Day 4--What's worse, graffiti or bullet and shrapnel holes?

First, a great 6 hour drive from Kotor to Sarajevo.  We weren't sure what to expect but we were't disappointed.  Similar to driving through the Rockies or Sierra Nevada, great views and vistas, still a bit of snow in some areas.

As we descended into Sarajevo, though, our perspective darkened.  Our first stop was the underground tunnels dug during the Sarajevo siege of 1992-1996.  Again some history.  First do you remember the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics? One of the first Olympic games in a communist country, and the first Olympics in a Muslim country.  Now, 8 years later, as Yugoslavia was disintegrating, the Serbian Nationals wanted to strangle Sarajevo in part because it was a rare situation where Muslims, Catholics, Orthodox and Jews lived together peaceably.

Outside of actual building where the Bosnians emerged to flee or fight.  Note the bullet holes in the walls.  Also, today is White Armband Day.  Many in the area were wearing white arm bands in solidarity to the resistance.  And finally the red 'splatter' is how the Bosnian's treat the blast mark from mortars, these are all over the city.  The red is acrylic.

The tunnel was about 1/2 mile long

13,000 died during the siege that lasted a year longer then the Leningrad siege in WW II.  Today, we visited the tunnel that ran under the international airport that was controlled by the United Nations. They were neutral in the war but in order for the Bosnians to survive they tunneled under the airport to escape for supplies, medicine, food and to escape.  The tunnel was unknown by both the United Nations and the Serbs.  An amazing experience for us to go in the tunnel and support building.  To learn more, you need to check Wikipedia.  Oh, what were you doing in 1992-1996 during this dark time for Serbia?  Puts it in perspective.........

We have seen many cemeterys in our travels, but never with so many new headstones.

After the tunnel visit we found our Airbnb.  Great place, huge and very comfortable.  Then we walked into the Old City for some shopping and dinner.  Part of it is Bosnian the other is Ottoman, (read Muslim).  Reminded us of Morocco.  We also discovered that we are half way through Ramadan so many of the restaurants were empty or closed.  We took advantage of that and ate an early dinner.  We were told that restaurants start to get busy at 8pm and the real rush is on after 10 for dinner, people are eating till 2 in the morning.   (I will have to say, we saw some Muslims cheating and eating a bit early......)

Very nice Airbnb flat.

The outside of the building is 'historic' no real changes are allowed, but,
notice the bullet and shrapnel holes and the ever present graffiti.

To answer my question, graffiti or bullet and shrapnel holes?  We found a lot of both, everywhere. The bullet and shrapnel holes were first.   I guess after what Sarajevo went through graffiti is a just response to the horror of the war.

Another Sarajevo Rose.  Also, it is recorded that NO windows remained intact in Sarajevo by the end of the siege.  

Day 3--Where is Montenegro/What is Montenegro??

Glad you asked.....A wee bit more history.  With Tito gone, the Homeland War commenced in the 90's.  Ultimately Yugoslavia was divided into six countries.  (I don't expect you to understand or follow this, I couldn't, but it does show you the the extreme diversity of this part of the world that only a Dictator could manage...sound familiar??)  

Croatia (mostly Catholic Croats), Slovenia, (mostly Catholic Slovenes), Serbia, (mostly Orthodox Serbs, Bosnia-Herzegovina, (the most diverse--mostly Muslim Bosniacs, but with very large Croat and Serb population), Macedonia, (with 25 percent Muslim Albanians and 75 percent Orthodox Macedonians, AND Montenegro, where we are today (with mostly Orthodox--sort of a Serb/Croat hybrid)!

Now a map!

With that background, we drove from Dubrovnik, at the bottom part of Croatia through a slow border crossing to Kotor, somewhere on the southern coast of Montenegro.  On the way, though, we saw the Verige Strait.  A very strategic point throughout history for this strait is only 1000 meters wide!  

Over the centuries, starting around 300BC all sorts of protection and taxation took place, from shipwrecking mechanisms to chains to cannons, the definition of a 'bottle neck'.

On to Kotor.  A nice town where we find our Airbnb.  It is a one bedroom apartment on the fourth floor!  No elevators, good exercise taking our luggage up for just one night. We heard about walking the town wall, similar, we thought, to the town wall of Dubrovnik, (flat).  Not the case, this wall went straight up the mountain surrounding the walled city.  700 feet, 1000 steps.  More like a skinny Great Wall of China!

Kotor surrounds the sound.  We are on the right, you can see where the cruise ship 
was docked on the right.  The city wall was on the right as well.

Now the churches are Orthodox, lots of icons, no Jesus or Mary

Artists..............

      

Day 2--The Tale of the Tiles

A brief, brief bit of history. You can't understand this part of the world without talking about Marshal Tito.  He was the strong-armed dictator that held this part of the world together until his death in 1980.  He managed to successfully not align his country, Yugoslavia, with either the East or the West in post WWII.  It meant massacring the remaining Nazis sympathizers, but those that remained adulated him.

