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CROATIA, A BALKAN ROAD TRIP
Croatia was my last stop as I darted around the Balkans. I met the folks in Dubrovnick for a couple of days. Checking out the old town – most impressive town of the Balkans with its towering medieval walls and majestic buildings, streets polished to a high gloss from constant visitors. A little side trip to Kotor with them before saying goodbye. Split for a couple of days, walking around the town. A cruise to Hvar, Bracht & Pakleni Islands – very relaxing! Dubrovnik The Plitvice Lakes NP a UNESCO World Heritage site. Beautiful park, 16 lakes, connected by numerous waterfalls. All the amazing “Balkan Blue” colour and crystal clear…
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SLOVENIA
Slovenia was on my list, it is home to Lake Bled – another image sitting in my bucket list folder… A rainy day prompted me to drive here early from Split. Even in the rain the scenery through Croatia and Slovenia was beautiful. When I reached Lake Bled I drove around a couple of times to get my bearings and then found somewhere to stay. Before I got my bags out of the car, I jumped in a boat to visit the iconic island in the middle of the lake – truth be told, I thought it was just a trip around the Lake… nice view from the island! Once…
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BOSNIA
When I first entered Bosnia, I started seeing derelict buildings – but they didn’t look right, buildings don’t decay like that. It was only after I started seeing houses with holes in them that my slow brain caught up!! This was war damage! I had read that it was noticeable in Bosnia I just hadn’t realized how much! It seemed like every other building, was damaged in some way, mostly with bullet holes. It was the first time I had been in a country that reminders of war were still a very real part of every day life and not just a display in a museum or at a “tourist…
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MONTENEGRO
One of my other bucket list destinations was Montenegro. I crossed late over the border from Albania into Montenegro and headed for the town of Ulcinj. It was dark when I arrived and chose a place up in the old city to stay. Up early to check out the sights – which were ok, nothing that spoke to me, so decided to head to Kotor via the other beaches in Montenegro. Again, I was a little underwhelmed with the beaches in Montenegro – but living in Cape Town I am a spoiled brat when it comes to beaches…! Montenegro became king when I hit Boka Bay and the old city…
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Peja (Pec) Kosovo
The Rugova mountains were drawing me to Peja. The drive was easy on a lovely highway until it abruptly stopped with a pothole and a single lane! The drive after the highway makes you think, all along the road is memorials to fallen soldiers from the Kosovo War. Most of them, big or small have the faces of soldiers on them, makes it feel very real. When you see a headstone with a name you are more removed somehow. When I started reading up on Peja the Rugova Gorge seemed to be a must to visit but not to drive yourself. I came across numerous posts saying how dangerous the…
