The first trip that I ever went on with my go-to travel buddy, Becca, was in September 2018. We were based in Dubrovnik, Croatia, but had planned a couple of day trips to neighbouring countries due to the convenience and high reviews.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
I'd been to Croatia's capital, Zagreb, in the summer of 2017 with some friends, however the experience was completely different to Dubrovnik. It was much less touristic, and although it was fascinating (cue the Torture Museum, the smoking in clubs, and St. Mark's Church), it wasn't as lively as we expected.
The main attraction in Dubrovnik is without a doubt its old town. It is one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones and you can walk along the City Walls in order to obtain a gorgeous view of the terracotta roofs unfolding across the city. The currency in Croatia is the Croatian kuna, so I'd had to exchange money beforehand. On the day we arrived, we were exploring the old town when I heard a lady calling after me - it turns out that I had dropped the whole wad of cash that I had brought with me (still sealed in the plastic pouch from the exchange office) without having realised, but luckily this fellow tourist had spotted it and returned it to me immediately - this trip would've been a very different experience had it not been for her kindness.
After thinking what could've been had someone else found the pouch, we headed off in search of a spot where we could swim for a bit as both Becca and I love swimming in the sea and despite being September, it was still hot. We found a little area where some men in speedos were diving and a few kids were cannon-balling into the sea, which was sufficient for us to trust the depth and lack of jellyfish and follow suit. Later that evening, we decided to take a cable car up a mountain in order to see the sunset and despite the clouds, it was beautiful - I'd highly recommend! We'd also been keen to swim on the beach at night in Dubrovnik and although we weren't able to in the end, we managed to quench that thirst only a year later in Corfu, Greece.
Other key sports to visit include the walking area Stradun, Fort Lovrijenac, and the harbour, all of which were pretty but crowded, even in September.
Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Despite never having heard of Mostar before this trip, since we were already planning a day trip to Kotor, Montenegro, we thought that we might as well see Bosnia and Herzegovina since we were nearby and were unlikely to revisit in the near future. We boarded a minibus with a local Croatian, Mario, who was very informative and I still remember clearly to this day. He educated us on Croatia's history, which featured communist rule as part of Yugoslavia, however his perspective was fairly positive regarding this epoch as every family was entitled to a house and car and holidays, whereas his view was that now people struggle a lot more. This came as a shock to me as one of my Romanian friends had always had the opposing opinion and when I met her parents in Romania just days after returning from Dubrovnik, I was intrigued to hear their view on communism and how you wouldn't be able to own a big house as you would be forced to share your quarters with other families. Obviously politics is always going to be a controversial topic and each person has different beliefs, however the contrast in opinion between those in two Balkan countries was fascinating to me.
After a quick detour to a small village in Bosnia, we made it to Mostar and I was truly speechless when I saw this hidden gem. To this day, Mostar is the city that has left me the most impressed (I'm sure partially because I went in with no expectations), and its picture even features on the Homepage of this blog! We had another local tour guide show us around who advised us to not give any money to the 'homeless' ladies on the street as they in fact didn't live there and only came during the summer months as they knew they would be more tourists. We were also recommended a local restaurant where traditional sausages (Bosnian Cevapi) were had and despite not usually being a big fan of sausages, they were delicious. We had a view of Mostar's most renowned landmark: the Old Bridge, which was slippery when walking on it due to the wear and tear, and from which various people would jump into the river below. We tried Bosnian coffee here, which was very bitter, and it was on this trip that I first noticed a solo female traveller, which then inspired me to travel on my own in later years.
If you look at a map of the Balkans, you very quickly realise how little coastline Bosnia and Herzegovina has (a measly 12km), but despite this, we managed to swim in the Kravice waterfalls, which was harder than expected due to it being freshwater, but was highly enjoyable and one of the peaks of this trip! I would very strongly recommend visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina if you haven't already as I'm confident that within a few years it will be as touristic as Croatia and the experience won't be the same.
Kotor, Montenegro
Funnily enough, the purpose of this trip was in fact to visit Montenegro, as an acquaintance from University was Montenegrin and during the holidays I'd see pictures of her hometown and thought it was stunning. That being said, given the ease with which it was to visit from Dubrovnik, I thought it made more sense to stay in Croatia and simply do a day trip here in order to maximise our trip. We went with the same tour group (Amico tours) and found that Mario was once again our tour guide and it was in fact his birthday! However, unlike the previous trip to Mostar, we were held up at the Montenegrin border as apparently the officers were waiting for bribes in order to let us through quicker. Obviously we didn't hand over any money, and after a lot of waiting they allowed us through. We had another local tour guide who explained Montenegro's history and gave us recommendations for the city of Kotor, after which we were left to our own devices.
The main thing that stuck with me in the Bay of Kotor, as well as Mostar, was the spectacular colour of the rivers - it was unlike any river I'd seen before with a very rich green/blue colour (apparently due to certain minerals). We decided to climb the City Walls, which are spread across San Giovanni hill and reach 280m high, at midday and were shocked by both the steepness and our lack of fitness. Granted, it was the middle of the day and my technique of going as quickly as possible to end the pain as soon as possible meant that I was sweating and knackered by the time I reached the top. Regardless, we made it to the top and the view below was definitely worth it (although there was a massive cruise ship that marred the landscape). Part of our tour included a boat ride to a nearby islet: Our Lady of the Rocks, which was small, artificial island featuring a church. Alongside this, we also managed to find a spot to swim in Kotor, which was exactly what we needed after our climb.
This was one of my favourite trips in Europe and became the start of a series of trips with Becca, including to Greece, Mexico and Cuba. Stay tuned for our upcoming trip to Tunisia!
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