Adriatic: Pula to Most na Soči (mostly) by train

July 11, 2017

The morning train from Pula to Buzet (at the Slovenian border) was a single self-propelled rail car with old-school windows that open from the top to let in the breeze and provide for an unencumbered view of the countryside. Judging by the map of southern Sweden affixed to the wall, the train car is second-hand from Sweden. 

Departing Pula

We climbed the rolling hills of the Istrian Penninsula, past olive groves, vineyards and tidy kitchen gardens. At Buzet, I heard the third worst phrase I've heard in my travels (1) "there is track work ahead, you need to take the bus."

The rolling Istrian Hills

Arrival at Buzet, last stop in Croatia

We just caught the train at Divača, Slovenia heading for Opicina, Italy, in the suburbs of Trieste. We walked over to the unique tram/funicular for the ride down the steep hill into Trieste, which many travelers consider the scenic highlight of Trieste. "Tram service is temporarily suspended, you can take the bus." Onto the crowded city bus for the ride down the hill to the city center, travelling narrow roads that were not designed with buses in mind.

The (temporarily-suspended) Opicina to Trieste funicular tram

We had a pleasant walk to the B&B I had arranged. No answer to the bell at the B&B after multiple attempts (nor to a text nor to email), so we decided to visit the nearby tourist office to see what to do in the city; tourist office closed for two days. Google says the Fountain of 4 Continents is nice to see. The fountain was turned off and partially covered. We took all these events as a sign, went to the train station and headed north toward our next destination.

The Italian train toward Gorizia was on time and we had nice views of the Northern Adriatic. At Gorizia, there is an Italian Rail Station in the southwest of the city (where we alighted), and a Slovenian rail station at Nova Gorica, just northeast of the city, where the train for Most na Soči departed (2). We had over 2 hours to walk across the town, which turned out to be quite nice. There was a nice park with war memorials, a pedestrian plaza with gelatto shops, and a Castle on the hill with good views of the town and the nearby Julian (Slovenian) Alps.

View of Gorizia, Italy from Gorizia Castle

The Nova Gorica, Slovenia train station was right on the Italian/Slovenian border (3), which had actually been set at the end of WWI to keep the rail line in Slovenia. We hopped on the evening train for the ride up the Soči Valley under threatening clouds and distant rumbles of thunder. The storm broke just as we arrived at Most na Soči, the station master pointed us in the right direction, and we were soon settled into a small hotel. The landlord, Marino, was a natural host and seemed genuinely pleased to have us visit.

Heading up the Soči Valley

Arrival at Most na Soči as a Thunderstorm broke

(1) No. 1: On top of a hill in Rio de Janeiro, a soldier with a machine gun said: " You're not supposed to be here."

No. 2: One Saturday: "Your flight has been cancelled, we have rescheduled you for Tuesday."

(2) I had never heard of this town until about an hour ago, but the train was scheduled to arrive while still daylight, there was a small hotel with a room available a short walk from the train station, and we could sleep until a reasonable hour the next day and catch the morning train to arrive at Bled (our next destination) by mid- morning. "Most na Soči" means bridge on the Soči river.

(3) With both countries in the Shengen zone, there were no border crossing formailties, just a sign announcing which country you were entering.

Adriatic: Pula

July 10, 2017

We timed our visit to Split so that we would be leaving on Monday, one of the two days a week there is a flight from Split to Pula. Pula is at southern end of the Istrian Pennunsula, and is a very long trip by land. There were 17 passengers (which was a full plane), only 6 of whom actually got off at Pula.

The plane to Pula

Pula is best known for remains from the Roman Empire. We visited the Temple of Augustus, built somewhere between 2 B.C.E. and 14 C.E. The structure is largely intact from that time, except for the west wall, which collapsed and was rebuilt in the 1700s and the roof of the portico, which was hit by a stray bomb during an air raid in the Second World War (the target was a large shipyard nearby). Inside the temple, there is a museum featuring sculptures and headstones, etc. from about the same time as the temple was built.

