Hrvatska

I've been daydreaming about this country for almost a year and now I'm finally here and it's a little bit dissapointing. The best places are the ones that completely surprise you, so it's a tough balance between learning about a place in advance (how else do you know where to go unless you hear about a place that sounds interesting?) and then carefully planning a trip, or just turning up in a random country and looking around. I need to figure out how to stike that balance with some of the other places on my "must see list" in order to avoid dissapointment and foster surprises.

Mostar

My current location is the city of Mostar with it's famous Stari Most (Old Bridge). It's actually only a few years old because the original (which was built in the 16th century) was destroyed in the war in 1993.

Skenderija

Part of the complex from the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo

Latin Bridge

Where Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 setting WWI in motion.

Just around the corner

As beautiful as Sarajevo is now you don't have to go very far for a reminder of it's recent bloody history.

A Sarajevo rose

This is an spot where a mortar shell hit the street and where the pavement that was blasted out has been filled in with red plastic. I guess a lot of these have been removed and the streets paved over, but I managed to find a few around town.

Sarajevo

Sarajevo is beautiful! I was really impressed, and relieved to be here instead of Belgrade.

Sveti Marko church, Belgrade

I didn't like Belgrade. It's just another Austro-Hungarian city on the Danube (I don't like Vienna or Budapest either)

Podgorica to Belgrade

Another scenic train ride

Montenegro

I visited Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro in search of people to talk to about the upcoming referendum on secession from their union with Serbia (which is actually May 21st and not April 28th like this sign says). The atmosphere was not as politically charged as I thought it might be, but I did manage to have a couple interesting conversations with people who were opposed to secession. Apparently the pro secession campaign is well funded because most of the billboards around town were in support of a "Da" vote.

The Fortress of St. John

I spent the morning hiking around the ramparts and ruins of this fortress in the mountains overlooking Kotor.

Kotor, Montenegro

I'm staying in Budva and did a day trip to Kotor today.