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

Ljubljana, Slovenia

When I showed up in Ljubljana, I really didn't know what to expect. I had met some Slovenians in Prague who told me I have to check out Ljubljana. After hanging out for a few hours in Ljubljana, I meet my CouchSurfing host at a bus stop by her apartment. She turns out to be a CouchSurfing machine - throughout the rest of the week at least 7 people end up staying at her apartment. My night or two in Ljubljana turned into a week :)

Slovenians are really cool people. According to a tour guide that I eavesdropped on, Slovenians are hard-working like Germans, but like to live life like Italians. As part of Yugoslavia, Slovenia was the economic workhorse that subsidized some of the poorer parts of the country. But Slovenians also love to party. There isn't a single night in the week that there isn't something going on in Ljubljana. The coolest part in town is Metelkova - a self-declared 'Autonomous Culture Zone' with illegal bars and clubs. It consists of a bunch of run down buildings taken over by artists. So cool.

From Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana itself is a beautiful city. The city center is more Italian than anything I've seen in Eastern Europe. Of course don't dare to suggest that Slovenia is "Eastern Europe". Slovenians will tell you straight up that it's "Central Europe". And after visiting, I have to agree.

From Ljubljana, Slovenia

One night in Ljubljana I'm doing laundry at a hostel across town (the only place to do laundry) and I bump into a Portuguese guy I had met on the train. While the washing machine ran, I hang out in his room. I start talking to one of his Brazilian roommates at the hostel and it happens to be a CouchSurfer that was supposed to stay at my hosts place. We start talking and it turns out he rented a car and was planning on driving all around Slovenia the next day. I decided to join him.

The next day my Brazilian friend picks me up with his rental car and we head off to Predjama Castle - a castle from the 13th century built inside a mountain - pretty crazy. Then we headed off to Škocjan Caves which have the largest underground caverns in Europe. You feel like you're at the center of the earth. Then we headed to the coast from some seafood in Pilan. Basically we saw most of Slovenia in one day - it's a small country :)

From Ljubljana, Slovenia

I also met a real cool Portuguese dude who is hosting a dozen people at his place for a CouchSurfing conference in Lisbon at the end of November. I REALLY wanna go. Hope it works out.

Next up - Chilling with my good friend Beth at her place in Bologna, Italy.

Zagreb, Croatia

I'm super excited to be in the Balkans, and Zagreb is a very appropriate entry point. While traveling I read Balkan Ghosts by Robert D Kaplan and I'm excited to see his book come to life. Croatia is a new country, which used to be part of Yugoslavia.

Upon checking into my hostel, I meet a Croatian girl who was given a Serbian name, after a famous handball player. At the time of her birth, Tito's iron first suppressed nationalist feelings and ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia were eased. Now this girl was having problems living with a Serbian name in a Croatia. Her brother, also given a Serbian name, changed his name to be more Croatian sounding as a teenager.

A very controversial figure in Croatia is Aloysius Stepinac. He was a Catholic Cardinal during WWII who was accused of supporting Croatia's fascist party. Many Serbs were ethnically cleansed by the fascist regime in Croatia during WWII and Serbs see Stepinac as a war criminal. Stepinac is a very complicated figure, and considering that in WWII the two powers in Croatia were fascism and communism, he was between a rock and a hard place. But it was pretty shocking to see Stepinac's image all over Zagreb's main Cathedral. The place is practically a shrine to the guy. To a Serb, the Cathedral looks as through it's a shrine to a War Criminal.

From Zagreb, Croatia

Croatians I talked to admit Stepinac has a controversial past. But usually they still say that he's a good guy that saved a lot of people. And they tell you to disregard the biased negative things you hear about him. Obviously I'm not a Balkan scholar, so I can't tell you what the truth is. But the whole thing is pretty interesting.

At the same time, Zagreb is an intellectual city. There are tons of museums, and cafes are always packed. Most people couldn't care less about politics, and dream about going to the beach on the coast. They tell you that Zagreb is a mixed city with Croats and Serbs living in harmony, with the far right nationalist parties getting negligible votes. They'd rather talk about McCain / Obama than about Croats / Serbs.

On Friday night, I decided to check out some local Jewish services. The services were short and sweet, followed by an awesome dinner. Next thing you know we're drinking beers at the synagogue. We go out for a night on the town and hear a Jewish Klezmer band. Pretty cool :)

From Zagreb, Croatia

Through CouchSurfing, I met some really cool girls in Zagreb who showed me around. One of them is studying to be an expert on the Miramba, and she gave us an impromptu performance. Then she taught a bunch of us how to play. It was pretty awesome.

