Country #88 - Kosovo

The Snow Storm

I woke up to a fresh snowfall in Pristina, Kosovo! I had gotten a great night of sleep and then had a much-needed omelette and buffet breakfast. I did not have an early morning for once and definitely took advantage of it. I really appreciated the great view from my room, especially with the snowfall. The snow kept me from seeing the city as it was really coming down and I wouldn’t have enough time to go out and see anything. The cab ride back to the bus was nice, though, as I was able to see a few highlights of the city such as the National Library of Kosovo building which, to me, looked like a bunch of bubbles!

Something that I immediately noticed about Kosovo was how many newer buildings that there were and how much recent development had taken place. Another surprise was how good everyone’s English was. I wasn’t expecting it but it was very nice! The most surprising part about Kosovo, though, is that many people don’t yet consider it a country. In fact, Kosovo is the only country that I am visiting that is technically not considered a country by Guinness.

So technically I am visiting just for fun as I do consider it a country and it isn’t essential to the record-setting part of my travels. But, I am very glad that I made the stop! It was very interesting to see and learn about. Everything about it felt like its own country. For example, it had its own currency and border controls. Here’s to hoping one day it is considered a country!

I made it to the bus station a bit early for my bus out of Kosovo where I was headed to Albania. The bus ride was quite the adventure. Last bus ride, craziest bus ride you might say. Driving through the mountains in Kosovo in a snowstorm was an ordeal to say the least! The bus passed by countless overturned cars yet kept on going. It was a very slow task to make it through what only yesterday had no snow whatsoever. But man was it crazy today! Snow was piled up everywhere and I was truly amazed that the bus made it through without issue.

I talked to a guy from Albania for a bit who was nice and liked talking about different English sayings. It was a nice change of pace during the snowstorm drive. The rest of the bus ride I watched Netflix and eventually, the bus made it out of the mountains. It was only a few more hours once entering Albania to make it to the capital, Tirana.

88 countries down, 108 to go.

To learn more about Hotel Sirius click here.

Country #87 - Montenegro

The Sleeper Train

I slept surprisingly very well on the train! Like, almost nine hours. I was amazed. I, of course, woke up pretty often but it was overall a very pleasant experience in a sleeper car. The Montenegro border guards finally came around 7am, which was when the train was supposed to be arriving in Podgorica. So we were running at least a few hours late from what I could tell. They didn’t stamp my passport for some reason which was annoying but I didn’t realize it until no one ever came back to stamp it. The sun started to rise by this point and so came the best part of the train ride: the truly incredible views!

I had read that this was the best part of the trip and it definitely was. The train was up high in the mountains and the views were incredible. The mountains were stunning and just the entire landscape in Montenegro was so beautiful and breathtaking! It was the second great morning of beautiful views in a row. I just sat and looked out my window for two hours until we finally arrived, almost three hours late, in Podgorica. Thankfully I had built in a five-hour cushion as I took into account that a night train might run late, so this left me with two hours to spare.

The train station was literally not a train station. Like, I walked out of the train and then walked out to the road. It was pretty bizarre! The bus station was thankfully right next door as it had started to rain. I had to use the bathroom really badly (the one downside of the train was the bathroom was too gross to use), and so I had my first experience with a squatting toilet. I have definitely seen them before, especially in Central Asia, but this was the first time it was my only option. So I had to make due!

I then stopped at the bus station and bought my bus ticket to head to Kosovo in two hours. I found witnesses surprisingly easily (with a little help from Google translate) and then ate a very inexpensive meal at the cafe by the station. It wasn’t the best food ever, but it was also about two euro for an entire meal. I had planned on going to walk around the city but the three-hour delay and pouring rain quickly got in the way of that plan.

One of the most shocking things to me about Podgorica, at least what I was able to see of it, was how not aesthetically appealing that it was. I think it was just such a shock to see so many eyesore buildings after having been through such a beautiful country on the train and seeing how pretty the country really is. I don’t quite understand why Podgorica is so displeasing to the eye, but it definitely was. Everything else about my time in Montenegro was really nice though, especially the beautiful train ride and the people were very nice as well.

