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Balkans Trip 2023 Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe

At the crossroads in Sarajevo

I flew to Sarajevo from Zagreb. Sarajevo wasn’t supposed to be the highlight of my Balkans trip that year, but it ended up being just that.

*Sebilj in Sarajevo (Ottoman wooden fountain)*

Arrival in Sarajevo

Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country that has been many things. I will not even attempt to describe the history of the geography of this part of the world and the many conflicts that led to it being what it is today, but in a nutshell, when Yugoslavia broke up in 1992, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was divided up into a series of states including the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. When that Republic had a referendum to decide whether it should further subdivide, the Bosnian War broke out. A localized conflict between Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats which became an international armed conflict complete with war crimes and genocide. It was probably inevitable. A perfect storm of conflict that dealt with history, culture, geography, and religion. It is probably still the thing that most people think of when they think of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I arrived very late at night in Sarajevo and was picked up at the airport by a guy and a gal who run a tour company in the city (Meet Bosnia Tours). My hostel had arranged for them to pick me up because there wasn’t proper transportation at that late hour. I later looked them up and saw that the guy had given Bill Clinton a walking tour of Sarajevo, complete with pictures on the website. I decided that I would do their free walking tour the next morning.

I was staying at the Franz Ferdinand Hostel. It was cheap and centrally located and really felt more like an apartment than a hostel. I had a private room with a small bathroom and a shared kitchen in a hallway where there was a timeline of the events of World War One marked on the floor. My room was near the Battle of the Marne.

Morning walk

The next morning, after a good night’s sleep, and thankfully not dreaming about over half a million dead European soldiers, I went out into the city. Sarajevo is so intriguing. Divided by the Miljacka River, it is also divided between East and West. Sarajevo was the administrative seat of both the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it displays its divided past proudly. One side of the city feels a bit like Turkey, with mosques and narrow streets cafes selling Turkish coffee and baklava with carpets and shisha. The other side has churches, ornate buildings, cafes selling Viennese style coffee and cakes, and more western European style streets. It quite literally feels like the best of both worlds.

scenes in a divided Sarajevo

The first order of business, of course, was coffee. Bosnia has its own coffee, Bosnian coffee, which is very similar to Turkish coffee (for the reasons just described), but the preparation is a little bit different.

I had a coffee (delicious) and wandered around the square, visited a church, and started to explore the streets. I walked along the river, which is very picturesque with numerous bridges old and new. I crossed to the other side. And meandered around residential streets. Rough looking but well cared for buildings, flowers, a bit of street art. There were some curious statues of circus performers strung across the river. I stopped to browse booksellers setting up along the river before making my way to the appointed spot for my free walking tour.

A tour through history

I haven’t done one of these free walking tours in a long time. I think they are excellent opportunities to learn a little bit about a city and the history and pay only whatever you think is appropriate for a tip, but often the schedules don’t suit me, or I’d rather just explore on my own. But the history of Sarajevo is so complicated, and the current state of things is still contentious, and I really hoped to learn something from the tour, so I joined. I’m glad I did. I got all the information that I could have wanted, including about how there are still tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some people would prefer the country to fracture further into newer smaller countries, and ethnic and religious differences are still a source of strife. The only downside of the tour was that it was enormous. There were about 30 people, and while I made a point of always being up at the front of the group, it was a bit too large and could have been a little bit faster paced with a smaller group; but it was free, friendly, and informative.

Armed with my new knowledge, I really appreciated the city even more. I notice the bullet holes that cover so many of the buildings. Some have been completely repaired, others simply plastered over so you can so you can still see where they landed, and some have been left as reminders of the not-so-distant past. There are places, like in front of the cathedral, where bullet holes and mortar shell damage is marked by red paint as a reminder of those who died on that spot. It is one of those places where the war is so recent that when you walk around you realize that everyone that nearly everyone you see either lived through or fought in the war or has parents who did. So the scars, like the bullet holes, were still fresh.

*bullet holes and markers of death at the base of the Sacred Heart Cathedral*

There are, as I understand it, several very good museums in the city about the war and the genocide and those experiences. Unfortunately, because I was only there for a short time, just two days (and one spent visiting Mostar) made the choice to skip the museums. If I were going back, they would be top of my list.

In terms of historical sites, I think my favourite spot was seeing the place where Gavrilo Princip stood when he assassinated Archduke French Ferdinand on 28 June 1914. In case you don’t already know, I like history. I even have a degree in it (which doesn’t mean that I know a lot it just means that at one point I studied it a bit) and the First World War is my favourite war. I know it’s weird to have a favourite war, but for a variety of reasons that I’m not going to go into in this post, I’m fascinated by World War One. To see the spot where 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip the Archduke Franz Ferdinand (and his wife), was amazing. This is the act that set into motion the First World War the end of the empires of Europe, and really the start of the modern 20th century. As a cynical friend said to me “if it hadn’t that act, it would be something else that started the war.” That’s true, but it wasn’t something else; it was this, and the spot itself is fascinating.

