We must take advetures.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The Tourists are Back
Dubrovnik is a city that completely runs on tourism. When I first
arrived in September I could barely walk through the Stradun (main
street). I would have to leave my apartment 10 minutes early just to
walk to class that is usually 3-5 minutes away. Dubrovnik has 2 main
ports that together can hold at least 5 cruise ships at once. Imagine
yourself walking through Old town with the small streets filled with
passengers from 5 different cruise ships- it is chaos!
From November to March there was not a single cruise ship. The town was
empty and it was oddly peaceful. Many of the cafes, bars, restaurants,
and stores closed down for off season. Most importantly ALL of the
gelato shops closed! The cafes and bars that are still open usually
lower their prices during these months. There is a bakery we regularly
visit and the women working did not realize Monika (my roommate) speaks
Croatian. She overheard them talking to each other asking “why are there
still Americans here?” It is very strange for locals to see a group of
foreigners during these months. While it was quiet during this time, it
was nice. There were still plenty of cafes and bars to keep us busy. We
felt like locals who owned the city. Also, our Croatian friends were not
working, because they only work during tourist season, which meant we
were able to hangout all the time!
It is the middle of May and the tourists are back in action. The first
of hundreds of cruise ships arrived on April 1st. It is nice because
everything is open again. There is a restaurant that opened right next
to our apartment and they always let us borrow a cork screw. We have
become best friends with the owner of a gelato store and he gives us
half priced gelato. We still know of the cafes that keep their prices
the same as they were during off-season. All of the beach bars are open
again and all of the kayaking companies are running again. The city is
full of new and interesting people, which we are always able to meet on a
night out.
The two seasons are like black and white. They make Dubrovnik feel like
two completely different cities and I am fortunate enough to have been
able to experience both! They allowed me to have different experiences
during different times of the year, which is something very new to me.
It was quite exciting and interesting to witness the transformation of
the city, especially because when I lived in Florence two summers ago I
only experienced tourist season which I feel inhibited me from a truly
getting to enjoy the city.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Spring Break in Scandinavia
This trip was planned very last minute. I never thought I
would make it to Scandinavia during this trip to Europe. A couple months ago I
booked a flight to Greece by myself, and my mom wasn’t very pleased that I was
going by myself. My friend Julia jokingly said “If you come to Scandinavia with
me then I’ll come to Greece with you.” And just like that I was booking my
flights to Scandinavia for spring break.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Day 2: Again,
another perfect day (you’ll hear that about everyday of the trip). The morning
started out with a hunt for bagels. We stumbled upon a little restaurant, which
deserves the award for best customer service in Europe. Not only was our
breakfast amazing, Deborah, the woman working behind the counter, became our
best friend. She was so kind and helpful and even gave us the local
discounts. We took our bagels to the
harbor and enjoyed a beautiful view. Along with a beautiful view, we also got
to listen to an awesome street band called Pavement Orchestra. Not only did
they play well, they were also very cute. We decided to leave them a tip on two
American dollars. We write them a little note telling them to come to America
and said our goodbyes.
The day continues with a one-hour harbor tour. Not only was
it the perfect amount of time, but we also saw the famous Little Mermaid statue
and found our future glass apartments. The next help of our day was probably
the most interesting experience in Copenhagen. We went to visit the infamous
Christiania. Christiania is known as a “free town” in Denmark. They have their
own flag, which you can see below. They claimed to have left the European Union
and are regulated under a special law. It is unique hippie town with just over
800 residents. There is awesome graffiti everywhere and they even have a “green
light” district where Denmark tolerates the selling and buying of marijuana. It
was very interesting to see the different lifestyle and we also enjoyed some
awesome falafel!
Overall, Copenhagen was the perfect start of our adventure.
It was a beautiful city made up of beautiful locals!
Oslo, Norway
After an overnight bus from Copenhagen, we arrived in Oslo
at 6:00AM on Sunday morning. We didn’t have high expectations for Oslo. I’m not
exactly sure why, maybe it’s because I’ve never really heard about it. We also
were there for Easter weekend, so we decided to go in with the attitude that
this would be our relaxing city.
