Europe Archives - Tattered Atlas Tales

Working from former Soviet Capitals 2021

kmartini — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 02:34:42 +0000

Working from Former Soviet Capitals 2021

TALLINN, ESTONIA

My Russian visa still had a couple days before it became valid, and I was waiting on PCR test results in Helsinki, so I decided to take a 25-minute flight to Tallinn.

My last trip to the Baltic states was cut short when I left my friends in Riga and flew to Ukraine.

I always wanted to check Estonia off my list but wasn’t going to make a special trip to do so.

The waiting game offered the perfect opportunity to spend a couple days in the World Heritage area of Tallinn’s Old Town. I used Marriott points to book a couple nights at the Telegraph Hotel and enjoyed a couple days exploring.

Põhjala Brewery

It was at the Põhjala Brewery, enjoying an IPA and some BBQ in the sun, that I started to get nervous.

The rules for entering Russia were always changing and I read you had to travel directly from a country that had direct flights to Russia. I would be flying back through Helsinki.

Would they let me board? Would they let me enter when I landed? Pictures of Snowden stuck in limbo were flashing through my mind. Lol.

Stressed Out at the Airport

When I checked in for my flight in Tallinn, the gate attendant looked at my passport for what seemed like an hour, then she went to make a phone call. But then she came back, printed my boarding pass, and I was on my way. Still unsure if they would grant me entry when I got there, I did my best to enjoy one of the most comfortable airports I’ve ever been in. Turns out my fears were unfounded. After a couple short flights with Chinese in hazmat suits and Russians who refused to wear masks, I was in Moscow.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Arriving in Moscow was a shit show. Passport control was a madhouse. People shoving, no real lines, just everyone for themselves. The woman at the counter got angry with me when I presented my documents. She kept yelling the same question at me, but I couldn’t understand her through the mask and glass window. The chaos didn’t end there. I ended up getting through the area where they check vax cards and health declaration forms without showing anything, because there was no order and I just kept walking, but then there was the barrage of pushy taxi drivers.

Then a major debacle led me to my first (and only) interaction with a Russian police officer. The Yandex app wouldn’t work on my phone (most apps wouldn’t) and the language barrier was tough, so I ignored all the pushy taxi drivers and went out to the official taxi stand. I booked a taxi with them, paid via credit card, and was on my way. It wasn’t until a few minutes later I realized they charged me 10x the normal fare. I made my driver (who was also pissed because they only gave him the normal fare) take me back to the airport where I demanded my money back. After getting the police involved, I got some of my money back thanks to my honest Mongolian taxi driver.

The whole airport experience was an extremely bad first impression of Russia. Especially after coming from friendly Finland.

Arriving at my apartment building (one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters) didn’t exactly put me at ease, but I was in awe. There were people modeling for Instagram at the entrance of the imposing building that could be seen from almost anywhere in the city. The views from inside my apartment were incredible. The internet was 10x faster than Finland, but technology aside it felt like going back in time. I was worn out and frustrated and ended up staying in to relax and read. I would leave the exploring to the next day.

Red Square

My first day/night in Moscow was a little rough. I am embarrassed to say I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it on my own. I posted to the EPS group looking for a fixer and was laughed at. Once I got out into the city, I realized why. Moscow is an extremely easy city to navigate.

The Yandex app (once I got it working) is Uber. The Metro is straightforward and has all stops marked in English. Most restaurants have English menus. ATMs are everywhere.

In all reality, I was kind of disappointed in how easy Moscow was. Growing up in the U.S., I always thought of Russia as “the other”, but it turns out Moscow really isn’t much different than many other cities I’ve been to.

Red Square is a place I’ve always wanted to see though, and it did not disappoint. Especially at night with everything lit up. The iconic Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the red brick walls of the Kremlin, and the impressive Gum mall, all make for one of the more impressive city squares.

Walking around the square, hearing all the chatter from families conversing in Russian, did make me feel like I was somewhere else. The place we always feared as kids in the 80’s.

The days were chilly, but warm in the sun, and the nights brought out all the fluffy hats and sweaters and long jackets. It was the Russia I’d always pictured.

GUM

Gum is a large shopping mall with locations all over the former Soviet states. The one on Red Square is gigantic. It was so festive that even the Russian gangsters were enjoying themselves.

Lenin’s Mausoleum

I went into Lenin’s Mausoleum without realizing his 97-year-old corpse was on display. I thought it was a wax sculpture at first. So creepy. Stalin used to be next to him, but they removed the body and buried it after the tide turned against him.

Kremlin Closed

The one day I decided I was going to visit the Kremlin, it was closed.

There was heavy police and military presence all over the city, so I’m guessing there was official business going on behind those walls.

