cigar Archives - Page 6 of 25

Africa Zambia Zimbabwe-Zambia 2023

Last Stop: Lusaka

I had arrived in Lusaka in the afternoon of Saturday, arriving by car from Livingstone. I set out immediately to explore what I could of the city. I had read a lot of things about Lusaka that suggested that it might not be particularly safe after dark, so I wanted to get in the sightseeing that I could while I could on that first day. I set off from my hostel – Lusaka Backpackers – to explore.

Lusaka doesn’t seem to have an overwhelming abundance of intriguing touristic sites, but I always say that there’s something worth exploring in every city.

Unfortunately I had missed the closure of the museum, which I had really wanted to see, and it would be closed the next day as well, but I walked to it so that I could see the freedom statue out in front.

National Museum of Zambia and the Freedom Statue, marking Zambia’s independence.

I walked around a busy street catching some glimpses of mosques and a few interesting buildings. But I didn’t have a lot of time before the sun went down. I walked through sort of a residential neighbourhood filled with flowering bushes and trees and made my way to a cute cafe set in a garden (The Garden Café & Buddha Bar), which I recommend as a pleasant oasis.

I had a bite to eat and a cigar and ended up chatting with the owner for over an hour. He is from Zambia originally but had moved away to England and moved back. It was fascinating to hear his theories about why, he felt, Zambia is so culturally diverse and safe. His theory was that tribes from lots of different warring countries around Zambia had all fled to Zambia to escape conflicts and as a result, the country was full of people who were diverse and peace loving. I don’t know if that is true, but I certainly cannot contradict it; nor would I wish to.

I walked back to my hostel just as it was getting dark. I don’t know if it was safe or not to be out after dark, but I was also fairly tired so I spent an evening hanging out at my hostel before going to bed.

The next morning, I got up early, determined to make the most of what I could that day. I had to leave for the airport around 4:00 that afternoon. Again I went out exploring. A lot of things were closed in Lusaka on a Sunday, but it was pleasant to walk the quiet and colourful streets.

I visited several cafes, but I had breakfast at this wonderful restaurant called Meraki Café, which is not a far walk from my hostel. (I think there is more than one location; the one I went to, which is so pretty, is on Chaholi Roasd). It looked like it was lovely inside, but I never made it past the wonderful outdoor garden seating. I had an excellent breakfast and a morning cigar. It was the sort of place that if you weren’t looking for it you wouldn’t stumble across it because it was tucked away on a residential street. I got the sense in my short time in Lusaka that a lot of places were like that, just hidden away, which makes it difficult to see a lot on a short trip, but I did what I could.

Breakfast at Meraki Café

I took the bus to the African Sunday crafts market, which was worth the journey. Lots of masks and paintings and other sorts of crafts being sold. It was a little outside of the centre, so I took a bus. I walked around and looked at the offerings, which were lovely, but how many things can one buy? After a bit of haggling, I walked away with a mask for my office.

At this point it was time for me to head back to the hostel and get organized to go to the airport. My trip to Zambia and Zimbabwe was at an end — or just about, as I had a long layover in London ahead of me.

Africa Zambia Zimbabwe-Zambia 2023

Zambian Zebras in Livingstone

Coming from the border with Zimbabwe, my taxi driver dropped me off at my accommodations: The Ravine Lodge. I was still on a high from having seen zebras by the roadside and I was excited to explore a new country: Zambia.

The Ravine Lodge was comfortable. I had a nice private room in a bungalow around a grassy courtyard. I would have no hesitation recommending the hotel as it was a good price and just a short walk into the city centre. That said, that short walk into the city centre felt like a long walk during the day because it was so hot and felt long at night because it was so dark and I was concerned about what creatures might be roaming around.

The Ravine Lodge

But I didn’t come to sit in my hotel

walking in Livingstone

I walked into the city centre. I liked Livingstone; it is small and there is not a lot to do there apart from animal and river activities. The central crafts market (the Mukuni Park Curio Market) is open most days. It is small enough so as not to be overwhelming and has an excellent assortment of local handicrafts. I eventually bought a mask and chatted with some of the vendors. There is a small museum in town, which is worth visiting if you have a bit of extra time but is okay to skip if you don’t. I made my way through the city stopping at various cafes along the way enjoy some air conditioning and a bit of coffee. It was an easy place to visit. People spoke English and are used to tourists; and it felt safe.

cellphone booths

downtown Livingstone

crafts market

My time in Livingston really had two purposes: number one was to visit the Devil’s Pool at the Victoria Falls; and number two, was to do a microlight flight over the falls. Once I had done those two things in the two days that I had in Livingstone, I was going to head to Lusaka. Things didn’t go quite according to plan. The Devil’s Pool was amazing and I have written about that separately, but the microlight flight never happened. I had pre-booked a flight with this company and prepaid them what I think was about $200 US, but on the day that I was to do it they said the weather wasn’t cooperative and they wanted to reschedule for the next day. I said that was fine. However, the next day came and they said the weather still wasn’t good. And since I was leaving the next day, it meant I never got the chance to do the microlight over the falls. What was more frustrating was that they refused to refund my money on to my credit card so that was a bit of a loss (yes I’m aware I should have done a charge back on the credit card but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it). My fault. So I spent my two days in Livingstone just kind of wandering around and taking it easy.