From Zagreb, Croatia

Tomorrow I'm heading off to Slovenia. But I'm really going to miss Zagreb. I've had an awesome time here :)

Pecs, Hungary

On the way to the train station in Budapest, I get a text message that I've got a place to CouchSurf in Pecs. Sweet.

I show up at the apartment, and it turns out my hosts are four pretty Hungarian University students. Two of the girls work for Red Bull, so we all load up on some. After some Hungarian Witch's Blood we head out for a night on the town. We go out to a club and get in basically for free since the girls know the bouncer. There is an awesome live Hungarian rock show followed by dance music all night.

From Pecs, Hungary

The next day I'm sad to leave and we say goodbye. I walk around Pecs and see the sights. There is a mosque in the center of town that was built by the Turks on the site of a church they destroyed during occupation. When the Turks were kicked out, the Hungarians turned it back into a church. But it's really cool to see Muslim and Christian imagery in one structure. It's called the Mosque Church.

From Pecs, Hungary

I also check out the synagogue. It is closed for Sukkot but I somehow find an unlocked side entrance, and am able to find their Sukah. Pretty cool.

From Pecs, Hungary

I move on to my next CouchSurfer, who greets me with a hot Hungarian stew. After some Hungarian wine we hop on some bikes and head off to the bars. Drinking and biking is probably a bad idea, but it's pretty fun :) I meet an American couple who are going to head back to their hostel at 3AM to watch the Obama / McCain debates. I'm tempted, but in the end it doesn't happen. Too bad, I heard it was interesting. I'll hang out in Pecs for another night and then I'm onto Zagreb, Croatia.

Budapest, Hungary

I start off in Budapest with a free walking tour. I figure its a good way to get to know the city. And since the guide is Hungarian, it's a good way to get a Hungarian perspective on the city. We get a quick history lesson:

Hungary used to be a huge kingdom that included Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, and parts of Romania. However they allied themselves with the axis powers in WWI and had 72% of their land "stolen". Hungarians are pretty pissed about this loss and I even saw a "Greater Hungary" map at a Hungarian's home. When WWII came around, Hitler promised the Hungarians they'd get their land back, but "unfortunately" Hungary lost the war. It is a little difficult to sympathize with my tour guide, considering that if Hungary had won the war I probably wouldn't be alive. My tour guide is also no fan of "Russians" though the Soviets did mess up Hungary pretty bad. In the "House of Terror" museum, they prominently display a quote by Stalin that reads "I don't care what happens to the Hungarians".

On Friday night, I decide I'll check out a local synagogue. I do some research and find one that sounds cool. I call ahead of time but the lady on the phone speaks neither English nor Hebrew, so I decide I'll just crash the service. When I get there, a guard tells me that they'd had some security issues so I can't go in. I talk to him in Hebrew and that still isn't enough. Finally he agrees that if I bring my Israeli passport he'll let me in. I go back to my hostel, get my passport, and make the end of the service. The service is in Hebrew, but I can't find where we are in the prayer book. The prayer books have Hebrew on the right side and Hungarian on the left side. I ask a neighbor for help and find it funny when he points to where we are on the Hungarian side. Thanks buddy!

I'm in Budapest over Yom Kippur, the most important Jewish Holiday. It's the holiday of Atonement, and after Oktoberfest I have plenty of material. I had met a cool German-Jewish dude at a CouchSurfing meeting, and was CouchSurfing with an Israeli guy, so I decide get to drag them both to service. We get some free food out of it, and then head to the biggest synagogue in Europe for Yom Kippur services. Overall a pretty cool experience.

From Budapest, Hungary

From Budapest, Hungary

A few days later, I go to my first European football game. It is a world cup qualifying match between Hungary and Albania. Unfortunately, we sit in the posh $12 seats instead of the $5 working class seats. Those guys are INSANE. They chant loudly the whole game waving flags, and have to be dispersed by riot police at the end of the game. Hia! Hia! Hia! Hungaaaaaaaria!

From Budapest, Hungary

Later I go caving underneath Budapest. You expect a nice walk through some caves but it ends up being some hardcore crawling on your knees ninja action. (Apologies in advance for the cameltoe shot)

From Budapest, Hungary

The highlight of Budapest is definitely the thermal baths. The Turkish Ottoman Empire occupied Hungary for 150 years which was mostly a bummer. But when the Hungarians finally kicked them out, they kept the Turkish baths. Imagine the largest complex of hot baths, saunas, and steam rooms you have ever seen. And it's co-ed which doesn't hurt. For $15 a day, you can't go wrong. Chess with old Hungarian men in speedos is included.

From Budapest, Hungary

From Budapest, Hungary

Checkmate old man!