Uilliam’s

My favorite breakfast place was a small café in one of the hipster neighborhoods. People watching here was the best.

Café Pushkin

The one fancy dinner I had. The atmosphere was great and the vodka flowed like wine, but the food was only ok. I realized how comfortable I was in the city when I walked the 30 minutes back to my apartment late at night, slightly buzzed, blasting Russian black metal through my earbuds.

Novodevichy Cemetery

Everyone who was anyone is buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Except for Lenin, of course

Les enfants sont les victimes des vices des adultes

Children Are the Victims of Adult Vices is a collection of statues in Moscow that represent all the dangers children face (drugs, child labor, prostitution, alcohol, etc.) while a mother looks on with indifference. It’s very well done, but kinda creepy that it’s right next to a children’s playground.

Fallen Monument Park

“I follow the Moskva, down to Gorky Park, listening to the wind of change.

Take me to the magic of the moment, on a glory night, where the children of tomorrow share their dreams”

I couldn’t get that Scorpions song out of my head as I walked along the Moskva River to Gorky Park.

Along the way I saw one of the ugliest monuments I’ve ever seen.

I also visited Sculpture Park (aka Fallen Monument Park). It’s where the statues of the Communist past ended up during perestroika. I’ve always wondered why we couldn’t do something like this in the U.S. Rather than trying to erase the past by destroying Confederate statues, etc., why not put them in a museum or a “park of shame”?

Mosfilm

I toured Mosfilm studios. It is the one studio that has been releasing Russian and Soviet films since 1924.

Some of my favorites are Stalker, Come and See, The Cranes Are Flying, Mirror, Solaris, and The Ascent.

The tour was completely in Russian and I didn’t understand a thing, but it was still fun to walk around the sets and see some of the costumes and cars and stuff.

Embassy of Belarus

An opportunity to take 4 days off work presented itself, so I decided to travel to Belarus for a long weekend. Unfortunately, I needed a visa because I was coming from Russia. There is no passport control between the two countries, so I needed a visa to present before boarding a flight. The embassy staff were very friendly, and it wasn’t the hassle I expected it to be. I even found a great taphouse to hang out and have a coupe local IPAs while I waited.

Russia

Moscow allowed me to experience one small part of Russia.

I felt comfortable and never felt unsafe.

Working US hours was more difficult than I’d imagined though.

I planned on working from 6:00pm-2:00am, then sleep from 2:00am-9:00am, then explore by day. The biggest issue was falling asleep at 2:00am. I can’t go to sleep right after work. So, I’d usually end up reading Crime & Punishment until about 4:00am, then I’d FaceTime with the girls, then I’d fall asleep and have heavy dreams and wake up a few times before it was time to get up.

I never got on a real schedule.

The weather was beautiful my entire time in Moscow. It rained a few times, but never while I was out.

My apartment, and the view, made me feel at home in the city. If anything, I was too comfortable and had to force myself out every day.

Traffic is awful in Moscow, but the metro is a great alternative to Yandex.

MINSK, BELARUS

Belarus was not what I expected. I don’t know what I expected, but I was overwhelmed by the friendliness of the people and how clean everything was. This is a country that was closed off from the world for a long time, experienced a failed revolution less than a year ago, and is ran by the “last dictator in Europe.” But everyone, from my Yandex driver to the lady standing in front of my (very Soviet) apartment complex, to the nicest old couple who rented me the place, was so welcoming. The Airbnb wife spoke English better than her husband, so she kept trying to interrupt him when he was talking to me, and he kept shooing her away.

The land was all orange and yellow as we drove into the city. You could eat off the streets in the city center (because the government employees a team of cleaners and because people just don’t litter). The thing that struck me the most on my first walk was how much more Soviet it felt than Moscow. If I were to ignore the McDonalds and KFC, I could almost imagine I was back in the USSR.

The country is super safe for travelers. I felt no animosity from anyone, despite being from a country that has levied heavy sanctions recently. There are no direct flights to Belarus from the U.S. or most European countries ever since Lukashenko forced a Ryanair flight to land in Minsk to retrieve a blogger who was critical of his government. This just happened in May of this year. Even most flyover flights have rerouted.

Soviet KFC

When you want to celebrate the power of the workers against the evil West, but still love some fried chicken.

Old vs. New

Belarus has been ruled by the notorious dictator, Lukashenko, since 1994, when he was elected for a normal term (and then solidified power by constitutional reforms). He is very much a fan of the USSR, and the country is a time capsule of that period.

But the youth are rebelling and looking to the future. There was a failed revolution last year and many people think the system is on the verge of collapse.

And роял = royal in Russian.

Russian Social Democratic Labour Party

The Green House is a replica of the house that once stood there. It is where the RSDLP was born.

Right across the street is the apartment building Lee Harvey Oswald lived in.

Khatyn Memorial

25% of the Belarus population died in WWII (Great Patriotic War). If you’ve ever seen Come and See, you’ll know about the villages that were attacked. People were locked in barns before they were burned to the ground. Khatyn was one of those villages. In 1943, around 150 people were burned alive here. The deaths in Khatyn and across 185 other villages are attributed to the Nazis. There are stories coming out now that Soviet troops and partisans also committed atrocities in the region. The history of Belarus throughout many wars resides in a grey area. None of that takes away from the fact that all these villagers experienced a horrible death.

The memorial itself is somber but very well done. The entrance is marked by The Unconquered Man. Joseph Kaminsky was the only survivor and the statue shows him carrying his son. There are 26 chimneys representing each home destroyed. It is said that people came to the village and used the fireplaces to keep warm after the massacre. A bell rings on each one on a rotating schedule to mark each death. Each village has a granite gravestone. There are 3 trees in the Square of Memory, with a space for a 4th, representing the 1 in 4 people who died during the war. An eternal flame burns there.

The whole monument blends into the quiet space surrounded by forest. It is a very peaceful place now.

The Mound of Glory

The Mound of Glory, a memorial to the Soviet soldiers who fought in WWII, was the first place I was extremely cold on this trip. The wind ripped through the monument when I got to the top and it made me question whether I wanted to go back to Russia. The weather in Saint Petersburg was changing and it was looking very cold and wet. This is when the idea of going to Georgia popped into my mind.

Surrounded by the Enemy

Zair Azgur was a famous Belarusian sculptor, and a ton of his work has been crammed into a very small space at his memorial museum. I got there right before it closed but they let me in. There was a group of musicians setting up for a concert that night. A surreal space to be playing music. The creepiest statue was that of the founder of the KGB holding a child.

BREST, BELARUS

Brest could have been reached by train. It probably would have been even faster. But I will never regret hiring Vladimir to drive me. At 59-years-old, the man had stories that could fill volumes. Born in Ukraine and raised in Russia, he now resides in Minsk with his Russian wife and 12-year-old son. He has visited 80 countries, most at war, in conflict, or dealing with major displacement issues. He fought for the Soviets in Afghanistan, he worked counterintelligence in the Cold War, and saw some shit in Chechnya. Still employed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, he’ll be able to collect his pension in any country he wants in 3 years. He doesn’t believe Belarus will survive another year, so he’s trying to decide where he wants his son to grow up.

As we crossed the Stalin Line, he pointed out pill boxes from WWI and WWII, the peppered fields that have seen so many battles through the centuries. He talked about all the amazing things he’s found in those fields using a metal detector. He had me listen to how the sound of the road changed in certain parts, where it was wide and the trees had been cleared, so I could understand that the freeway doubled as a runway for military aircraft.

Both his grandfathers fought for the Soviet Army and the NKVD. He told me how Belarus only has three ways to enter, because the rest of the country was fortified by forests, rivers, and swamps. He talked about how the partisans were not guerillas. They were just AWOL military looking after their own interests. The heroes of Brest didn’t really hold off the Nazis, they just survived. And most of them were sent to the gulags by Stalin.

He talked about how all the good products from Belarus were shipped to Russia. His friends in Russia could get better quality Belarusian vodka and meat than he could locally, and it was less expensive there. His niece had to flee to Poland because she was wanted for the protests last year. He believes the population of Belarus is much less than reported, because the youth leave without telling the government. And even though he’s spent a good part of his life working for refugees, he had no love for the Iraqis flooding into Minsk. He does not consider them refugees but sees them as opportunists that do not share the values of the Belarusians.

Vladimir is an extremely well educated and well-traveled man, and he misses the USSR. He said at least back then they had something to be proud of. Spending 12 hours with this man was the highlight of my entire stay in Belarus.

Vladimirisms

“Anyone can be President of Belarus, as long as they have experience being President of Belarus.”

“The politicians used to just get some grease on their fingers, now they slice the pig down the middle and take half.”

“Belarus has about 6 months to a year left, then it will be absorbed into Russia. It will be a peaceful transition”

“CCCP now stand for Cool Communist Concrete Photography”

“The Russian military wasn’t in the Ukraine; it was just polite men in green uniforms.”

As I got out of the car and put my beanie on “there you go, you look Georgian now!”

TBILISI, GEORGIA

About eight months into COVID, I was losing my mind and considered moving my family to Georgia for six months. They were allowing digital nomad visas. It didn’t happen, but the icy rain in Saint Petersburg caused me to change my plans and head to sunny Tbilisi. I booked a flight from Minsk, a night at the Marriott on points, and an Airbnb around the corner for the rest of the week. There were big protests in the city center a couple days earlier, but everything seemed safe enough.

