HERE AND THERE AND STUFF

- WANDERING AROUND THE WORLD SINCE JANUARY 2015 -

[hereandthereandtravel]

Various sellers in Tirana, the capital of Albania. It’s funny how interesting this city becomes the more you walk around, the more you discover and see. No wonder why this country is one of my favourites from the ones I’ve visited so far!  #ilovealbania

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How is admiration to George W. Bush from the people from Albania! Streets and monuments are called after him. And it becomes a very funny thing to see, specially if you are from a more western country and your feelings toward him are exactly the opposite...

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PYRAMID OF TIRANA

As I mentioned in another post, one of the things one must do when visiting Tirana, is to climb the pyramid up to the top. Its slippery walls don´t make it easy though, and when the time to come down comes you better not be afraid of heights. There is where I broke my jeans trying to be cool while sliding the pyramid down. Oh well.

The Pyramid is a structure in the centre of the city, which used to be a museum about Enver Hoxha legacy (dictator who led a communist dictatorship in Albania during 40 years), but after 1991 became a conference center and exhibition venue. Some sources have referred to it as the "Enver Hoxha Mausoleum" although this was not an official appellation. 

It appears that the 17,000 meters square complex may be destroyed for the new Albanian parliament to be built on its place, although many associations have been collecting signatures against its destruction. 

Tirana, March 2015

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Mica and her sewing studio at her home in Ulcinj, Montenegro.

March 2015

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OUR LADY OF THE ROCKS (PERAST), MONTENEGRO

Just 15 min bus ride from Kotor, we find Perast, a lovely small town very well known for its proximity to two small islets: Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela) and St. George (Sveti Đorđe). The pictures above are from “Gospa od Škrpjela” in a very sunny day, first day of Spring, I would say. It was incredibly warm and getting some sun was really needed after those cold days in Croatia and Bosnia!

Gospa od Škrpjela is an interesting small islet, the only one artificially built in the whole adriatic sea. It was built upon a rock (Škrpjel) after two Venetian sailors from Perast found a picture of the Virgin Mary on it in 1452. It has an area of 3,030 m². 

The islet is reachable by small boat (5€ return per person). Just ask around the bus station and you will find the taxi boat driver who can take you to the islet. He is such a character! 

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DUBROVNIK and the CITY WALLS - Croatia

I believe I am in Croatia again! As my friend Gagy says, Croatia has this “fucked-up” shape that goes all along the coast spooning Bosnia, so here I am again. It wasn’t in my plans to visit Dubrovnik but hey, I am glad I came. How beautiful! No wonder why Game of Thrones is filmed here!  

Again, in the border I found Croatian police specially annoying compared to the rest of police I met during my trip. They registered all my stuff... I was the only foreigner in the bus, so of course my bag had to be registered. Once I arrived there, my lovely couchsurfing host was waiting for me at the bus station to pick me up and take me to the flat where I would spend the next couple of days.

I found Dubrovnik beautiful although expensive. I would say Croatia and Montenegro are the two most expensive countries in the Balkans. And Greece. Anyway, the ticket for the city walls was 100 Kuna, which is about 10GBP… There is nothing else to say! It was worth paying for it though, as the views where stunning... Judge yourself!

Dubrovnik, Croatia, February 2015

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TUZLA, Bosnia and Herzegovina

I went to Tuzla with Ismir and Esmeralda to meet Emma, who lives there and was in fact going to host us. I love having met a girl called Esmeralda in Bosnia. It is actually not that strange, considering a lot of people there speaks spanish, mostly because latin american soap operas are quite popular there… We had great time there, went out a bit (great choice of clubs you can find in Tuzla, I guess because its pretty much a "students city”). From Tuzla we went to Belgrade to spend a weekend. Don’t ask me why, but I have no photos of Belgrade. Too bad!