The hostels in Oslo were over $50 and none of them had good
ratings, so we decided to try something new- Couch Surfing. Couch Surfing is a
website that brings together travelers and allows locals to host travelers
coming through their city. It is also a way to meet awesome people and
experience a city through a local’s point-of-view, which is obviously the best
way to see a city. Each host and traveler has a profile where they have to
answer a bunch of questions about themselves and they also have references from
other people they have hosted or have met traveling. After sending about 30 requests to hosts we
got accepted by a girl named Maria. She had a lot positive references and from
reading her profile she seemed like someone Julia and I would get along with. We
accepted the invitation and the journey began.
Day 1:
When we arrived at the bus station we decided to wait a
couple hours before heading to Maria’s apartment because it was so early. There
were some interesting characters waiting with us. The man sitting next to Julia
spit on the floor inside the building right next to Julia’s foot. Maria’s place
was only a 15 min walk from the bus station, but we got lost and ended up
walking in a huge circle. After 45 mins of wandering around Oslo we finally
found her apartment. She greeted us, let us shower, and introduced us to her
Italian friend who moved to Oslo to juggle. From the start we knew this would
be a good experience. Maria spoke perfect English because her mom is from
America, but the people in Scandinavia in general all speak perfect English.
After refreshing up a bit Maria had to go to work, so she
gave us some tips about the city and we began our adventure for the day. After
eating at a cute café we made out way to the famous sculpture park. The walk
was so nice…and so long. On our way we stumbled upon the Royal Palace and the
Embassy section. It was interesting how you could walk 20 mins and be in a
completely different part of the city. We walked through a gorgeous
neighborhood and picked our future houses. After walking for about an hour we
finally arrived at the park. Since it was Easter the park was filled with
families, cute babies, and playful dogs. We wandered around the park and
enjoyed looking at the 200+ funny sculptures of people. We then plopped down on
a grassy hill and took a nice nap. The sun was shining, people were laughing,
dogs were barking, and it was clear blue skies. It was perfect!
Delicious food can always make you love a city a little bit
more. Thanks to our handy Trip Advisor app we were able to find an awesome
tapas restaurant full of locals. Our waiter was beautiful and the entire menu
was in Norwegian so he just decided out entire meal for us, included cava
sangrias. Definitely one of the best meals I’ve eaten in Europe!
Day 2:
Our first night Couch Surfing meant legitimately sleeping on
a couch and on a cot, but it also meant being able to sleep until noon. We
decided today was going to be a very relaxing day, because it was technically
still a holiday so everything was closed. Maria made us a yummy little
breakfast and after chilling and talking with Maria and her roommate it was
time to say our goodbyes. She let us keep our backpacks at her house until we
needed to go to the airport later and gave us a key to leave in her mailbox
when we left. Having our own key made us feel like locals.
On this sunny, warm day we thought it would be a good idea
to relax on top of the famous opera house. The opera house is situated right
along the harbor and has a slanted roof so hundreds of people just hangout
there all the time. We lied on the roof for a couple hours listening to music
and tanning. It officially felt like spring break! After relaxing on the opera
house we made our way to the fortress also situated along the harbor, which
again was beautiful and sunny. Dinnertime rolled around and we knew exactly
what we wanted- juicy cheeseburgers! We walked to the restaurant that we knew
had good cheeseburgers only to find the server telling us he ran out of food
for Easter. We ended up eating at McDonalds, but that is okay because it was
much cheaper.
After picking up our bags from Maria’s we went back to the
opera house, sat on our backpacks, and enjoyed sunset. Since our flight was at
6:00AM and we would’ve had to arrive to the airport around 4:00AM we decided it
was best to just sleep at the airport. We went to the bus station to catch our
airport shuttle and somehow we missed the first one, but that was okay since we
had many hours until our flight. If the worst thing to happen to us so far was
missing a shuttle and having to wait another 30 mins for the next one, then I’d
say our trip was going pretty well! We arrived at the airport, situated
ourselves on the couches at the closed Starbucks, and entertained ourselves
until our early flight.
