A Final Taste of Eastern Europe

As I write this I sit out in the middle of the Adriatic Sea taking a ferry from Dubrovnik to Bari, Italy. So my backpacking days in Eastern Europe have ended.

Dubrovnik was a nice change of pace. Coming from Sarajevo and the cloud of war that still hangs over the area it was a huge change of pace in Dubrovnik.

The bus ride there was beautiful. Riding out of Sarajevo the bus drove through a river valley hugging the river, which was boarded on both sides by steep mountainsides. It was very picturesque. The bus also drove through Mostar, which apparently also is a beautiful city.

From there after a two hour wait at the border we drove right to the Adriatic sea and were greeted with mountains running straight down to the sea, The warm weather and clear, aqua-blue sea seemed to invite you for a swim.

On the bus ride I traveled with a guy I met who was traveling from San Francisco and a couple of other people, two Canadians Klay and Jeremy and an American Pantea. We all sat in the back in the bus and started talking. It was a nice conversation and it continued all the way to Dubrovnik.

The city is absolutely beautiful upon arrival. You are greeted with a city full of red-tiled roofs stretching up the Cliffside. Not sure where I was going to stay I hooked up with the Canadians and the American who were going to stay at a Boarding House recommended in Lonely Planet. Was I glad I did! The place we got was a beautiful building up on high atop a hill. The room had a balcony which overlooked the town and out into the Adriatic Sea. It was beautiful and all for 17 bucks a night!

The rest of the day I ended up hanging out with my new traveling friends. What Dubrovnik is famous for is its old city, which is surrounded by a wall and has a main street made out of marble.

We made our way over there, and once the hordes of tour groups boarded their busses later in the day and retreated to their cruise ship it was a fun city to explore.

I had been told to walk around the walls of the Old Town and it did not disappoint. It took about two hours stroll to make it around and you were able to peek over the side and see daily life occurring, like some kids playing soccer or a lady hanging clothes to dry. It was really nice. Definitely not a cheap place to stay for sure (tourist prices were in full effect everywhere), but nice.

Unfortunately Thursday was not as nice. It ended up raining most of the day. I actually ended up mostly doing chores and finding email connections while the rest of my group got wet exploring some islands nearby.

Cause of some changes of plans and to make sure that I receive my camera equipment for the World Cup, I have to meet up with a special courier shipment greeting me in Brussels (thanks Allison!:).

So after taking the ferry to Bari, Italy, I am taking a train to Rome, and then flying to Brussels. After that we will be heading to Paris for a few days. So I guess I will spend some time touristing around Western Europe as well.