Three Weeks Exploring the Adriatic Countries: Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, & Slovenia, June 2016
The Dalmatian Coast has gotten a lot of popularity through the cruise line business. This is the coastal region stretching north to south along Croatia from Rab Island to Kotar in Montenegro. Our Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) land tour was so much more than I can imagine from a cruise, seeing much of the coast as well as many inland locations. It began with an Air Bus A380 flight from LA to Frankfurt and a short hop to Dubrovnik. Old Dubrovnik is a beautifully preserved cliff-side walled city on the Adriatic Sea. Our hotel, Valamar Argosy, outside of the old city is quite nice and located on the beach, though a short kilometer walk to the water. The beach, beautiful and picturesque from a distance, is not comfortable for swimming or beach activities. This because it is composed of coarse loose gravel that looks like sand from a short distance, but is difficult and uncomfortable to walk on. This surface extends for some distance out into shallow water making it also difficult to get to swimming depth. I was told this is rather typical of European beaches, making great pictures but not so great to beach activities we know farther west. Old Dubrovnik is beautifully preserved with wide main thoroughfares and narrow steep walk streets to the side. I walked the entire perimeter wall as well as climbing to the fort outside. Some of the city has significant damage from the siege Montenegrin shelling from across the mountain in the 90s. Dubrovnik Album: Next day we made a tour by bus and boat to the Bay of Kotar, Montenegro, visiting the Orthodox Our Lady of the Rocks Shrine in the bay and the city of Kotar. Kotar has a unique wall climbing high on the surrounding mountain, which itself one would expect to be adequate barrier to the enemy. It was an extremely hot day in June, so no climbing this wall. Croatia is Catholic Christian, Montenegro is Orthodox, Christian, not quite Catholic and not reporting to the Pope. Montenegro Album:
Friday, June 24, 16 we set out by bus to Sarajevo in Bosnia & Herzegovina (Bosnia in the following), stopping briefly for learning and tasting at an oyster farm and for lunch at Mostar. Notably, along the way we briefly leave, then reenter Croatia across a small strip of Bosnia that protrudes to the sea from the otherwise landlocked country. Mostar is the location of the first shots of Yugoslavia’s 1990s ‘war of separation’ and home of the picturesque arch Old Bridge erected in the 16th century. The bridge was destroyed in the war but has been re-built. For $20, high divers dive from the top of its arch to the Neretva River below. I found remarkable and unique the market buildings with shingled roofs, the shingles being simply flat rocks of random shapes pieced together to form a presumably water tight barrier. Another unique stop on the way to Sarajevo was the site of the 1943 Battle of Neretva and subsequent filming of a movie by the same name. During filming they rebuilt the river railroad bridge and blew it up again, the remnants remain on the banks of the river.
The 4 year siege of Sarajevo was the longest in modern times and devastated the city. Though extensive restoration has been carried out, most notably the beautiful council building, many heavily damaged structures remain. The city was treeless because all were burned for fuel. Many cemeteries punctuate the hillside landscapes of the city. The UN kept the airport open during much of the siege to facilitate delivery of food and medical supplies. The residents under siege dug an 800 meter tunnel under the runway allowing food, war supplies, and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and allowing people to get out. At the tunnel museum we learned about the terrible massacre of Srebrenica[1](video) , this a modern day mass murder of Muslims by Serb Christians. Montenegro and the Serbs exclusively Orthodox Christian. Croatians are Catholic while Bosnians are mixed, but mostly Muslim. Notable, more Croats out of the country than in, and all may vote.
Another highlight is the street and location where Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated, providing the incident beginning World War I on June 28, 1914. This war was ready to happen in any case, but this lit the match.
