EURO-JOURNAL DAY 38 (SARAJEVO)

Slept alright on the bench, but I'm glad I brought my camping mat for a bit of padding. Had coffee on the patio with the girls then a great breakfast of dried meat, tomatoes, bread and cheese. Ana, Ivana and I hiked up to a view point above the cabin. And then Ana and I hiked another hour into the woods to find a waterfall that hungover Ivana said was great, though she was too tired to accompany us. The hike was all forest and mostly flat, so perfect for a hangover. The forest was beautiful and occassioanly we came across huge white rocks which seemed to be leaking a blue coloured liquid.
The waterfall was nice, more of a very high cascade than a waterfall at this time of year. And there were half a dozen Bosnian lads there, some of who had cycled in from the other direction, and some who arrived just after us singing through the forest.
We headed back into Sarajevo in the afternoon. I checked bus times at the station to get an overnighter to Montenegro. But I decided against it because I was too tired for a nine hour journey, and I was also interested in spending more time in Bosnia.
I checked back into the hostel and felt very welcome there. I really like the family that run it. I had a quiet night alone, some dinner and a stroll, and avoided alcohol all together. Well done me.

My bed for the night.

Ana and Ivana getting some morning shuteye.

Morning hike.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 37 (SARAJEVO)

Today was the most memorable day of the trip thus far. I checked out of the hostel, but left most of my stuff there. I had planned to join a couple of local girls for a hike just outside Sarajevo. The plan was to catch a bus 12 km east from Sarajevo, then hike a couple of hours up to cabin and stay the night there.
I found out about this through the couchsurfing website. Ivana, who is from Sarajevo, organised the hike and asked if anyone wanted to join. Of course, I jumped at the chance to hangout with some locals and do a bit more hiking.
It seems the girls partied pretty hard the night before so wanted to cancel the hike. But my pleas were successful and we met at the bus station in late afternoon. There was no bus running, so we grabbed a cab. Ivanan knew how to get a cheap taxi. It was an old beat up car and the driver smoked and played loud techno, but it was fun. We got dropped off at the bottom of a dirt road in the countryside. From there we hiked up and along the dirt road. It wasn't the most spectacular of walking paths, as it was dirt road the whole way. But it was lovely weather and there were views of Sarajevo behind us that we enjoyed on our frequent breath-catching breaks.
Arriving at our destination was very interesting. It was a very basic, handbuilt, wooden house/cabin. The owner, Dragan, is a local man who built this place with his son. They live there all year round, but over summer many people come to see him and stay over. It's usually an all night drinking/smoking session and he also prepares food and sells beer there. I think it was a kind of business, but really didn't feel like that. And Ivana, who has been there several times said he usually doesn't charge her to stay, just for food and beer.
We had a few beers on arrival sitting on the picnic benches on the patio. It was very nice and chill. I fancied a walk further up as the sun set, but the others wanted a rest, so I went alone. I was a bit tipsy from a few beers and a shot of the local spirit - rakia (yuck!). So it was fun scrambling along a little path in hope of finding a good sunset point. I didn't find a special place, but enjoyed hiking through some forest as the bright moon was rising over the top of the hills. I finished off the bottle of beer I'd brought with me, took a few blurry photos and dandered back to the cabin.
By the time I got back, it was dark and a group of six Polish and on French had arrived. The Poles were traveling together in a campervan and had just come from some amazing-sounds camping/partying in the forests of Montenegro. They were all nice, sociable and a few of them spoke good English. I think two or three of them were doctors, but they all seemed like party animals. The one French guy sat by himself and didn't say much, but he looked pretty content.
After introductions, the girls and I got some food. Dragan served us bread, local cheese, sausage and delicious tomatoes with plenty of cold beer.
The night got a bit blurry after that. The Polish guys were really cool and they brought the French guy into the group and soon we were all drinking absinth together and having a merry old time. When it became cold, we moved into the cabin and Dragon lit a fire in the stove and played some Bob Marley and Buena Vista Social Club.
Those cats stayed up most of the night, but the Rakia and Absinthe had hit me hard. When I overheard myself say to one of the Polish girls across the full table of people "Do you wanna come outside and see the moon with me", I knew it was time to call it a night. So after a brief glimpse of the moon and other cheesy chat-up lines, I grabbed my sleeping bag and lay down on a bench in the corner for some firelight shuteye.

Sarajevo in the distance.

My hiking/drinking partners; Ana and Ivana.