An excellent café, the museum, and a church

While I didn’t have the microlight flight over the falls, I had something that might have been even better. On that second day when I realized the microlight flight wasn’t going to happen, I thought about what I could do. There is no end to the amount of activities that you can do at Victoria Falls, but I had already done the Devil’s Pool and I had already visited the falls from the Zimbabwean side and I just didn’t feel that excited about going kayaking or bungee jumping or any of those things. So I decided to go to a very fancy hotel for drinks and a cigar. I think this idea came from someone who commented on a post I made on Instagram about the fact that my if I was looking for something to do I should have tea ta the Royal Livingstone Hotel. I wish I could remember who that was because I would thank them.

I took a taxi to the Royal Livingston hotel, which is south of the Livingstone town centre. It is a big luxury hotel set along the banks of the Zambezi river with a view of the spray coming up from the falls. It is absolutely stunning. A graceful mansion set on manicured grounds surrounded by forest and facing the river. I could never afford to stay here, but I could afford to go there for a drink. They have restaurants and bars including one appropriately called the Traveller’s Bar, and they have a sundowner bar that is al fresco and set right along the banks of the river. I thought “what a great place to go finish out the day and have a cigar.” The real draw however was that, allegedly, because there are no fences around the hotel, animals will just wander into the grounds to nibble on the grass by the river. I didn’t know if this was true but I thought it was worth visiting to find out.

As my taxi pulled up to the hotel, a giraffe ambled by in front of the car. This is only the second time I had seen a giraffe in the wild and the first time I wasn’t expecting it. Similar to when I saw the two zebras by the roadside the previous day, I started to exclaim and giggle with wonderment. I managed to get a short video, of which this is a still:

I walked through the lobby of the Royal Livingstone Hotel (trying to look like I belonged there) and back outside to the river. As I stepped out onto the grass I saw zebras. Maybe a dozen zebras, including a baby or two, just on the grass in the shade. I became overwhelmed with emotion; it was maybe one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and I hadn’t been expecting it to look anything like this. I felt emotion well up in my throat and my eyes were tearing up. It was a wonderful feeling.

As I walked to the bar, which was really just a wooden platform with seating under the trees, the bartender greeted me and asked me how I was doing, and I burst into tears. Not sad tears, just overwhelmed with emotion tears. Sometimes when things are wonderful I will tear up, but it isn’t very often that I actually start to cry. I was trying to explain to the bartender why I was crying: simply that it was so beautiful and the zebras were so amazing and unexpected, but as I was saying this I was still crying, a scenario I found ridiculous, which made me laugh. So then I was there crying and laughing and trying to explain myself to this bartender who only really wanted to know what I wanted to drink. A bit embarrassing, but mostly just a great moment.

Fortunately, there was another tourist there, a doctor from Vancouver Island of all places, and he offered to take my pictures in front of the zebras. I am so happy that he did because I think this has become maybe my favourite picture of myself in my travels. Cigar in hand, all dressed in black, and somewhere amazing. It really is a good encapsulation of me.

I sat at the bar and had a cocktail and watch the sunset into the river, chatting with the Canadians seated nearby. In the distance I could see and hear hippos in the river. A zebra or two walked in front of us just as the sun was setting. It was really amazing. I could have stayed there forever, but eventually it got dark and there was nothing to see.

At this point I decided to settle in at the Traveler’s Bar, or more particularly, on the patio of the Traveler’s Bar, for a bit of dinner and another cigar.

I had a bite to eat and was just about to order a cocktail when a man and a woman walked past me heading into the restaurant. The man was holding a box that contained a bottle of Scotch and an opaque Ziploc bag that I knew probably had cigars inside. I was smoking a cigar and as he walked past, he stopped and looked at me and I at him and I said “Are those cigars you have in that bag?” And he responded “I’m just wondering if we should come and join you.” I suggested that they should absolutely join me, and they did. The man and his girlfriend were locals and I found out during the conversation that the man was a member of the Zambian government. (I don’t know if I’m supposed to say who he was so I won’t.) Three of his other friends joined us and we sat and had cigars and drinks until late into the evening. It was such a great experience. His friends were all well-to-do Zambians; One a designer of banks, another owned a winery and game reserve, another one was some kind of a technology business guy. The girlfriend was, like me, a lawyer.

