Beautiful Balkans

 We made a long journey down a tough, mountain road to discover a part of the world we had not seen and it was quite an adventure.  The odyssey began when Liz and her 3 kids came to Gevgelija in early July.  We all saw a lot of Macedonia, and she got to experience Macedonia on a Peace Corps level.  Her husband Bart joined us at the end of August, Liz rented a giant car and we were off!

We drove through Albania and got to see Donald Trump's America - no job-killing regulations, every family has their own machine gun bunker, people do pretty much whatever they want, however they want to.   The country was beautiful but the travel was crazy, even by our standards.  






We then drove through Montenegro along small winding mountain roads through stone villages, olive groves, and the occasional startling views of the blue, blue ocean.

We stayed in Kotor for a couple days, and enjoyed the amazing setting of this medieval city of churches, hilltop fortress, and narrow streets.  Kotor is set in a narrow fjord-like valley that is spectacular.  It was busy with cruise ships and tourists, but we stayed on the opposite side of the fjord in a quiet neighborhood.  And, I must say, Liz has terrific Air B&B skills.  Our next stop took us to Dubrovnik.  This is also a walled medieval and Renaissance era city of particular beauty built right on the Adriatic Sea.    It was packed with tourists, including us, so we only stayed a short while.

 Our final stop was in Split, Croatia - we'd saved the best for last.  Andrew and Talia, Brian and Sara and their families met us there for a weeks' stay.  Split is packed full of history, semi-packed full of tourists, and was a great visit.  As you can see, we added to the throngs, but quite a handsome group, eh?

We enjoyed seeing the family and meeting one of our grandchildren, Jonah, for the first time!   We also took a short side trip to Krka National Park to swim in the waterfalls.  The Dalmatian Coast was amazing, and it was good to see other parts of the former Yugoslavia.  We also got to use our Macedonian language, which is kind of similar.  I think I only insulted a few people and avoided all fistfights due to my attempts at idle conversation and lawyer jokes.  For those looking for adventure without limits - Albania is your place.  For others more comfortable with predictable beauty packed into remarkable history - the coast is a sure-fire great visit. Postravia - A