The cabin.

Sunset.

Late night beers with Dragan and the Poles.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 36 (SPLIT - SARAJEVO)

Up at six this morning to catch bus to Sarajevo, Bosnia. Didn't sleep great last night and sweated a lot. Perhaps because it was the only day I didn't drink on this trip so far. I did however sleep and doze until midday on the bus. What scenery I saw from the window was of a beautiful and mountainous Bosnia. The trip took about seven hours. The bus driver gave me two Bosnian marks as change when I paid for my rucksack to be stowed. I used these to buy chocolate and crisps to have with my nuts and dried fruit for lunch. It was nice, but then I read in the guidebook there are no money changers at the station and it seems like a couple of kilometres into town from the station. Oops!
To be honest, this trip has been very easy so far and most cultures and peoples seeming similar to my own. Here in Bosnia is the first time I've felt out of my comfort zone. Going further east the people look and seem a bit different.
Arriving in Sarajevo felt great despite my long walk from the station. Every time a tram passed me, I damned those delicious crisps and chocolate I enjoyed on the bus.
I found a great family-run hostel near the old town with a big common room like a grandmothers living room. I fancied an evening alone checking out pretty, little Sarajevo. But an Irish guy in the dorm room asked if he could join me for dinner. I said "Aye", and he turned out to be an interesting and well-informed guy; a journalist actually, working in London and he knew good restaurants, teahouses and bars in the old town. We bumped into two English girls who were sharing our dorm and invited them to join us. They did and we all explored the city together and shared stories about our trips so far. Not a bad evening.

Local coffee house with my roommates.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 35 (ZADAR - SPLIT)

Since the hostel wasn't what we wanted, we decided to move on today. The French lads went north as they're going to the Outlook festival. It looked cool and they invited me. I was flatter that these twenty-year old kids considered this old man worthy of partying with them, but I fancied heading on towards Bosnia. We parted ways at the bus station with promises to meet up in Paris some day. I caught a bus to Split where I stayed in an overpriced, but centrally located hostel. Didn't like the feel of Split at all. Very dirty, though the architecture and coast are beautiful. Had some dinner by the water where I met a Japanese lad cycling around Europe. He said he's on a two-year, round the world trip. I said "awesome", but I didn't mean it. i think that's too long. It would be hard for me enjoy seeing so many awesome things all together. Better to have a break between trips. Go back to work, have some routine, do something boring and get excited about the next part. It would be hard to keep appreciating everything you see when it's a two-year trip. I'd rather do four 6-monthers with work in between. But everyone's different I guess.
Saw a lovely sunset over the water - the best of the trip so far.

Little market by the water.

Old town.

Sunset.

Sunset.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 34 (ZAGREB - ZADAR)

Man, I'm stoked to be in Croatia. Actually I don't know a single thing about this place and had no intention of visiting. Like most other things thus far, I just came on a whim last minute. I'm writing this on the bus form Zagreb to Zadar, two places I know nothing about. I really enjoyed partying with the French lads and Swedish girl last night. And despite not getting much sleep, I feel awesome. The French lads, like this country, seem to be all about partying. And I think that's what I want right now. I thought I'd wait until meeting up with Karol in Budapest because I'm sure that's going to be ten days of craziness, but I can't wait that long.
Zagreb was fun. The main street for restaurants and bars was a cool place for people watching. And the club we went to was situated right next to a park so there were masses of Friday night people drinking and chilling in the park with convenience store beers. A nice vibe for sure.
Right now the traffic's looking pretty bad. And I hope the air conditioner is good on this bus because it's a scorcher. We've only been on the bus 15 minutes, but the Frenchies have fallen asleep already. They partied even harder than me last night, hitting the tequila and then sitting up with the hostel staff. Cool dudes though. They were planning another night in Zagreb, but when they realized how hot it is here and our room doesn't even have a fan, they decided to hit the coast asap. They invited me to join so here I am.
On my left right now is a local lad. He looks about my age and said he was a skipper of a boat in Zadar so is going there now to work. He came over to bum a cigarette off the lads while we were waiting for the bus. And now he's sat near us. Seems harmless enough sitting there reading a handwritten journal, but I don't really trust him. Maybe I'll chat to him a bit now and see if I can figure him out.
---------------------------------
When we arrived in Zadar, we caught a bus out to a place the French lads had heard there was a good hostel. The hostel seemed cool, plenty of rooms, a bar and games and right next to the water. But unfortunately there were also dozens of kids. A big youth group here for activities. That's not really what I want at a hostel, especially when I want to party.
We checked out the beach in the afternoon. It was alright and very busy. Then we had dinner at the hostel and some beer. Then went into the old city looking for a party. What a disaster! the Old city is wonderful. Really pretty, classy, and a great place for dinner and beers. But we couldn't find a party or busy club anywhere in 3 hours. We enjoyed some local brews while cruising the old streets and checked out a lounge bar owned by the guys from UB40. About 12:30 things started to pick up a little and some locals told us there will be parties starting around 2. We were already exhausted from walking, traveling and last nights party, so caught the last bus home. We chilled at the hostel with out roommate Igor who is a medical student from Moscow who was doing an ENT placement in Zagrab. Interesting guy.