The Temple of Augustus

Medusa head in Temple of Augustus

The city also has remains of a Roman-era wall, and various arches and gates. Down an alleyway, then across what looks like someone's driveway is a tile mosaic that was once the floor of the main room of a wealthy Roman's house. The mosaic is about 6 feet below the current street level and has geometric designs and fish in one side. The other side depicts the Punishment of Dirce, a scene from Greek mythology. The mosaic was exposed when a stray bomb hit a house during a WW2 air raid.

Double arch entrance to City

Detail of the Punishment of Dirce from a Roman Mosaic

The most-well-known feature of Pula is the well-preserved Roman Amphitheatre /colosseum dating from the First Century C.E. The ancient structure dominates the skyline of the city.

View of Amphitheater from Hill-top fortress

By coincidence, we were in Pula one the few days in July when there was a Spectecal Antica, a recreation of the type of show put on to entertain the Romans. The show was quite fun with mimes, fire jugglers, a recreation of a Roman battle against the Istrians and gladiator fights. According to the Master of Ceremonies, this was the mix of entertainment on offer during Roman times. Apparently, there really are modern people who train and fight gladiator style, absent the real blood and death (1). When a gladiator was vanquished, the audience got to vote with shouting and hand gestures whether the losing gladiator would be allowed to live or be put to death.The final decision was made by the emperor, who was present, of course.

Re-enacting the Roman conquest of Istria during the Ancient Spectacle Show

Interior of the Amphitheater at Night 

We stayed at the Hotel Riviera. The formerly grand hotel was built in 1908, with wide marble staircases and an elaborate entrance hall. At this point, they accommodate just a few guests on the fourth floor, where there are nice views of the Amphiteater. It was a bit creepy climbing the un-lit staircase up to the fourth floor at night. 

(1) Although an ambulance was present and we did see one gladiator being attended to by an EMT after his fight.

The once-grand Hotel Riviera that is now reduced to accomodating a few lodgers on the fourth floor

Adriatic: Split

July 9, 2017

We took the passenger ferry to Split, and were again crowded into the stuffy cabin. The main archtectural feature of Split is the Palace of Dioclatian which was competed in 305 C.E. Three of the outer walls (all except the west wall) underground vaults, and the central circular auditorium remain from this time. The medieval and renaissance Venetian cities grew within the walls. We climbed the central bell tower to orient ourselves, then went for a nice walk.

At 7:00 p.m. after signing  a waiver, we hopped in the city bus to take us to the launch point of our night kayaking tour, for which we were the only participants. Our guide, Mijo, met us at the final bus stop within a large park. We set out while the sun was still up and had a great view of the sunset. Mijo had rigged flashing lights to snorkeling masks which we wore around our necks so that we would be seen by other vessels, although we were paddling in a quiet part of the bay. 

The official kayaking itinerary including jumping off a cliff into the bay. We preferred to skip this part and we paddled by Marshall Tito's seaside villa instead. Tito was the communist ruler of Yugoslavia from 1945 until his death in 1980. Our guide had a very dim view of Tito who was quite authoritarian (1). He shared the Croat view of the "Homeland war," as Croats refer to the wars associated with the dissolution of Yugoslavia. He felt that the Croats prevailed (which they largely did) because they controlled the seacoast, were better airplane pilots, and had better morale than the Serb forces, which, in his view, had unclear motives for fighting.

We paddled back to the starting point at Bene beach under the rising full moon. It was very quiet at the beach bus stop, as our guide had cycled away. This was the last bus of the night, and it would have been a long walk back to town if we had missed it.

(1) I once chatted with a woman from Bosnia who called her husband "Tito" because he was so bossy. She had a more favorable view of Tito than our kayaking guide. In her view, unlike the Serbs and Croats in the post-Yufoslav period, Tito did not engage in "ethnic cleansing" nor kill people solely because of their ethnic background.