After an hour more of waiting, I headed to board my bus to Kosovo. It was just me and one other guy on an entire bus. And, for once, there were no stops! We literally went straight from Montenegro to Kosovo and actually arrived ahead of schedule. The drive was nice and after driving winding roads around a pretty lake it was actually pretty straight for once. I had a short stay in Montenegro but I’m very glad I was able to at least experience the beautiful landscapes of the country!

I arrived in Kosovo after dark and went ahead and bought my bus ticket for the next day. I took a taxi to my hotel, Hotel Sirius, which was such a great place to stay! I was greeted warmly by the front desk and given a great room with a view of the city. Thank you so much to Hotel Sirius for sponsoring this night of my trip! After a busy few days of travel, I was very glad to just have a few hours to relax in the hotel room and work on things.

87 countries down, 109 to go.

To learn more about Hotel Sirius click here.

Country #86 - Serbia

The Balkan Barrier

This morning involved another early morning departure (6am), and another long day of bus riding (7 hours). This bus ride was thankfully a little straighter (though still not anywhere near riding on an interstate), and also had fewer stops. Also, thankfully, the sweet hotel staff at Hotel Story packed me a nice lunch to go! The best part of the bus ride came at the very beginning, with the jaw-dropping sunrise that I was able to see. The bus was going through the snow-covered mountains, through these giant, beautiful trees and the sun started to rise and it was truly magic looking! I tried to take some pictures but they just don’t do it justice. It was so great that I was even glad that I had woken up so early if only to see it. And it was completely unexpected, to boot!

I watched a few movies, took a nap, and before I knew it I was in Belgrade, Serbia. I walked from the bus station just down the street to the train station where I bought my ticket for the sleeper train tonight to Montenegro. I wasn’t convinced that they sold me the correct ticket, but I also had made it as clear as I could what I wanted to buy. I decided to go out and see the city and deal with it later as my train was really late and I would have plenty of time then. My next task was to store my luggage which was, of course, much harder than it sounds.

I knew that there were luggage storage facilities, and there were even signs to follow, but they kept taking me to a dead end. I asked multiple people who spoke broken English and they tried to help to no avail. After walking around the train station and its surroundings I finally found it. Literally right outside of the ticket office, and in the complete opposite direction of where all of the signs point. It was a rough start to my time in Serbia, and a reminder that English in the Balkans is common but not as easy as Europe has spoiled me to expect.

Things only continued to be not exactly great as I was then overcharged by a taxi (not too much but not enough to argue over) and then couldn’t convince the Belgrade tourist office to sign as my witnesses. They were so interested in my trip but refused to sign for some bizarre reason that I still don’t know. Luckily I found witnesses at the Serbia tourist office around the corner and a shop next to that. All in all, it took me a few hours to do a few things that normally take a tenth of the time. Luckily, things really only went up from there!

I had a great traditional lunch at a great spot called To je To. I had meat with some bread and a special sauce, which was described to me as what butter is a copy of. So trust me when I say it was really good and I’m sure very unhealthy. My next stop was to walk down Skadarlija, a unique street in the heart of Belgrade. From there I walked for a while to Church of Saint Mark which was very pretty both inside and out. I then walked a little farther down the street before taking one last long walk to the Temple of Saint Sava. The outside was stunning but and very unique, but in something that I have never seen before, the entire inside was under renovation yet it was still open to the public.

After having walked myself almost to death I decided to take a taxi across the city to the Belgrade Fortress. It was a really cool open fortress that was huge! It was also very spread out so it didn’t really feel like a fortress when walking through the middle. I spent upwards of an hour walking around and seeing the area around the chapel in the fortress called Saint Petka. By this point, the sun had gone down and it was very cold so I started to head back towards the train station with a few more stops on the way. I stopped by another church which was small yet beautiful and a service was going on inside which was very interesting to watch for a few minutes. My last stop was to walk up the busy Kneza Mihaila street, which is basically the main heart of the city. There were so many people! It was a really nice area and I walked along it for a while before taking a taxi back to the train station.