Taking a dip at the beach with the French lads.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 33 (LJUBLJANA - ZAGREB, CROATIA)

Traveled by train to Croatia today. The journey took longer than expected. We spent about ninty minutes near the border waiting for a late connecting train. It was scorching hot so most people got off and milled around at the platform. I chatted to a woman who works at a youth centre in Slovenia although she's originally from Serbia, which is where she was traveling to today. Quite a journey from Ljubljana to Belgrade, especially when the train gets held up.
I finally got into Zagreb about six thirty. I was trying to find a hostel near the station described by Lonely Planet as a "sad place". I passed another couple of backpakers with a map. And a few minutes later passed them again. We had both walked around the same block but in different directions so decided to look for the hostel together. They had a reservation. I hadn't, but it was no problem. We got put in the same room with a couple of quiet, but nice lads from Berlin. I bought a huge bottle of beer from the supermarket and some paper cups, the French lads gave me their speakers to hook up to my phone and the party began.
We headed out together along with a young Swedish girl I met in the common area. We had dinner and beers together on the main strip where everything seemed to be happening. Then we headed to the cathedral on the hill because one of the French guys said "I want to smoke my spleef" (French accent). Then more brewskis from the frinedly convenience store man and a walk through the park. I saw one scuffle when we were chilling on the grass outside a club. But mostly it seems like a relaxed and fun place to be. Then we went in for a bit of dancing and the rest of the night is a little blurry.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 32 (LJUBLJANA)

Up early to leave with Jana as she went to work. Headed to my regular cafe, Bi Ka Fe, for a coffee, but stopped for a spinach and cheese pastry en route. Got talking to a Japanese girl that walked past, so we went for a coffee together. She seems super smart, doing a masters in biology in Tokyo. She also seemed pretty cool and to be a passionate traveler. We visited a museum together and then she had to fly to Japan. I went back to the cafe to write.
Later on I went to the square to watch the people go by. The weather seems to always be perfect in Slovenia. And Ljubljana's square is a sweet place to chill with great buskers and a safe atmosphere. I relaxed on a bench in the sun while a guy from California played a strange stringed instrument which I'd never seen, but really loved. And suddenly the nice atmosphere all changed. A thick-chested, brown-skinned man with a beard started shouting. I'd noticed him just before moving quickly through the crowds while pushing a baby's pram. And a woman, he seemed to be with was also quickly walking around, looking very uncomfortable. He shouted "A child, a child. Have you seen a child. A boy, a little boy. Blue sweater, red hat". The man's English was good and I couldn't place his accent (Italian?), but his voice was scary, perhaps because of the panic. Everyone in the whole square silenced and watched him. He kept shouting and shouting while running to and fro. It all seemed very unreal, and I was aware of the slim possibility of a scam to have people "help" him and leave their bags unattended. "Someone call the police", he yelled, "The police, the police. Please!" I started packing my stuff into my bag with the idea of looking for the kid, but mostly I was a victim of the bystander effect. Two English lads near me called him over and said they had seen his son a few minutes ago chasing the pigeons. They all ran down a street. Then another guy pulled up on a BMX saying he had found the boy. And then it was all ok. But the atmosphere was ruined and the guy from California took a long time to start playing his instrument again.
It was a very unusual situation because so many people were there and so few helping. I've read about this bystander effect in psychology books, but never thought I would experience it. I wonder if anyone called the police. I didn't, even though I could have. I hope I never lose my kids like that.
I spent the evening back at home with Jana and her housemate Inis. We chilled and drank a little and talked and ordered pizza when we got the munchies. Inis had some topical breakout of chicken pox, so I texted home to be sure I had it as a kid. I did, so I'll be ok. Inis said it can be critical for adults. What?