There’s a small marker which is very politically neutral. This might seem surprising given that it is a marker of an assassin and murderer, but as the tour guide explained to us Gavrilo Princip’s legacy in the country is divided. Some people view him as a hero and others as a terrorist or anarchist. So the marker does not refer to the moral quality of his act, it simply notes that this is where it happened.

*the assassination happened at the foot of this bridge (the Latin Bridge), at the corner of the pink building*

More walking and sights

I spent most of my time in Sarajevo doing what I always do walking around taking insights looking at interesting buildings and historical spots, drinking coffee and smoking when I can. The coffee in Sarajevo was great the food, for vegetarian it wasn’t so great, and at this point I was entirely sick of burek, the ubiquitous Balkan greasy cheese pies.

I had a cigar and coffee and the excellent Cafe Divan, hidden away in a pretty courtyard, thick with smoke.

I visited the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, and wandered the streets.

Abandoned bobsled hike

One thing I was excited to do in Sarajevo was to explore the bobsled track on Trebević Mountain. In 1984 Sarajevo hosted the Olympics, and as part of that, they built a bobsled track on the mountain. Due to years of neglect, and probably the war, the bobsled track has fallen into ruin. Just across the river you can walk and follow the signs to the cable car and for a small fee it will whisk you up the mountain. (The cable car, originally built in the 1950s, was completely destroyed during the war, but was rebuilt in 2017-2018.) The ride is 9 minutes long, whisking you 500 meters up, and when you finish you are 1164 meters high on Mount Trebević, with excellent views of the city.

*near the stairs leading to the gondola*

From the gondola, you can go hiking on the mountain or follow the signs to the bobsled track, which is what I did. Almost immediately I ran into another girl (Canadian and traveling solo), and we decided to walk along and then hike back up the track together. I was thankful for the company.

The bobsled track is excellent, particularly if you love abandoned places and graffiti, which I do. It winds through the mountain and is completely covered in graffiti. In places it is intact, in other places it is broken. Effectively, you walk to the bottom of it and you have to hike back up to the top which seems a bit punishing in the heat, but it’s not too long and it is certainly a good exercise. Apart from a couple other people we passed, we were entirely alone on the track, which gave it a bit of a delightfully eerie feel.

Zlatna Ribica

Following way descent from the mountain, and parting ways with my short-term companion, I made my way to one of the best bars I’ve ever been to. Zlatna Ribica. (Goldfish.) In the centre of Sarajevo but, it’s not something that you would likely stumble across if you were just walking around as it is a bit tucked away. It is a delightful tiny bar, warm with browns and golds cluttered with objects and antiques. It feels like the sort of place that you might go to have your fortune told by a mysterious old woman. There was soft jazz music playing and a cool goth girl serving drinks when she wasn’t knitting and smoking cigarettes. I asked for the menu, and she brought me a deck of cards. Each card had written on it in sharpie a drink. There were two people in there smoking cigarettes which was amazing to me, because, while smoking on patios in Sarajevo was certainly allowed, I hadn’t seen anyone smoking inside. I asked the girl if it would be possible for me to smoke a cigar inside and she simply shrugged and said in deadpan heavily accented English “Why would it not be ok?” And that’s when it became my favourite bar. I had previously wondered where to smoke cigars in Sarajevo? I had found my spot. I sat in there and smoked a cigar and had a drink and listened to the music and was the happiest I had been all day. And it was a good day to start with.

Wrapping up Sarajevo

I had three nights and two days in Sarajevo, which probably would have been enough time to really do it justice, except that on my second day I wanted to visit Mostar, and did, so everything that I’m describing in this post is what I did on day one. The following morning, I went almost immediately to Mostar, and I got back in the afternoon and spent my final evening in Sarajevo wandering the streets, eating local food (I found some vegetarian dumpling dish), smoking shisha, and trying to cure a recently onset cold with local apricot and honey brandies. This was before taking a bus to Montenegro.

I just loved Sarajevo. Just a wonderful combination of cultures in a historically fascinating place. I could definitely go back.

Balkans Trip 2023 Croatia Europe

Two Days in Zagreb

I arrived in Zagreb on the train from Ljubljana. My first time in Croatia. Croatia was never very high on my list of places to visit, but it fit perfectly into my Slovenia to Montenegro itinerary. I know Croatia has a beautiful coastline and maybe someday I will visit it, but on this trip, Zagreb would be my only stop. The landlocked capital. I know a lot of elaborate and colorful Croatian swear words and I knew they liked to smoke (a lot) so I felt prepared.

I checked in to my hostel, a popular spot called, inexplicably, the Swanky Mint Hostel and familiarized myself with my top bunk in the all-girls dorm room. My roommates were a group of girls traveling to celebrate their recent graduation – from high school. Nice girls. As I get older it is weird to be, often by far, the oldest person in the hostel, but despite that everyone is still friendly. Ultimately, we’re all just travelers of a certain style and that seems to transcend the widening age gaps.

Swanky Mint Hostel, complete with a nice patio bar

My hostel was in a very central spot. Perfect for walking. I set off to stop number one: a nearby excellent cigar store, where I replenished my stock, which was already dwindling a bit after Slovenia.