In the end we had a fantastic, happy, and relaxing time there.
It might not be my favorite city, but it is still a beautiful, diverse, and sunny
city. Oslo surprised me in a good way. We met people we never would have met
otherwise and had a fabulous time Couch Surfing with Maria. I don’t think I
will ever come back, but I am very pleased with my time spent there.
Stockholm, Sweden
The moment we arrived in our hostel in Stockholm, City
Backpackers Hostel, we knew it was going to be a great experience. They let us
check-in early, our roommates were Israelis, and they gave check-out chocolate
to everyone who was leaving as we arrived. We spent 4 nights in Stockholm, so
instead of going day-by-day, I’m going to highlight the best parts of our time
there.
City Backpackers: Definitely
the best hostel I’ve ever stayed at! Not only was it in the perfect location,
it also had awesome staff, comfy beds, free pasta for anyone to cook, and a very
social environment! Our experience would not have been the same if we stayed
anywhere else. It felt like home and we were sad to leave. One night we came home from the bar with some
other people in the hostel and we walked into the kitchen where a guy from
Slovakia was playing the cello, a guy from Argentina was playing the saxophone,
and a girl from Israel was doing contemporary dance to go along with their
music. It was incredible and only in a hostel will you experience such
creativity and unity.
Getting cultured: After
a couple days of relaxing in Oslo it was time to have some fun being active in
Stockholm. Our hostel had a “Swedish meatball experience night” where we
learned how to make Swedish meatballs and had a fabulous dinner! We also went
on a 3-hour bike tour with our hostel around the city. During the tour we biked
up to an overlook to stop for some coffee, which was the highlight of the tour.
While Julia was having a Skype interview I went on a free walking tour of the
Old Town with some people from the hostel. The Old Town was so cute and quaint
and our guide had a really funny accent because he was from Arkansas. One night
we participated in the hostel’s pub-crawl and went to different bars around the
city…that was an interesting night. Since we had 4 full days in the city we
also walked to a lot of parks around the city and sat by the water. Stockholm
was filled with interesting and beautiful people, so people watching was also
an experience in itself.
Proud to be an
American: the game started in Copenhagen, but continued throughout our
trip. Everyday we would count how many people were wearing New York Yankee hats
or things with American flags on them. In 2 hours we counted over 45 people. We
went to a voodoo shop and while we were talking with a woman she explained to
us how there used to be a bit of an anti-American feeling in Scandinavia, but
recently it has shifted to a more positive view.
New Friends: A
Scottish guy called Julia and I the friendly Americans because we talked to
everyone in the hostel. We met so many interesting and fun people that I even
have a page in my journal with all of their names and a description about each
other them. The list is made up of 30
different people and the countries consist of Israel, Australia, Argentina,
Spain, Switzerland, England, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, and America. The
Australian guys actually came to Dubrovnik after and I was able to show them
all around the city! I love hostels for this exact reason; you never know whom
you’ll meet and you never know when you’ll run into someone somewhere else
around the world.
Stockholm treated us so well! I can’t decide if I like
Stockholm or Copenhagen better, so I’m just not going to choose. Scandinavia is
officially my favorite part of Europe! It is definitely very expensive and if
someone were traveling on a tight budget I would recommend Eastern Europe, but
I think everyone should visit Scandinavia at some point in his or her life. It
is a beautiful region, with friendly locals who all speak English, and offers
much to see!
Exploring Eastern Europe
I’ve wanted to do a trip around Eastern Europe since I
arrived in Croatia in September. When I came back to school I found out again
that I had three magical weeks of no class. I decided to stay in Dubrovnik for
a little while to just hang out and relax, but the consisted of sitting inside
watching movies because it was raining all day. I had enough of the rain, so I
packed my backpack and began my journey with a bus ride from Dubrovnik to
Sarajevo.