When I arrived I decided to deal with the ticket situation. I was pretty sure that, even though I had specified that I wanted a one person compartment, I was given one bed in a six-person compartment. I figured this out for sure once I found what the price was supposed to be was significantly more than what I was charged. I was able to communicate with one of the ticket staff in okay English but still, we were effectively communicating what it was that I wanted. Finally, somehow, it clicked and she figured out exactly what I was asking! She refunded my earlier ticket and put me in a two-person compartment because it was half the cost of a one person. I would have a full bed and plenty of space for only about twenty extra dollars, and am so glad that I took the time to get my ticket situation straightened out as it is a very long train ride!

I still had a few hours to wait so I decided to eat at a nice looking place outside of the station called Stanica 1884. I had a much needed hot chocolate and a small bowl of pasta. I then headed to pick up my bag and waited for another hour before boarding my train. The compartment was older but good and the bed was very comfortable. I had the bottom bed and waited for the second person to come. And I kept waiting. But get this, no one ever showed up! So I had the entire compartment to myself for the entire night, and it made me very happy that I hadn’t paid the price for a one person compartment. I went to sleep very soon after departing and look forward to waking up in Montenegro tomorrow!

86 countries down, 110 to go.

Country #85 - Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Bus Ride

It was an early morning to make it to my 7am bus to Bosnia and Herzegovina! I’m very grateful to Hotel Vestibul Palace not only for the incredibly cool place to stay in Split, but for packing me a delicious little lunch for my bus ride. It really came in handy! This is my first of four bus rides in as many days, and it’s a biggie at over seven hours. The good news was that it was a double-decker bus and that I had a seat up top in the front row! The bad news was that I immediately became very thankful for the interstate highway system that we have at home.

The roads were so incredibly winding and it became immediately clear that it would be impossible to do anything resembling work without making myself feel more sick. So I just slept and watched Netflix for seven hours. The entire trip was rainy and the bus made way too many bathroom stops. It felt like every hour! The ride was fine other than the frequent stops and the annoying guy sitting across the aisle who kept asking to look at the map on my phone. Once or twice is fine, but it was like every twenty minutes and I had to start saying no as he was using up my battery. It was honestly just a bizarre situation and I was glad when he finally got the hint to stop asking.

The countryside was really pretty (at least what of it that I could see through the rain) and over seven hours later I finally arrived in Sarajevo! It was around 3pm so I would only have a few hours of sunlight left to explore the city. I went ahead and bought my bus ticket for tomorrow and then took a taxi to my hotel, Hotel Story. It was not a long ride at all and when I arrived I was able to meet the two very sweet girls working there, Ilma and Elvedina. They were so kind! Ilma especially was so interested in my trip and told me about how she had pleaded with her manager to sponsor me on my trip. And thankfully her convincing worked!

I cannot thank everyone at Hotel Story enough for sponsoring this night of my trip. The hotel was so nice, right in the heart of the Old Town of Sarajevo, and the people who worked there were incredibly kind. My room was very spacious - I especially enjoyed the nice TV and comfy couch. I checked in to my room, got some recommendations from Ilma, and then headed out to see the city!

My first stop was right down the road, Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque. It was a beautiful, yet small, mosque, and I am glad that I stopped in to see it. It was pouring down rain at this point so I also appreciated being able to go inside even more than normal. My next stop was Sarajevo Old Market square and the city’s famous Sebilj market. I took a few pictures there before walking along the water to see the beautiful Sarajevo City Hall building and then walking along the water. I really liked this area along the water as it was very pretty and had beautiful mountains in the background.

