Greece Day 5: Sun 27/03/11: Crete: Knossos Palace, Heraklion

Today is the day when the clock is turned one hour faster due to daylight saving. And because I worried that I might miss the 7am bus, I set my handphone alarm to 5am but my smart handphone has got automatic update and I ended up waking up 4am (old time). Anyway, I wandered around the port and walked to the Plaza Venizelou. It was pitch dark as sunrise would be much later. I could not find my way to the bus station and there was no one on the street to ask for direction. I tried stopping few cars but they just ignored me. The third car stopped and gave me direction but later I had to stop a police car for further direction. I was sweating by the time I reached the bus station ( I was running). 

Slept in the bus to Heraklion. Reached by 930am and boarded a 945am bus to Knossos. I was surprised that admission was free on that day. Knossos Palace, the largest of all palaces in Crete and home of minotaur kept by King Minos, was first discovered by a businessman in 1878. Systematic excavation began in 1900 and reconstruction began in 1925 to preserve the ancient site. First built in 1900 BC, the old palace was destroyed and New Palace  was rebuilt at the same site in 1700 BC. The reconstruction by Sir Arthur Evans and his team helps visitors to visualize the magnificent palace during its glory days. The palace was surrounded by a large city. The architecture and functionality of the layout design display how advanced and intelligent the ancient people are. There are west, north, east and south entrances. Royal apartments, Throne room, Queen's Megaron, Hall of Double Axes, Piano Nobile (Upper floor) and shrine are some of the many reconstructed rooms that leave visitors filled with wonder.  I explored the periphery of the castle before entering the main attractions. It was a magical experience...

At about 11am, I left Knossos by bus to return to the city. I did not have much time to explore Heraklion. Walked to nearby bus stop and took a bus to the airport to fly back to London. I was exhausted and glad to go home...

West facade of Knossos Palace, Crete

Queen's Megaron

North Lustral Basin

Greece Day 4: Sat 26/03/11 Santorini and Crete

Woke up early to see more of Santorini before boarding the 9am ferry to Heraklion, Crete. Sped up my quad towards Kamari to visit Ancient Thira. Silly me! I assumed that the Ancient Thira is on a flat land next to Kamari Beach. Little did I know that it is only open after 9am and it is situated on the top of the mountain. I cranked my quad all the way up and almost gave up halfway. I really should have quit because there is no access to the site even if one is willing to climb the steep slope to the top. Worse, there is a very narrow space in front of ticketing counter and I was having difficulty reversing my quad. A quad does not have reverse gear...so while I was trying to pull and push it manually, I almost got pushed off the cliff by the quad because it was parked on a slope! It is really a very heavy vehicle. I was thinking of letting the quad dropped off the cliff but I would have to pay a huge sum of compensation fee...Fortunately, with God's divine help, the quad stopped just when I was standing 1.5 feet from the cliff. After what seems like ages tug of war with my quad, I managed to push it to safety and rode all the way back. The view of Kamari beach with its black sand is beautiful but I did not have time to walk on the beach. Next, I went up Mount Profitis Ilias. The view from the mountain was great but I could not locate the monastery...I found the military headquarter instead :( Since it was time to return the quad, I sped back to Karterados. My hotel owner gave me wrong information about the bus and I missed the one bus that goes to the ferry port. Panicking, a Greek man directed me to a taxi stop just behind the bus station in Fira. I had to bargain for cheaper taxi fare to the ferry port. Cost me euro13 but I had no choice. The hotel owner refused to help and I could not afford to miss the ferry to Crete which will mean missing my flight back to London on the next day. 


I had to return to Santorini some day because there is so much to see and do. I missed the hot spring near Nea Kameni.

Sunrise in Santorini

View from near Ancient Thira of Kamari Beach

It is a long trip to Crete...about 6 hours. Met Roger, an American who is travelling Europe for few months by now. We chatted about our favorite places that we have visited. It was good fun but I had to retreat back to the lower level of the ferry because the deck was getting too hot near noon time. Slept a bit. I really should have brought my netbook along...


Arrived in Crete near 3pm. Walked to nearby bus station. Initially, I wanted to rent a car but by God's will, I could not find a car rental agency. After locating the bus stop that has bus service to the airport, I walked back to the bus station and bought ticket to visit Agios Nikolaos. The bus journey took about 1hr 30min. Somehow I was glad I did not get a car because I was tired. I was surprised by how pretty this small village is. Very scenic Lake Voulismeni dotted with colourful buildings around the port. I had to cancel my reservation in Youth Hostel in Rethymno because the earliest bus to Heraklion on Sunday is a bit late. Just when I was searching for direction to Mary's Pension, Mary (the owner) appeared in front of me near the bridge next to the lake. She is like a fairy godmother. I stayed one night with attached bathroom for merely euro15. Very kind woman, she gave me cookies and fruits to eat. After checking in, I walked along the port. Agios Nikolaos is a stopping point for tourists who want to visit Elounda and Spinalonga islands but obviously I had no time for both. After sunset, I walked around searching for restaurant that offer sea urchin salad but due to out of season, it was not possible. I ate in La Casa restaurant facing the lake. Very good ambience and the starter of saganaki prawn is marvellous. The main dish of grilled swordfish is slightly overdone but still taste good. I was given complimentary custard and ouzo (Greek local spirit) for free. So I was very satisfied:) Walked back to the guest house to rest early.

