Lisbon, Portugal

I am in Lisbon for "Lisbon Invites You" - a CouchSurfing meeting. There are people from all over the world, and I got to meet a bunch of really cool travelers. I met a French guy who said that considering that Obama will be America's president, and that Sarkozy is France's president, he for the first time wishes he were American. I met a cool American girl who buys a small flag in every countries she visits and patches it onto her bag. It was really cool to see all the flags together - especially Israel next to Egypt and Jordan. I also met a Dutch guy who got a $3500 USD rebate from his government, so he decided to travel. He made it last 2.5 years by traveling in cheap places such as Africa and the Middle East.

From Lisbon, Portugal

Being in Portugal, I met a lot of Brazilians and people who are planning to travel to Brazil (Brazil is a former Portuguese colony). I decided that I'm going to spend a few months in Brazil and travel from there. I should make it for Carnival in February. Should be insane :)

Next Stop: Middle East

I just bought my flight to Cairo, Egypt for December 16th. I'll be staying with my friend who has a place in Cairo and we will travel around. Afterwards I'll head to Israel.

I will be traveling with my American passport which says that I was born in Israel. I'm expecting the rubber glove treatment at the airport :(

Sofia, Bulgaria

I get off the freezing train from Belgrade, into the freezing Sofia train station. I really want to get out of here and to my CouchSurfer host's place. I need to call him, so I go a newspaper booth at the train station to buy a Bulgarian SIM card for my phone. When I ask if a card is available, the woman nods. Great, I found a SIM card on the first try! Oops. Turns out that in Bulgaria, a nod means no, and a horizontal head shake means yes. It's REALLY hard to get used to. Especially since when Buglarians speak to you in English, they use Western Yes/No head shakes, but when they're in Bulgarian mode they switch it up. Anyway, I eventually find a card and head to my host's place.

My host is a Bulgarian ethnic Turk. He grew up in Bulgaria, but in the 1990's the Bulgarian Communist government started to make life very difficult for ethnic Turks. According to Robert Kaplan's Balkan Ghosts, "every 'Mehmet' was made to become a 'Mikhail' and so on". My host's family moved to Istanbul to avoid persecution. In the 1990's Kaplan interviewed a Bulgarian official who explained that "when Bayezit [a Turkish Sultan] rode in here in the fourteenth century ... thousands of Bulgarians were forced to change their names. Where was your Western press then?" Here, it seems impossible to separate history from the present.

Eventually I went to downtown Sofia to check out the Alexander Nevski Church, named after a Russian warrior to honor the Russian liberators of Bulgaria. We saw a brief service. When the priest spoke, his voice eerily and powerfully echoed throughout the church. I felt a certain mysticism that I hadn't felt in any other church. Bulgaria is the origin of the Cyrillic alphabet, which was created by Cyrillus and Methodus - two priests that came from the Byzantine Empire to convert the slavs. The Cyrillic alphabet is most associated with Russian, but it came from here.

From Sofia, Bulgaria

From Sofia, Bulgaria

As I have gotten in the habit of doing, I posted my Bulgarian phone number on the Sofia CouchSurfing group inviting people to meet up for drinks. Eventually I was hanging out with a huge mix of locals and travelers at a really cool underground bar where you have to ring the bell to get in and wait for someone to let you in.

Next I'm going to Lisbon for a CouchSurfing meeting called Lisbon Invites You to meet up with my Portuguese friend that I met in Slovenia.

Tobacco Smuggling on the Night Train from Belgrade to Sofia

After Belgrade, Serbia my next stop is Sofia, Bulgaria. I arrive at the train station 15 minutes before the night train to Sofia is due to leave. I buy a sleeper ticket and hop on the train. I attempt to enter the sleeper car, but a train employee communicates to me in sign language that I need to pay an extra 6 euros for the sleeper car. Note that I'm taking the train from Serbia to Bulgaria, neither of which use Euros. I only have a 50 euro note, and he signals he can't make change. Super. Since the train is about to leave, I don't have time to get the necessary 6 euros, so I decide to just take a normal seat. Luckily the train is almost empty and I find a 6 seat cabin to myself, which allows me to lie down and sleep.

As soon as I sit down, a man bursts into my cabin. He's visibly agitated. He explains that he's from Slovenia, and on the way to visit his father, but he needs to borrow 12 euros for some surprise fare. I believe him, but I'm not about to part with my 50 euro note which at this point is the last of my hard currency. I give him a few euros worth of Serbian dinars and wish him luck - I never see him again. Something tells me it was the real deal, and I feel guilty I couldn't do more. Especially because Slovenians are so awesome.