My main reasoning for this journey was to visit two of my
friends Puki and Rebekah and to meet the Jewish communities in Sofia, Bulgaria
and Skopje, Macedonia. In order to get to these cities I was able to experience
a couple other places along the way.
When I told my mom my travel plans of course her first
reaction was “please do not go by yourself” and “please be safe.” I had to
remind her that I have been in Europe for five months and nothing bad has
happened to me, but after being in America for two days during my winter break
my mom’s car was broken into and my wallet was stolen. Many people have a
dangerous view of Eastern Europe. Yes, I agree that we must always be aware of
our surroundings and be safe and smart when we travel, but I think many people
forget that big western European cities like Paris and Madrid are dangerous
too.
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
I failed to mention this part to my parents, but at the time
of this trip there were many protests and riots going on in Sarajevo because
the citizens were tired of their corrupt government and low unemployment rate.
I even got a message from my study abroad advisor about a travel alert in
Sarajevo....oops. It’s okay; I am home safe and alive. I only went to Sarajevo
for one night because it was my connection to Belgrade. The owner of the hostel
was nice enough to pick me up from the bus station because the main roads were
closed during protesting times. During my one day there I ate delicious cevapi
and bought homemade slippers. It was the first time I was the only person in
the hostel, but that was okay because I stole all the pillows off the empty
beds. The next day is when the trip really started.
Belgrade, Serbia
For those who don’t know, Serbia and Croatia were at war
with each other twenty years ago. There are two sides to every story, but I
have been taught that Serbia started the war, but if you ask a Serb they will
justify their actions for trying to keep Yugoslavia together, either way they
both strongly dislike each other. When I told people in Croatia I was going to
Belgrade (the capital of Serbia) I got mixed reactions. The younger generations
would tell me that Belgrade was an awesome place to party, while the older
generations told me not to go there.
When I first arrived in Belgrade it was a grey, cloudy day
and there were only 4 other people in the hostel. I was beginning to
regret my decision of doing this trip during off-season by myself. I also
arrived on Valentines Day, which is not the best day for solo travelers to
experience a city. My crazy Friday night consisted of trying a local food,
pljeskavica, which is basically a big hamburger on a plate), and watching a
couple episodes of Girls and the Wolf of Wall Street at the hostel with some
other travelers.
Saturday was a beautiful day with blue skies, sunshine, and
warm weather! I decided to give Belgrade another chance. I started my day
walking down the main pedestrian street. It is a huge street full of happy
people, many stores and cafes, and no cars. I’m not sure if it was the nice
weather, but everyone was outside. It was really hard to not smile while
walking down the street and observing my surroundings. You would see cute
little children running around, people playing with their dogs everywhere, and
many freelance musicians playing wonderful music. My breakfast even consisted
of chocolate and fruit fondue at a chocolate café. After that I knew it was
going to be a good day.
I met a guy named Oliver while I was wandering around. He
was born in Dubrovnik, raised in Holland because his family was placed as
refugees there during the war, and is now working with the EU in Serbia. The
pedestrian street leads all the way down to the fortress, which also serves as
a big park that overlooks the river. We sat for coffee at the fortress and he
tried explaining to me the history and politics of Belgrade and how it has
served at the capital for seven different empires. After a while it all became
so confusing that I was totally lost. We spent the day chatting over coffee and
walking around the fortress. We even got to watch the sunset in Belgrade and it
was beautiful of course! We went to “the best” sausage restaurant in Belgrade.
For just $2 it was definitely one of the best meals I’ve had in Eastern Europe.
I said goodbye to my new friend and headed back to the hostel. Some people from
the hostel and myself decided to experience Belgrade’s nightlife, which we realized
was hard to do if you didn’t know the right place to go. Every bar we walked
into was completely full. We met a local named Danko and he came with us to one
of his favorite bars. We sat for hours chatting and tasting their home brewed
beers. At one point I went to the bathroom and one of the girls standing in
line noticed that I didn’t speak Serbian. She was really nice and in her broken
English she asked me what brought me to Belgrade. I tried to explain that I
study in Croatia and wanted to travel Eastern Europe. After our short
conversation she was returning to her table and she said to me “Bye, you are so
nice and have a good time in Belgrade because it is way better than Croatia and
I don’t like Croatia.” I had very mixed feelings after that interaction. She
was so nice and didn’t say anything wrong, but it was very interesting, as an
outsider, to experience the smallest aspect of hate within this ongoing
internal conflict between Serbia and Croatia.