View of Western Split from bell tower. The night kayak tour was on the far side of the hill in the background 

Interior view of southeast corner of Diocletian's Palace

Exterior view of North wall

View through the Oculus of the Vestibule, designed for its acoustics.

East Gate of Diocletian's Palace.

Adriatic: Korčula

July 8, 2017 

Up early for the passenger ferry to Korčula. The boat was jam-packed with people heading further up the coast, mainly to Hvar and Split. For some reason, we were not allowed to be out on deck, so the crew crowded us all unto the stuffy passenger compartment. The view from the lower deck was obscured by a boat-length ad, while visibility from the upper deck was limited by accumulated salt spray (1).

I had never heard of Korčula, but the ferry stopped there, so we decided to get off and continue on to Split the next day. Korčula was an amazing place. Located on Korčula island, this compact penninsula has been home to a city since at least the third century B.C. The city's modern form and architecture dates from the 1500s, during the period of rule by the Venetian Republic. 

Main street in Korčula Town with City Gate in the background

The town is rather low-key. The channel leading to the island is too small and shallow to accomodate large cruise ships (which call frequently at Dubrovnik and Split) and there are no flights to the island. The incremental time to get here keeps down the crowds, but the extra effort is well rewarded.

We climbed the bell tower of Sveto San Marka Church in the main square and lingered to enjoy the panoramic view of the city, the sea, and the archipeligo within which the island is located, and to hear the bells chime the noon hour. We poked into various museums and saw the house in which Marco Polo was born.

View of Korčula Harbor from bell tower

Detail of bell, which was cast in Veneto, Italy in 1923 and inscribed (in Croation) to Alexander I, King of the Serbs, Croats, and 

In the afternoon, we took the water taxi to the small Island of Badija, which has a Franciscan Monastery and a very nice beach with crystal clear, azure-tinted waters.

View of Korčula town from boat 

Franciscan Monastery on Badija Island off Korčula

(1) I've travelled in similar ferries through the Fjords of Norway and elsewhere, but apparently the sheltered and placid waters of the Adriatic are too dangerous. These limitations made the ferry ride only slightly more charming than a long-distance bus trip.

Adriatic: Dubrovnik

July 7,  2017

We spent the day exploring the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik. After a nice lie-in, we had a chat with Gabrijel, our host. He is a native of Dubrovnik, and loves to cozy up by the fire in his small house in the winter time.

We circumnavigated the city on the city walls. About halfway through the walk, there was a room built into the walls in which we watched a short promotional movie about Dubrovnik, then a video of scenes of the bombardment of Dubrovnik during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. There was no narration, so the context (e.g., who was bombing whom, etc.) was difficult to discern. In general, the city wears its war scars much more lightly than in Sarajevo or Mostar, where the war was longer and more intense.

Dubrovnik is a geographically compact city that dates from at least the 700s. The city was controlled by the Venetian Republic from the early 1200s to 1358 during which time, the city largely assumed its current physical form and the Venatian influence is evident in the architecture, street design, etc. After 1358, the city became an independent republic (the city was called Ragusa at the time). The Ragusa Republic lasted until 1806, when Napoleon arrived.

The city (and the whole Dalmatian coast) was ruled by Austro-Hungary or Italy throughout most of the 1800s. After the first World War in 1918, the architects of the post-war period decided to cobble together a country comprised of the southern Slavs, mainly Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. This Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes eventually became Yugoslavia (1).

After lunch, we went to the beach to cool off (it was a hot day and the city walls are made of stone). A beach in Dubrovnik consists of a rocky outcropping into which concrete steps have been built and/or metal ladders attached; you cannot tip-toe into the sea, you are either in all the way or you are out of the water. We people-watched for a while enjoying hearing people chatting with each other in variously-accented English (e.g., a Croat doctor who happened to be on the beach asking a French girl who had fallen and hit her back if she could bend a certain way). A cat was sitting patiently on a rock by the sea. I petted the cat and asked if he got any fresh fish today; the local fisherwoman responded disappointedly: "no fish today."