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 31 (BOVEC - LJUBLJANA)

Got up before 8 this morning. That was hell after last night's hazy events, but I had promised Eva that I would meet her for an early morning coffee before she went to her appointments and hiking. Eva is a local girl who stole my heart when I was booking the kayaking trip a few days ago. We met at a nice cafe in the centre and enjoyed cappucinos and chatting. She seems really awesome. So young and so full of passion for life and travel and kayaking and everything. I told her I'd leave today, but may come back next week. She said she'd like that.
I spent the rest of the morning drinking coffee, beer and finishing that Hemingway book. I really enjoyed it, and the story, The Sun Also Rises, seems a bit like my life right now- just hanging around, drinking, talking, meeting people and not doing a whole lot of anything productive or constructive.
I said goodbye to the blond bartender with the Japanese tatoo who's name I still don't know but I feel like she's my close friend. Then I headed for the bus back to Ljubljana. I loaded my bags onto the bus, bought my ticket from the driver who seemed to be stoned, but nice. Then I chilled outside the bus with a couple of English girls who were waiting and hoping for their misplaced bags to be delivered by their hotel before bus take off. Yeah, I really think our driver was stoned. Or maybe he thought I was stoned. I don't know. But he got off the bus when I was talking to the English girls. And he started talking to me. He spoke Slovene, but with body language, he seemed to be saying that I should make a lasso, catch the spiky mountain in the distance and then climb it using the lasso rope. Me and the English girls were laughing, but really we didn't have a clue. He was so funny - tall, wirey, strong-looking, with sleeves rolled up and shirt buttoned down to show his sunned skin. And he constantly had a huge smile on his wrinkled face. I think he might have been teasing me because of my hiking boots, which I was wearing, but really, who knows?
There were four other backpackers on the bus, all English. We chatted for a little while, then I put on my sunglasses, looked out the window and went into my own world.
I arrived back in Ljubljana early evening, grabbed some dinner in town then headed to Jana's. Good to see her again and catch up on adventures. But she had just broken up with her boyfriend so she and her housemate, Inis, were having a heart to heart. I washed up, did laundry and enjoyed the comfort of a bed and room after a week in my tent.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 30 (BOVEC)

Today was a day of rest. It started like most others here in Bovec - with a chilly morning bath in the river. Since yesterday there has been a metal keg of beer in the river by the campsite anchored in by rocks. This morning I noticed it had been tapped. And as I came out of my bath at 10am, I saw a man carry three full pint glasses of beer with perfect, creamy heads from the keg. Wow! These Europeans really know how to do it properly.
I spent most of the afternoon in my favourite coffee shop which coincidentally is a pub. Krista and I discovered it a couple of days ago and they served the best coffee we'd had so far. The crowd at this cafe/pub often seemed a little rough, even in the early afternoon, but the bartender was super cool. She is a blond Hungarian with a bad-ass full-arm Japanese tattoo. We've been chatting a lot over the last few days. She and her boyfriend rented a little cottage in the forest for the season and are both working as much as possible to save money. At the end of the summer they plan to buy a campervan and travel around Morocco for the winter. I feel really invigorated to meet people like this, people living their lives to the full and making their own adventures.
While enjoying the sunshine and beer on the street-side seats, I saw one of the Hungarian guides from yesterday. He shouted across the street that they will be at The Black Sheep again tonight and to come along. So after dinner with Krista we grabbed another bottle of red wine and started the long walk into town from the campsite. We enjoyed a couple of bottles of Radler alone as the guides were playing volleyball. I honestly don't know how they have energy to do it night after night, especially as some of those guides are on the river as often as three times a day.
Another bellyful of booze led me to staggering home alone. But this time the manager of the campsite recognized me as he drove past and gave me a lift. It was so funny and kind of trippy because it was very dark, I was very drunk and I didn't at all recognise this bleach-blond-haired man in a track suit inviting me into his car. my fatigue made the decision to jump in easy. And as I got to his SUV, i heard Scooter playing through the sound system. Scooter is an electronic music group that we were really into in the mid nineties. It was really cheesy happy hardcore music that we absolutely loved. And the campsite manager, who looked the spit of the Scooter DJ, told me "I am Scooter". I think he was stoned, but it was hilarious and he seemed to be a cool guy. We chilled and chatted for a bit back at the campsite then said good night. I was on such a high from a good night out that I wanted to stay up and appreciate it for a while. So I dragged my gear out of the tent and lay looking up at the sky full of stars, smiling, until I drifted off to sleep.