The next day a Swedish girl named Marie and I were invited
to hangout with one of the Catalonian guys in our hostel named Jon and his
Serbian girlfriend and her friends. It was a very interesting group dynamic.
Jon and his girlfriend communicated in Spanish, Marie, Jon, and I communicated
in English, and Jon’s girlfriend and her friends communicated in in Serbian
with very little English. It ended up being really fun to hangout with a group
of locals. We walked along to river for a couple hours and ate the biggest
pancakes ever. We would all laugh at each other when we couldn’t understand
what the other was trying to say. Everything would take much longer to
communicate because the friends would first decide where we were going in
Serbian, then Jon’s girlfriend would say it in Spanish, and then Jon would tell
us in English. Overall the day was filled with laughs, broken English,
delicious pancakes, and new friends.
I was supposed to stay in Belgrade for only three nights,
but I was enjoying it too much to leave so I extended 1 more night. My last
full day in Belgrade consisted of hanging out with an American named Sam from
our hostel who was studying in Germany. We took a bus to a popular lake and
just walked around and relaxed on the rock beaches for a couple hours. We had
some time before it got dark so we decided to walk back to the hostel. The walk
took an hour and a half, but it was worth it. Sam and I were both heading to
Sofia as our next destination and we were deciding if it was better to take the
bus or train. While we were walking along the river we came across a half
sunken boat with some graffiti on it that was a fish saying, “take the bus.”
Clearly it was a sign. When we arrived back to the hostel we decided to spend
our last night relaxing so we went with Marie and our other American friend
named Eric to the roof bar next to our hostel.
The next morning I went to buy my bus ticket and realized
that we got the bus schedule wrong, so we had three hours to either sit at the
bus station and wait or go to a café to find WIFI. Clearly we chose the latter
option. Instead of finding a cute Eastern European café we shamefully went to
McDonald’s. I usually do not eat McDonald’s back in America, but there is just
something about the McDonald’s in Europe that appeal to everyone and we do not
have any fast food restaurants in Dubrovnik so it was a must. Maybe they are
just a slight reminder of home or maybe it is fun to see how each country
offers something different. Either way we spent the remainder of our time in
Belgrade feasting on breakfast hash browns and WIFI.
Belgrade might not be the prettiest city in Europe (at least
it had cool art on the doors), but it is one of the liveliest cities I have
experienced (that says a lot considering I’ve visited 35 European cities).
Sofia, Bulgaria
My hostel in Sofia (Hostel Mostel) was only 8€ a night and
it was one of the best hostels I’ve stayed at. It is very rare to find a full
hostel in the middle of February, but Hostel Mostel was just that. I arrived in
the evening and went out with some people from the hostel. We mostly wandered
around not knowing where to go on a Tuesday night and we ended up in an Italian
wine bar… after a glass of wine we all agreed that we should experience
somewhere a little more local. That is when we discovered Art Hostel. I’m not
really used to partying at different hostels other than the one I am staying
at, but Art Hostel was different. It had an underground bar that served as a
hot spot for locals. I wish I took pictures of this place; the walls were
covered in awesome designs, paintings, and doodles!
The next morning my friend Puki picked me up from the hostel
and gave me a fabulous tour of his city. Puki and I worked together last summer
in Israel, so I was really excited to be able to visit him and meet the BBYO
Bulgarian teens. BBYO is an international Jewish youth group that I was a part
of in high school, so I was really excited to meet the members of the Bulgarian
Jewish community. Bulgaria has a pretty amazing story when it comes to its
Jewish community. Bulgaria is one of two countries (the other being Denmark)
that were allied with the Nazis during WWII that saved its own Jews.
