Category Archives: Southern Europe Our five days in Croatia and Slovenia included a visit to the infamous Plitvice Lakes National Park, the UNESCO-protected Škocjan Caves, a brief jaunt to the coast of Croatia, and full-on run-ins with mass tourism at its height. Included in this article are tips for a quiet experience of Plitvice Lakes and encouragement to join the tour.  Our time in Bosnia was perhaps the most educational (and emotional) visit we’ve ever had. In six days we learned about the Bosnian War, the Siege of Sarajevo, the Srebrenica Genocide, postwar life in Bosnia’s capital, and the ongoing tensions in the country and Balkan region.  We were only on our second country of the month, and already the flaws in our travel plan were starting to show: I was entering Serbia more unprepared than I’d ever entered any country, ever. Read on to see how unplanned trip can turn out and as good a reason as any reason for the need for to down-time in overland travel.  Over the next month, we’ll be traveling through EIGHT countries to reach France overland from Turkey. Our first stop? Bulgaria, where we visit the historical town of Plovdiv, spend time with former dancing bears, hike in the Rila Mountains on the monastery trail, and eat a lot of French fries and feta cheese!  I was pumped for my two weeks of solo travel in Istanbul. It had, after all, been a very long time since I took a trip without a partner or friend. But after money issues and health problems, I began to wonder if I was no longer cut out for solo travel. Would I be able to enjoy Istanbul alone? |
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