At one point, my governmental friend pulled out a Zimbabwean cigar – a Mosi-Oa-Tunya. This was a cigar that I had been looking for when I was in Zimbabwe but was unable to find it. I had sent an e-mail to the company, but they had not responded. When I commented on it, my friend gave me the cigar and called up the owner of the Zimbabwean cigar company and put me on the phone with him to arrange getting me some of those cigars. I always say that cigars are such a great social lubricant. If you’re a cigar smoker and you meet another cigar smoker not only do you have cigars to talk about, but it is understood that there is a fraternity of sorts and you are both members and that it is not only acceptable but encouraged to share your time and conversation with each other. Having that cigar on that patio allowed me to have one of the more memorable evenings on my trip, connecting with interesting local people over cigars

And as we sat there, the animal parade didn’t stop. Zebras continued to walk past us in the darkness.

It was an incredible evening in a perfect way to wrap up my time in Livingstone. The next day I would head for the capital of Zambia: Lusaka.

Africa Zimbabwe Zimbabwe-Zambia 2023

Visiting Harare

I arrived in Zimbabwe after a long flight from Vancouver via New York and Nairobi. I landed in Harare. The purpose of my trip to Zimbabwe it was to visit Victoria Falls, but there was no way I was going to skip visiting the capital on my first visit to Zimbabwe.

Arrival in Zimbabwe

I don’t think Zimbabwe way it needs much of an introduction, but just in case: it is in southern Africa, formerly Rhodesia. It became independent in 1980 and then from 1980 to 2017 was under authoritarian rule courtesy of Robert Mugabe. During this time there was massive inflation, human rights violations, and corruption. Things are better now. What Zimbabwe always had however is astonishing natural beauty and wildlife. The former being the reason for my visit.

Two fun facts about Zimbabwe.

It has more official languages than any other country (16), though English is most commonly spoken.
During the period of hyperinflation in around 2008-2009, purchasing power of the currency got so bad that the government had to issue notes as high as 100 trillion. Some of these are still floating around for purchase by tourists and nerds. I was not lucky enough to get a trillion note, but I did find some in the billions and millions.

Visas

As a Canadian, I was able to get a visa at the border. I knew I would be in and out of Zimbabwe a couple of times on my trip, so I tried to get a multi entry visa or at least a double entry visa, but this was denied and I was only given a single entry visa, which cost $75.00 US payable in US cash on the spot. It was effectively a cash grab and there was no formality and no application. (These is a thing called a Kaza Visa, which gives multiple entries to Zambia and Zimbabwe, but it is no longer given to Canadians since Canadians no longer need a visa to visit Zambia.)

Accommodations

I then took a taxi to my accommodation: the Bronte Garden Hotel. Honestly, the Bronte Garden Hotel is a little bit above my general budget, but it looked so charming and I felt that after such a long journey it would be amazing to stay in such lovely surroundings. The Bronte Garden Hotel, at least its main building, was built in 1911 as the house for some sort of industrial colonial bigwig. It was converted into a hotel about 50 years ago. It is a collection of two or three white two-story buildings set amidst lush tropical gardens. There are trees and flowers and pools, statues, and lovely seating areas set under the trees. A bar and a restaurant. It feels quite special.

The thing that put it within my reach price-wise is that while the main house is well outside of my normal budget, they have some more basic rooms in the houses that are much more affordable. These cheaper rooms are less fancy, but you still get access to all the same grounds and amenities, and that’s really the reason that I wanted to stay there. I enjoyed my time at the Bronte Garden Hotel immensely. The two nights that I was there, I spent my evenings in the garden with cigars (actually I also spent my mornings in the garden with cigars) and I had several conversations with other people staying at the hotel, most of whom were there on business from South Africa. It was just a lovely oasis.

me and my breakfast cigar at the Bronte Garden Hotel

Wandering in Harare

But of course, I didn’t come to Harare to sit in a hotel. I was in the city for a day and a half, two nights in total. The first day, I arrived at midday I didn’t do much of note. I essentially walked around the neighbourhood. Lovely wide streets with flowering orange and purple trees, apartment buildings and big houses. It was pleasant but I didn’t see anything too interesting.

An afternoon walk

The next day, my one full day in Harare, I really explored the city. I walked from my hotel to the National Botanic Garden (free), because it opened early. On the way I walked past a golf course and saw small antelope bounding across the greens. The gardens were beautiful, with different plants and landscaping suitable to different climates. It was massive, more than I could see in one visit, but I enjoyed a stroll around the grounds and chatted with a young man who was friendly and taking a detour on his way to school.

National Botanic Garden

From the garden I walked to a café called The Bottom Drawer. It was in a residential neighbourhood, basically operating out of a house. It was absolutely lovely, set in a garden with plants and trees and chickens running loose I sat on a comfy sofa on a covered veranda and had coffee and sandwich while I planned my next moves.