Our final visit for the day was up the cable car to the mountain overlooking Dubrovnik. The sunset was something special. As the sky darkened, a nearby group of people sent Chinese lanterns floating into the night sky and they drifted toward the rising gibbous moon.

(1) While this may have made sense to the negotiators in Paris, given the commonality of language (a) among the southern slavs (Yugo Slavs), there were importantly cultural differences among the southern slavs. For example, Croats were mainly Roman Catholic and (at least on the Dalmatian coast) had remained independent of the Ottomans, who controlled Serbia, where most of the people care Orthodix Christians.

I once had a chat with a young woman from Ljubljana, Slovenia who had an interesting way of phrasing the challenge of putting together Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (even leaving aside the Bosniaks (Muslim slavs) and Macedonians who were also in Yugoslavia): "Brothers in blood, cousins in language, strangers in culture." I did notice that Mostar (an Ottoman city) had a very different feel than Dubrovnik, even though they are geographically not that far apart.

(a) Serbo-Croatian was considered to be one language until the 1990s when Yugislavia disintegrated, although the Croats wrote in the latin alphabet, while the Serbs wrote in Cyrillic.

View of Dubrovnik from the city walls

The duller roof tiles are older and survived the bombardmant of the 1990s. The more vibrant-colored roof tiles indicate newer roof tiles, replaced mainly after the bombardment.

Small watchtower on city walls

Street scene, Dubrovnik

View of Dubrovnik from the top of the cable car

Twilight on the Adriatic

Adriatic: Bus to Dubrovnik

July 6, 2017

The on-again, off-again train service to the Croatian coast was off again, so we took the morning bus to Dubrovnik. We passed through Croatian immigration control three times (1), which caused some delays in our arrival.

We found our Sobe (room) in the ancient walled city then went for a sunset kayak paddle in the Adriatic Sea. We had a nice chat with Krešo, our paddling guide. He attended the RIT campus in Dubrovnik, but took an English test today as the first step (he hopes) to qualify as an air-traffic controller.

We paddled to a sea side cave with a small beach for a swim, then circled Lokrum Island to return to the launch point just outside the Pile Gate entrance to the city as the sun was setting. Inside the walls, Dubrovnik is purely a pedestrian city.

(1) We entered Croatia, then took the coastal road to Dubrovnik. There is a small strip of Bosnian territory on the Dalmatian coast (a). We therefore had to leave Croatia, get an exit stamp in our passports (after being in country for about an hour), ride about 12 miles in Bosnia and then get another Croatian entrance stamp upon re-entry to Croatia. I'm glad I have a passport with extra pages.

(a) This small coastal strip of Bosnia is the result of Dubrovnik wanting to have a buffer zone between themselves and the Venetian Republic in the 1790s.

Small strip of Bosnia on Adriatic coast

Marshalling the kayaks after a sunset paddle

Moonrise over the walls of Dubrovnik

Adriatic: Sarajevo

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

After a day flight to London yesterday, we had an overnight layover at Heathrow. This morning, we were on to Sarajevo.

After dropping our bags at a small guest house in the center of town, we went for a walk and found the museum related to the Austro-Hungarian era (1878 to 1918). The museum is located at the site where Serbian nationalist (1) Gavrilo Princip assassinated Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand, which led to World War I (2). The Arch-Duke had survived another assassination attempt earlier in the day in which a bomb was thrown at his car. There were seven different assassins in the crowd that day.

We had a nice walk through the center of the city, seeing churches, mosques, etc. There are still bullet and mortar marks on some of the buildings from the Yugolslav wars (3) in the 1990s, when Sarajevo was under seige for almost 4 years. There are a also few "Sarajevo roses" left in the sidewalks where mortar shells fell during the siege.

