Wednesday, August 20, 2008

P.S.

Please note: The following was written in 2008 after our tour of the Balkans

We are home now in the green-chile drenched bosom of New Mexico. Our trip back was, ahem, longish: Sofia- Munich- Charlotte- Phoenix- Albuquerque...25 hours worth of screaming toddlers and Hollywood rom-coms...yikes! Even the food was dreadfuller than usual. But enough of that...


Our European trip was great. Four weeks for Joe and seven weeks for Jen. I ate like a pig (pizza, ice cream, sausage, bread, dumplings) and lost a pound! My kind of weight loss program! It feels good to be back eating crispy green salads and pulling crispy clothes out of the dryer. New Mexico looks lovely and we will be starting back on our "normal" lives as soon as next Monday when the semester begins at UNM.


We visited ten countries on this trip, most for the first time. We walked a lot of cobblestoned miles, took a lot of digital photos, ate a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers, spoke a crazy mixture of Russian, Bulgarian & German along w/ our excellent English, and met a lot of great people along the way. I don't know about Jen, but I'll probably be ready to go again real soon...

Multi-faceted Macedonia

Having lived in Slovenia, it is very hard to believe that both Slovenia and Macedonia used to be part of a common country, Yugoslavia. It is true that both have rolling hills and beautiful green forests, but the Albanian-influenced Macedonia, couldn't be more different from the Austrian-inspired Slovenia.

My impressions of Macedonia are based on our 2-day stay in Skopje, the birthplace of Mother Teresa. There is a statue and a monument to her and a cross high on a hill representing the Christian faith. Mother Teresa being its claim to fame, Skopje is a very funky city - I loved it! It is a place of discovery . . . there seemed to be no one in town - maybe all at the seaside for summer vacation. And although, at first glance, the city seems crumbly and indelibly marked with a strong "socialist realism" architecture, a.k.a. Soviet-style blocks and weirdly shaped experiments, it is charming in many ways.

We ambled through the medina-like ancient walled town around mosques and stalls with locals selling their wares. I had seen what looked like an ancient fortress on the hill, not mentioned in our guide book, and not on any of the postcards I had spied at the market. We decided to head up the steep incline to find a lovely archway which led to some ruins of a fortress and a beautiful view of the city. Seeing the smorgasbord of Ancient, Soviet, and more traditional European buildings from a distance kind of made the city look even more unusual. It dawned on me that most of the postcards had views taken from this fortress, not of this fortress, which I found to be one of the highlights of the area.

Now for the food report - fan-freakin'-tastic! (Can I say that?): Fresh veggies, delicious cheese and bacon stuffed chicken, sausages, potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The prices in Skopje where probably the cheapest of our whole trip which makes the food taste even better. And the people . . . surprisingly polite, classy, friendly, and they spoke quite a lot of English! They seemed rather unfazed by tourists (as there weren't any there!), but were very respectful. Shopkeepers as well as kids took the chance to practice the phrases they knew - "Here you go - here is your change." Wow! I was reminded by a Bulgarian, that even under Soviet times, the Yugoslavians were not directly connected with Russia. Therefore, their society was much more open and more people were able to learn English.

The one thing that was really expensive was the hotel. I mean, not really, but compared to other cities it was more. For instance, we were used to paying around 50 USD, and our hotel in Skopje was 70 USD. And, mind you, it was very simple- clean private hotel - but no frills. The reason being that there is no tourism there and the only visitors are international business people who don't bat an eyelash at those kinds of prices. We did have cable though and Joe's son's band came on MTV while we were there. It was an older video - but a goodie - I had never seen it. Check out Girls Not Grey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d5WlUR1T3k

OK, so I have a softspot for Skopje - it's my kinda town - cheap prices, friendly people, no crowds, and plenty to discover. I say, "Let me find the beauty! It's fun!"

Monday, August 18, 2008

Question: Where do all the Serbs go for summer Vacation?

Answer: Montenegro
Another Question: Why does a former Yugoslavian territory have an Italian name?
Another Answer: It means "black mountain" and comes from the age when Venetians ruled the area in the Middle Ages.

So, using this information as a backdrop, let me explain our trip to Montenegro . . . . First of all, Montenegro is the world's newest country having separated from Serbia in June 2006 - Historically, Serbs go there on vacation as it is very beautiful and they used to be part of the same country: Serbia-Montenegro, and before that Yugoslavia. Little did we know that in August, every single Serbian man, woman, and child is there to enjoy some seaside action.

To get there, we took a bus from Sarajevo through the most incredibly windy road that snaked through sheer cliffs and a rainstorm. We came upon a dam - reminiscent to me of Lake Powell - not that it looked like the Southwestern US at all, but amazing natural beauty abounded. Green trees in forests on high mountains. We were headed for a beach town called Herzig Novi - a lesser known beach town not as frequented by tourists (or so we thought). After passing through the "see and be seen" beach town called Budva - we ended up in a terrible traffic jam. After 20 minutes we realized that the way to Herzig Novi involved a 20 minute ferry that the bus was waiting to board. I, not being a good bus or boat traveler at all (severe motion sickness can occur, and has in the past), I had drugged myself up on some amazing tablets my friend gets from England, called Kwells. Therefore, sitting on a bus, that was on a ferry, that was on the sea proved not quite comfortable but bearable. We got out of the bus and caught some fresh air before our boat landed. Some lovely views from that ferry!