The thing that stuck out to me about Zagreb, culturally, is that everyone seemed to be at all times occupying vast sidewalk cafes, lingering over coffees, brandy, and cigarettes. (Seriously, do people not have jobs?) Smoking was not technically allowed indoors, but that did not seem to be an issue for many places I went, that had ashtrays on the tables inside and out.

My next stop, after an espresso, was to visit the thing I most wanted to see in Zagreb: The Museum of Broken Relationships. A small museum, it contains items donated by people from around the world and each item is accompanied by a story of a relationship that ended. The objects are simple: a toy, a note, a box of pasta, a record, an article of clothing. The stories are mostly sad. Some of the relationships are long ones and some are brief. Some ended in tragedy and others just faded away. Aside from a few lighthearted ones, they are sad and affecting. I don’t think I have ever been in a museum that was so quiet. No one spoke. Everyone just read and observed in silence. I think that museums of war and historical tragedy can sometimes feel difficult to relate to, but everyone can relate to having their heart broken. It was really affecting. (I just bought my ticket at the door, but I think it is advisable to book in advance because it is very small, and it fills up quickly.)

I spent most of the rest of that first day just wandering around, taking in the streets. Unfortunately, there was a lot of construction going on and many churches (including Saint Mark’s) and some of the museums were closed, but the city was lovely to wander.

The city is on two levels, upper and lower, connected by a funicular. I do love a funicular.

Bright yellow, ornate buildings and parks full of flowers. Inviting cafes, public statues. One of the nicest sights was the Stone Gate (Kamenita Vrata), the last remaining gate to what was once the medieval, walled upper city. In the 1700s it was engulfed in a fire, but a painting of the Virgin Mary somehow survived and it has become an important and beautiful shrine, with candles and worshippers. There was a charming altar and candles for worship in an archway.

In a main square, a brass band played rousing, patriotic sounding songs.

That evening I had dinner and a cigar on Tkalčićeva Street, a main pedestrian street lies with restaurants. It was very busy and felt quite touristy but was a good spot to watch people parade up and down.

The next morning, I went to the Dolac outdoor market, where people sold flowers, fruits and vegetables, and honey. I bought an apple and some kind of bread items filled with cheese and vegetables. At this point in my trip, after only a few days I was already getting a bit tired of the mostly-bread diet that seems to be on offer for vegetarians.

I burned off my breakfast with a long walk to the Mirogoj Cemetery. A pleasant walk to a pleasant cemetery. Neither are things I would say are must-do/see, but I enjoyed myself.

I caught a bus back to the city for more aimless wandering before catching the tram to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was excellent and free.

I went back to the cigar store and found a place to have an underwhelming dinner and an excellent cigar.

I walked thought some of the long tunnels that connected different parts of the city. It is not obvious where they are, but you can find them on maps. It was fun, if a bit eerie, to walk in without any idea where I would pop out on the other end.

That evening, I wandered to a less central neighbourhood. Away from the tourists. I don’t know what it was, but it was a cool area with funky bars and cafes, bookstores, and whatnot. I found a super cute bar and sat on cushions on the sidewalk and had a negroni before headings back to my hostel to swap travel stories.

Late that night I was off to Sarajevo.

I enjoyed my time in Zagreb. I bet there is a lot more cool stuff there to see and do that I could not discover in my short time. I actually think it might be a good city to live in. It had a good mix of beauty and grit (and loose smoking laws). Sadly I did not find use for my Croatian profanities. I’ll have to return to Croatia.

Onward to Sarajevo, which would be my favourite stop on this trip.

Balkans Trip 2023 Croatia Europe Slovenia

Ljubljana to Zagreb by Train

I took the train from Ljubljana, Slovenia to Zagreb, Croatia. It is a relatively short and easy trip that requires little planning and can be made by bus or train. There is only one correct choice in my opinion. I walked to the train station the day before my trip and bought a ticket. One way, about €25 euros. It was supposed to be about 2.5 hours but was about an hour longer.

The morning that I left my hostel, I got to the station a bit early and had an espresso before going to the platform to wait. It is not an attractive station, but it is functional, fairly small, and easy to access.

Ljubljana Train Station

*a building near the station I thought was interesting*

On the platform was a man I had seen, but not spoken to, at my hostel in Ljubljana. He was tall and sturdy looking, but what caused me to notice him in the first place was that he was old. That sounds awful, but if you are staying in a hostel and traveling with only a backpack and you are of a certain age, you are going to be noticeably old. (I am probably old to many of the hostel residents. It is all relative.). This man was probably mid-seventies to early-eighties and he told me that he was from Vancouver, a retired longshoreman, and was now traveling as much as he can – but doing it on a budget, staying in hostel dorms, taking public transport. He proudly told me he had never taken a taxi. He said all the walking isn’t as easy for him as it used to be, but that he believed it was good for him to stay active. A nice guy and something of an inspiration. I hope I too can still maneuver into a top bunk at that age.