It is the third largest city in Bosnia, and the second one I have been to in Bosnia. It is located north-east of Sarajevo. With a 3.5 hours away journey from Sarajevo, it makes a perfect getaway from the capital for a few days. Once there you can taste the delicious and juicy tuzlanski cevapi (Sarajevians please don’t hate me), which for me is better than the Sarajevian one as the bread that comes with is more juicy.

The town is, again, full of history... For instance, on 25 May 1995, an attack from Bosnian occupied side, which said that Serb forces attacked, killed 71 people and injured 200 persons in what is referred to as the Tuzla massacre, when a shell hit the central street and its promenade. Tuzla, though, its well known for its multiculturality, that remained intact even after the war of independence. It was also scenario for many battles during WWII, and there are many memorials for the victims of both wars. Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats, and a small minority of Bosnian Jews live in the most multicultural city in the country.

You can also find the Pannonian lakes. Tuzla is the only city in Europe that has a salt lake like this. The ancient Pannonian Sea dried up around 10 million years ago, but saline water can still be found due to the work of researchers who brought stability to the salinity of the water in the lakes. In 2003 the Pannonian Lake was opened, and now is receiving around 100.000 visitors every year!

The way back to Sarajevo was also great, I spent the 3.5 hours looking through the window, as it recently snowed and the roads and the mountains were looking like taken out from a fairytale!

Tuzla, February 2015

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THANKS AGAIN!

I want to share this with you: Having friends is the best thing in the world. A life of travelling it is not impossible as some may think. If you are nice with the world you will meet people on the way and they may offer you a place to stay. Beautiful friendships come from these situations! I am so, so grateful to all those friends who hosted me these days (and some of them weeks) back in Zagreb, Kutina, Sarajevo, Tuzla, Pancevo, Belgrade, Ljubuski... All my love and admiration goes to them. Thanks!

Here are pictures of the places I have slept at so far (from Zagreb to Sarajevo during the months of January and February 2015). I hope more posts like this one will come in the future, as I am enjoying very much the experience (also through couchsurfing, thanks to that too!) of meeting locals while travelling. And I am not talking about money at all (of course not paying helps), I am talking about going deeper into the culture of the countries I am visiting, getting to know the people and of course making new good friends on the way!

Hotels are boring!

GRACIAS DE NUEVO!

Quiero compartir una cosa con vosotros: Los amigos son lo mejor del mundo. Vivir la vida viajando no es imposible aunque algunos se resistan a pensarlo. Si eres amable con el mundo, vas a conocer a gente por el camino y puede que te ofrezcan una cama. Grandes amistades surgen de ahí! Estoy muy, muy agradecido a todos aquellos amigos que me acogieron estos días (y algunos de ellos semanas) durante mi estancia en Zagreb, Kutina, Sarajevo, Tuzla, Pancevo, Belgrado, Ljubuski ... Todo mi amor y admiración va para ellos. Gracias!

Aquí están las fotos de los lugares en los que he dormido de momento (de Zagreb a Sarajevo durante los meses de enero y febrero de 2015). Espero que más posts como éste vengan en el futuro, ya que estoy disfrutando mucho la experiencia (también a través de couchsurfing, gracias a eso también!) de conocer a locales durante el viaje. Y no estoy hablando de dinero en absoluto (por supuesto no pagar ayuda), estoy hablando de profundizar en la cultura de los países que visito, conocer a la gente y, por supuesto, hacer nuevos buenos amigos por el camino!

Los hoteles me aburren!

[hereandthereandtravel]

"TITO’S PLACE” - Sarajevo, BiH

Tito’s place (1). This is how Sarajevans call Vraca Memorial Park. This park is dedicated to the victims of the world war II in Sarajevo, although it used to be a fortress during the Austro-Hungarian Rule. Later on, it was a strategic place the “Independent State of Croatia” used during the World War II. Afterwards, the communists constructed the monument. It was declared National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005. As it is not very well known (and sadly neglected nowadays), not many tourists go up there. It is really a shame. The park used to be a recreational centre, with good architectural design as well as a botanic park and a fountain with water. Now the place is abandoned.