I was immediately in love with the city, and Georgia is a Top 10 country for me now. It has all the comforts of Eastern Europe, but also a lot of Russian Empire / Soviet stuff. It has great infrastructure, fast internet, and good cell coverage. It has beautiful mountains and a wine country. It has very good food (local and foreign cuisine is offered all over the city, via delivery, upscale restaurants, and everything in between). They have their own Uber (Yandex). And it’s cheap as hell.

Sure, they try to overthrow their government and like to get into fights with Russia occasionally (they hate Russians), but that’s not unlike the U.S. these days.

The biggest issue with working from Georgia was the time difference. I was working 11 hours ahead of mountain time.

Wild Dogs

Tbilisi has dogs like Istanbul has cats. They are well taken care of, friendly, and some of them are even tagged. They just sleep in the sun and drink from the fountains and seem to have a great life.

Religious Pluralism

Georgia is a very religious country, with 85% of the population subscribing to the Georgian Orthodox Church, but mosques and synagogues pepper the landscape as well.

Churchkhela

This colorful candy is made with nuts and grape juice. It’s pretty, and tastes alright, but wasn’t something I’d go out of my way to have again. It’s hanging in storefronts all over the city.

Baratashvili Bridge

The modern clashes with the old all-around Tbilisi, but this pedestrian bridge (also known as the Bridge of Peace) over the Kura River stands out among it all. A lot of people joke that it looks like a sanitary napkin.

Soviet Train Yard

There is an abandoned train station on the edge of town. There are people living in some of the cars. Not homeless people, but people who have literally turned some of the cars into homes. I wandered around but got sketched out when some random guys seemed to be following me and then they disappeared behind one of the cars.

Cable Car Station

This abandoned Soviet cable car station was much less sketchy than the train station. The construction workers were nice enough to let me in, but not before asking where I was from. I think I would have been denied if I was Russian.

Road Trip

Renting a vehicle in a foreign country is one of my favorite and least favorite things to do. There is nothing like having your own ride to go exploring, but there is also the fear of dealing with a shady company and losing a large deposit because of an accident.

I’d heard people drive crazy in Georgia as well, but this ended up being one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with a foreign rental company.

They brought the Toyota Fortuner Hilux (big in the Emirates) to me at my apartment, I paid cash with no deposit, and they came and picked it up from me when I was done.

The drive was amazing as well. My destination was Stepantsminda (aka Kazbegi, small town in the Caucasus), but I made quite a few stops along the Georgian Military Road.

Gergeti Trinity Church

There is a paved road to Gergeti Trinity Church, or a partial road, but the gang of 4×4 taxi drivers had it blocked off when I got there. I’m not sure if it was officially closed or if they just closed it so they could charge people for a ride up. Luckily, I had a 4×4, because even with the clearance I had, it was a rough ride. So worth it though. The church sits at 7120 ft. and is surrounded by the snowcapped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. I spread some of Dad’s ashes there. It was his birthday.

KEZBAGI, GEORGIA

I decided to stay in Kezbagi for the night. I found a room at the Hilltop Kazbegi hotel just before sunset. The view from the balcony was nice, but the clouds had dropped down to bury the town in fog. I couldn’t see much until the next morning when I woke up to the crystal clear 16,517 ft. face of Mount Kazbek.

That night I took the car down into town for dinner and couldn’t see a damn thing. The Toyota was almost swallowed by a few potholes, but the restaurant was worth it. A family affair, with the daughter cooking and the mother serving, Baba’s five tables were full, with a rotating group of travelers always waiting for the next to open. The khinkali and khachapuri were both excellent.

Shavi Lomi

I hit this recommended restaurant when I got back to the city. It was the first place to ask for proof of vaccination the entire trip, even though it was outdoor seating. This is where I had my best tasting local beer (a farmhouse ale) and finally tried satsivi (chicken in walnut sauce). Like so many great places in Georgia, it was almost hidden. Just a mural to give a hint of what lay behind.

Brutalist Architecture

I finally made it out to Nutsubidze street on my last day in Georgia. I was looking for the Nutsubidze bridge complex; three brutalist apartment buildings connected by a skybridge.

I booked a Yandex. The driver was extremely friendly. His 19-year-old son was teaching him English. When we got to the buildings, I wasn’t sure we were in the right place. I showed him a photo and he didn’t know. Then I got out of the car and looked up at the bridge directly above us. I pointed up, he looked and shook his head with an expression on his face like “why do you want to see this?”

The elevator needed a key (I heard it was coin operated before), but a nice old lady let me ride up with her. She even let me off on the right floor. This place wasn’t a tourist attraction. People live here. I find this kind of concrete architecture extremely interesting though. Not only the buildings and the bridge, but the view of the old Soviet skyline from those heights as well.