I had walked quite a far way from my hotel and in the opposite direction from where I wanted to go next, so I took a taxi back to my hotel and then walked from there.

a park near the National Gallery

I walked into the centre of town, passing along the way lively street markets and businesses, busy with traffic and commerce. I had wanted to visit the National Gallery and that was my first destination, however it was closed (Mondays). Fortunately, the Artopia Café in the in the gallery was open. A cool cafe with art and free wi-fi and coffee and lots of young people working on laptops. It was a good spot, especially after my long walk. Behind the gallery, accessible from the café was an outdoor sculpture gallery, so I got to see that, which I enjoyed.

Artopia Café and the Sculpture Garden

I could have gone to the Shona sculpture gallery, which is a popular tourist attraction, however my hotel had a lot of Shona sculptures in its gardens and I didn’t feel need to see more. But I did visit another gallery near the National Gallery about a block away, called the First Floor Gallery. It is on a higher floor of a commercial building and has almost no signage, but I found it. It is a small gallery (free) and with interesting contemporary art. Plus, it has access to the roof from which you can get a decent view of the streets below.

First Floor Gallery & and the view from the roof

Walking through central Harare was moderately interesting. It was pretty orderly and it lacked the chaos that I often enjoy in big African cities. I got in trouble only once for attempting to walk up to a statue that was accessible on a small bridge over an intersection. I got halfway there and the police on the street started shouting at me to turn around, so I did. I don’t know what the problem was it was completely accessible, but I didn’t argue.

*intersection with the off-limits statue*

I spent a couple hours just walking around Harare, checking out a market and some of the interesting architecture, and just looking around. Harare was interesting enough for a day, but I definitely didn’t feel the need to stay there for longer than that. For those of you that wonder about these things, it felt totally safe.

street markets

sights in Harare

I returned to the hotel for dinner, and cigars and chitchat in the gardens until it was time for bed. It might seem fast, but it was the perfect amount of time for me to visit Harare and I really enjoyed it. But on my third day I took off again for my second location in Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls (the town and the falls).

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Montenegro

In Defence of Podgorica

Podgorica is often referred to as ‘Europe’s most boring capital city.’ It is either dismissed or reviled. (For the latter stance, I recommend this blog post, which is too harsh, but it is a fun read.) So why did I voluntarily spend two days there? I shall explain and also justify why Podgorica is actually ok.

A bit about Podgorica and why I was there

Podgorica was at the end of my Balkans trip. I had started in Ljubljana, gone to Lake Bled, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Mostar, and then Podgorica, from where I would fly home to Vancouver. My plan, when I booked the trip, was to use my time in Podgorica as a base from which to visit coastal and medieval Kotor. But then I arrived in Podgorica and the thought of getting on another bus and traveling in a long day trip AND the thought of visiting somewhere else precious and picturesque just did not appeal. All the places I had been were so busy with tourists and many of them were so precious, that I just found if off putting. I just wanted to do something more normal and unexciting. Podgorica fill the bill.

The thing about Podgorica is that it was decimated in World War Two. Here and there you can see slivers of history. There are a few blocks of old cobblestones and the barest of ruins of a castle, a clock tower, and a stone footbridge. Other than that, everything is after the war and it’s not great. There are even far better cities for Soviet modernist architecture. There are no impressive museums, no ornate churches, no notable street art scene, no wonderful parks. Everything it has is fine.

I arrived in Podgorica by bus from Sarajevo. A stunning journey, scenery-wise. I was deposited at the bus station and walked to my hotel: the Hotel Marienplatz. Perhaps not surprisingly at this point, there are no charming or cool accommodations in Podgorica; at least not that I could find. I picked my hotel because it was central, not too expensive, and looked conformable. After ten days of dorms bed, I was ready for a little comfort. The Marienplatz was on a pedestrian street lined with restaurants and bars and, at night, is absolutely throbbing with music. Fine. I can sleep through anything.

I dropped of my stuff at the hotel and hit the streets. I spent a day and a half (two nights) in Podgorica. Here is what I did…

The streets around my hotel

Laziness Along the River

There is a river that runs through the centre of the city. It is fairly shallow and not that wide and has high, steep edges. Various bridges run across and there is a park on either side. From the bridges you can see people swimming and kayaking in the river. If you were so inclined, you could join them. I was not so inclined, so I wandered around the ruins of the castle and took a picture of some small murals at the foot of a bridge and had a drink at the cutest little tiki bar in the park by the river.

This tiki bar is so cute; just a little tiki shack in the park with a handful of seats – a couple of them are swings. I sat and had a drink and chatted with the bartender and a young guy celebrating his early 20s birthday. We talked about our lives and about how Montenegro has a reputation for laziness – a stereotype the Montenegrins seem to have embraced. During the time I was there, the annual ‘Laziest Man’ completion was ongoing; an event in which men compete to see who can lie down the longest. The bartender spoke about how he had always been a bartender and the young man, who was going to school in Germany, said he aspired to move to Brazil because they seem to not work that hard. Fascinating.

Near the river is a hotel, the Hotel Podgorica notable for its modernist design by architect Svetlana Kana Radević. I went and had a cigar on the very excellent patio overlooking the river.