(1) Serbs did (and still do) comprise a large portion of the population of Bosnia

(2) Historians do not fully agree how this assassination "ignited the powder keg" and led to war. Franz Fischer's theory goes somethong like this:
a) Germany knew that war was coming eventually, and felt that now was better than later when their enemies might be better prepared. The Germans, with whom Austria-Hungary was allied, therefore pushed Vienna to make exhorbitant demands on Serbia, with which was Russia was allied.
b) The Serbian response to the Austrian demands is deemed unacceptable in Vienna, leading the Austro- Hungarians (and their German allies) to declare war on Serbia.
c) Russia mobilized troops to defend its fellow slavs in Serbia against Austro-Hungary.

d) Germany declared way on Russia. 

e) France declared war on Germany and Austro-Hungary due to its alliance with Russia.
f) Germany invaded neutral Belgium to attack France.
g) England declared war on Germany because Germany had violated Belgian neutrality, which England had pledged to respect.
Historians generally agree on b to g. Some historians suggest that officials of various governments believed at the time no one wanted war and that at least one country would step back from the breach before war broke out.

(3) I will not even attempt to explain the wars arising from the dissolution of Yugoslavia. The BBC has a good six part series called "The Death of Yugoslavia" (available on Youtube) that discusses this complex war and includes interviews with many of the principals. 

The main plaza, Sarajevo

Where Pricip stoop when he shot Franz Ferdinand, 1914

"Sarajevo rose" 

Impact crater from mortar round during the siege of Sarajevo, 1992 to 1996

Boy scouts from Turkey, Sarajevo

The tram arrives

Adriatic: Mostar

July 5, 2017

We took the morning train to Mostar, with very nice mountain scenery on the ride. The train itself is a modern set from Spain that Bosnia has had for only 3 weeks. There was a lively discussion among the cafe car attendant, conductor, and security guard about which machine in the kitchen to use when I ordered a cappucino. 

Our first visit was to Mehmet Pasha Mosque to climb the minaret and enjoy the view. The mosque, like many buildings in East Mostar was severly damaged during the second siege of Mostar (1) by the VHO (The local Croat paramilitary) from 1993 to 1994. 

We had a great view of Stari Most (the old bridge), which gives the city its name. The bridge was built in 1566 and was destroyed in 1993 during the second siege of Mostar. The bridge was subsequently rebuilt using the same materials and methods as the original.

We walked to West Mostar this afternoon. We climbed the campanille (bell tower) at the Catholic Church, which is located just west of the front line during the second siege of Mostar during the Yugoslav wars. We noticed that trees were larger on this (non-besieged) west side of town. The trees in the east were younger as many of the older trees had been chopped down for fuel during the siege. We came across the Croatian cultural center and were surprised to see flying in a prominent position the (rather threatening) flag of the HVO, which were the paramiltary forces which destroyed much of East Mostat and the iconic old bridge during the secind siege.

We had a nice chat with Alissa, the owner of our guest house. She stayed in Mostar during both sieges, living in the basement while the house was drstroyed above her. After the war many people left Mostar as a result of limited enployment opportunities. "They built mosques and churches after the war, they should have built factories instead, so the young people could have jobs" Alissa said.

(1) In the first siege of Mostar, the Boniaks and Croats together relieved the city from the Serb siege. The Croats then turned against their former Bosniak allies and besieged East Mostar from their neighborhood in West Mostar.

Views from the train to Mostar

Interior detail, Mehmet Pasha Mosque

View of Stari Most (Old Bridge) from the top of the minaret at Mehmet Pasha Mosque

Frescoe of Plum Tree, Tanner's Mosque. Original from 1600s

View from bell tower of the former front line during the siege of Mostar (1993 to 1994)

Common tree size and age, West Mostar

Flag of the HVO, which was the besieging army, West Mostar.

Common tree size and age, East Mostar

View of minaret at dusk; Crooked Bridge is in the foreground.