We chatted on the train and walked the scenery pass. We shared out car with two Slovenian or Croatian ladies, probably around 70 years old themselves. I notice them because they seemed so happy; they were smiling and talking ceaselessly for the whole journey and laughing a lot. That’s a thing that I noticed about a lot of the senior aged women in Slovenia and Croatia: they seemed to be smiling and happy a lot of the time, which isn’t necessarily a thing that I have noticed at home.

We arrived at the train station in Zagreb and took the tram to our hostel – yes “our” hostel. We had coincidentally booked into the same one. The Swanky Mint Hostel. We checked in and went our separate ways. And I was on to my new destination: Zagreb.

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Slovenia

Lake Bled Day Trip

There was no question as to whether or not I would visit Lake Bled on my trip to Ljubljana. I had seen pictures of it in books years ago and of course with Instagram, seeing pictures of it are ubiquitous if you search for anything related to Slovenia and travel. It is a picturesque, small lake surrounded by trees and mountains. In the centre of that lake is a small island. On that small island is a small church. It sounds and looks like something out of a fairy tale. It makes a perfect day trip from Ljubljana.

Getting There

You can go by train or car, but I decided to go by bus. As much as I like trains, the bus was just more efficient and cheaper. There are multiple buses per day, however in the busy season it can get quite booked up, so I think it’s a good idea to book ahead of time. I went to the bus station in Ljubljana the day before my trip to Lake Bled. The bus station is directly in front of the train station. It’s a tiny building, easy to miss except for the fact that there are numerous buses parked outside. Inside, you can buy tickets with cards or cash and the schedule is well posted. It’s best to buy a round-trip journey and then when you are finished your exploration of Lake Bled you can just hop on another bus heading back to Ljubljana. They leave about every hour or so.

The journey is beautiful. I wasn’t able to get many good photos outside of the windows, but it was lovely to see the scenery going by. It became increasingly green and there were cows, villages, and mountains.

Once you get to the bus station in Lake Bled (another small unremarkable building) you really can’t go wrong; you just follow the hill down and eventually you will see the lake I don’t know how one could get lost.

And that’s what I did. I walked to the lake and turned right and walked around the lake in the direction of the castle island. It was just a lovely walk.

The Lake

On the way there are different spots where you can access boats to go to the island. You can get you can self-hire boats from one stop that I found for, I think, it was €20 and you can row yourself to the island and back, but I continued walking until I found someone who would row me across in one of the traditional boats called a pletna, used in Lake Bled for hundreds of years. I kept walking and came to the part of the lake where there was a boatman with pletna that went across at appointed times. I paid for a ticket. It wasn’t cheap, I believe it was €20 (cash only). While I waited for the next crossing, I went over to a cafe.

The Cake

Aside from the beautiful church on the little island in the middle of the beautiful lake, Lake Bled is famous for a particular dessert: a cream cake called kremna rezina or kremšnita. It doesn’t seem like something that I would ever order in my real life but it is a famous cake from a famous town in the middle of a charming country and I had time to kill of course I was going to have it. The cake has been designated by the Slovenian government as a protected dessert 0whatever that means) and there is a festival dedicated to it. So I ordered this cream cake. It was the size of my fist. It was good, but not really my cup of tea; I was happy to have tried it though. (I did not eat the whole thing.) I went back to the boatman, and we went across to the island.

Getting to the Island

Crossing Lake Bled to go to Bled Island was my favourite part about my visit. It was just so beautiful and I could really appreciate the water and the views. It really did seem magical. On the way, I chatted with a friendly couple from Belgium who were traveling around Europe with their dog. And with the boatman who was a fit and handsome maybe 65 year old. He stood on the end of the boat, rowing it with two oars as we crossed the lake.

The island itself is… fine. All there is on the island is a café, a souvenir shop, a small museum and a small church. The cafe in the souvenir shop I skipped, but I did buy a ticket for the small church. If you are reading this and you are planning on going, let me save you €8 now: the church is not worth visiting. If someone told me that, I probably would have gone anyway because I like to see things for myself, but if you’re short on cash, skip it. There is nothing remarkable about the church.

the church on Bled Island

The price of the church entrance also gives you admission to the small museum, which is above the cafe in souvenir shop. The museum is just a couple of rooms of paintings and maps and a few artifacts from Lake Bled. It is of moderate interest, but I would have been happy to have skipped it. The island is nice enough, but I only needed a short time there. The real treat is being on the shore and looking at the island.

Bled the Town and Returning to Ljubljana

I stopped and had a tasty lunch of apples, cheese, and honey on bread and coffee, after which I walked around the town a bit and caught some nice views of the streets and the mountains in the distance.

Bled town views

I caught the bus back to Ljubljana. It is a perfect day trip. I was back in Ljubljana early enough that it was still light outside and I could enjoy the late afternoon and evening back in the capital. The next day I would take the train to Zagreb and my Slovenian adventures were over.

(Just as a postscript, I do wish that I had had one extra day in Ljubljana because I would have done a day trip to the Postojna Cave, which looks like another great day trip option. I guess I’ll just have to return.)

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Slovenia

Ljubljana Weekend

Arrival in Slovenia

I landed in Ljubljana, Slovenia very late due to the unexpected flight change that had given me a layover in Frankfurt. It was nearly 11pm. I took a taxi from the airport and went straight to my hostel, figuring I would go right to bed.