The cabin is really dirty, but is actually way better than the sleeper car, which looked a lot like a jail cell. It's dark at this point, and I'm a little shaken from my experience with the man from before. I look out of my cabin into the hallway, and see a creepy old lady staring into my cabin. After a while she leaves, only to return and stare again. CREEPY. It's 10pm so I decide to sleep, but there is no heating on the train, and it's FREEZING. I open my bag, and put on all the warm clothes I have, including two sweatshirts, three pairs of socks, and gloves. I text my CouchSurfing host in Bulgaria that I'll be seeing him soon and pass out.

I sleep for a few hours, and am woken up by a couple who sits in my cabin. When the Serbian police come to check our passports, the man notices my American passport and laughs "Americanski!" He and the police share a good laugh as I look on confused. As the police leave, the man hands the policeman a pack of cigarettes, which the policeman pockets.

I go back to sleep. Next thing I know, the man starts to pull the metal trash receptacle out of the wall of the cabin. This metal box is just under the window and about a foot from my sleeping face. Once he succeeds in removing it, he proceeds to stuff the empty space between the walls with cartons of cigarettes. At this point I decide it would be best to leave. Getting accused of smuggling cigarettes would be a bummer. I slowly pack up my sleeping bag and start to head out of the cabin. I send a friendly "ciao" to my cabin-mates and they return a flat "ciao" my way. I sneak into the next cabin. About 20 minutes later, customs comes by and asks if I have anything to declare. Pretty sure I know what the answer was to that question in the next cabin.

From Sofia, Bulgaria

By the time I get to Sofia, I feel like I'm about to lose a toe or two from frostbite. It takes a hot shower at my host's place to thoroughly dethaw.

Serbia - Politics in the Air

My first day in Belgrade, I head out to hit the usual tourist spots. On the way I run into a small protest. Intrigued, I approach to see what's going on. A Serbian journalist explains to me that it's a protest against NATO regarding Kosovo. The purpose is to petition the Serbian government to investigate missing Serbs in Kosovo as a result of the Kosovo War. People are holding anti-NATO and anti-EU signs. During the 1999 Kosovo War, US planes bombed military targets in Belgrade - massive destroyed buildings are still visible. When asked where I am from, I answer "Israel". This is the first time on my trip I don't answer "America" when asked that question. I had considered answering "Canada" (as some Americans in Europe apparently do regularly) but homie ain't goin out like that. (The rest of the time in Serbia I answered "American" and never received a negative response.)

From Belgrade, Serbia

The protest itself was very small in number, and the organizer repeatedly attempted to convince people from the street to join. Most of the people involved were old, holding up what looked like pictures of their missing adult children. The organizer was speaking into a megaphone, and at one point had to pause as his hand shook and he seemed to be on the verge of tears. An elderly woman walked over to him and told him to take a break.

Regardless of the politics, I could only feel sorry for these people. It was obvious they didn't have much support. And they all had lost loved ones.

Later on I saw a huge banner hung in the main square that said "Stop NATO facism" in Serbian. There were three people standing there, while people who passed by barely seemed to notice.

From Belgrade, Serbia

Speaking with Serbians about Kosovo, I've gotten different reactions. One girl said she couldn't care less about Kosovo - most Serbians have never been there, and Serbs now make up a tiny minority of the Kosovo population. Another girl told me a story of her friend that went to a Serbian wedding in Kosovo, only to get shot at. At one point I (stupidly) told a Serbian girl that I was excited to visit Kosovo because it's a "new country". Visibly agitated, she responded "not really."

While in Serbia, I took a night to visit Novi Sad - a student town north of Belgrade. The town is beautiful, and I partied with a crazy local CouchSurfer DJ / Producer until 3am. He missed his bus home so I snuck him into my hostel. I introduced him to American peanut butter (I always have some on me), and he crashed in my room. In the morning he snuck out before the hostel lady arrived. I'll consider it my first CouchSurfing "hosting" experience :)

Back in Belgrade, I went to an awesome house party at a CouchSurfer's house. I held my own in Foosball, and played a mean "My Name is Jonas" on Guitar Hero. Then I headed out to explore the legendary Belgrade nightlife.