It is really amazing how much knowledge Europeans have about
their own cities. Puki gave me an in depth tour around his city, including a
detailed history lesson. I always wondered why I never appreciated history and
I think I finally understand why. Being from a young country, though we do have
an interesting history, we cannot just walk around and see Roman ruins or
buildings from the Ottomans. During the tour we came across a huge painted egg
which is called the "Egg of Happiness" and every time you pass by it
you are supposed to touch it and make a wish.
After touring the city we went for a traditional Bulgarian
lunch. Puki was adamant about me trying tripe soup orШкембе чорба in Bulgarian,
which he described as a milky soup with cow stomach. Although the description
did not sound appealing, it was actually very good. The meat was too chewy for
me, but the broth was delicious! Bulgarians also love their cheese fried, so
that was a must try. I think we ordered half of the items on the menu and
everything was so good! After lunch we wandered the city some more and found
ourselves walking towards the Starbucks. Again, another American company that
is not in Dubrovnik. Puki tried telling me how inexpensive Starbucks is in
Sofia, but I refused to believe him…until I actually saw the prices on the
board. Picture the prices at your local Starbucks, now imagine the same numbers
but instead of in dollars the numbers are in Bulgarian Lev-which is basically
half the price.
After a full day of exploring we went to the Jewish
community center to meet up with the BBYO teens. Puki is a program director so
he was there to oversee the meeting. After meeting all of the teens it was time
for the meeting to begin. One of the teens planned a program about living a
healthy lifestyle. Puki translated the entire time for me, so I was able to
understand everything going on. In high school we always had fun at BBYO
meetings, but I am pretty sure the Bulgarians have way more fun. After BBYO,
Puki invited me to hangout with his friends for a night of watching football
(soccer). Puki lives in a Moishe House, which serves as a place that holds
events for young Jewish adults to gather together.When we went to his home he
introduced me to his friends and roommate. Now this is just another testament
that the world is a small place. Puki’s roommate Martin and I met four years
ago in Dallas, Texas at BBYO’s International Convention. Martin and I became
Facebook friends, talked maybe a couple times after meeting in Dallas, and now
(unexpectedly) here I am four years later hanging out with him in his own city
and own home.
It was so nice being able to catch up with two friends and meet
the wonderful Jewish teens from Sofia. Not many people from I know can say that
they visited friends in Bulgaria and for that I am fortunate to have these
incredible opportunities. If I had more time I would have loved to stay and
explore the city more, but because I spent an extra day in Belgrade I had to
continue on with my trip if I wanted to make it back in time for class in a few
days.
Skopje,
Macedonia
Macedonia is another Balkan country that, embarrassingly, I
had never heard of before. The only reason I made my way to Skopje (the
capital) was to meet Rebekah, another friend from BBYO.
On the bus ride from Sofia to Skopje I met Travis, a fellow
American who has been traveling for one year. We chatted during the bus ride
and said our goodbyes once the bus arrived to Skopje. Now fast-forward about 3
weeks later. I am sitting on some rocks in Dubrovnik overlooking the sea and
guess who walks in…Travis! It just proves that we do live in a small world. 
Rebekah and I actually never met before this trip. We worked
together in BBYO on different projects and talked through Facebook and e-mail.
We have many mutual friends that put us in contact with each other when I
arrived in Croatia because Rebekah helps with the Jewish community in the
Balkans. She greeted me at the bus station and immediately it felt like we had
been friends forever.
The day began with dropping my bags off at the hostel (which
of course I was the only person at again) and then heading out to grab some
food. Later that night Rebekah invited me to the Jewish community center to
meet the BBYO teens and some other members of the Jewish community. Two of the
teens that were there had just returned from BBYO’s International Convention in
Dallas, Texas and it was so interesting and exciting to hear about their
experiences. Never in a million years did I think I would get to hangout with a
Jewish community in Skopje, Macedonia.