Metelkova Mesto

I couldn’t see anything of Ljubljana as we drove onto the city. Darkness. When we arrived at the hostel, what I saw was not the picturesque scenes of Ljubljana I had seen online or in my book. The area was not quaint; it was unkempt and gritty. My kind of place.

I was staying at the Hostel Celica, which was in a former prison. (I love accommodations that used to be something else.) The rooms at the hostel included dorms and private rooms, all with shared bathrooms, and all in former cells. And it showed. The doors to the rooms were thick, heavy metal and many still had bars. My room had been refurbished, but it still had prison flavour: a simple wooden table and chair, a slit in the thick wall for a window, and a basic (and treacherously high) bunk bed near the ceiling. “Sure,” I thought, “the one time I forget to buy medical insurance I end up with a serious risk of a nocturnal fall.” (I was fine.)

The hostel was great – and cheap. For my room and breakfast, it was about $30 CDN a night. The dorms were even cheaper.

Hostel Celica

That first night, as the taxi dropped me off, I was a little confused about where to go. The driver dropped me off at the entrance to a compound and I walked in. All the buildings were covered in graffiti and murals, there was music blaring from buildings and boomboxes (a chaos of rock, klezmer, and rap) and people were congregating outside, drinking and smoking. I found my hostel and checked in…and then promptly went out again. I went into the seediest looking building and ordered a shot of whatever the bartender (a very hardened looking woman who looked like she had been working there ceaselessly for decades) recommended, which was a shot of blueberry schnapps (one of Slovenia’s main drinks), served to me in a plastic cup. I went outside and sipped on my drink and had a small cigar, while walking around the neighbourhood. It was a wild scene. It was more of a party than I am comfortable with, but I enjoyed being a fly on the wall. A couple of very inebriated guys talked to me about nonsense. I politely moved on. I took a few pictures, but I got the feeling photos were not welcome, so I put my phone away.

Metelkova Mesto by night

The area is called Metelkova Mesto and it is a former army barrack turns squatters area / outdoor art complex. It reminded me a little bit of Christiania in Copenhagen, but with less overt cannabis commerce.

Metelkova Mesto by day

It’s a rougher area but did not feel unsafe. In the morning I was able to get a better look at the art and take photos, as the place was mostly deserted, except for some people sleeping and a woman who yelled a bit at nothing and then peed on the ground in the middle of the courtyard.

A different side to Ljubljana. I really liked where I was staying though; cheap and a short walk to both the ‘pretty’ areas and the trains and bus stations. And at night there was a lot going on.

Seeing Ljubljana

The first full day, I walked to the touristy area. The part with the historic and picturesque buildings, the castle, and the river. The part you see if you google ‘Ljubljana’.

I felt a bit concerned that I would not be able to see everything I wanted to see in my short time. I was to have 2.5 days there, but one day was earmarked for Lake Bled and I lost the half day to Frankfurt. Not to worry; a day is plenty to see the sights of Ljubljana.

It is beautiful. The buildings are lovely, there is a river through the centre with greenery along it. There are statues and inviting cafes.

The Castle

I walked the streets and then took the funicular up to the castle. As far as castles go, it was only of moderate interest, but the funicular is excellent: modern and gives great views of the city.

Also, at the castle is a pretty little church and a puppet museum. I love puppets and found the puppet museum utterly charming. There were even some puppets you could manipulate, including some weird picked heads in jars. It is included with the price of the castle visit so it is worth visiting even if you are dead inside and don’t love puppets.

Museum Day

On the streets I continued my meandering. It was Sunday, 3 September 2023. I didn’t know ahead of time, but all the museums and galleries in Ljubljana are free on the first Sunday of the month. I visited the Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana, which was just excellent, if you like weird modern art (which I do).

I also visited the Natural History Museum and the National Museum (in the same building). These ones were only ok. I was happy they were free, and I breezed through.

Too much of a good thing?

By the time that first day was over, I was already feeling like I had seen Ljubljana. And I still had another afternoon and evening the next day. I spent time lingering in cafés, reading, and smoking cigars – not bad really. There was a burger and beer festival on that weekend, and I had a tasty vegan burger. At night I sat on patios and had a few cocktails and smoked cigars. Heaven.

I thought Ljubljana was pretty and romantic and I liked it, but I also was over it quickly. I loved the cafés and patios and watching the world go by through a haze of my own cigar smoke, but I got restless. Also, it was very crowded. There were tour groups and tourists everywhere. Lots of patios and restaurants were packed with no possibility of even waiting for a table. The streets were mobbed. I guess that is my fault for visiting on Labour Day weekend, but I could have done with a bit fewer people. Regardless, I think Ljubljana makes for a perfect weekend getaway.

There are fountains all over Ljubljana with drinking water. This is one of them. The water drains down faces in an alleyway.

I would re-visit Slovenia. It is so beautiful and there are more things to do – particularly, the caves, which I skipped and wish I had been able to fit them in. They look great.

