Road Trip

            On Thursday, the American quartet took a road trip to Dubrovnik and back, since we needed to cross the border to renew our visas.  I felt a bit overwhelmed by all of the beautiful places that I saw in only one day, and am even more convinced that Bosnia has some of the best landscapes in the world.  I never thought I would enjoy spending over 12-hours on winding roads, smushed into a very, very tiny car, but I did.

            We began our journey by meeting Suad, the driver for the Sarajevo Philharmonic, at 7am, in front of our building in Otes.  Suad speaks only a few words of English, but he is very easy to get along with because he is so friendly and energetic, and quite good at pantomiming.  So, he greeted us with a huge grin on his face, and we loaded up the car and headed out on the highway toward Mostar.

            I have made the first part of the trip before, since Sara and I visited Mostar in the fall.  However, this time the mountains were more barren, and the upper peaks covered in snow.  I was surprised that the river’s water level seemed very low, especially considering how much snow we got this winter.  Just as before, I especially like the area around Jablanica: the view of the river cutting through the mountains is so perfect that it doesn’t even look real.

            I guess I have bad luck with the traffic police in Bosnia, because it seems like whenever I’m in a car, the driver is arbitrarily pulled over to check something or other.  Today was no exception, and poor Suad got pulled over only an hour or two into our trip.  From what I can understand, everything was okay though, and we were on our way again after only a few minutes.

            On the way to Dubrovnik, we made a very short stop for some snacks near Jablanica, and then passed through Mostar and two border crossings (into Croatia and then back into Bosnia’s 20km stretch of coastal territory) before making a longer stop in Neum.  We pulled off the highway, into a parking lot along a small plaza on the water.  It was so warm and sunny; it was the first time in months that I’ve been able to be comfortable outside without a coat.  Seeing small orange wildflowers also made me hopeful that spring is just around the corner.  The water was calm and very clear, and we climbed out on the rocks to get the best view before continuing on our way.

Americans in Neum

            On the way from Mostar to Neum, there was a dramatic change in scenery, from snow-covered mountains to the green fields, vineyards, and orange groves of the warmer Adriatic climate.  The land is still mountainous, but seems “softer” due to the greenery, temperate air, and sunshine.  I almost felt like I was in the hills surrounding Los Angeles, especially because of the prominence of palm and citrus trees.

Palm and Citrus Trees

            Once we left Neum, we crossed the border one more time to get into Croatia.  The Croatian seaside near Dubrovnik is becoming more and more popular as a tourist destination, so the coast was dotted with new white stucco and glass hotels.  However, the hotels haven’t completely over-run the coastline, so it remains as a very pretty rocky shore, with the Adriatic Sea glittering in the background.  I tried to take a few pictures from the car, but it is almost impossible to get anything good while moving that fast.

View of farms near Croatian coast: one of my few decent pictures from the car

            We finally arrived in Dubrovnik a little past noon, passing a dock lined with very fancy-looking boats and then coming across the walls of the Old Town.  Old Town looks kind of like a giant castle, because the centuries-old stone walls are punctuated by turrets and towers.  We parked and entered inside the walls onto the main street, called the “stradun”.

The walls of Dubrovnik's old town

            The stradun is a wide stone pedestrian street, lined on each side by stone buildings that contain shops, restaurants, monuments and museums.  We passed a large centuries-old fountain before ducking into one of the many souvenir shops.  I didn’t find anything particularly unique: just the usual magnets, t-shirts, keychains, etc.  Then we continued down towards the bell tower at the end of the street, and stopped inside a small museum that contained a memorial to those who fought in the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991.  (Like Sarajevo, Serbian forces shelled Dubrovnik, holding the city under siege, during the breakup of former Yugoslavia.)

On the Stradun

Next to Orlando's column on the Stradun

            Near the bell tower, we passed under the walls again, and out onto a set of piers that overlooked the water and a small island called Lokrum.  I felt so happy in the sunshine and warm breeze.  There was a set of benches where we could sit for a few minutes, pet the stray cats, and admire the view.  If I looked to each side, I could see parts of the city climbing up the steep hill of the coast, and it seemed straight from a photographic advertisement for Adriatic tourism.  Even though it was warm, it was not exactly hot, and the water was still quite cold.  So I was surprised to set about 10 men swimming around the pier!

View of Dubrovnik from the pier

Lokrum Island

Crazy swimmer

Soaking up the sun and the view

            After taking some pictures and getting a few more minutes of sunshine and sea air, the American quartet and Suad headed back the way we came, stopping at a café for some coffee and tea before making the long drive back.  The prices were comparable to American café prices, which seemed so steep to us after being in Sarajevo for six months.  However, my drink was very good, and we had a fantastic spot along the stradun to people-watch while we chatted. 

I tried to make a small conversation with Suad, which was reasonably successful between hand-gesturing and my limited Bosnian.  He asked where we wanted to stop for lunch on the way back, and I explained to him that I am a vegetarian.  Like most other Bosnians, Suad was somewhere between shocked, horrified, and amused that I never eat meat.  Hahaha.  “If you don’t eat meat, what do you eat?!”  He suggested stopping in Mostar, and I reassured him that, yes, I can find something to eat there.  Sometimes, I wish that being a vegetarian wasn’t such a novelty here, so that my Bosnian friends would stop worrying about whether I can eat anything when we go out.  I always find plenty of options.

            In total, we had less than two hours to spend in Dubrovnik, so I saw beautiful old churches/theaters/etc inside the Old City, but unfortunately didn’t have time to learn about them.  I hope I will have time to go back to the Croatian coast later this spring and see more of the city.

            We drove directly from Dubrovnik to Mostar on the way back, without any stops in between.  When we got to Mostar, Suad parked in the old part of the city, and we made our way down the bumpy stone streets.  Strangely, Suad recommended the same restaurant Sara and I patronized this fall.  I remembered that it was very good, so I happily agreed with him that we should go inside.  We were all a little bit sore and groggy from the squishy car, but after some beer and good food, we all felt re-energized for the ride home.

            Before getting back in the car, we stopped by the old bridge, since it was Tim’s and Matt’s first time in Mostar.  I found it strange that the bridge was completely empty, with no tourists in sight.  (When Sara and I went this fall, Mostar was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists!)  We took a couple pictures, and Suad pointed out an area just below the bridge where the Sarajevo Philharmonic performed to celebrate the bridge’s reconstruction.  Earlier, in Dubrovnik, Suad had also pointed out a space where the Sarajevo Philharmonic performed years, ago, so I thought it was pretty neat to retrace some of the orchestra’s history.

Americans in Mostar

Spot in Mostar where the Sarajevo Philharmonic once played

Spot in Dubrovnik where the Sarajevo Philharmonic once played

            From Mostar, Suad drove us straight back to our apartment building in Otes.  I felt like we were getting home in the middle of the night, even though it was only 7:30!  It’s weird how traveling can be so tiring, even when you’re sitting for most of the day. But our mission was accomplished: our passports had new stamps, and we had made it all the way to Dubrovnik.  I still can’t believe how much I saw in such a short period of time!