My very good friend Ismir took me there (this is one of those places I think are better visited with local friends) and also to the old (and again abandoned) observatory, which is located few meters away from the monument. As a photographer, I really enjoyed taking pictures around both “desolated places”, but I think the park should be taken good care of, as it is a memorial… it is sad to think about the “golden days” of such a place. The architecture of the place is beautiful, as well as the fountain (which is not working anymore by the way…) and the foggy morning just gave to the place a mysterious atmosphere. Thank you Ismir!

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, January 2015

(1) The name “Tito” is for Josip Broz Tito, who was president of Yugoslavia (1953-1980)

"TITO’S PLACE" - Sarajevo, BiH

“Tito’s Place” (1). Así es como la gente de Sarajevo llama a “Vraca Memorial Park”. Este parque está dedicado a las víctimas de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en Sarajevo, y también fue utilizado como fortaleza durante el período austro-húngaro. Más tarde,  se convirtió en un lugar estratégico que el “Estado Independiente de Croacia” utilizó durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Después de todo esto, los comunistas construyeron el monumento. Fue declarado Monumento Nacional de Bosnia y Herzegovina en 2005. Actualmente, el parque-monumento no es muy conocido (y se puede decir bien claro que es ignorado y está abandonado), así que no hay muchos turistas que lo visiten, y es una pena. El parque fue utilizado años atrás como centro de ocio. Presumía de una buena arquitectura, un parque botánico y una fuente de donde emanaba agua. Ahora el lugar está abandonado, lleno de graffitis i basura.

Mi amigo Ismir me llevó allí (creo que este es uno de esos lugares que se ven mejor si vas con alguien que conozca bien la ciudad), y también me mostró el viejo observatorio (también abandonado), el cual está ubicado a unos metros del monumento. Como fotógrafo disfruté mucho de los dos “sitios abandonados”, pero creo que deberían cuidar el parque, especialmente tratándose de un monumento a las víctimas de la guerra… Es triste pensar que un sitio así tuvo su “época dorada”. Qué pena. El diseño del lugar es precioso, así como la arquitectura, y la fuente… Y esa niebla que le daba un toque misterioso… Gracias Ismir!

Sarajevo, Bosnia y Herzegovina, Enero de 2015

(1) “Tito” se refiere a Josip Broz Tito, que fue presidente de Yugoslavia durante el período 1953-1980.

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SARAJEVO OLYMPIC BOBSLEIGH AND LUGE TRACK, "BOB STAZA" - Sarajevo, BiH

Sarajevo became the center of the world during the Winter Olympic Games back in 1984. A bobsleigh of 1300 meters and a luge track of 1210 meters were built, being finished by September of 1982, at a cost of 563,209,000 YUD. Placed in the mountain of Trebević, the tracks were overlooking the city of Sarajevo. It is known in the local language by "Bob Staza". 

So with the introduction done, I can tell you how I got there. There was no public transport to access to Trebević mountain, so I had no choice other than take a taxi which cost me 25 KM (12,5€) return with a staying in and around the "bob staza" for about an hour. At half the way there, he stopped the taxi and took the "taxi" sign off the top of the car and hide it inside. We were actually leaving Federation part and entering to the Srpska Republika part of the city, where Sarajevo Taxis can get trouble with police of that side of the city (yes, they have a different police). No words!

For my surprise, when we got to the thing, we stayed for 5 minutes and the guy (Omar was his name) told me to go, alleging the bobsleigh was destroyed during the war and there was not much to see, in a not very good english."Ok, I thought, it is your first day in Sarajevo and you have already been ripped off by the first taxi driver you met. He told you one hour and you stayed 5 minutes and seen nothing". Thus we got into the car and drove off the place. I was upset. For real. Then I noticed he was actually taking me to the real bobsleigh place, where we stopped the car and I could walk and take pictures for about an hour. And then he took me to the best place to overlook Sarajevo from Trebević so I could take pictures. And also gave me a cookie. And then he invited me for coffee when we got to the city again. Did I already mention Sarajevo's people are the main reason I love the city for? 