More of beautiful Ljubljana

Of course, I didn’t just stay in Ljubljana. I went to Lake Bled to see the fairy tale-looking church on a tiny island in the middle of a small lake. That is for another post – this one.

After my time in Ljubljana was at an end, I took the morning train to Zagreb, Croatia.

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Germany

But first, Frankfurt

The trip to come

I had a pocket of un-visited countries in the Balkans region that I wanted to see them: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro. I decided to do a hop through the capitals, with a few side trips. I would skip the cost altogether. I have no doubt that the coast is lovely, but it wasn’t what I wanted to see, so I booked a flight from Vancouver to Ljubljana, Slovenia and would head south from there.

But first, and unplanned layover.

Surprise layover in Frankfurt

I was to change planes in Frankfurt, but with only a short layover; however, in the days before my flight, something changes, and I would have about seven hours in Frankfurt. It shortened my time in Slovenia a bit, but there was nothing to be done about it. I landed in Frankfurt, left my backpack at the airport, and and made the quick and familiar train journey to the city centre.

It was early September, and the weather was perfect – no, maybe a bit too warm, but it was sunny and nice.

I hadn’t planned to be there, so I had no plans. I just walked around the historic part of the city. Everyone else had the same idea. It was crowded, with almost a festival atmosphere. Sometimes I might find that annoying, but I was just so happy to be traveling and to be in Europe. I hadn’t been away in over a month, when I was in Brazil.

I soaked up the sun and the sights before settling in on a patio on a small square and had a snack, a coffee, and a cigar. A man was playing the trumpet. It was lovely.

After about three or four hours I headed back to the airport. It was Labour Day weekend, and I was worried about airport crowds.

I am always happy to sneak in a layover visit to a city. Poor Frankfurt, though; I’ve only ever seen it on layovers. It may have more to offer than I know. Another time.

Onward to Slovenia.

Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe United Kingdom

My Perfect London Layover

The Layover

I was flying home to Vancouver from Minsk via Dubai and I had an 11 hour layover in London. I had 8 hour layover in London on the way to Minsk and it was great (it had been Coronation Day). In fact, every long layover I’ve had in London is great, but somehow this managed to top them all. Every time I have a layover in London I try to pick a new area that I want to visit; a place that seems lovely to wander for a few hours (of course sometimes I just make my way over to Saint James Street and hole up in a cigar lounge). This time, it was a Sunday morning and I decided head to East London.

Breakfast in Hoxton

I started by taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and then switching to the Tube where I made my way over to Old Street station in Hoxton with a plan to walk to Shoreditch. I hadn’t been over that part of east London and many many years, not since I lived in London, but I heard that it was kind of the cool neighborhood to check out so I thought I would.

The neighborhood was great. Most things were closed (it was early) but it already felt cool. The buildings were old, the parks were nice, there was there was public art of the mural and sculpture variety, and I was impressed.

quiet morning street art

I was more impressed when I found a restaurant that was open. The Breakfast Club. I would definitely go back. It was exactly what I wanted. Great music, comfy booths, vegan options, and mugfuls of strong, black coffee. I think the people in there thought I was crazy because I kept telling them how excited I was to find them open and with vegan breakfast.

The Breakfast Club

My stomach full of coffee and tofu, I carried on walking towards the Columbia Road flower market. On the way I stopped for an espresso.

more coffee!

Flower Market

I had never even heard of the Columbia Road flower market. I just started Googling things to do on a Sunday morning in London and I discovered it and it’s now one of the loveliest things that I’ve ever found to do on a Sunday morning. It’s just a stretch of street where every Sunday flower merchants come out to sell their flowers.

It sounds like something that might just be made-up for Instagram, but there are legitimately people there buying plants and flowers and then carting them away. Flower merchants are calling out in delightful accents the price and variety of their flowers. It is so charming – even better, many people there have cute dogs with them, and that’s great.

“The flower that smiles to-day, to-morrow dies…“

The thing that made it extra lovely is that while one side of the street is all flower merchants, the other side of the street are delightful shops painted in pretty colours and it reminded me a little bit of Victoria street in Edinburgh (except without the slope). There are antique shops, coffee shops, trinket shops, bakeries, a tea room, and a perfumer… it’s so charming. I browsed in all the shops, bought myself a little bit of perfume, ate a tiny treat, and carried on my way. It was absolutely perfect.

charming shopfronts

Spitalfields

From there I walked down to Spitalfields to the Old Spitalfields Market – like I hadn’t had enough to eat already, but I wanted it as a destination. It was a grand walk. The skies were blue it was warming up. I browsed around the Spitalfields market, a place I don’t know if I’d ever been to before.

I had an excellent coffee, and I really enjoyed the public art that they had there – the cute elephant statues (Our Herd of Hope) and the sculpture of Rabbitwoman and Dogman riding a motorbike with side car whilst drinking coffee (telling the tale of “two opposites coming together to become best friends and soul mates”).

Elephants, rabbit, and dog, oh my!

Walking south I found myself wandering through a blocks’ long thrift market.