Morning view from my tent.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 29 (BOVEC)

Today Krista and I booked a Kayak trip down the river despite our hangovers. After booking it, we went for a hike in the hills around Bovec. It probably wasn't my best idea since the cumulative exhaustion was growing and the early morning sun prevented getting much shut-eye in my tent. The hike was nice and the Soča river, where we kayaked, was spectacular. At times it felt like I was watching a movie as Krista and our lovely Hungarian guide kayaked ahead of me in the lowering sun with beautiful rocks and forest around us. I wish I had a camera with me, but considering that I got tipped five times, it's probably best that I didn't. Actually, i found the kayaking very hard. It was my first time to do it on a river. Controlling my boat was really tough and I often couldn't steer it right. Krista had no problems and suggested it might've been my boat. I don't know; it might've just been that I was too tired to control it properly.

Our guide invited us out to drink with the other Hungarians in a local bar called the Black Sheep. Despite our exhaustion, Krista and I jumped at the opportunity to hang out with some new people. The Black Sheep in an awesome pub near the campsite I stayed my first night in Bovec. As well as the usual pub indoor and outdoor seating, it also had a big beach-volleyball court with spotlights to play at night. There was a kiddy playground, a bowls green and other cool means of entertainment.

The guides and season workers have volleyball competitions each night at this bar. It seems to be mostly country versus country, for example Slovenians against Hungarians or Germans. As our guide was Hungarian, we mostly got talking to those guys. It turns out the company we booked through is run by a Hungarian man, who I later got talking to, and that lots of Hungarians come here each summer to work a season and save up money. it was a great night on the beer and we met lots of cool people and had a good laugh. I did however, get pretty wasted and walk home alone. But I went in the wrong direction or got confused or something because I walked a long, long time on the dark country roads before locating my campsite and finally getting to bed.

Some photos from the hike and a waterfall we came across.

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 28 (TOLMIN-KOBARID-BOVEC)

The punk festival was awesome - good tunes and good people. It's dead funny that I've arrived here since I've never been interested in punk. But it was a cool chance to spend more time with Borut and to have a new experience.
Borut woke me early this morning. Apparently I'd been snoring so loud in my tent that I woke everyone and Borut's coworker even recorded the thunder on his phone. Sorry guys!
I felt pretty exhausted and was tempted to head back to the city. But Borut wasn't driving that way as he'd plans to visit his family in a village in the east. So that made my decision to hitchhike back to Bovec a bit easier.
We had some morning coffee in a wee pub in Tolmin town and the bartender gave me a marker and some card to make a sign for hitchhiking. It only took five minutes to get picked up on my way to Kobarid. The guy that picked me up was a local delivering 9000 litres of milk to be used for making cheese and yoghurt. He was friendly and spoke fairly good English. He told me that the milk truck wasn't refrigerated, but it had to be at 4 degrees when he collected it from the farm.
In Kobarid I visited an award-winning museum that Borut insisted I go to. Honestly, it was the last thing I wanted to do with a post-hike, post-punk-festival hangover. But it was interesting. This is where the Battles of Isonzo took place in World War One. Italy and Austria-Hungary fought here and it's the setting for Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms.
The museum was good, I suppose, but really, all those guns and weapons and photos just depress me.
I left my rucksack at the museum and walked to a waterfall - another recommendation of Borut's. I'm glad the staff at the museum were nice enough to watch my stuff as it was a long walk through the forest. It was a pretty waterfall though and there were people on a bouldering day out jumping into the waterfall pool from quite a height. It looked fun.
Hitching up to Bovec was also pretty easy and fast. A middle-aged Italian couple picked me up after about five minutes. The man was really cool and spoke of his paragliding hobby. He regularly paraglides across the border from Italy to Slovenia and told me that the record for paragliding, 200 continuous kilometres, was held in this area.
Back in Bovec I met up with Krista for a catch up and some beers. It turned into quite a few beers and it was sunset before we walked down to the river with a couple of cheap bottles of wine. I checked into the campsite there and Krista cooked up a healthy dinner.

Kayakers on the river in Kobarid.

The waterfall.

A hungover, tired me.

Fisherman.

Catching up with Krista.

Walking back to camp after a few too many.

Dido.

Home for the next few days.