Later that night Rebekah invited me out with all of her
friends. Everyone always says it is best to party with locals and everyone is
right! One of her friends’ bands was playing at a local café so the night began
by meeting some friends and heading to watch her friend sing. His band was
awesome and it was so funny because they were singing a bunch of older American
songs like “Hit the Road Jack” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” After his band
finished we headed to a nearby park to celebrate her other friends’ birthday.
Yes, they have birthday parties in parks at night and they are so fun! All of
her friends were super nice and they all had amazing English. I didn’t expect
the people from Macedonia to have the best English, but it goes to show how
surprising Eastern Europe can be. The night ended at Club Marakana where we
danced to a mixture of Macedonian and American music all night. It definitely
was one of my favorite nights out in Europe so far!
The next morning was kept short because I had to catch a bus
to Kosovo, but Rebekah was nice enough to invite me over to her house for tea
and walk me to the bus station. Like I said before I never would have thought
that Macedonia would be on my travel list, but I am so happy it made it on
there. Skopje is an interesting city, full of wonderful people. I definitely
would not have enjoyed my time in Skopje if it were not for Rebekah and warm
her hospitality.
Pristina,
Kosovo
Kosovo has a very interesting story behind it and I’m going
to try and explain it as simply as possibly. Again, I never heard of this
country before taking my European Union class last semester. Kosovo is a very
disputed territory and has still not been formally recognized by a
large number of states, including neighbor Serbia.
Kosovo used to be a part of Serbia, but its Albanian
population declared independence in February 2008. The two countries were at
war with each other in 2004 killings thousands of civilians. The fact that
Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as a country becomes problematic when
traveling around the Balkans. The rule is that if you start in Serbia then you
may enter Kosovo and return back to Serbia, but you cannot do the opposite. You
cannot enter Serbia from Kosovo if you did not begin your journey in Serbia
because Serbia will look at your passport and pretend like the Kosovo stamp
does not exist.
Along with being a fairly new and controversial country, it
is also one country that is loves Americans. Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, is
probably the only city in the world with both George W. Bush and Bill Clinton
boulevards. This love came from Bush’s influence and support for NATO's bombing
of Serbia, which led Serbian military to withdraw from and Clinton’s support
for Kosovo’s independence. You can walk through Pristina, buy an American flag
on the street, and see a 10-foot tall, golden statue of the Bill Clinton. They
say that Kosovo is one of the most pro-American places in the world.
Kosovo was on my way back to Dubrovnik, which allowed me to
spend one night before making it back in time for class. I was excited because
I got to stay with my friend Theresa who I met at my hostel in Montenegro. She
is one of those friends that even though we only spent a couple hours together
we bonded right away and have kept in touch since. A couple weeks after this trip Theresa and her friend came to stay with
me in Dubrovnik!
My first day in Pristina started with a quick tour around
the city. Theresa has many visitors so she is basically an expert tour guide.
We stumbled upon an abandoned church and then the National Library, which was
voted as one of the ugliest buildings in the world (second picture below).
After our tour we went to Theresa’s favorite local café. We ended our night by
eating a delicious meal at a Thai restaurant, which I really enjoyed because we
do not have any restaurants like that in Dubrovnik.
After a relaxing day in Pristina with Theresa I began my
long adventure back to Dubrovnik, which consisted of two bus rides, sleeping in
a bus station from 2:00-6:00AM and making it to my 12:00 class!
Have you ever had someone approach you on the street and
just shake your hand just because of for your nationality and demand to take
you for a coffee? If not then you should visit Kosovo, where you will feel
appreciated as an American.
My adventure around Eastern Europe was everything I hoped it
would be and more! I saw cities I never thought I would ever visit, I met
people from all different cultures and backgrounds, I ate delicious food, and I
learned so much about each city. Eastern Europe is definitely an underrated
region and if you ever have the opportunity to explore it I highly recommend
going!
I have mentioned a couple times how I believe traveling
alone is the most rewarding and exciting experience. After I returned home from
this trip I wrote an article for The Abroad Guide on why people should travel
alone. Check it out: http://theabroadguide.com/travel-alone-study-abroad/
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