Places Visited
Bosnia Herzegovina
Mostar:
I’ve been trying to get to Mostar for about five years. I first heard about it when I stumbled upon this beautiful photo of the old bridge. It’s now quite well-know, and for good reason. It’s really beautiful!
I stayed in this amazing guesthouse called Goa Guesthouse. If you are fortunate enough to get the room with the balcony, you’ll have the best view in town of the old bridge.
Emir and his family own the guesthouse and want nothing more than to make sure you love Mostar like they do. They take great care in their guesthouse, offering a fresh breakfast for 6€, made almost entirely from what Emir grows in his organic garden.
I’d also did a short day trip out to Blagaj and Počitelj. Blagaj features a beautiful old monastery nestled into the mountains on a crystal clear blue lake. Počitelj has a well-preserved fortress located high in the mountains. It’s a quick 20 minute hike up and the views are absolutely worth it.
Croatia
Dubrovnik
I feel quite bad for Dubrovnik. It’s rare that I don’t really enjoy a city. I can find a positive in just about any travel situation. I was really excited about my Airbnb (it used to belong to a concert pianist and her old piano was in the apartment!).
But sadly, Dubrovnik just didn’t live up to the hype for several reasons.
1. It was massively tourist-ridden, with 3 cruise ships in each day I was in town. There were endless parades of people down the Main Street.
2. It’s very expensive. Considering how newly ‘touristy’ Croatia is, I was surprised to find prices on par with cities like Paris and London.
3. Probably due to the mass tourism, nobody seems to try too hard to impress. I tried to book a ‘troubadour walking tour’ that sounded amazing , and the guide never showed up. I tried booking it again for the following day and he emailed me shortly before the tour saying he would not be doing it due to (nonexistent) rain, and also being ill. The other walking tour I did was less than an hour. While short and sweet is great, most walking tours I’ve done are at least two, and you feel like you’ve gotten to know the city a bit. The tour seemed rushed; probably because the guide had other tours to do that same day. There was no personal connection made.
Make your own conclusions (and if you’re a game of thrones fan, you might enjoy it more than I did…), but I’d recommend a visit any other Croatian city before I’d suggest Dubrovnik.
(As mentioned below, I was fortunate enough to get a ticket to a symphonic performance in an ancient castle. That was extremely cool, but also exceedingly expensive – see number one above).
Saplunara, Mljet
The island of Mljet is home to just 400 permanent residents. In the summer tourist months, about 800 tourists will make their way to the island.
That still makes it one of the least touristy places I will be on this trip!
The reason I went to Saplunara is because it is home to one of the very few sandy beaches in Croatia. Most Croatian beaches are pebbly at best, and rocky at worst. The Limuni beach in the town of Saplunara is a crescent shaped beach protected by a natural marina, which means the water is super calm, shallow, and very warm. The beach is also surrounded by a forest, which means there is plenty of shade.
I spent two days at an Airbnb literally at the end of the road, just outside the town and 40 meters to the beach. It was paradise.
Split
Dubrovnik’s less touristy, (much better in my opinion…) little sister, Split is beautiful with Diocletian’s Palace occupying the majority of the old town, and featuring most of the places to see.
The promenade by the ocean is lovely at night with live music, restaurants, and great people watching.
Zadar
I went to Zadar for one reason. To see the Sea Organ. It did not disappoint and I can’t wait to arrange it into a song for my students back home.
Zadar is also home to an ancient Roman Forum and a beautiful old church with a light show in the evenings.
Plitvice Lakes
Originally, this was supposed to be a day trip how most people end up doing it; either from Split or Zadar.
The problem with that, is that the day starts and ends with a 90-120 minute drive to the lakes.
By staying in the town, or close to the lakes, you can arrive when the park opens, spend two hours of quiet alone time on the trails, go back to the hotel in the heat of the day, and return for the last two hours of quiet while all the day trippers are leaving.
100% worth staying close to the park.
Make sure to buy a two-day pass if you’ll use it, instead of two one-days; you’ll save significantly this way.
Slovenia
Ljubljana
This little town was a very pleasant surprise. A unique blend of old town/fortress and baroque-style of Vienna, it is full of great things to do and see, and is cheaper than some of its neighbouring countries.
Lake Bled
Another major bucket-list item I’ve been wanting to see for ages. Lake Bled is somewhat difficult to get to, but is well worth the effort.
