Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs...OH MY!

Back from almost 3 weeks in the former Yugoslavia. Went to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hezegovina, and Montenegro.

Slovenia: This was our 5th trip here, and it really is one of my favorite places. On this trip we enjoyed going to our friends' wedding (the most international wedding I have ever attended---Brits, Scots, Slovenians, Phillipinas, Austrians, Canadians, Jamaicans......and just us and 2 other Americans). I had the best dessert I have ever had the pleasure of tasting--”Sans Rival”. It is a Phillipino cake and it's now my favorite dessert (which is saying a lot, cuz quite frankly my list of favorite desserts is an endless scroll!) And the town of Bled was so beautiful with the cliff top castle, mist rising up from the lake, and the blazing fall colors burning on the trees. Slovenia is what fairytales are made of.....

Croatia!: It was our first time in Croatia and I was amazed....water the color of emeralds and turquoise.......warm sun every day (we're not in Belgium anymore Toto). The medieval hill towns were surreal--like something from another time---wait....they ARE from another time. ...Palace ruins sitting majestically in the center of the city, inviting you to have a seat on their steps where ancient kings once tromped. Medieval walled stone towns with no cars (what?!). Once you are in, you just hope you can find your way out---like a rat in a maze you make every turn thinking~seems like we were here before. And then there are the ISLANDS.....surrounded by mountains and water that is impossibly colorful and amazingly clear at the same time. You have to pinch yourself to make sure it's not a dream.

Bosnia-Herzegovina: The town of Mostar--so sad and moving. Bullet holes and mortar damage still evidenced everywhere. And that beautiful Mostar bridge--tragically destroyed during the war and then lovingly restored afterwards. This place was the most thought-provoking and beautiful of all the places we visited. It took my vacation mind and swept it back to the harsh realities of our world, to the brutality of war, to the sadness and horror of the battles people fight. Slav against Slav, neighbor against neighbor.......destruction and bloodshed still drape the streets of Mostar. The not so distant sights, sounds, and smells of war still echo there. But in all this horror you can also see the beauty of the people of Mostar--the determination of these people to lovingly rebuild their village and that beautiful fateful bridge. It now stands as a symbol of the harmony of this village that was once destroyed but is now renewed.

Montenegro: A country that has a long and interesting history ---and a country with brand new independence! (2006). This place is shaking off the dust of the war and pushing forward toward a brighter future. With mountains, fjords, aqua-colored bays, lovely stone villages, and little islands with mysterious legends---this new country is unspoiled. We are so lucky to have seen it now, before everyone else discovers it and it becomes overrun by tacky tourism.