Nevertheless, I am content and really love the hustle-bustle of my new residence – millions of delicious restaurants, funky bars, street performers, souvenir shops, parks, and cafés are within a 500 meter radiance, and I truly feel as if I live in a thriving city.
Two weekends ago I was fortunate enough to visit the Evans in Germany! My 3 cousins and aunt and uncle have been planning a Europe trip for awhile, and who knew that southern Germany is super close to Zagreb? (well, I would say a one-hour plane ride and 2-hour train is close). It was an indescribable feeling seeing family at the train station that Friday night; I haven’t been with anyone I know for about 6 weeks now, and the relief and comfort I felt instantly lasted throughout the weekend. We headed straight to the biergarten in Garmisch (my kind of welcoming). Always the planner (my kind of aunt), Nan described everything the family had already done in Europe as well as the itinerary for our weekend over biers and a pretzel. The next morning we headed to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles for a full day of sightseeing. Supposedly I had been there before as a baby, but cried the whole time. The amazing structures, landscape, and company left me feeling quite the opposite, and we ended the afternoon with a wonderful German meal (of course I had to get the schnitzel!) Next we headed to Oberammergau, and despite the heavy downpour we did a little shopping/picture-snapping in the wonderful Bavarian town best known for its famous “Passion Play” that depicts the Passion of Jesus only once every ten years. Another wonderful meal with family and a few games of bananagrams later, we called it a night so we could wake up early the next morning to climb Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany! Although it was cloudy and we couldn’t see the peak, we rode the train an hour to the very top, playing games and chit-chatting the entire way up. Amidst the clouds, we all attempted to take pictures, but there was not much to see other than our hands in front of us, which made it that much more fun. We shared a small space in the pub at the top with others who had actually hiked the mountain, and warmed up over coffee and cakes. Once back in Garmisch, I packed up and we all headed downtown for one last goodbye-Germany meal. (Bratwurst, of course!) Realizing my train departure-time was approaching, Nan ran to get me “Spaghetti Ice”, delicious German ice cream that I HAD to try before I left! We all ran to the car, ice cream in hand, and I just made the train after numerous rushed hugs, kisses, thanks, and goodbyes. A whirlwind of the utmost happiness was followed by a quick transition to lonesomeness on the train, where I sat with a melted bowl of ice cream and a longing to return to the squished back seat of the Evans’ rented German car. I definitely skipped so many wonderful events of the weekend, but to summarize it was one of the best 48 hours I have probably ever had, and it simply confirms how one’s life may be adventurous and exciting and opportunistic, but there is truly nothing like the comfort of family!
Prost!
This past weekend my colleagues and I again took advantage of having a car in Eastern Europe and road-tripped throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina! Random? Yes. A little crazy? Yes. Amazing? Definitely. Our weekend trip in Bosnia was the definition of a culture shock, and it baffled me that crossing the border from Croatia to Bosnia I could immediately tell I was in another world. Graveyards lined the windy, undeveloped, sometimes unpaved roads, as well as bullet-struck buildings and war ruins. Bosnia’s war with Serbian nationalists was more like a genocide, and thousands of Bosnians lost their lives from 1992-1995 when Serbians invaded the country. Since then the country has slowly recovered, but much is still to be done in restructuring the government and establishing more stable institutions and infrastructure.
We arrived to Sarajevo and drove through Old Town for a while until we realized just how lost we were among the extremely narrow alleys of cute kids playing soccer. After reversing down steep hills, asking locals where our hotel was multiple times, and screaming at the stupid GPS lady that didn’t register any Bosnian street names, we finally found our “4 star hotel”. I was already feeling extremely outside of my comfort zone, and the 5-foot high ceilings of my bedroom and bathroom sure didn’t make me feel any more comfortable. Needless to say we got out of there as quickly as possible to check out old town Sarajevo. The streets were packed with tourists and locals because the Sarajevo Film Festival was taking place that weekend. We managed to find one of the local restaurants recommended to me, and flipped through the extensive menu with hundreds of pictures of meats, fish, kebabs, and unknown images. Surprisingly it ended up being the best meal I have had in Europe, and sitting outside on a Friday night in downtown Sarajevo, enjoying Sarajevsko beers and an amazing meal was just the way to start off our Bosnian weekend.
The next day felt like it lasted an eternity; I was so in awe of everything I saw and heard, and this feeling is the true joy of traveling. When you are in a completely new place, your curiosity is never satisfied, and you want to soak up everything around you at all times. We walked around all of Sarajevo and visited mosques, shopped, ate traditional cevapici, and checked out the film festival, all the while saving mental images of Sarajevo’s matchless culture and people. Tall catholic crosses, Islamic Minarets, and a mountainous landscape battle for Bosnia’s skyline, which we experienced not only in Sarajevo but also during our picturesque drive to the town of Mostar, in the southern part of Bosnia known as Herzegovina.
We didn’t have a hostel or hotel booked for Mostar, but I finally found availability in “an apartment owned by a hostel family”. Once in town I called the hostel, and an extremely nice man drove to meet us to show us to where his son was, a little red-headed boy reminiscent of Michael. The little Bosnian hopped in our car, didn’t say a word, but just started giving us hand signals about which directions we needed to drive. We were cracking up, but finally found the apartment we were staying in, an adorable place managed by a sweet old lady who also did not speak any English. We someone managed to figure everything out, and again dropped our stuff quickly so we could hit the town.
Mostar is probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. “The Bridge” is the obvious main attraction, connecting the inner city over the Neretva River. The middle of town is something of a fairy tale – cobble-stoned walkways wind through the center and lead you to numerous restaurants and bars acting as terraces overlooking the river. We took about a thousand pictures throughout the town right as the sun was setting, which was the perfect time to make an amazing first impression of our new destination. Seafood and house wine next to the river, under the bridge, left us feeling extremely fortunate and eager to explore the rest of the town during daylight.
Beautiful view of the Mostar Bridge
The next morning we only had a few hours to meander through the picturesque walkways of downtown, and along with a handful of other tourists we took advantage of the beautiful morning to snap pictures on the bridge overlooking the turquoise Neretva River. We cheers-ed to a truly unforgettable weekend on the rooftop –turned-bar of the tallest building in Mostar, and returned to our apartment to find our caretaker had washed our car out of the goodness of her heart. We realized that despite the unimaginable horror that Bosnia and its inhabitants had experienced during the Serbian genocide, both the country and its people are genuinely beautiful and humble.
The drive up the Croatian coast was long and tiring, especially after being stopped twice by Croatian police out to get tourists for speeding. Needless to say Pedro was the most angry I have ever seen him, and Teryn and I sat quietly for a good 5 hours letting him mumble every Spanish/Italian swear word he knows. A stop in the coastal town of Sibenik for lunch and gelato lifted his spirits, before finally making it back to Zagreb. I am still exhausted from our mega road trip, and tomorrow we’re back at it again! This week was long at work (more to come) and we’re heading to the coast tomorrow for some beach time finally! Pedro’s friend from London is flying in tonight, so him, Pedro, Teryn, our two friends from Slovenia, and I are planning on having some fun in the sun for the next couple of days. More escapade-writing to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment