Week 2

7/14 - 7/16 | Kotor

I didn’t think about the perfect destination to follow Sarajevo with, but upon reflection, Kotor comes pretty close. The opposite of a grungy, rough capital city, Kotor is a gorgeous beach outpost not unreminiscent of Maui. The core town holds about 10,000 (not including copious numbers of tourists). Mentally, I divided the place into two parts—the beach walk (which stretches all the way along the coast up to outskirt neighborhoods and resorts) and the core old town. Walking from one end of the tourist center to the other can’t take more than 30 minutes.

I’m not usually one for beach vacations, and my reticence was only made worse when I stepped off the sun into the sweltering 95-degree sun. As I walked from the bus station (on the far side of the old town) to my hostel (at the end of the main area of the beach walk), I was further disheartened because pretty much everything was closed—apparently it was a public holiday (happy Bastille Day too).

I was greeted by the friendliest group of travelers at my beachside hostel. Everyone was so relaxed and open, and they treated me like an old friend rather than a stranger. I immediately signed up to go paddleboarding with other guests for sunset, and though I couldn’t capture the moment on my phone (I don’t have a waterproof case), it was spectacular. I also re-learned to SUP, something I haven’t done for a couple of years! Balancing wasn’t so bad, the hard part was matching the energy of some of the other guests on the tour, who could do 180s on the board and even flip off the sides. I was not quite so skilled.

The next day I slept in, as I had been out very late adventuring around old town on a pub crawl with my hostel-mates. In the afternoon, I went on a boat tour of the surrounding bay and we saw the famous Blue Cave, old WWII German submarine docks, and Our Lady of the Rocks (a beautiful turquoise-domed church on a small island). All three were quite crowded, but there was something inherently relaxing about jumping into the water that seemed to put me at ease despite the people. It helped that everyone was in a good mood, too.

My hostel was preparing for a barbecue when I returned, but I instead recruited a friend I made on the boat tour to hike up to the fortress overlooking the town. We made it up just in time for sunset and, despite melting in puddles of our own sweat, were rewarded with an incredible vista over the red-roofed old town (where we could here a local concert from the main square echoing up the valley) and the bay.

My final day in Kotor involved actually experiencing the old town, befriending the local cats, and doing some shopping. I spent more time with the people I had met at my hostel and finally enjoyed a moment of quiet beach relaxation amidst my hectic travel schedule. It was a nice break from the constant pace of changing cities every few days and resetting my life in each new location.

That afternoon, I caught a night bus to Skopje. The scheduled departure was around 4:30pm (though we didn’t leave until closer to 5:30), and I was supposed to arrive just after 1 in the morning. My plan was to check into a hostel, sleep for a few more hours, and then explore the town before a midmorning flight to Budapest, but things didn’t go quite according to plan…

7/17 | Skopje

As mentioned, my bus didn’t arrive quite as scheduled. What was supposed to be a 1:15am arrival was actually more like 5:30. By this time I’d given up hope of sleeping, and just wanted to explore the city before my flight out to Budapest at 11am. Unfortunately, my hostel was well outside of the city center and not on the way to the airport—instead, I followed some friends I made on my bus to their hostel where I managed to persuade the attendant to let me drop my bags for a few hours and have a much-needed shower.

I then ventured out to explore Skopje at sunrise, before the city had a chance to wake up. This was a rather unique experience, though wholly unsatisfying (in my honest opinion). It was amazing to see empty town squares filled with massive statues (seriously, Skopje has more public statue work than any other city I’ve been to) looming over the cobblestones, but lacking any kind of historical or social context, the experience felt a little empty to me (I was also running on only a few hours of very poor sleep so…). Nevertheless, I saw the morning convocation of stray dogs having a small chat together, witnessed old ladies sweeping up the streets of the bazaar before re-opening their cafes to the early morning commuters, and basked in the soft yellow glow of sunrise among the white marble buildings and statues.

Too soon, I had to return to retrieve my bags and head to the airport. I believe Skopje had more to offer me, but especially after a few of the other Balkan countries, I’ve seen enough for now. Till next time.

7/17 - 7/21 | Budapest

My first repeat-stop on the tour (London excluded) is Budapest. I’m staying here about a week, so this narrative will be slightly less chronological and more experiential. I love this city, and it brings up a lot of mixed emotions for me: nostalgia, longing, bliss, disappointment, intrigue, and of course, just some raucous fun. Budapest has a very unique energy to it—a capital city, it’s filled with locals (many of whom are young university students) in addition to thousands of tourists (especially during the peak summer months). It feels young and alive and real, unlike other European capitals which either feel too residential or too touristy and picturesque.

Budapest strikes an amazing balance of old-world grandeur with new-world grunge. It’s the baby of modern Berlin (with its post-war utilitarian architecture, graffiti, dirt, etc.) and Vienna (grand avenues, spectacular government buildings, etc.). Ruin bars are an excellent example of this—literally constructed in falling-apart buildings (are these even up to code?), these venues are atmospheric and expansive, containing inside more space than a New Yorker could ever dream of. Each nook and cranny is filled to the brim with discarded objects, loose wires (not hot ones), graffiti, or other interesting trinkets. It’s surprisingly easy to get lost in one of these (the most famous of which is Szimpla Kert) and spend hours wandering through the twisted, crumbling passageways and through the exposed outdoor courtyards.

But Budapest also hosts a wealth of more striking beauty. The shining example of this is the Buda castle complex, sitting on the Buda hill overlooking the city and the river. From the white sandstone Fisherman’s Bastion (which becomes pink and orange when stained with a sunset), you can see the busy streets of the Jewish Quarter, the hectic ferries cruising down the Danube, and the stunning spires of the Hungarian Parliament Building.

Overall, I can’t recommend this city enough. Especially during the summer, it’s alive, vibrant, bustling, and fun. For you, I might just leave it all.