I didn’t have a key to get back down, so I took the stairs. I passed a likeminded traveler on the way down. He didn’t have a nice old lady to help him up.

Heading Home

A self-administered COVID test, a quick nap, and then I was off for my early morning flight.

Leaving Georgia was easy. The customs lady rolled her eyes while looking through my passport. I asked her what was wrong, but I already knew. She said, “you know!” and laughed. She was talking about my Russian visa.

I grabbed a croissant and Turkish coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts (“America runs on Dunkin’”) and threw it away after a couple bites and sips. It was disgusting. Then I bought a bottle of Georgian wine and chacha to bring home.

This journey started out with a week in Finland before crossing into the former Soviet states, and that’s where I spent my last night before the journey home. I really didn’t know where I was going to end up on this trip, so I booked a roundtrip ticket from Denver to Helsinki.

After a good, cold night in Helsinki, I flew to rainy London where I had a proper English breakfast, was told to keep my distance (over the PA) a million times before being crammed into a tram with a hundred other people, and subjugated to “random” additional Homeland Security screening before the long flight home.

The trip was a success. I feel like I know a lot more about a part of the world I’d never been. I will visit Georgia again, with my family, and for an extended period. I could seriously consider living there.

The post Working from former Soviet Capitals 2021 appeared first on Tattered Atlas Tales.

Solitude in Finland 2021

kmartini — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 18:40:22 +0000

Solitude in Finland in 2021

Helsinki

Exactly one year after my first post-COVID trip, to the Balkans, I found myself in Helsinki on a beautiful autumn day.

I wandered the city without a fixed destination. Dazed and confused from a long journey over the Atlantic, Helsinki’s welcoming aura was a comfort.

Little paths wound through the small city. Trees almost outnumbered buildings.

It was a Sunday. Many people were out, but everything was quiet. The sun shone on families taking photos in piles of fallen leaves, children running around in playgrounds, and couples walking along Toloviken Lake.

Rovaniemi

The original purpose of this trip was to visit Russia for the first time, but my visa wasn’t going to be valid until October 9th, so I took a prop plane up to Finnish Lapland; an area famous for Santa Claus’ village, Northern Lights, and having more reindeer than people.

My first observation came at the airport, where the staff was overly friendly. I tried to gate check my roller bag when I realized how small the plane was, but they told me I’d be fine. No strict luggage rules. No attitude. Just a smile and a thank you.

The same went with the rental car. No upselling, no hassle; just a couple signatures and a set of keys.

My first stop was Santa Claus’ post office to mail a letter from my daughter. Then I crossed into the Arctic Circle and drove a half hour north of Rovaniemi to the cottage I rented for the week, dodging reindeer along the way.

Finnish Lapland

Traveling halfway around the world to a landscape and climate I could have experienced much closer to home might seem odd, but there is something about being on foreign soil. There is also something about being alone.

I wasn’t built to be around people all the time, so Lapland was a great place to spend a few days in solitude.

It was cold, wet, and dreary the entire time I was there. I fed the fireplace with wood every hour, sweat myself silly at 135 degrees in the sauna, and searched the sky for Northern Lights. Unfortunately, the clouds hid any colors that might have been up there.

I listened to a lot of Emmylou Harris and had extremely vivid dreams every time I fell asleep. Working Colorado hours (from about 6pm to 1am) messed with my mind a little as well, adding to the feeling that I was living in some sort of dreamland.

Orkani Art Project

I could have gotten lost in laziness at my cottage, so I decided to take a drive one day.

There was a sign on the road for Orkani Art about an hour from where I was staying, right outside of Pello.

I pulled off and hiked along a trail littered with art projects. It was eerie to be out there by myself. I never knew what I was going to come across around the next bend.

These are the kind of strange things I love to find when exploring a new region.

I didn’t see a single person, and I hadn’t spoken to anyone for days, so it was a little scary when I came across the little plaster girl.

It was damp and misty, and the only sounds were the dripping moisture from the trees.

I spread some of my dad’s ashes with the girl, so they could look after each other, before heading back to the car.

Arktikum

I stopped by the Arkitum Museum when I got back into the little city of Rovaniemi. I really don’t know why I keep trying to like museums. They are not my thing.

There was some cool photography, but I didn’t linger.

A couple days later I was driving to the airport for my flight to Tallinn. It was pitch black outside that early in the morning and I had nightmarish visons of hitting a reindeer at 100km/hr.

I was also worried about entering Russia after Estonia because of the ever-changing COVID rules.

But it all ended up working out, with no reindeer or rental car casualties.

