Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Bosnia and Montenegro

No rain in Sarajevo this trip so I really got to enjoy the city. The first morning we met up with a street art photographer. We saw some amazing art, visited some unusual buildings, and heard wonderful stories about the artists and the city. 

We also took a day trip to Sutjeska National Park and hiked five hours (round trip) to Lake Trnovacko. The scenery was magnificent but the hike was not easy - narrow paths with steep drop-offs, huge loose rocks, etc. I am still having trouble believing I made it the whole way without falling.

For logistical reasons we decided to go from Sarajevo to Montenegro through Mostar. It gave us a chance to take a fabulous train ride on a brand new train (outlets, WiFi and movies!) and make our second visit to Mostar's famous bridge. The train ride was fantastic but Mostar was absolutely packed with people attending a Red Bull diving contest. We couldn't wait to leave.

Our base in Montenegro was Kotor.  We spent three days wandering around the old cities of Kotor, Perast, and Budva. The fresh fish was delicious and the scenery was incredible.

What I Learned
Follow travel advice. For example,  always keep an extra credit card in your main suitcase, never put your wallet in the outside pocket of your backpack, and take special care when traveling on public transportation.  If you don't, a really creepy guy might bump into you on the tram and steal your wallet on the first day of your vacation. Then you would have to visit the US Embassy to start the paperwork to get a new passport, cancel your credit cards (and not have a spare) and deal with the police. If you are lucky you might get an email like this:

  

I got back everything but the cash but unfortunately all of the credit cards had been cancelled. My sister Susan is now paying for everything and hoping I pay her back when we get home.

Buregdzinica Bosna still has the best burek in Bosnia and perhaps the world.

When you are 65, a hike rated as moderate is not.

Sarajevo street  art

Hiking


  
Perast and Budva

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