Consider staying away from the town to get some peace and quiet and enjoy the idyllic nature of the lake.
I arrived just as the fall colours were starting to appear but I’m sure it would be even more gorgeous a few weeks or a month later (perhaps around the middle of October).
Germany
Munich for Oktoberfest!
I spent five days in Munich taking in the sights of the largest harvest festival in the world.
I booked my accomodation about 9-10 months in advance and while it was definitely over the ‘per-day’ budget, it wasn’t nearly as expensive as I thought it might be.
Oktoberfest itself is actually free to go into. You can go into the tents, meander through the midway and enjoy the parades totally free.
The beer costs between 11-13€ a litre and the meals start about 9€ and go up from there, getting increasingly more expensive the more ‘unique’ it is.
Egypt
Another huge bucket list item, I spent 12 days exploring Egypt from Cairo all the way down to Abu Simbel.
Giza:
Home to the pyramids and the great Sphinx. Is there really anything else to say about Giza? Make sure to visit Sakkara and Dashur, and the Egyptian museum in Cairo. The museum is supposed to be moving to its new building but it hasn’t happened yet. A number of items are packed and wrapped, ready to be moved.
Giza can be tricky to get around without a guide. The attractions are far apart and Cairo is messy to navigate. While some public transport exists, there are no routes and a rather confusing method of hailing the bus you need. Stick to Uber, or hire a guide for your time there.
Luxor
Probably most well-know for being the Valley of the Kings/Queens, it is also where the tomb of King Tutankhamen was discovered; the areas most recent discovery, and one of the only tombs (yet!) to be discovered fully intact, undisturbed by tomb-robbers.
A visit to the temple of Queen Hatshepsuit; the only female ruler in ancient Egypt, is well worth a stop.
There are two tombs with additional charges. King Tut’s and Nefatari’s tomb. King Tut’s has some reliefs and some colour on the walls, and his sarcophagus. All the other items discovered in his tomb are with the Cairo museum.
Queen Nefatari’s tomb is a very expensive 10-minute visit, at 1300 Egyptian pounds per person (~60€). It is absolutely worth it, as the paintings in the tomb are extremely well-preserved and it gives you an idea of what the original discoverers may have found. The colour is bright and glossy, seemingly to have been painted yesterday, instead of some 3000 years ago.
Budgeting
This month, surprisingly, despite the costs of Oktoberfest, I came out very slightly ahead in budget! Woohoo! 1544.39 was spent.
Accomodation: 910.63. Another fairly large budget for rooms, however, like London last month, half of that went towards my room at Oktoberfest. I guess that’s the price of being a 6 minute walk from the Theresienwiese grounds.
Long Distance Travel: 120.86. Several buses in Croatia, a few trains in Slovenia, and one long distance train that I booked a solid six months ago (but totally worth the commitment. I got the train ticket for a mere 35$, when the last minute price was 360$ – heck yes for being a planner!!)
Food (restaurant): 109.64. With Croatia being so expensive, and occupying a majority of the first part of the month, it was a bigger grocery-store month for sure.
Food (grocery store): 195.71 – hello bread, cheese, and water! (There may have been a cheap 4€ bottle of wine in there…)
Local Transport: (bus, metro, Uber) 11.85$
Entertainment: 186.20$
Miscellaneous: (laundry, walking tour tips, etc) 9.50$
Favourites
Favourite Meal: Kochary in Egypt. This street food is made in tiny little restaurants and street food stalls and is made for the average Egyptian. Comprised of a delicious mixture of lentils, pasta, vegetables, and a tomato-based spice paste sauce, and usually served in metal bowls for as little as 1$/serving, it’s the perfect start, or end to a busy day!
Favourite Tourist Experience: seeing the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra perform in the Rectors Palace. Despite my disappointment with Dubrovnik, this was an absolutely magical, musical evening
What I Read:
Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton is a book about Queen Hatshepsut, the only female ruler in Ancient Egypt. I actually got to see her temple in Luxor, and her mummy, on display in the mummy room at the Cairo Museum.
The fiction work imagines the daily life of the ruler, and keeps historical accuracy, helping to make sense of the various names and dynasties in Egypt.
While interesting, due to my travels in the area, it wasn’t so gripping that I would have to read it again 😝.
And that concludes month three on the road!
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