Lappi Ravintola

I kept to myself while in Lapland. There weren’t any restaurants near my cottage, so I ate frozen meals from the store like a bachelor.

When I arrived back in Helsinki after my journey through the former Soviet States, I went to a traditional Lapland restaurant in the city.

I had reindeer filet with a locally brewed beer. It was amazing. Not gamey like venison. Expensive though. Especially after coming from Georgia where everything was so cheap.

The post Solitude in Finland 2021 appeared first on Tattered Atlas Tales.

Solo Travel in Western Balkans 2020

kmartini — Sat, 02 May 2020 22:13:00 +0000

Solo Travel in the Western Balkans 2020

Travel During a Pandemic

October 2019

I haven’t said much about this trip yet because
a) I was pretty sure it would just get cancelled and
b) I know some of you will not agree with my decision to travel.

It’s happening though. My flight to Belgrade takes off in 24 hours.

Serbia does not require a PCR test to enter, but I got one anyway. I should have my results back by the time I land.

I am expecting them to be negative, but if the test comes back positive, I will do the responsible thing and quarantine myself.

I don’t have an itinerary because the travel rules can change with very little notice. I just know six countries are all possibilities. I also know I have a flight back home from Albania.

I’m hoping to rent cars and explore on my own; spending little time in big cities and avoiding crowds.

This is not a part of the world that’s ever been high on my list, but every country is on my list and the Balkan countries have a good handle on the virus and are one of the few regions that are open to Americans, so the Balkans it is.

I’ve followed all the rules, stayed home more than the average person, and plan on following all the rules while abroad. I’ll also take another test when I get home. That said, I’ve gotta live my life.

Flying the Friendly Skies

First flight in 224 days!
Feels pretty good.

The check-in process was easy: Scan passport at kiosk, United agent comes over and verifies you have everything needed for the countries you’re traveling to (she scared me when she asked for my Serbian visa before realizing I won’t be staying over 90 days), then print boarding passes.

Security with TSA Pre was a breeze.

No social distancing happening at the airport though. Train was packed. Restaurant area was packed. Boarding area was packed.

I am on a flight to D.C. now, then I fly through Frankfurt to Belgrade. Americans are not allowed in Germany (or anywhere in the EU), but we can transfer through certain airports.

United is selling middle seats, but they text yesterday warning me the flights would be pretty full. The gave me the option of changing at no charge. I stuck with my flights but upgraded to Premium Plus seating for the long flight to Germany.

Belgrade

Getting into Serbia was a breeze. The agent didn’t even say hi. Just stamped the passport, no questions asked.

My PCR test results had not come in yet, and I had been traveling for 24 hours on little sleep, so I (over)paid a taxi to take me to a $14 Airbnb studio.

Took a nap, woke up to my negative results, booked my flight to Montenegro, and walked the streets a bit.

People here are not the mask-wearing kind (driver told me “you can take that off, welcome to the land of the free”). It’s a rule on public transportation, but even that isn’t followed by all. A bad day is when more than 1 person dies of COVID though, so they just are not as concerned.

Lots of people out and about, but pretty mellow for a Friday night…at least where I am. Most were eating and drinking at outdoor tables. I hear there is a happening club scene in this city, but I’ve hated that shit since way before COVID.

Montenegro is a little more locked down, so it’ll be interesting to see how it is there. It’s also supposed to rain quite a bit the next few days, so we’ll see how that is.

I am going to rent a car and head to Kotor as my base. I booked a 3 room penthouse overlooking the bay for $77 a night.

Montenegro

Getting into Montenegro was easy, but only with proof of a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old.

Social distancing in a country with a population of around 600,000 isn’t very hard, especially when there are very few tourists, no cruise shippers flooding in each day, and plenty of Airbnbs and markets to get food to make at home.

There is nothing better than having a home base, renting a car, and exploring a foreign country with no itinerary. That’s exactly what I’ve done here. I’ve setup in the Bay of Kotor and have been exploring from here. It’s amazing how much there is to see in this tiny place.

Such a gorgeous country. Just need to watch out for wild boars. I stopped to take a photo of an old Soviet statue and a couple of them came out of the woods. Scared the shit out of me!

There are not many people around and a lot of businesses are closed, but I’m not sure if that’s because of COVID, or because I’m here on a shoulder season, or what, but I can’t recommend coming to this country in the fall enough. It’s the perfect place to be this time of year.

People wear masks in stores but COVID isn’t a big topic of discussion around here. Roads are mostly well maintained, but are very steep and very narrow when you get off the main highways, especially in the small towns around the bay.

Private PCR Brain Swab

Had a nurse come to the Airbnb to give me a PCR test so I could travel to Bosnia. I messaged the clinic on WhatsApp, they sent out the nurse for the swab (evidently they needed to swab my brain, via my sinuses…this was much more invasive than the test I got in the US), then I received my negative results about 11 hours later. I am COVID free and fit to travel.