So, being there was great, a real playground for me, running up and down the bobsleigh, taking too many pictures (it's been really hard to select the pictures afterwards), but also feeling a bit sad for seeing such a place now abandoned, although converted into a mural for graffities. Later on I knew the track was used as an artillery position by Bosnian Serb forces during the siege of Sarajevo.

And, by the way, in the picture this is Omar, the taxi driver. He asked me to take the picture for him with his taxi so I could send him via facebook. Too bad I couldn't find him... Thanks for the coffee anyway!!

Sarajevo, January 2015

SARAJEVO OLYMPIC BOBSLEIGH AND LUGE TRACK, "BOB STAZA" - Sarajevo, BiH

Sarajevo fue el centro de atención durante los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno en 1984. Un bobsleigh de 1.300 metros y una pista de luge de 1.210 se terminaron de construir en septiembre de 1982, con un costo de 563.209 millones de YUD. Situado en la montaña de Trebević, las pistas estaban (y aún están) en lo alto de la ciudad de Sarajevo. Allí lo conocen como "Bob Staza".

Con la introducción hecha, ya os puedo explicar cómo llegué allí. No había transporte público con el que pudiera llegar al monte Trebević, así que no tuve otra opción que tomar un taxi que me costó 25 KM (12,5 €) ida y vuelta, y quedándonos en "bob staza" y alrededores durante una hora aproximadamente. Algo que me sorprendió fue que a medio camino, el taxi se detuvo y cogió la señal de "taxi" de la parte superior del coche y la guardó dentro del coche. La cosa es que estábamos dejando la parte "bosnia" de Sarajevo y entrando en la parte de la República Srpska de la ciudad, donde "Sarajevo Taxis" pueden tener problemas con la policía de ese lado de la ciudad (sí, tienen una policía diferente). Me quedé sin palabras!

Para mi sorpresa, cuando llegamos al bobsleigh, nos detuvimos por 5 minutos y el hombre (Omar era su nombre) me dijo que nos teníamos que ir, que el bobsleigh fue destruido durante la guerra y no había mucho que ver, chapurreando en inglés... "Ok, pensé, es tu primer día en Sarajevo y ya te han estafado. El primer taxista con el que te has encontrado. Me prometió una hora y nos quedamos 5 minutos y sin ver nada". Así que entramos en el coche y nos fuimos de allí. Me enfadé. De verdad. Entonces me dí cuenta de que en realidad Omar me estaba llevando al lugar real, donde detuvimos el coche y yo pude ir arriba y abajo y tomar fotos durante aproximadamente una hora. Y luego me llevó al mejor mirador de Sarajevo desde Trebević para que pudiera tomar fotos. Y también me dió una galleta. Y me invitó a tomar un café cuando llegamos a la ciudad otra vez. ¿Mencioné ya que la gente de Sarajevo son la principal razón por la que amo esa ciudad?

Y bueno, allí pasé un buen rato, corriendo arriba y abajo del bobsleigh, sacando demasiadas fotos (ha sido duro seleccionar las imágenes...), pero también me sentí un poco triste al ver ese lugar abandonado y lleno de graffitis. Más tarde también supe que la pista fue utilizada como posición de artillería de las fuerzas serbobosnias durante la guerra en Sarajevo.

Y el tipo de la foto con el taxi es Omar, el conductor. Me pidió que tomara una foto de él con su taxi y que se la enviara a través de Facebook. Que lástima que no lo pude encontrar... De todos modos… Gracias por el café!!

Sarajevo, Bosnia y Herzegovina, Enero de 2015