My walk took me to the very famous Latin Bridge. I had no idea until I was planning my trip in Sarajevo, but the Latin Bridge is actually the bridge that helped to start World War 1, as it was where Franz Ferdinand was shot. In reality, it just looked like a pretty normal bridge, but the historic significance is obviously huge. From there I headed to see the Sacred Heart Cathedral which was closed but had a beautiful exterior. I then headed to a museum on the same square as the cathedral, called Gallery 11/07/95.

Gallery 11/07/95 is about the genocide that was committed by the Serbs against the Bosnians in a little town called Srebrenica in 1995. Basically, over 8,000 people were killed for being Muslim. I had no idea about this but I learned so much thanks to Gallery 11/07/95. There is a lot of relatively recent conflict that has taken place in this region and I look forward to learning even more over the coming days. Gallery 11/07/95 was really well done and I learned a lot already.

My last stop was to grab a quick bite to eat across the street at a restaurant called Metropolis Midtown. This dinner was more shocking than you might imagine for a minor reason: indoor smoking. As I quickly came to learn indoor smoking is still a thing in the Balkan countries, even in restaurants. It was pretty bizarre but I knew I would have to pretend to be okay with it (even though I definitely was not) over the coming days. It thankfully was not very bothersome in this instance but just more of a surprise. I had a nice, and very inexpensive, chicken sandwich before heading back to Hotel Story.

I enjoyed talking with Elvedina a bit more before heading back to my room and getting a much needed good night of sleep before another early morning bus ride adventure. Next stop: Serbia!

85 countries down, 111 to go.

To learn more about Hotel Story click here.

Country #84 - Croatia Day 2

The Diocletian Palace

It was a rainy night so I got a really great night of sleep. My day in Split, Croatia started off about as good as it could get - as the other guests were checking out very early in the morning I was brought breakfast to my room! I had a very tasty omelette and fruit plate that I was able to eat in my incredible room at Hotel Vestibul Palace. After getting ready I made my way out to explore the city, which I was quite literally (as in my room shared a wall with Diocletian's Palace) right in the middle of.

My first stop was the area of right outside of the hotel. The heart of Diocletian's Palace, it had attractions including the Cattedrale di San Domino, the bell tower, and the mausoleum. The bell tower was my favorite part as it offered some great views of the city and the coastline. From there I made my way to the basement area of Diocletian's Palace that runs basically right under my hotel. There was a small admission fee and then I was able to walk around all of the underground tunnels. It was very cool to see something so old still in such great shape. While it was just the basement it was interesting to imagine the palace above, as the layout of the basement directly mimicked that of the now mostly lost main floor.

After walking around for a bit I then walked up Dioklecijanova ulica street and rubbed the toe of the famous Grgur Ninski statue. It was getting cold out so I decided to make my next stop the Split Gallery of Fine Arts. It was such a great museum! It was not huge but had art ranging from all periods that was distinctly Croatian. I spent a good bit of time enjoying the exhibitions before heading to visit Froggyland, a bizarre tourist trip with great reviews. However, I ran into my only seasonal closure of the day as Froggyland was closed for the winter! Next time, I guess!

After the failed Froggyland adventure I made a few quick stops, including Konoba Pjaca (the city clock) in Narodni trg (square). I then walked along the water, in an area called Riva, and also stopped by a really unique square called Terasa Prokurative. I then walked a little farther along the water to eat a tasty pizza at a really cool restaurant called Pizzeria Bokamorra. The interior was amazing and made the great pizza experience even better!

After finishing up dinner I headed back to Hotel Vestibul Palace to get a good night’s sleep before an early morning bus ride. I had a really perfect day in Split. The city is amazingly historic and just so unique, and I had it almost entirely to myself thanks to it being January. I definitely recommend a visit to this super unique spot. Tomorrow I’ll be heading to Bosnia and starting my adventure through the Baltic countries!

84 countries down, 112 to go.

Read about my first day in Croatia here.

To learn more about Hotel Vestibul Palace click here.