Travel for Love

So far my list consists of places that start with “Bal,” since my first post about my list of places I want to go discussed Bali. It’s just a coincidence that I decided to write today about why I want to visit the Balkan countries, and there are lots of other places on my list (in my head) that don’t even start with B!

Here is a map of the Balkan countries, although if I were the one defining the region I would not include Romania. Not my decision though.

I first became interested in this part of the world when I saw a documentary about the falling lakes of Plitvice National Park in Croatia. The program gave a lengthy overview of this stunning area, including discussion of the interesting wildlife in the dense forest of the area, noting that tourism is finally starting to pick up now that the war is over.

Isn’t that stunning? I found this photo in a post about lakes on www.simonseeks.com.

I didn’t quite understand what war they were talking about until I started doing a little more research. I am just old enough to remember the news coverage of the wars that went on in the 90s, with terms like “Kosovo,” “NATO,” “Serbs,” “Slobodan Milosevic,” sounding very familiar. I just didn’t really make the connection at the time when hearing about these far off places that these wars were occurring right there in Europe, right next to Greece. So between seeing the beautiful Plitvice region and realizing that these borders were drawn during a war that I remember, I became very intrigued by the Balkan region.

Burning building in Sarajevo during the war in 1992… all over the internet.

I’ve done some research on this lesser-known region over the years and came up with some reason why I want to go there.

The History

The history of this region is so complex I have trouble understanding enough of it to summarize here. Just the recent history yields enough political changes in the Balkans to make your head spin! This fascinating map from Wikipedia shows how the region has changed since 1796. Considering the US has been it’s own country since before then (though not quite as large as it is today) it’s incredible how many changes the Balkan peninusla has had in the same time period.

Mostar, Bosnia (commons.wikimedia.org)

The region’s colorful past includes ruling by the Greeks, Normans, Slavs, Venetians, Byzantines, Ottoman Turks. Each empire undoubtedly left its mark on the region’s architecture, food, and culture. There are Roman ruins, Ottoman mosques and hammams, Serbian monasteries, and medieval castles. Some of the Crusade battles were fought here. And, the recent bloody wars in the Balkans give visitors a unique opportunity to see the consequences of modern warfare like nowhere else.

Beautiful Scenery and Nature

Beautiful mountain ranges, clear blue Adriatic beaches, and wilderness come to mind when I think about this area. The mountain regions offer hiking and skiing in the winter while the beautiful coasts and islands are popular for relaxing beach vacations. Dense forests in the area harbor wolves, bears, the Balkan lynx, and lots of Europe’s migrating birds. I think visiting some of the natural scenery would be a pleasant contrast to the deep and sometimes dark history travelers will find in the more urban areas.

I did see PBS has a special “Nature” episode about the Balkans, which I am going to watch if I ever finish this post. It can be found here for anyone interested!

The Culture

The region is a bit of a melting pot of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Islam; it’s a bit of east meets west with influence from Europe, Russia and Central Asia. Balkan folk music sounds to me like a mix of Turkish, Middle Eastern, and Gypsy music (in a broad generalization – there are many diverse musical types). Belgrade, Serbia has a reputation for great nightlife. I can only guess that this region, at a crossroads of east and west, has a culture like that of nowhere else. Muslim call to prayer, women in Babushkas, Eastern Orthodox churches, shopping bazaars, those are what I picture. And they must really have some “street cred” for going through all they have.

Bosnian folk dress on www.HiddenBosnia.com

Off the Beaten Path

I don’t know anyone who’s been to this region except on a cruise stop in Dubrovnik, or coworkers who’ve visited Soviet Era Nuclear Plants in Bulgaria and Slovenia. It really seems to be off the radar, at least among American tourists. Prices are still supposed to be low here too, considering many of the countries are still rebuilding crumbled economies after the war. But that’s starting to change. Cruise ships stop regularly in Croatia now, and the region is becoming more and more popular among tourists. Paris Hilton even apparently owns a home somewhere in the area. This is all the more reason for me to want to visit the Balkan countries before everyone else does.

It was really ambitious of me to try to squeeze all these countries into one post, and hopefully I am not lumping them together too much or over-generalizing. It’s hard to write about a place I haven’t been, but I am totally fascinated with this region. And why not? It has everything – incredible history and culture, beautiful natural scenery and wildlife, and it’s an up and coming destination that desperately needs tourism to help its economy.

Old city of Dubrovnik (www.touristmaker.com)

What’s on your list?