Finally, in Sarajevo we went to the OAT ”home hosted dinner.” Frequently these dinners are a very interesting time to communicate in English to learn about the lives of typical locals. However, hosted dinners are sometimes turning into a routine. Often the man of the family is away doing his own thing while his wife is ‘working’ feeding the OAT travelers. In some cases there isn’t a man in the ‘family’ at all! So in some cases it becomes obvious that this is just a small business for the lady cooking. This seemed the case is Sarajevo. Sarajevo Album
Next we traveled to the southeast inland section of Croatia, to Karanac, a little north of Osijek and near the Danube River. Here we stayed overnight at a farm. Here we endured some rain and participated as forced labor in the processing of their apricots into jam. Next day driving eastern inland section bordering Serbia and surrounded on three sides by Drava, Sava, and Danube Rivers, toward the capital, Zagreb, we passed through the breadbasket of Croatia. Here passing expansive fertile farm land with evidence of up-to-date machinery and techniques employed. A brief stop at Jasenovac, Auschwitz of the Balkans.
June 29, Wednesday; being a student pilot, I had early on asked our guide if she might possibly find a few idle hours and a local instructor to take me on a lesson in a Cessna 172. We were able to do this at a place called Lucko[2], on a beautiful sunny afternoon flying over the city, Zagreb, and out in the country to Marshal Tito’s village. Also my 1st takeoff and landing on a grass strip. Following day we had a great day trip to the northwest to Tito’s village and a great rural restaurant for lunch. Zagreb, has many beautiful old buildings and is very metropolitan with large parks and a great variety of relaxing and eating places – outdoors in June. Zagreb Album: Next we are off by bus to Opatija by bus, a full day trip including several hour stop to walk through the Plitvicka Jecers Falls (Plitvice Lakes NP), a famous and ‘not to miss’ Croatia destination. In the vicinity a river runs by the highway and houses on the high river bank have water falls running beneath and falling to the river below. Opatija is a beautiful seaside resort town that attracts all of Europe with a long narrow beach on the gulf – reminiscent of Waikiki without the surf (much nicer than the European beaches mentioned above). Great Gatsby Night at a close-by hotel complete with old cars, 20’s costumes, and cigars provided an evening diversion. Next day we traveled up and around the Istria Peninsula to a small ancient walled village, Buzet, on the mountain top. As I stood staring down the mountain over the wall, someone pointed out Mario Andretti’s childhood home? The mountain top affords great panoramic views to the farm and vineyard lands in the valleys below. Opatija-Istria Album: Next morning leaving Opatija we drove to Ljubljana, Slovenia, stopping for a visit of Postojna Cave. I thought this cave large, being 10’s of kilometers deep and entered by a train, but later learned they are dwarfed by Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Ljubljana is a small city with neat art deco architecture and a large several block central city section where vehicles are excluded. A river, with the same name, bisects it with banks lined with pubs and restaurants. Ljubljana Castle overlooks the city from a high mound and it is said one can see to the borders of this small country from the tower. As you view the map of Slovenia, like Bosnia (above) it has a short 10 mile section of border between Italy and Croatia, on the Adriatic Sea. Slovenia Album: Bolivia, now landlocked, lost their sliver of Pacific coast in 1880 to Chile, in the night while Bolivians celebrated Carnival, the legend goes. These two exemplify the high value any country places on having some access to the sea. And note the modern day example of Russia annexation of Crimea. A visit to Lake Bled with a climb to its castle and view of the cathedral island followed by and day of relaxation finished our 3 weeks along the Adriatic. The OAT air on an Air Bus 380 (currently world’s largest passenger aircraft), in a spacious front seat with great service and services by Lufthansa was so pleasant I couldn’t believe it was coach – maybe it wasn’t?
[1] Ratko Mladić Butcher of Bosnia, born 12 March 1943) is a former Bosnian Serb military leader accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Mladić was accused by the ICTY of being responsible for the Siege of Sarajevo (5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996) and the Srebrenica massacre . On 26 May 2011, he was arrested in Lazarevo, Serbia. His capture was considered to be one of the pre-conditions for Serbia being awarded candidate status for European Union membership, arrested in Lazarevo, Serbia. His capture was considered to be one of the pre-conditions for Serbia being awarded candidate status for European Union membership.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C4%8Dko#Lu.C4.8Dko_Airport The Lučko airport (ICAO: LDZL) is one of the oldest facilities in Lučko and one of the main reasons for the establishment of Lučko as a neighborhood. In 1947,[1] it had become Zagreb's main airport, replacing the obsolete Borongaj airport. It remained Zagreb's main airport for a period of 15 years, up to the year 1962.