We finally got to Herzig Novi . . . . we trudged with backpacks in tow through the picturesque little town (there are some ups and downs among the streets there!), only to hear travel agency after travel agency say, "There are no rooms anywhere tonight . . . not one. . . . everything is booked!" Well, having seen some little old ladies and men at the bus station trying to scoop up backpackers . . . we headed back there. The little old people seemed to have gone back home to bed, as we couldn't see anyone trying to "sell" a room in their house.

Finally, I got up the courage to speak in my limited Russian to a woman who was sitting beside us on a bench. "I'm looking for a room", I think I said. She whistled across the bus lot, "Oy, Zhilka!" Another lady, with a bit of alcohol on her breath came and arranged for us to stay across the street in her own flat. We agreed on 30 euros for the night (she could have really asked for the moon and we'd have paid it!). So, we slept in a Soviet-style flat with a great view, if you could see past the laundry, of the Adriatic Sea.

After rising, we decided to head out of crowded beach land - not before snapping some photos, of course. We spent the day in a fabulous ancient Venetian old town of sorts in the town of Kotor. There is no beach there, but the old buildings and ruins are a true treat for any photographer. The heat was a bit overbearing and many people found relief in an old but functioning fountain soaking their faces and splashing their whole bodies with ice cold well water.

Overall, Montenegro is a unique place to say you've been to . . . but don't go in August - too crowded, too hot, and too much traffic!

Sarajevo At Last

We were physically hammered when we pulled into the Sarajevo station. Eight hours on a "train from hell" will do that to a person. Eight hours in a boiling train car full of ciggie smoke, rationing water while dreaming of escape...I fully considered jumping off the train in Croatia and striking off in any direction, just to escape that infernal train. As it was, I stood up in the aisle the entire way, my face in front of the barely cracked window, trying to breathe as I poured sweat.
Luckily, Sarajevo turned out to be a balm for the weary traveller. Our guesthouse in the old town was perfectly situated and very comfortable, and the town itself was a wonderful place to spend a few days wandering. Sarajevo is located in a long valley with steep hills on either side, so there are lovely views from all angles. A mostly Muslim city, there are mosques everywhere, although they are surprisingly quiet (the call to prayer can be really loud). It is really different to see "white" Muslims, fair-haired and blue-eyed for the most part, especially the women, many of whom wear the head scarf and traditional garb. People in Sarajavo seem really composed, taking the tourists in stride, just going about their business. People are friendly and calm, making for a very relaxing vibe. The city's recent history seems that much more tragic in light of its current atmosphere.
There are traces of the war's effects - burned out buildings, bullet holes in walls, guys in wheelchairs with missing limbs- but overall, the destruction is not that obvious to the traveller. Bosnia is divided roughly 50-50 into Muslim/Croat regions and Serb regions. We travelled through both, and there is no physical division between them. When we departed Sarajevo, we had to take a city trolleybus to the station to catch our long-distance bus to Montenegro. At some point on our trip through the city, we passed into a Serb suburb where the station was located. I wouldn't have noticed except for the Orthodox church and the ATM which offered instructions in "English" or "Srpski".

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Buda + Pest = Tourists

Joe wants me to write about our experiences in Hungary. To be fair we were only in Budapest (grand capital) and Pecs (a smaller city further south), however I did get some impressions. First of all, Budapest (which is actually made up of two parts: Buda and Pest - who knew?) is full of tourists. The line to buy metro tickets from the train station to the hotel had about 20 people in it... no kidding! A one way fair (without changing trains) is around 2 USD. A far cry from the 10 cents we used to pay to ride the metro with unlimited train changes around Kyiv! Anyhow, we found our hostel which seemed clean and well-located. However, it was very expensive - in fact all things in Budapest, and Hungary in general, seemed very high priced.

Once settled, we ventured out on a huge city full of huge buildings. The architecture is incredible and most of the buildings are in pretty good if not fully renovated condition. After a while we found ourselves exhausted after walking and walking through the streets of looming buildings. Finally, we arrived at the top of a hill where the grand palace is located. The payoff was not only the buildings atop the hill, but the panoramic views of the city below. We could see all the big churches, the parliament house, and other buildings as parts of a greater picture. For a moment, we were the masters of all we surveyed. But, alas the feeling of being something other than a tourist quickly dissipated when we found that it cost 1 USD to use the public toilet. It was clean, but a patch of foliage would have done the trick almost as well. However, in order not to be too avant guarde, we obeyed and paid. Which is what I felt we did a lot of in Budapest.

