Balkan Trip 2012

I'm back!!!  I know its been a while since I have written, but there was a good reason....I was on vacation.  Another volunteer and I  just got back from touring the Balkans. We had a great time, little fast paced, but that is what you have to do in order to see everything in a limited amount of time. I am not going to put up every detail of the trip, since that will take a loooooong time, so I thought I would put up a picture for each place we hit and write a little summary.
So here we go...........

 Our first stop was to the Plivice Lakes in Croatia.  It is a beautiful national park that has tons of waterfalls.  We spent two days walking around enjoying the wonderful weather.  The first day we got there it poured....

and even though I am smiling the picture, I was not a very happy camper.  I don't like being out in the rain; but then the next day we went back and it was beautiful and well worth the trip.

 Then we were off to Split, Croatia.  It is a nice old town, located on the water.  It has historical sites and lots of shopping.  We spent most of our time wandering around looking at the palm trees.

 Then we left Croatia and headed to Bosnia.  Even after all that Bosnia had been through, it was still a beautiful country.  This is the bridge in Mostar.  It was destroyed during the war and then rebuilt. There is even a club of men that dive (more like jump) off the bridge.  While we were there we saw two men jump off the bridge.

 Then it was off to Sarejevo, Bosnia.  Even though it had been awhile since the war, you could still see the remains.  This is the tunnel that "saved" the city.  It started at one ladie's house and went all the way under the airport.  The Bosnians say that if it was not for that tunnel they all would have starved.

 We took a tour of the city.  This is our tour guide.  She was fantastic and we really learned alot.  It was nice to hear about everything that happened from someone our age that actually lived it.  We were surprised to see that the Bosnian people are so hopeful after all the horrible things that they went through.

 Once we left Bosnia, it was back to Croatia.  This is Dubrovnik.  The Old part is a tourist destination. We took a cable car up the mountain to get the areal view of the whole city.

 After Croatia, we went to Kotor, Monetnegro.  This is one of the small centers that makes up the Old Town.  Do you see the mountain in the background?.......

 We hiked all the way to the top to see the old castle. The guidebook said that the hike was for the "adventurous traveler".  Why I decided to go, I will never know.  Guess I had a burst of energy because up we went.  All the way to the top.

Our last stop was Budva, Montenegro.  This was our beach day.  At some of the other places we also took some time away from siteseeing to go to the beach; but in Budva all we saw was the beach.  I got my chair and my umbrella and I was good to go.  No shoes, no shirt, no problem!!  It was a wonderful trip and when people ask me my favorite part, I have been giving a political answer: Croatia has beautiful cities, Bosnia has wonderful people, and Montenegro has great beaches.  That pretty much sums up the trip!

Now that the vacation is over, I am off to camp.  Will write again when I get back!!!
YEAY, CAMP GLOW!!!!