High Five

I walked to Blok Five, which is a group of high-rise apartment buildings, now at least party abandoned. They were designed and built in the 1970s/80s with the goal of creating a perfect community that emphasized community involvement and communal living. The buildings are worth a visit if you like that kind of architecture or if you like creepy feeling abandoned places, or graffiti. I like all three.

Under the Bridge

I visited a lot of cafes, the best of which was the Itaka Library Bar, which is just under a bridge, by the river. On one side f the structure is a small bookstore (all in languages other than English) and on the other side is a café/bar with some indoor seating, but the real pleasure, was sitting outside, under the bridge and next to a small riverside patch of green. I went there twice and loved it. Great spot to smoke cigars.

Cigars in Podgorica

There are a few cigars stores in Podgorica. None were cheap, but all had good selections. There were no dedicated cigar lounges, but smoking was allowed on every patio. I smoked a ton of cigars during my time in there.

Art

There is an art gallery/museum. Local artists and a few historic relics. Really it is shocking that for a capital city – that this tiny museum is the best they came up with – but it was interesting, and it was free, so I am not complaining. As mentioned previously, there are some murals/street art in Podgorica, but nothing amazing or worth specifically seeking out.

A Glimpse of the Past

There is a small (pocket-sized) historical neighbourhood that someone survived the war and there are a few streets with cobblestones and cute houses with grapes growing. On the edge of the neighbourhood is a clock tower that is the oldest surviving thing in Podgorica and it is…honestly, it is not that interesting, but if you are there, you may as well seek it out.

Two Churches

I walked to the (Catholic) Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus, which is interesting in that it is such a severe concrete, brutalist structure. The walk there is not at all pleasant, as it is just along stretches of highway, but if you are into weird, brutalist structures, as I am, it is worth the walk.

I walked to the beautiful Orthodox Temple of Christ’s Resurrection, which was stunning inside and out – and the walk there was lovely, just across the river and past the tiki bar. I bought a trinket at the church shop and chatted with the woman working there. She seemed genuinely thankful and surprised that I was visiting Podgorica.

Podgorica after Dark

In the evenings I stayed on and around the pedestrian street where my hotel was. During the day the streets was quiet and pleasant but at night….wow. It was like an actual party. Every single bar and restaurant was packed. There was live music and karaoke and DJs playing impossibly loud music. The women were so dressed up. Tiny sequined dressed, skin-tight body suits, stiletto heels, cleavage, fully made-up faces and gorgeous. Men were there too. I asked at the hotel if there was something special going on, but they said, no; on the weekends, locals just like to dress up and go out. After a lot of searching, I found a place on a patio and had a cigar and watched the parade.

Is Podgorica worth visiting?

I did all of this in a day and a half. I walked a lot, exploring to seek out other things of note, but there was not much else worth mentioning. The nice thing was that I got to sight-see at a leisurely pace. Normally I am moving around at such a fast pace; this was a relaxing change.

Podgorica was warm and sunny. It was quiet. There was birdsong and coffee, time for luxuriating on patios, and just being present. There was no reason to rush anywhere to see things because there was not that much to see. What there was to see was interesting and attractive enough. I had a great time. Would I recommend visiting Podgorica? No. Not at all (unless you are on a quest to visit every capital city in Europe), but if you are there, or if you have the opportunity for a long layover, there is enough to see to make it worthwhile. It might be ‘the most boring capital city in Europe’ but still has redeeming qualities and was a nice way to end my Balkans trip.

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 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.

Brazil South America

São Paulo Surprise

My plan was to leave Salvador and fly to Asunción, Paraguay; the flight and it took me through Sao Paulo, where I would have a short layover. I was interested in visiting São Paulo but I have to make choices and I had decided that I would use an extra couple of days to visit the capital city Paraguay rather than visiting a third city in Brazil. Things did not go as planned.

The problems started when my flight out of Salvador was delayed, and it became quickly apparent that I was not going to make my connecting flight out of São Paulo. The airline Azul) was remarkable; they told me, before I even had the chance to complain, that they had put me on a new flight (on a different airline) out of São Paulo to Asunción and that I would now have a 12 hour layover in São Paulo and for that reason they gave me meal vouchers and snack box, they put me into a hotel for the day, and gave me taxi vouchers to get me to and from the hotel. I was a little disappointed that my short trip to Paraguay would be delayed, but it gave me the opportunity to see São Paulo. I think the best way to enjoy travel without getting frustrated over the little things is to be flexible.

