Pausing to Reflect on 7 Countries Visited

So many countries, so little time. That's an important thing to note because my analysis on these places is based on just a wee morsel. Would you want the United States to be judged by Fresno alone? I doubt it...even if you live in Fresno. I would have used New Jersey in my example, but they get really touchy about criticism. Anyway, the difficult thing in all this is trying to summarize all of these countries that are still quite unique.

While our road trip was essentially a drive through New England in terms of distance, the differences were very discernible. Imagine Vermont and New Hampshire had fought a war against each other 20 years prior and Maine was split into two governing bodies -- one for people wearing L.L. Bean and the other for the cows. Now what if a cow wants to wear L.L. Bean? This is the complexity of the situation in a nutshell. Some things just aren't logical, yet the whole structure seems to be holding itself together, albeit delicately.

We began in Dubrovnik, Croatia's most popular tourist destination. We couldn't find a place to park. The hotel's parking lot was also a car wash. Space was at a premium. We were never able to set foot inside the old town, but judging by the masses and masses of crowds everywhere around it, perhaps we didn't want to. When I told people I was going to the Balkans, I didn't get much of a response. I would follow up by saying, "You know, like Croatia and so on." The general consensus is that people have heard good things about Croatia. You see, it is becoming very popular (and it shows). It's like a less expensive version of Italy. It too has Roman ruins, similar climate, and pretty much the same food. I was getting tired of Margherita Pizza.

As we crossed into Montenegro, the mountains were still on our left, and the sea to our right, but a few things had changed.




To start with, it was a bit more tense. Montenegrin cops were more ubiquitous than the Wisconsin Highway Patrol on Labor Day Weekend. I had read that they may pull you over for an offense they make up. Fortunately Montenegrin drivers look out for each other and flash their lights to warn each other. That being said, every time I encountered Montenegrin's finest, the car directly in front of me got flagged over. This happened at least three times where the car directly in front got waved over and I drove off trying to look as innocent as possible.

We visited Kotor and Budva, both quaint looking towns on the water. Days later we drove the span of the country including Podgorica, the capital. I think what surprised me the most is the volume of tourists in both Kotor and Budva. These were places I really knew nothing about, yet there were two cruise ships docked in the bay and buses for days. Now, it should be noted that most of these tourists appeared to be primarily European as this is not yet in America's sights. It wouldn't surprise me if that changes soon once people realize the scenery is just as nice as Croatia's...and Montenegro accepts the Euro.

Our next stop was somewhat contentious and we debated whether we should even go. Albania has a bad reputation. Car theft. Muggings.  Weapons and drug trafficking just to name a few. Though Shkodër was just across the border, it was apparent that Albania was not as wealthy as its neighbor. Our road was in good condition, but as of a few years ago, the centerline was allegedly marked with large rocks. Traffic wasn't nearly as bad as I had built it up to be in my head, but it wasn't completely relaxing.

We barely scratched the surface of Albania, but we did learn it's not so scary. We also learned that there's not much of a tourism industry. We were, without doubt, the only Americans. That aspect was satisfying. It was a break from the crowds we had seen in Croatia and Montenegro. Albania is predominantly muslim, but you will not encounter hijabs or other traditionally muslim apparel. This is a holdover from the communist era and it's simply one more way that assumptions were crushed by seeing it with our own eyes.

I am not really sure what I expected from our next stop -- Bosnia & Herzegovina. When we were stalled near the border crossing for almost two hours, people were wandering off the road to take pictures, pee, kill time, and I recall reading that it is unwise to wander off the main road as there could still be landmines. I found that evidence of the war wasn't necessarily all that obvious unless you knew what to look for. This building in Mostar was victim to shelling during the siege, but this kind of thing could also be found in Detroit. But if you see the skeleton of a building in Mostar, it's because it was destroyed by military action.

Such remnants are hidden behind the robust cafe and shopping scene that has taken over the riverbanks. Yet, if you look closely, there are bullet holes in the sides of most of the buildings. It's also important to note that Bosnia is a majority-muslim country, and this is where it gets confusing. Remember when I said the border crossing into "Bosnia" actually said, "Republika Sprksa"? Bosnia is still divided on ethnic lines and we crossed at the Serb zone. Imagine if LA County was divided like this.