Yesterday (or today for those in the US) wasn’t the best. I was tired, felt worn out, made a mistake on Airbnb dates that cost me money, had to argue with the rental car agency about some scratches on the car, had to fly with a yapping dog, had my brain swabbed…

But it all worked out. I’m back in Belgrade for a couple nights before heading into Bosnia.

Back in Belgrade

My initial impressions of Belgrade were wrong. This city is very much alive. Being here for a full day and a couple nights made me realize that.

I’ve only seen a handful of tourists, but the locals are out living. It’s a busy place. About 20% wear masks on the street. There doesn’t seem to be any logic as to who wears them (young, old, etc.) so I think it’s just a matter of “wear one if you feel you need to.” They are mandatory indoors in public places though.

Belgrade isn’t an extremely pretty or interesting city, but it’s a very walkable and comfortable city. I walked 8 miles of it.
The city been around a very long time, but it’s also been destroyed and rebuilt many times. The building which held the Ministry of Defense, before Clinton had something to say about it, still stands in ruins.

I enjoyed my 36 hours here. I’m ready to move on though. With a few exceptions, big cities are not my thing when traveling.

People don’t go out of there way to engage, but are extremely friendly when there is a reason to. My Airbnb host was one of the best I’ve ever had; always going out of her way to make sure I had everything I needed to experience the city in the best way possible. My CarGo (Serbian Uber) drivers have been extremely talkative and friendly. Wait staff have been nice too (acting almost embarrassed if they didn’t have a English menu for me). Google translate said I had chicken with bread sauce and rockets for dinner last night.

Most of the younger people (under 60) speak English. The very young speak perfect English.

Everything is cheap. Post-war Serbia is poor, but doesn’t feel poor. It’s in Europe, but only kinda feels like Europe. It also reminds me of Ukraine.

They are very proud of Nikola Tesla and Tito here.

Novi Sad

A quick stop in the capital of Vojvodina, Serbia on my way to Bosnia.

1984 Olympics Site

We drove up to see the abandoned bobseld course above Sarajevo, but couldn’t access it.

Sarajevo

Being in Sarajevo was surreal. It’s like another world coming from Belgrade.

There are no Serbs in Sarajevo and it has a very middle eastern feel. There are signs everywhere of the hell the city went through while it was under siege for 1,425 days in the mid-90’s.

A Sarajevo rose is a spot on the ground where the concrete, scarred by motar shells, is filled with red resin as a memorial to those killed.

I wish I would have spent more time in Sarajevo, but I didn’t expect it to be so interesting.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

I hired a driver to take me from Belgrade to Mostar, with stops in Novi Sad and Sarajevo. He was 41 years old and spoke perfect English. He had a PCR test yesterday and was proved to be COVID free.

We had no problem crossing the border, but I had to present my negative test.

We hit it off immediately and I learned so much from him. He is a Serb who lived in Bosnia during the war. He experienced a lot. I was glued to every word as he explained the history of the region from the Serb point of view. “Every war has to have the good guys and the bad guys, even though sometimes there are no good guys or bad guys.” It was eye opening.

One of my favorite quotes didn’t have anything to do with Serbia though. He said Trump is good for Serbians because he forces Americans to focus on themselves so much they don’t have time to focus on anyone else.

He took me to his favorite local restaurant for Ćevapi with kajmak, which I inhaled…while leaving the onions on the plate.

We also worked out a deal (off the books) for him to get me to Macedonia next week. I hadn’t thought that far ahead and had no clue how I was getting there. He offered to take me to his hometown where they do quick PCR tests and invited me to stay at his parents’ home for a night. You might think that sounds strange, but it’s not out of character at all. People here are just that nice.

Mostar

Bosnia and Herzegovina is an interesting country. It’s kind of two countries in one, neither of which are called Bosnia or Herzegovina.

Republika Srpska has a Serb majority, while the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a Bosniak majority.
Part of each “entity” resides in both the Bosnia and the Herzegovina regions.
This all used to be part of Yugoslavia.

Confused yet?

In the city of Mostar; the Croats, the Bosniaks, and the Serbs all live in different sections and shop at different stores and send their kids to different schools.

Most Bosniaks are Muslim, but not all of them.

They all used to live together (and had inner marriages) before the war, but then neighbor fought neighbor in a bloody civil war and everything changed.

Religion and Nationalism!

Anyway, it’s beautiful in Mostar. It’s like a fairytale town with bullet holes.

More COVID Testing

I ended up getting a blood test (vs. PCR test) in Mostar before crossing back through Montenegro

Trebinje

My new friend and driver, Vlad, took me to his hometown.