I arrived in São Paulo and I had to go to a desk to get my vouchers and hotel confirmation. Since I was at the airport, I thought well I may as well pick up my boarding pass for my flight later that evening to Asunción so I went over to the other airline to pick it up. My flight from Salvador to São Paulo was on Azul airlines but my flight from São Paulo to Asunción would be on LATAM Air. When I went to pick up the boarding pass, the man asked to see my yellow fever vaccination card. It was the first time I had been asked for the card on this trip and I had kind of forgotten about it. Let me say right now: I should have had it with me. Canadians do not need their yellow fever cards to visit Paraguay – unless they are entering from certain airport in Brazil. Oops. I think that with the repeal of the COVID travel regulations, I became a little bit lax about having my vaccination papers with me, however, no problem, I had a digital version of it. So I pulled up my phone and I showed him the digital version and he said I had to have the original. I said “I have the original but it’s at home in Canada.” And what followed was a short and polite negotiation on my part to try to see if there was any way that he would let me board. I asked him if he would accept a legally notarized digital copy of the original, which I could have gotten in short order, or if there was some way that I could get a new vaccination card in São Paulo, but he said that none of that would be sufficient and the only way that he was going to let me board the flight was with my original yellow fever vaccination card. At that point I realized I was not going to Asunción.

(The only alternative he suggested was that I fly to Lima and then to Asunción because the no proof of vaccination would be required, but I was only going for 2.5 days, so that seemed like too much extra hassle and expense.)

I was pleased with myself for not being a jerk to the guy at the counter, because obviously it’s not his fault (it’s my fault…and maybe the fault of the government of Paraguay), but as I walked away I felt upset that I wasn’t going to go to Paraguay. I’d lost out on my flight cost, my hotel cost, and now I didn’t know what to do. I went and sat down and moped for a minute or two and I thought, “OK I was supposed to be flying home in about two and a half days anyway, I guess now I’ll spend that time in São Paulo.” The thing was, I didn’t know anything about São Paulo. To the Internet!

I quickly pulled up some blog posts about Sao Paulo. It’s a city of about 20 million people. Massive. I didn’t really know what there was to see, so relying on other people’s blog posts (Thank you bloggers!) I figured out an area of the city to stay in (central), did a quick read about the subway system, and decided on some things that I might like to see. I booked myself into a hotel and I got into a taxi and went into the city, I at a budget hotel, which was a good price and in a good location very close to the subway and walking distance to many things that I wanted to see, the hotel lacked any charm and character but it was brand new and it suited my needs in a pinch.

I went up to my room, unpacked a little bit, called the airline to change my flights back home (I was supposed to fly back to Vancouver from Asunción to Rio to New York to Vancouver, but since I was not in Asunción, I couldn’t catch my flight to Rio, which meant I missed out on my final day in Rio, but I got it all rebooked from São Paulo and it only cost me $14. Canadian.

I went out into the city. São Paulo is known for being dangerous and I didn’t really have enough time to research whether that reputation was deserved, so I felt a little bit on guard as I walked around the city centre. São Paulo feels kind of rough. My take on it after having visited Rio is that Rio reminds me of Miami and São Paulo reminds me a bit of New York, but New York from a Charles Bronson movie. It feels a little gritty and a little rough around the edges. Fortunately, I like cities that are a little bit rough around the edges and I love Charles Bronson movies, so São Paulo suited me just fine.

Leaving my hotel, I walked a short distance to the Mercado Municipal Paulistano, the biggest indoor market in the city. It is in a pretty, butter yellow building from 1933 with stained glass windows and inside is a vast array of food items and places to eat.

I think this is a ‘must do’ in São Paulo – Especially if you eat meat. There was meat of varying types everywhere. I think it’s a carnivore’s dream. I am not a carnivore and I found it a little bit challenging to find a sit-down place to eat at.

Market Memories

Finally, I went up to one of the restaurants and explained that I was a vegetarian and they brought me some delicious appetizer and then some sort of pastry filled with cheese, The pastry filled with cheese was amazing, but the super spicy pickle sauce that they brought me on the side was delicious and made my face sweat it was so spicy. I washed it down with fresh watermelon juice. Delicious.

Lunch

It was already late afternoon, and I didn’t really want to be out much after dark, so I walked around the city centre, took in some murals in that area and some views over the city, and visited a church.

Mosterio São Bento

I then hopped on the subway at Luz station and went to Oscar Freire station, which was in a different area, in order to visit a cigar lounge/bar (Café Esch). The subway was very easy to navigate and was inexpensive though it was very crowded. From the subway I walked to the cigar lounge through an affluent neighbourhood.

I settled into the lounge and bought a couple of cigars and had a cocktail. It was such a heavenly environment after the day I had of delays and disappointments and changed plans. It was nice just to sit back and relax, even if while I sat there, I ended up doing a bunch of work remotely.

I’ll have to save Paraguay for a future trip, but I was loving my spontaneous visit to São Paulo. The next day would be a full one with museums and murals. (Next post here.)

Brazil South America

Salvador’s Lower City

I went on and on in my first post about Salvador about how pretty, interesting, and historic it is. What I carved out of that post was anything about the lower part of the city. My first post was all about Pelourinho, the UNESCO heritage treasure of the upper city, but the lower part of Salvador is also worth visiting for a few reasons.