Bypassing The Tower

I walked towards the Tower of London, not because I wanted to go to the Tower of London; it just seemed like a destination. The closer I got to the Tower of London, the livelier things got: the crowds of tourists picked up, church bells were ringing, more shops were open.

I got glimpses of the London skyline along the way. It was perfect. I wound my way past the tourists queuing up for the Tower of London and headed for London Bridge.

Borough Market & The Tate

Tower Bridge, the Thames, and the Shard

Crossing London Bridge, I got some lovely views and once on the other side, I was just steps from Borough Market (London’s best food market, dating back hundreds of years).

Approaching Borough Market

I walked through Borough Market, unfortunately at this point, having eaten the tofu and a couple of treats from the Columbia Street flower market, I couldn’t possibly eat any more, but I did get a lovely fresh carrot and ginger juice and another espresso and walked around the market, just ogling all of the treats. (Note to self: I must make a plan to come back when I am hungry.)

Exiting Borough Market, I then found myself near the Tate Modern gallery.

While some of the special exhibits are paid, to walk into the Tate and look at the regular collections is free, so I did that. I walked around, looked at some art (splendid), and then I left. I realized that I really ought to be moving on because I had a lunch date.

Lunch & Leaving London

I have a friend who lives in London, someone that I met in 2009 in the Ecuadorian rainforest and, while we sort of keep in touch, we haven’t really seen each other in years, so we made plans to have lunch. We met near Paddington Station, in Little Venice where we had an excellent lunch at a Lebanese restaurant and swapped travel stories.

Seriously, was this the perfect day? Throw a cigar and a visit to the theatre and I think it might have been. It’s amazing what you can do in a layover. I can’t believe some people just stay at the airport.

I flew back to Vancouver, and this concluded my trip to Minsk, which parenthetically also included two days in London and two days in Dubai. It was just an excellent trip maybe the best that I had in 2023 to date.

I would have a short hiatus from travel of a couple of months to enjoy the summer in Vancouver, and then I would be off to Brazil.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Farewell, Minsk

I had one day left in Minsk. I had already seen basically everything I thought that I could see and yet there was still more. I had a quick breakfast at my hostel and then went out for a walk. I walked along the banks of the river to the National Museum (full name: “The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War”).

I think one could give the National Museum a miss; it’s not amazing but it is interesting and I did learn a lot about the history of the country.

State Museum of Belarus

From there I walked up to the Komarovskiy Market, the largest market in Minsk. On the way, I had coffee at about three different neighbourhood cafes, each one very charming; some with books, some with dogs, all with great coffee.

Cafés in Minsk

The market was enjoyable; very similar to markets that I’ve visited and other former Soviet countries. Lots of breads, dumplings, pickled items, and fruits and vegetables. Also a ton of local honey. It is a great place to try some local food. I snacked on some delicious fruits and baked goods and then made my way over to a new museum.

Komarovskiy Market

I visited the Memorial Museum-Studio of Z. Azgur. Zair Azgur was a Belarusian sculptor, active from the 1920s to the 1950s, famous for sculpting hundreds of busts of Belarusian and Soviet military and political figures. His studio is now a museum. It holds over 4000 items, not all of which are on display at one time, but for travellers, it’s most interesting because of the sheer number of statues of Lenin and Marx and Stalin on display. It’s increasingly rare to see such depictions.

When I first entered the museum, I entered a small room with a number of busts. Quite impressive. I took a lot of photos and found it interesting. Then I was led to upstairs to a larger room, which had me gasp when I entered it. A huge room stacked floor to ceiling with busts of Soviet figures. It’s lit beautifully and very interesting to walk around. In the centre of the room is an impressive figure of Lenin striding forward, his coat waving up behind him, as well as a very serious statue of Stalin sitting in in a chair, and an enormous bust of Lenin’s head that was nearly as tall as I am. It was super cool and I think it should be on everyone’s list for Minsk.

Room No.1

Double Lenin

In the afternoon, I just wandered around the city a little bit more, had a short nap at my hostel, and in the evening I went to the opera. The opera house (full name: “The National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus”), was just a block from my hostel in the middle of a park. A stunning white building built in the 1930s and designed by Iosif Langbar.

*The National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus*

I’ve discovered that going to the opera at any former Soviet country is a great idea, because the opera houses are beautiful the shows are excellent, and the tickets are ridiculously cheap. They were showing Die Fledermaus at the opera and I picked up a ticket for less than $10 Canadian. The show was sung in German with Belarusian and Russian sur titles so it wasn’t the easiest of shows to follow along with, but I had a great time.

In the evening I walked around Minsk a little more, had a cigar of course, and went to bed early for my extremely early flight.

More Minsk buildings that I liked

I absolutely loved my time in Belarus. For me, it was kind of a leisurely trip. I had several days in the capital and my day in the countryside, and I never felt that I ran out of things to do. It’s a place that I would consider going back to in order to see more of the country. I don’t know if it was less touristy because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, or simply because it’s Belarus, but it didn’t feel at all touristy. It felt entirely authentic, and I liked it.

