beautiful eyes.  We got to talking and she actually turned out to be a cool kid.  Later, I looked back, slightly ashamed of myself as I realized that even if someone has a lifestyle I wouldn't necessarily choose for myself, that it shouldn't give me grounds to judge anyone, especially if I know nothing about them.  After all, we're all just trying to get by, right?
  I finished up Sarajevo with a St. Patty's Day beer with some German girls that knew of this great place that used to be an old cinema, but is now refurbished as a bar...such a genius concept!
   After a few days in Bosnia, I headed off to Montenegro, one of the world's newest countries.  This part of the world has been great to travel in, but it is definitely not easy to get around.  Trains are virtually nonexistent, bus schedules are nowhere to found online, and the routes can change without notice.  Buses might go only once a day, or only on even-numbered days.. it can be a bit of a headache.  I've stopped booking hostels in advance because I never know if I'll make it where I want to go that day, but luckily it's still the off season, so I can always show up knowing any hostel will have a spot for me.  I've done a lot of figuring things out by word of mouth.. this region can be enjoyed as long as you are really willing to listen to other travelers' suggestions on where to go, what to see, what to avoid.  It's fun, because I don't really know where I'll be two days from now.

Lovely Montenegro

   Anyways, to get from Bosnia to Montenegro was an adventure.  The road crosses into Croatia, back to Bosnia, and back to Croatia, where I caught a 'bus' (really a tiny van) to Montenegro, and then two more city buses to reach Kotor.  Phew!  But it was definitely worth it, because the Adriatic coast of Montenegro is beautiful!  I truly regret not staying a day or two more.  The first night, we went out to Club Maximus, the biggest club in the country, and I have to say it was one of the most impressive clubs I've seen in Europe.  Which is funny, because Kotor only has about 13,000 people...   The next day I went with Jimmy from California, and we climbed a mountain!  At the edge of Kotor, there is a trail up to an old fortress, but then beyond that is part of the mountain range, and I'm proud to say we successfully reached the summit of one of them.  And we made some donkey and goat friends along the way :)
    Too quickly I left for Albania.  Now if Bosnia is rough around the edges, Albania is like sharp knives.. or something.  After 4 bus rides, I managed to find my way to the capital Tirana.  Dirty, loud, and chaotic are good words to describe Albania.  Earlier I prided myself on not having been culture shocked thus far on my trip... that ended when we drove past a meat market with an entire dead skinned cow hanging in the window.  And around the corner were live, sedated chickens just waiting to be someone's dinner. Add that to squat toilets, and the first city where I was told not to drink the water... Alright, Albania... you got me :)  But quite honestly, for all the mess and chaos happening, Tirana has a pleasant atmosphere about it.  Everyone just seems so.. happy.  Much more so than in Bosnia, where everyone seemed kind of down in the dumps.  There isn't too much to see in Tirana, but I met an American girl who had been living in Albania for almost two years, so we spent some time together and went to a local pub one night with an extremely talented Serbian singer.  I also got to experience Nowruz, the Persian New Year.  In reality, it didn't mean much except that no one had to work, but it was a national holiday to observe the first day of spring as well.

Tirana

      People have asked me if these countries are particularly dangerous to travel in, but I have to say I don't feel any more unsafe than I did at any point in my trip.  I've been a bit more on guard, mostly due to the beggars, but I haven't felt threatened at all.  People are genuinely nice and I haven't seen much difference in regards to personal safety as I've moved east.  Although one thing I'm extremely grateful for is that my hair is brown.  People are nice, but they have a tendency to stare.  It's not a horrible thing to have people find out I'm an American (a lot of people over here love Americans), but I try not to draw too much attention to myself when I'm just walking alone.  And having bright blond hair in countries where literally everyone has dark hair is just like putting a sign on my forehead.  Some people take notice anyway, since I'm a young girl walking alone, but I think that most people dismiss me as a local high school kid.  The blue eyes, however, are a dead giveaway, and the stares once people realize you are a foreigner can be a little relentless.  So I thank my lucky stars that my hair is brown instead of blond (and Sarah and Jenny for dyeing it :)
Next stop from Albania will be Macedonia and then possibly on to Kosovo! Until next time :)