To get to the lower city there are some excellent options: one is an outdoor elevator (the Lacerda Elevator). Perhaps not surprisingly, given Brazil’s Portuguese connection, the only other place I have seen an outdoor elevation is in Lisbon. Why is an outdoor elevator so cool? I don’t know. They just are. Even better, this one, (built between 1869 and 1873) has an interesting design and costs pennies (the equivalent of about 4c CDN).

The other way to reach to lower city is by funicular: the Gonçalves funicular, built in 1889). I love funiculars. Again, I don’t know why. Like the elevator, it is so inexpensive it is practically free.

Funicular Fun

I took the elevator down, which put me just across the street from the sea, and just across from the crafts market: Mercado Modelo. The market is worth visiting even if, like me, you don’t really have any plans to buy anything. There are lots of things to look at and lots of things I liked but I just don’t have the need to buy souvenirs. There are also some good places to have a bite to eat.

I wanted to see the market, but I was on a mission. I wanted to try some local cigars. Bahia is a tobacco growing region of Brazil and makes cigars and I had only tried two brands in the past, so I want to do some smoking. I had found a cigar store in Pelourinho, but the selection was dismal, and the cigars were in poor condition. I got a tip from a very helpful concierge at a fancy hotel in city that there was a good cigar store (Charutos Bahia) in the lower city. (I may stay at hostels, but they seldom have the intel on cigars, so sometimes I’ll seek the advice of a concierge at a hotel I would never pay to stay at.)

Buying cigars. Look how happy I am.

I found my way to the cigar store. It didn’t have a great selection, but almost everything that it had was local. The man in the store didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Portuguese, but we managed to have a robust conversation about cigars, and he helped me select six different locally grown and made cigars for me to try. And over the next 24 hours I did my best to smoke all of them so that I could go back the next day and buy more of the ones that I liked.

I walked more around the lower city and smoked my cigar and eventually stopped and found something uninteresting but vegetarian to eat.

Statues in the Square

The next day I returned to the lower city with the goal of purchasing the cigars that I liked the most. I bought one box and one bundle and then carried on my way wandering around. The thing about the lower city that is remarkable is that many buildings are in bad shape; they are mossy, some of them are look like they’re falling down, and some of them seem to be just hollow facades, but they’re all quite beautiful in their own way. They have a lot of character and a lot of colour. And some of the streets, especially those near the bottom of the funicular are lively, with small fruit and vegetable markets and coffee shops. I enjoyed wandering around down there. There were some nice murals and churches, and it was beautiful without being precious.

Lower City views

I really enjoyed my time in Salvador, and I felt very satisfied with how long I spent there. The next day in the morning I had a flight to go to Paraguay via Sao Paulo. That trip didn’t really go as planned but I’ll write about that in the next post.

Brazil South America

Stunning Salvador

Salvador was the place that I most wanted to visit in Brazil. More than Rio, more than São Paulo, more than Iguazu Falls, Salvador was the thing that appealed to me. My interest started when I would see blog posts of beautiful buildings and cobblestone streets, but I decided I would go when I was in Benin in West Africa. I was at the Museum of history in Ouidah, Benin, and they had many posts about the slave trade out of West Africa and to the “new world”. And there was a display about slaves going to Salvador. And how the African culture in Salvador became part of the culture of Brazil. And this interested me. I was loving the West African cultures I was moved by and horrified by the stories of the slave trade and I thought I wanted to see where the people ended up and what that city looks like today.

That sounds very thoughtful and that is why I decided to go, however, my time in Salvador was not spent doing some sort of deep research into the lives of people who were trafficked there, it was simply to see the city and experience it. And I was not disappointed.

Salvador is the capital of Bahia, state of Brazil, which is roughly in the northeast of the country, on a peninsula. The old city part of Salvador, Pelourinho, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Salvador was the First Capital city of Brazil, it was, sadly, the first slave market in the “new world”. Pelourinho, contains buildings from the renaissance time of the city, and the colonial era.

In short Salvador is amazing. It’s so beautiful. It reminds me a little bit of old Havana except that it is much bigger and there’s many more beautiful buildings and it feels less touristy than old Havana. It has stunning squares, and hilly cobble-stoned streets. The buildings are brightly painted and the churches are beautiful. There are inviting cafés and art studios and markets selling food (not very vegetarian friendly) and handmade items.

Salvador has an upper town and a lower town connected by both an outdoor elevator and a funicular. All the pictures in those post are in the upper town, where I stayed. Pictures of the lower town I will put in a separate post.

Part of the reason that I’ve broken up my Salvador blogs into a couple of different posts isn’t because I have that much to say, but it is simply that I took so many photos.