In Serbia, I met up with two Aussie girls that I had met in Sarajevo. I ended up hanging out with one of them all week, including the trip to Novi Sad. I'm headed towards Sofia, and she's going to Budapest, so we're splitting off, but I'll really miss her :(

From Belgrade, Serbia

Bosnia

Nerd Alert: I'm gonna have to unload a bunch of history on you. This is all my understanding of it and I'll probably screw it up one way or another. But here goes:

The countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Kosovo all used to belong to Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia means "Southern Slavs", and most of the languages in this area are similar enough such that anyone in Yugoslavia can communicate with anyone else. During the Cold War, Yugoslavia was ruled by Tito who famously broke with Stalin and helped found the Third World movement. The First World was the US aligned world. The Second World included the USSR-led world. The Third World was any country that refused to align with either. With the end of the Cold War, the term "Third World" has taken on more of an economic meaning than a political one.

Tito - half Slovenian, half Croatian - was able to suppress nationalist feelings amongst his countrymen. After his death, nationalist politicians started using ethnic divisions to their advantage, and soon the country fell apart. Slovenia got independence first in 1991 with a war that lasted 10 days. Croatia had a pretty bloody independence war starting in 1991. Bosnia - a mix of Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats, and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) - spiraled into war in 1992. Mix a multicultural and diverse country with nationalist / fascist politics and you're gonna have a problem.

The War in Bosnia ended just over ten years ago, but you can still see the scars of the war throughout Bosnia. I started off in Mostar, Bosnia, which is now home to mostly Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks. During the war, the two peoples united to fight off the Serb army, but then turned on each other. The city is now divided into a Bosniak portion and a Bosnian Croat portion. Between the two sections is a long boulevard on which almost all the buildings are either destroyed or are riddled with bullet holes. The Bosniak side of town is the "old town" which has been restored with foreign funds. It has a beautiful Oriental feel where shops sell hookahs and backgammon sets. The Croat side often looks as though the war ended a few months ago.

From Mostar, Bosnia

My next stop was Sarajevo - the capital of Bosnia. Sarajevo is known for being the "European Jerusalem". Within a few blocks you can find a Christian Orthodox church, a Catholic Cathedral, an Islamic Mosque, and a Jewish Synagogue. Keep in mind that though these people are all considered "ethnically" different, they all look the same, speak essentially the same language, and can't really tell each other apart.

During the Bosnian War, the Serb army held a siege on Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995. They deliberately shelled civilians waiting in line for water, and had snipers in the hills take shots at civilians on a daily basis. These war crimes eventually led to a NATO-led bombing campaign on Serb forces and the Dayton Peace Accords.

In Sarajevo I met a bunch of journalists from Serbia and Bosnia who were in town for a conference. They were really nice and let me tag along with their group. We had a bit of a cultural exchange. I helped teach them my version of Kings- an international drinking game - and they showed me around. They were a diverse group representing every cultural group in Bosnia, but they all got along. There were a few mixed couples in the group, who were happy to report that their parents were OK with it. While there was no tension, it was impossible to escape history. When we walked down the boulevard in Mostar that separated the Bosniak and Croat sides of town, one of them mentioned that the Bosniak side had the bullet holes while the Croat side had the bullets. On the way back from our day trip to Mostar, we stopped off at restaurant that had full sheep rotating on a spit outside. We all had the "special" which was - surprise surprise - lamb. I noted that this would not be a very good place for vegetarians. One of the journalists noted it's also not a very good place for sheep.

From Sarajevo, Bosnia

My next stop is Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. I've been hearing rave reviews that seem to put Belgrade at Prague / Budapest level. We shall see...

Dubrovnik, Croatia

The bus ride from Split to Dubrovnik provided some spectacular views - mountains on the east and sea on the west. But I was unprepared for Dubrovnik's beauty. Dubrovnik used to be it's own city-state, which was able to fend off nearby powerful Venice. It took a huge beating by the Yugoslav army during the Bosnian War but it has largely been rebuilt. It's hard to describe Dubrovnik, so I'll just show you a picture:

From Dubrovnik, Croatia

In Dubrovnik I CouchSurfed with a German traveler named Stefan who lives in his truck. The story of this truck is pretty amazing. He bought it for 500 Euros and pimped it hardcore. He put in insulation, wood paneling, lighting, a fold out bed, a couch (my bed), an oven, stove top, fridge, a wood-burning stove for heating, cabinets, a shower, a toilet, and a solar panel for electricity. Basically he built a motor home from scratch. He doesn't bother with expensive trailer parks, so all the electricity he has is from solar power, and all the water is carried in a (grueling for me) 20 minute uphill climb from the city center.