After decided to leave after 2 nights, we headed for a smalled town called Pecs, pronounced PAYCH. It was more reasonable there with less tourist fanfare and ripoff feel. I caught a few great photos while milling around the streets looking for a pension to stay in. One of a group of girls in period attire waiting for their cue for a local movie that was being made about a famous Hungarian. The McCafe was good (a McDonalds sponsored cappucino joint) - I know I know - tacky! But the prices were good and all travelers know the bathrooms are great! We stayed in a private room which an elderly lady rented out nightly. Her name was Judith (YU-DIT), and she enjoyed engaging Joe in conversations which included a smattering of English, German, and Hungarian. Hungarian, by the way, is related only to Finnish in some distant way, not to Slavic or Romance languages at all! So it is really tough to communicate with those who spoke no English. Just for starters: Egan means yes; Nem means no; Kersernerm means thank you. Anything seem familiar?

So after a night, we left Judith and headed by train to Sarajevo. To make a long story short, we were victims of the old train Okey-doke. Due to an "accident" with the regular express international airconditioned train, we were shuffled onto an old Soviet-style train in 100 degree heat with windows that barely cracked open. The Hungarian guys, 20-somethings off on their summer vacation, who ended up in our compartment told us it looked like a train that had originally been designed for Air-conditioning (being that the windows barely opened), but the AC unit was missing. Did someone re-distribute it in a bureaucrats office somewhere? Who knows, but all were sweltering in the train for over 9 long hours. The conductor felt sorry for a few of us with limited water supplies and escorted us to a small shop to buy bottled water at the Croatian border!

Then there were the episodes of stopping in small station after small station in Bosnia picking up the milk-run passengers, many of whom decided to smoke in our non-smoking car with windows that barely opened. Yes, Joe had some intercultural communications with a few folks. None of which resulted in the smokers moving to the other end of the car. In fact, one woman said, "I will not only have one cigarette here, but I will have two, or three!" Luckily, most folks here in Bosnia are not like her . . . . and I have more news to tell about Sarajevo. Coming soon . . .

Slow-Walkia

Slovakia, one of Jen's homelands, is nice. I wish we could have stayed longer and gone to more regions, but the road called us on. Not that it has been all kebapches and sladoled this past week- far from it. The story begins back in dear old Sofia...
We left Blago with a tear in our collective eye to spend a weekend in Sofia waiting for our flight to Vienna (a budget friendly 60 bucks on Sky Europe). We knocked around Sofia for a couple of days, meeting up Saturday with Jen's old student from Montana, Elena, and her boyfriend, Julian. Elena is now a doctor (one of the world's nicest MDs) and we had a great time catching up and having lunch. Sunday was uneventful and we ended up at "Mr. Pizza" for salad and cheese pizza.
About 3 in the morning, I awoke with a distended and burning stomach. I tried to wish it away for the rest of the night, but by 6 (our taxi was coming at 7), I knew the jig was up. The next 5 hours was spent staggering from toilet to toilet, heaving up my shoe soles, the climax being a delightful session at 30,000 feet en route to Vienna. It finally subsided, but I was wrecked from lack of sleep, dehydration and general stomach trauma. The one hour bus trip to Bratislava was relaxing and our old friend Jaroslav picked us up at the bus station and delivered us to his in-laws' rentable flat in the suburbs. I slept for a few hours, but got sick again that night and was pretty useless.
Jen and I went to the old city (Stare Mesto) Tuesday morning and walked around (slowly). Jen dubbed it Slow-walkia - get it? The Stare Mesto is very impressive, IMO, and quite the tourist draw. There are several picturesque squares, nice architecture, a big castle looming above, and the Danube ruunning along the edge. Also, it has two McDonalds into which I dashed frequently with intestinal distress. Later that night, we met up with Jaro for beers and a reminiscing session while looking at photos from Jen's first triumphant 1998 engagement in Blagoevgrad. Saying goodbye to Jaro (who is now a rising film director in Bratislava), we got a good night's sleep for our train trip to the provinces.
We had decided we wanted to get out of the big city and see the "real" Slovakia. I had read nice things about Banska Bistrica in the Bradt guide, although it is not mentioned in our Lonely Planet. The 3 1/2 hour train trip was scenic and smooth. The town was a revelation. It was lovely. Its setting is beautiful with thickly wooded hills, low mountains, Austro-Hungarian architecture, lots of cafes and charming backstreets, and friendly, unaffected people. We got a room with an old couple who have a nice big house near the center (35 bucks)...an excellent deal. We spent a couple of days wandering around, snapping photos and just enjoying the relaxing vibe. We got to eat some delicious Slovak food as well, although my stomach was a constant enemy. Finally, in desperation, we went to the pharmacy and the lady gave me some French homeopathic pills that worked liked a charm on my burning gut. Yippee! One other thing about Banska Bistrica, they have a new, flashy shopping mall that is astounding. It is 10 times nicer than any mall in Albuquerque.
On our way to Budapest, we missed a train connection in Southern Slovakia and had to kill a couple of hours in a small town. We walked into the nearest restaurant and the nice people whipped up a fresh salad and killer omelette for us. We eventually caught our train for the Hungarian capital, Budapest.