And so, it was onward to Dubai for another long layover, a long layover in London and then back home.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Minsk: Two Churches and A Library

The day after my excellent day trip outside of Minsk I was back in the city and decided to build a day around visiting the National Library. The Belarus National Library is extraordinary and unique. It is this very futuristic design, built in 2006 in the share of a rhombicuboctahedron. (that’s right. Look it up.) It has 26 sides. It looks like something that should be flying in space or used as a die in a role-playing game. it’s imposing, intimidating and beautiful, in its own way. At night it’s lit up in a variety of colours. (The library is also notable to me because it was featured in a music video for the Belarusian band Molchat Doma, a band I really like.)

It was a short metro stop from central Minsk and gave me opportunity to visit yet more attractive subway stations. From the library I crossed the street and wandered by some Soviet apartment block buildings that had on the sides of them really cool mid-century mosaics of Soviet life and achievement. There were astronauts and farmers and Olympians. The tall apartment blocks still lived in.

I walked past trees in blossom and beautiful wildflowers everywhere on my way to see the Church of All Saints.

I didn’t see the Church of All Saints listed in many “what to see guides” and for Minsk, which is bananas because it’s stunning. It’s a newer church, gleaming white and gold. From the outside it is absolutely beautiful, and it is equally stunning from the inside. I took about a million photos from different angles.

Church of All Saints

In the basement of the church is the crypt; it’s quite attractive but what’s mostly notable about it is that the walls of it are lined with small square cubbyholes with amber coloured translucent windows on them. Inside of them are the ashes or remains of people killed – mostly unidentified and mostly soldiers. It gives the crypt beautiful glow. Of course, my twisted brain also thought it a little like a beautiful and morbid automat.

What I didn’t know prior to arriving, was the right next to the church of all saints Is another church, the Holy Trinity Church. While the Church of All Saints is white and gleaming, the Holy Trinity Church is black and sinister looking. I couldn’t find out a lot of information about it. I don’t know when it was built, but I do know that it’s made entirely of logs like a log cabin. It is cozy on the inside with a log cabiny feeling. The two churches are worth a visit.

Holy Trinity Church

From the churches I decided to walk back to central Minsk. It was a long walk but took me past a lovely cemetery that I walked through and looked at the various headstones and their designs.

It was a pleasant and leisurely day in Minsk and of course I ended the day by having a cigar and a cocktail (ok, two) on the patio of a Lebanese restaurant.

I had one day ahead of me in Minsk and had plans to see the opera and a whole lot more of Lenin.

*pedestrian street in central Minsk at night*

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Minsk Metro

A whole post devoted to metro stations probably isn’t warranted, except that Minsk’s Metro stations are beautiful. The Soviet Union placed great value on public transportation and, generally, made their metro stations lovely rather than merely functional. The most beautiful I have seen are in Russia, but other former USSR ones I’ve seen have been impressive. Minsk’s were no exception.

Minsk’s Metro only has three lines but has stops that can be useful for a visitor, such as for visiting the architecturally amazing library. For the most part, Minsk’s sights are walkable, but I wanted to see some of the stations. I didn’t visit all, but on my final day or two in Minsk, when I had seen much of ‘the sights’ I made a point of popping into a few stations to check them out.

The Metro is incredibly cheap – only less than $0.50 per ride – and when you pay, you get a neat little plastic token to enter.

Some of the stations have beautiful lighting and columns; others have interesting design on the walls of the tunnels in the stations. The best ones are those that still have their Soviet insignia intact.

You’re not officially allowed to take photos of the stations, but if no one sees you doing it, it’s no problem.

Like many Russian and Ukrainian stations, some had little shops in the tunnels leading to the stations, selling delicious baked goods.

Others had monuments and memorials. Of the latter, the most notable is at Nyamiha metro station, where, outside, there is a monument to the victims of the Nyamiha stampede where 53 people were crushed and trampled to death after people crushed into the stations during a sudden rainstorm.

Nyamiha stampede memorial

The possibility of sudden death aside, it’s worth visiting the Minsk Metro, whether you need to take it or not; to see the decoration and just to participate in a bit of everyday life in modern Minsk.

More subway memorials. The one on the right is for WW2. The one on the left is for a 1905 shooting, i think.

Wandering North

Category: Europe

At the crossroads in Sarajevo

Arrival in Sarajevo

Morning walk

A tour through history

More walking and sights

Abandoned bobsled hike

Zlatna Ribica

Wrapping up Sarajevo

Two Days in Zagreb

Ljubljana to Zagreb by Train

Lake Bled Day Trip

Getting There

The Lake

The Cake

Getting to the Island

Bled the Town and Returning to Ljubljana

Ljubljana Weekend

Arrival in Slovenia

Metelkova Mesto

Seeing Ljubljana

The Castle

Museum Day

Too much of a good thing?

But first, Frankfurt

The trip to come

Surprise layover in Frankfurt

My Perfect London Layover

The Layover

Breakfast in Hoxton

Flower Market

Spitalfields

Bypassing The Tower

Borough Market & The Tate

Lunch & Leaving London

Farewell, Minsk

Minsk: Two Churches and A Library

Minsk Metro