Churches

I stayed in Pelourinho at the Laranjeiras Hostel, which could not have been in a better location. I can’t recommend it highly enough. I had a lovely private room with a shared bathroom. I had French doors that opened and looked out onto the cobblestone streets and colourful buildings. And if I tried to take a nap in my room during the day there were little green birds that would sit and chirp outside the window. It was just stunning. (It didn’t have much of a fun hostel atmosphere, but the premises and location were perfect.) An added bonus was from the women’s washroom you had a direct view into the practice space at the Olodum Creative School and you could see and hear the infection samba drumming. (Olodum is the famous samba-reggae drumming group in Salvador that famously plays in Carnival, but also does regular concerts and champions social causes in the region.)

*Laranjeiras Hostel my room and views from it*

In terms of what there is to do in Salvador there is a million museums, a lot of bars, a lot of opportunities to take in music, and visit historical sites. But for me it was a place to wander around and look at these incredibly beautiful buildings and take in some of the history.

I happily spent a few days there doing just that; walking around gawking at the buildings and the streets reading about the history and visiting a few of the museums.

The Afro-Brazilian Museum and the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology are both certainly worth a visit.

What was the surprised was the excellent carnival museum: Carnival House. The history of Carnival and the social changes in Brazil was surprisingly interesting. Had I been there for a shorter time I wouldn’t have bothered to go, but I had a lot of time in Salvador, and it was raining so I decided to go in. It was a very interesting and interactive and well-done museum. There’s even a place where you can put on some Carnival costumes and dance around to samba music which I did and, yes, I felt stupid, but it was fun.

I also visited an excellent modern Art Museum: Museu Abelardo Rodrigues. Small and free, but really well curated. The private collection of some philanthropic lawyer. Always nice to see.

I visited a number of charming little cafes. I walked around the market enjoyed more street drumming, drank from a coconut, and tried to sneak pictures of the women in their giant dresses. Number of the women selling things at the markets food or crafts or whatever we’re wearing traditional Bahinan costumes called Baiana de Acarajé. Brightly wrapped headscarves, a white or patterned blouse and an enormous skirt over layers of petticoats. Many of them were selling Acarajé, a fried ball made of beans and stuffed with meat or shrimps, coconuts and other things. I was too shy to ask for a photo, so I just snuck a couple.

*Square with women in traditional dresses*

Smoking cigars in Salvador was a bit of a challenge. There are no official smoking lounges and although there doesn’t seem to be any law against smoking on patios, some of the busier restaurants just didn’t make me feel comfortable about smoking because almost no one on those patios was. But I certainly found places that were tucked away or where I felt like I could smoke without annoying anyone. One night when it was pouring rain, I went into a little pizza joint. I was the only one there aside from the owner and he let me smoke a cigar while eating my pizza inside. It was amazing. Also, drink cheap Caipirinhas, while having a cigar. That was perfect.

I try not to drink much (or at all) on my travels, but I had to make an exception for Brazil simply because the Caipirinhas were so delicious and I had never had them before. Also, in Salvador they had a local alcohol called Cravinho. There’s an unmissable bar, O Cravinho, on one of the main squares. It has barrels outside and inside it is tiny and seemingly crowded at all times of the day. They sell Cravinho which is a cloves and cinnamon and maybe honey flavoured alcohol that they dispense from spigots in the barrels. It comes with different flavors and is served in little thimble sized glasses. I stood outside sipping from the thimble and smoking cigarillos. Nobody else really spoke English, but I certainly had a lot of pleasant smiles and cheers. It was a nice spot.

I didn’t have too many conversations with people because in Brazil most people didn’t seem to speak English and I’m utterly useless at Portuguese, but one night while eating a plate of vegetables and smoking a cigar in a side street while watching drummers, I had a long conversation with a man named Falcon, who had super long dreadlocks and giant combat boots and was definitely a bit of a character. The conversation carried on a bit longer than I wish it had but we had we had a fun chat about Salvador and life. It finally ended only when I promised him that I would return someday to see Carnival. Without seeing it, he said, I have not lived.

shops and studios

buildings in Salvador

That’s kind of what I did in Salvador for the most part, although I am saving some comments about my visits to lower town for a second post. There are more activities that one can do in Salvador – there’s capoeira classes and cooking classes and guided tours and visits to the beach, but I was content just to sort of chill out and walk around and take it all in. I definitely recommend it as a destination, and I liked it far more than Rio.

Next up: meandering the mossy and colourful streets and searching for cigars in Salvador’s lower town (next post here).

Wandering North

Tag: cigar

Last Stop: Lusaka

Zambian Zebras in Livingstone

Visiting Harare

Arrival in Zimbabwe

Visas

Accommodations

Wandering in Harare

In Defence of Podgorica

A bit about Podgorica and why I was there

Laziness Along the River

High Five

Under the Bridge

Cigars in Podgorica

Art

A Glimpse of the Past

Two Churches

Podgorica after Dark

Is Podgorica worth visiting?

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

But first, Frankfurt

The trip to come

Surprise layover in Frankfurt

São Paulo Surprise

Salvador’s Lower City

Stunning Salvador