He skillfully knit together a country composed of eight distinct peoples in six republics, with five languages, three religions (Orthodox Christian, Catholic and Muslim), and two alphabets, (Roman and Cyrillic).  Yugoslavia was prosperous until his death.  Afterward, without him, it exploded.  More, later.

Now, back to Dubrovnik.  Slept in a bit due to jet lag, but entered the city walls around 10. We walked the 300 meter Stradun Promenade to the far side of Old Town to see the Velika Onofrijea Fontana, (Croatian for Big Fountain).  The survival of the little, independent Dubrovnik during the  Middle Ages was due to the 7 miles of aqueducts that fed the fountain, thus providing clean, disease free water, plus large salt deposits in the area for trade and a massive granary for storage of grains for food.

For good luck you are suppose to rub famous playwright and prose writer
Marin Drzic's nose.  Gloria chose to sit on his lap.

Next to the fountain is the Franciscan Monastery and Church.  Interesting story here too. The in-house pharmacy just celebrated its 700th anniversary last year!  The oldest continually operating pharmacy in Europe.  As unique, the Franciscan Church started its service 15 minutes after the Dominican Church at the other end of the Stradum.  Why, you ask?  The poor went to mass at the Franciscan Church.  They had to get their wealthy masters settled in at the Dominican Church, then rush down the Stradum to go to their own church, hence the 15 minute lag time.

The top picture on the billboard is of the Stradun Promenade
where we had gelato today.

We finished the day walking the City Walls.  A mile and a quarter circumnavigation of the city of Dubrovnik.  Really a highlight of our visit.    Great views of the red-tiles building on the inside and the beautiful blue Adriatic Sea on the outside.  Now what about those tiles.  During the Homeland War 1991-1995, Dubrovnik was mercilessly bombarded from land and sea.  Curiously, it had no strategic value or defenses.  A great tourist destination was turned to rubble during this time.  The attack from the Yugoslav People's Army damaged or destroyed 78% of the buildings.  But, after the war, rebuilding proceeded quickly and you can tell, from the City Wall which roofs were replaced by the color of the tiles.  The darker ones are from the 90's, the lighter ones from decades and centuries before.

The Tale of the Tiles

                                                                                

Sunset from Mr. Srd outside of Dubrovnik.

Day 1--Transiting to Dubrovnik, Croatia and the problem with Benzene

Fairly routine nine hour flight from Vancouver to Munich, then another short flight to Dubrovnik situated on the Adriatic Sea.  Lufthansa was our carrier.  We were in the second row from the back, a bit bumpy and the seats were packed pretty tight. Average food; nothing about the flight was memorable.

Once in Dubrovnik, only one person in front of us at the rental car booth.  But, problems.  After waiting for 30 minutes we were finally seen.  He and his three travelling companions had put benzene in their rental car, they couldn't start it at the petrol station and it had to be towed to a mechanic.

This concerned us since we didn't want to do the same thing they did, plus the last time we could remember hearing the word 'benzene' was in chemistry class.  The rest of the story is they put 40 litres of benzene (gasoline) in their diesel car's fuel tank!  Not good.  The rental agency had a fat bill for them to pay, and they didn't think it was their fault.....really.

Anyway, we got the car, drove into town to our cliff-clinging Airbnb.  Our host met and welcomed us, directed Tom to her daughter who was standing in a parking place for him to park the rental car up the hill and we settled in.

Next, was our walk into Old Town.  Old meaning 15-16th century city wall surrounding the beautiful traffic-free town.  Really narrow stairways, small restaurants and tourists everywhere.  We can't imagine what it is like in the summer/cruise ship season.  We will return tomorrow for more exploring.

Street performers are everywhere.  Great musicians, but our favorite was a small 3-man band in one of the numerous plazas.  As we rounded the corner we heard Louie Armstrong singing "What a Wonderful World".  Did they disinter THE Louie Armstrong?  No, but a Croatian dude that looked nothing like him, but sounded exactly like him.  Chilling.  Later, he did it again with Ray Charles, "Georgia on my Mind".  Fill their open guitar case with bills, people!

Prepping for the Trip

This adventure has been in the making for several months.  We are traveling with Tom and Kathy, Gloria's sister and husband, our frequent travel companions.  We are all recently retired so a bit more flexible in time, and we hope, energy.

Gloria and Kathy started the planning around Christmas with a final push a month or so ago.  It is a 'rental car and Airbnb' enterprise with a 6 page itinerary.  Tom's the driver, I am the navigator, the ladies are the tour guides.  We travel light with each allowed a backpack and a carry-on.  Gloria and I fly up to Vancouver where we meet up with Tom and Kathy for our flight to Dubrovnik.

Leaving Oakland Airport this time.  Note to self: if flying out of the Bay Area, do so on a Sunday morning.  No traffic, no construction.  Just a bit over 2 hours from home, not the usual 2 1/2 to 3.

See you in Croatia!