From Dubrovnik, Croatia

He works a little here and there when he has to. His main expenses appear to be gas for his truck, some food from the grocery store for himself and his dog Flitch, and beer. His plan is to drive to India over the next few years. He moves slowly because gas is expensive. He doesn't plan to ever stop traveling.

From Dubrovnik, Croatia

Surfing with Stefan was an eye opening experience. Growing up in the suburbs in America, it's drilled into you that you go to University, get a good job, and pretty much work forever. If you work hard, you're rewarded with a few weeks a year (if you're lucky) of "vacation" where you get to do what you want to do. Stefan lives an inverse life where he "vacations" for the entire year and works a few weeks to sustain himself. His lifestyle proves that you don't really need money to live. OK, before my parents start to panic, I'm not suggesting that I'm going to follow in Stefan's footsteps. Nor am I convinced that living out of a truck and traveling for all eternity is necessarily a path to utopia. But it makes you realize that the "normal" approach to life is really just one choice of many.

On a completely different subject, I've been wearing an Obama pin ever since it was kindly donated to me by Beth's roommate. I've been getting shout outs from random people ever since - always positive. I'm hoping it will neutralize some of the "I hate America / I hate Bush" comments that I've gotten pretty tired of. I've been reading that Obama is going to use executive orders to immediately undo some of the absurd Bush policies like forbidding California to impose fuel efficiency standards. Pretty exciting :) I feel like after eight years in the dark, America is finally back on track.

Split, Croatia - a modern town in an ancient palace

I took the ferry from Ancona, Italy to Split. The best time to visit the coast of Croatia is during the summer when it's a beach paradise. However I couldn't resist visiting Split - a 1700 year old city originally built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

Diocletian grew up poor and worked his up through the military to become Emperor. When he decided to retire, he moved to Split and built himself a huge palace. Eventually the Roman Empire fell, and Slavs from the east moved into the ruins of the palace. The cool thing about the Diocletian Palace is that rather than being a "museum" like most ruins in Rome, it's a living, breathing place. People still live and work in structures built over the centuries. You can even buy an apartment in the palace if you've got a spare million euros lying around.

From Split, Croatia

I met up with a cool dude from Split through CouchSurfing who showed me around Split with a friend of his. He even gave me some really good Croatian chocolate as a welcome gift. As a parting gift he gave me a bag of local lavender to put in my backpack - hopefully he wasn't hinting at anything :) He offered to host me in Split next summer for some island hopping. I will definitely be back...

Bologna, Italy - Protests and Elections

How you know you're in Italy...

I'm on the train going to Bologna. We're stopped 5 minutes outside Bologna for about 20 minutes and people are getting impatient. A woman starts talking to me randomly in Italian, probably complaining about the train. Soon she spots a train employee and starts to complain. Hands are flying everywhere. Voices are raised in beautiful Italian melody. So glad to be here :)

I'm in Bologna to unwind and hang out with Beth. Meeting new people has been fun for the past few months - but it's good to hang out with a real friend. Beth is doing a Masters at Johns Hopkins in Bologna. People at the program are really cool and really welcoming.

Traveling has left me a little starved for nerdness and I end up going to American Foreign Policy with Beth. The topic is US Policy in Europe post-WWII, focusing on Eastern Europe. The topic could not be more relevant to the traveling I've been doing. A little too excited for my own good I take notes and even attempt to ask a question at the end of class. It's pretty fun pretending to be a Masters student.

The next day I wake up to loud yelling outside Beth's apartment. It turns out there are Italy-wide protests against a law passed the day before cutting the education budget and generally screwing students. I decide to join the fun. The protests wind throughout all of Bologna, ending on the main streets. Cars are all frozen in the streets as protesters weave in between them. Most of the motorists honk with approval. Hopefully the protests sent a loud message to the Italian government.

From Bologna, Italy

From Bologna, Italy

Finally, came the big day - Tuesday November 4th. Could I have any better luck than to be at American school during elections? I had already voted absentee (thanks Mom!) and am ready to watch the action. We gather at the school's auditorium at midnight (6 PM Eastern time) to watch the results come in. There is a huge screen set up to watch NBC. At 5AM sharp, the screen reads "Barack Obama elected 44th President of the United States". The room goes crazy with everyone hugging, laughing, and crying. We fill up on champagne as we wait for Obama's victory speech. There are few dry eyes in the house, including mine. Traveling for the past few months, I've often gotten the "I hate America - I hate George Bush". Hopefully that will all change :)

From Bologna, Italy