I explored the city center while he got the car serviced, then he took me to dinner at his favorite lamb spot before taking me to his parents’ house for the night.

We drank homemade wine and rakija for a couple hours, then he went to meet friends. I was too exhausted to join him.

Such a cool local experience. Exremely nice town.

Kosovo

A beautiful day in sunny Kosovo.

Not at all what I expected.

People were out. Lots of people. Thousands of people on the streets, wearing their Sunday best.
Families with kids eating ice cream. Guys drinking beer on patios. Older people enjoying coffee or tea.
The only masks to be found on these crowded streets were hanging around people’s necks.

Out of the 5 countries I passed through today, this is the only one I hadn’t been to (or will be going back to) on this trip.

Didn’t spend much time because it is the one place my travelers insurance is void because of the Level 4 Travel Advisory.

Why is it I’ve always felt safe in countries my government says are unsafe? Could those advisories be political?

Skopje

I don’t know what to say about Skopje; the capital of North Macedonia. It’s a city that doesn’t know what it wants to be; a city, in an extremely poor country, where the government decided to spend millions on putting façades on old run down buildings, while peppering the place with gigantic statues and pirate ships that have nothing to do with Macedonia.

The main square is entered via a giant arch with this quote from Mother Teresa “The greatest threat to world peace is abortion!!!”

Strangest place I’ve ever been.

Roger’s Apartment

The most bizarre Airbnb in the most bizarre city I’ve ever been to.

Evidently, Roger and his family were quite famous in Skopje, before they were ran out of the country by the government or mafia or something.

They left portraits and photos and a Dalí meets Gaudí apartment though.

The Road to Orhid

I haven’t considered more than 2 days in advance on this trip, so I decided to rent a car in Skopje I could return in Tirana. That way I’d have 6 days of freedom when it came to where to go between that oddball city and my flight home.

Orhid

Ohrid Lake has been my home base the past couple days. It’s been a relaxing retreat from the rest of this crazy country. Having a car here has allowed me the freedom to explore, but it has also been a hassle when trying to drive around the narrow, cobblestone streets of the old town. I almost got myself into trouble with the car tonight. The freedom is worth it though.

Macedonia seems to take COVID more seriously than the other countries I’ve been in. Most people wear masks and it sounds like it might be mandatory soon. Along with many countries in Europe and the UK, stricter measures are coming or are already in place.

The weather is changing as well. I had the heat on in my room for the first time the last night. It’s getting darker earlier. And the leaves are falling.

Tomorrow afternoon I head into the first country that wasn’t a part of the former Yugoslavia.

Albania is a country I know nothing about, but am looking forward to. I don’t have much time there, so I’m going to limit myself to Berat and Tirana (the city I fly home from).

It’s gonna be hard to leave Orhid. I’m very comfortable here. But it’s time to start heading in the direction of home.

Ilinden in Kruševo

Cool town, bizarre monument dedicated to all the fighters and revolutionaries who participated in the Ilinden uprising of 1903.

Because why not, Macedonia? Nothing seems to be off the table in this country.

Berat

Been here a couple days. It’s been relaxing. Extremely cool Ottoman architecture, interesting (in a good way) local cuisine, and slow pace of life.

There was a storm last night so I took advantage of the nice apartment I rented. I made dinner, had a few beers, and watched movies for the first time since I’ve been gone. It was nice to chill out after a 16 days of travel.

Another first tonight: An American friend I met in Skopje and I were walking in old town when we were stopped by the police and told to put on masks. At first I thought it was because we were foreigners, but then they started telling everyone to. Things are tightening up a bit.

The crowds died down pretty early out there, so I’m back to watching movies.

Tomorrow I will drive to the coast to see the Adriatic before heading to the capital to fly home early Sunday morning.
The trip is winding down.

Durrës

First time at the sea this whole trip. Didn’t spend much time, just grabbed some food with a view.

It was hard to be so close to Italy, yet so far away.

If the U.S. goes back on lockdown, I’m gonna have the girls pack a bag. We can go live in Italy for the winter. We just have to spend 14 days in Croatia before we can cross the border.

Tirana

Albania is an interesting country with a dark past; a country that was cut off from the world for about 40 years.

They love George W. Bush here almost as much as they love Clinton in Kosovo.

The capital was much bigger and busy than I expected. Driving into the city center tested my abilities and patience.

It all worked out though.

I walked its streets, climbed its derelict pyramid, drank its raki, and ate its food with the few other Americans in town.

I didn’t even scratch the surface of this country, but now it’s time to head home.

USA
They let me back in!

Got an earlier connection out of Frankfurt and just got an earlier connection out of Newark.

Should be home about 5 hours earlier than expected, which means before Isobel goes to bed

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