It seems backward and counter-productive. Shouldn't there be an attempt to get them to engage with each other and not put up arbitrary borders that may further the divide that led to war in the first place? Intermarriage between the groups is close to nonexistent whereas it was fairly common prior to the war. Each region has some power, yet the country as a whole has a weak governing body. Somehow this has held together for the last 20 years. And perhaps it has more to do with the war still being in recent memory.

In a region that saw genocide, starvation, and mass rape, it's easy to see why they might be hesitant to make policies that could lead to heightened tensions. Yet as the years go by, that collective memory will fade. A new generation who have only interacted with people who look and think like them will take over the reigns and then what? Let's hope cooler heads continue to prevail. It is said that 60% of the residents of Sarajevo suffer from some form of PTSD. If you look up before and after pictures of Sarajevo or Mostar, it's actually quite shocking. Mostar has done an incredible job of rebuilding in a relatively short span of time.

People were very friendly and I found myself pleasantly surprised at what Bosnia had to offer. Who knew there was a gorgeous waterfall in the mountains of Bosnia, not far from where U.S. pilot Scott O'Grady ejected after being shot down by a missile. When all you read about Bosnia is related to the war, the Dayton peace accord, or UN peacekeeping missions, it's easy to see how these things fall between the cracks.

As we left Bosnia to reenter Croatia, it was like we had entered a different world. The snaky mountain road we had been following through Bosnia turned into a six-lane freeway in Croatia. Within an hour, we were in Split. Compared to where we had been, it was almost uncomfortable to me. The traffic was insane, and people were everywhere. It was a very bustling place. The hand-made crafts of Mostar were replaced with high-end retail shops in Split. It was a very different vibe, and it took some getting used to despite the short distance we had driven.

As we continued north through Plitvice and ultimately Slovenia, things were starting to change. It was as if a normalization was taking place. The buildings in Slovenia looked more alpine and Germanic. Lake Bled was a very popular resort area, which I don't think either Nicole or I expected. We might as well have been at Vail or Aspen. We were now wearing jackets and hats. The temps would only get colder as we continued our journey north into Salzburg, Austria.



Salzburg was familiar for a couple reasons. One, I had technically been here before, albeit 17 years ago. Two, Salzburg signaled the beginning of what we might call the "safety zone." We didn't have to really think about what we ate or drank. No more tense border stops or fear of being pulled over by unscrupulous cops. Our biggest worry was where to get dinner. As the prices shot up about 200%, this was a bit unwelcoming. Yes, now that we were back in something familiar, we felt utterly drained. Sure Salzburg and then Munich are well-known European cities with a quaint old town, booming economy, and thriving tourism industry, but something was missing. That excited feeling of discovery faded away. People didn't seem as welcoming or friendly. I was afraid I was becoming a huge buzz kill. So, over a pint liter of beer I asked Nicole to rank the places we had visited. Her list essentially matched mine. Bosnia and Montenegro filled out the top with Austria and Germany bringing up the rear.

Maybe it was the order we planned the trip. Maybe it was too much of a contrast at the end. Or maybe, just maybe, it is evidence that we are just travelers seeking to lead, not follow. Traveling is about discovering new places, trying new foods, meeting new people. And I think that's something the cruise ships and tour buses miss out on. Everything is comfortable and taken care of. It's easy. They don't have to worry about driving stick on mountain roads while driving by police checkpoints and praying that there's at least one parking spot when we get to the hotel. I thought I would look forward to dropping off the car, but it was also like I was surrendering our control of the trip. We were now at the mercy of angry train employees and faulty ticket kiosks. When I had a few choice words for the Deutsch-Bahn touch-screen while trying to get train tickets to the airport, the gentleman next to me chuckled and said, "Welcome to Germany." What the kids would call "first-world problems" seemed to plague us at the end of our trip. We seemed more at home dodging oblivious drivers and trying to follow a man riding a scooter in a pink shirt.

It is becoming increasingly clear that we should be wearing adventuring hats more often. And this is not to bash Salzburg or Munich, but perhaps they should have been a separate trip. Our mindset was elsewhere. We were explorers in uncharted territories. And yes, there were still a good amount of tourists in most of the places we went to, but for us, as new travelers to the region, we were seeing something new. This was getting off the beaten path, seeing places most Americans wouldn't ever consider. Just be careful how far you stray from that beaten path. There could be land mines.