Agios Nikolaos

Greece Day 3: Fri 25/03/11 Paros and Santorini

Arrived at Paros at 830am. Though I have less than 4 hour in Paros, I had great time. In the past, Paros was famous for its white marble...Venus de Milo was carved using Parian marble.


I did not have a map so I just stumbled my way around following sign boards and wall map. I crossed the Plateia Mavrogenous to wander around the cobbled path alleys in Paros. Found the old Frankish castle ruins dated back to 1260AD. Not far from the kastro is the old church of Agios Konstantines. I tried to manouver my way based on a small map on the wall but failed miserably.  I passed by a small field full of wildflowers and was quite near a marching band before admitting I was lost. It is interesting to note that the Greek gives direction in kilometer as if I have innate GPS that can measure how kilometer I have walked. So I was directed to turn left after walking 2 km. Few more locals gave me direction and I found the Church of Panagia Ekatonta Pilliani. There was a big crowd outside and inside the church due to ongoing prayer ceremony for National Independence Day. I squeezed my way through the crowd and was impressed with this massive church which is also known as Our Lady of the Hundred Gates. I waited patiently for the crowd to exit the church. Snapped many photos of local children dressed in colourful traditional Greek clothes. It was a wonderful experience :) I followed the crowd to see the ceremony that take place near a monument. Halfway through, I left to walk to the Lividia beach and passed by an ancient cemetery of Paros dated back to 8th century BC. I can imagine how creepy it is to visit it at night with some sarcophagus appear submerged underwater. Lividia beach is lovely and lots of autumn shade trees lining the promenade. Turned back towards the harbour and boarded ferry to Santorini.

Alley in Paros

Greek children in traditional clothes outside Church of Panagia Ekatonta Pilliani

The ferry stopped at Naxos and Ios island en route. The ferry was quite full but I managed to find a seat to sleep. Rushed up to the deck as the ferry was approaching Santorini near 3pm. The caldera and multicoloured rocky cliffs are amazing. Reminded me of kek lapis Sarawak  :p

Santorini really lives up to its name. Its unusual landcsape is formed by volcanic eruptions. I am glad I went to Santorini though I had less than 24 hour to enjoy this lovely island. I should have rented car or quad at the ferry port but because I had free pickup from the ferry port by the hotel that I booked, I did not do so. The benefit of renting car from the port is one can return it at the same place before departing from the port. The road from the port to Fira is very convulated and steep and probably not very safe if to commute with a quad bike, especially if riding quad for the first time. My accommodation is located at Karterados, 10minutes walk from Fira(town). After checked in, I wasted no time to find a quad to rent. Unfortunately, most shops are closed and people are at the church for Independence Day prayer. After asking another tenant in my hotel, I managed to find a shop that is open. I was given a crash course on how to ride a quad (car license is sufficient) and I was ready to ride off to the sunset in Oia. Riding a quad bike for the first time was definitely an exhilarating experience. I can imagine why so many men obsessed with Harley Davidson. The view along the journey from Fira to Oia village is captivating. Oia is a lovely and peaceful fishing village. I drove to Ammoudi Bay where I can see part of Thirasia island. Watching the sunset in Oia made my short visit to Santorini all worthwhile. The glowing yolk of the sun disappeared under a perfect uninterrupted horizon. After sunset, I sped my quad back to Karterados to eat dinner. The fastest I could go was 30miles per hour so a quad is definitely not meant for long distance. I found a local Greek restaurant and ate stuffed cabbage for starter (love it) and grilled lamb with cheese for main. I was stuffed full to the brim and was a very happy woman when I left the restaurant :) Had an early night rest...

Caldera in Santorini

Ammoundi Bay

Sunset in Oia

Greece Day 2: Thu 24/03/11 Mykonos

Slept for 10 hours which was very unusual for me. Everything felt great until landlady turned up at my door breaking a bad news. My catamaran to Santorini in the afternoon was cancelled due to turbulent sea...


After breakfast, I walked to Hora to recheck ferry schedule. To my dismay, I did not have many options due to low season. In order to go to Santorini, I had to go by ferry to Syros at late night and then transfer to Paros on the next morning before boarding another ferry to Santorini. That significantly shorten my stay in Santorini. Another option was to skip Santorini altogether, get a ferry to Athens and then transfer to Crete. I chose the first option and the whole trip is still cheaper than the cost of my catamaran and I was refunded the difference.


Now, I had a lot of time to spare. Another full day in Mykonos!!! I explored Hora again for 2nd time and spent some time at the old harbour (departure to Delos) and Agios Anna beach. Then, I walked all the way to Old Port, New Port and reached Toulos. I was definitely getting sunburnt by then. There was another few kilometre walk to Lake Marathiou and Agia Sostis beach but I backed out halfway because it was really quite far up north. Saw the Lake from far though...
I found a shortcut to Hora near the junction to go to Ano Mera village. I should have rented a quad to go to this village since it is 6km away. My left foot was forming blisters and both of my ankles were excoriated so I skipped walking there.  Back in Hora, I circled the town for another 2 more times. I even took nap at one of the bench in front of a church. My attempt to look for ice cream failed. The whole town does not sell ice cream during winter...unlike Croatia. While waiting for sunset, I sat on a bench and started writing my travel blog accompanied by stray cats...
Visited Ornos beach before walking back to the guest house.


At near 930pm, the guest house owner dropped me at the new port. The massive Blue Star ferry arrived on time. The reception is like 5 star hotel...very impressive indeed. Slept for half an hour on the comfortable cushioned seat before arrived at Syros near midnight. I walked along the waterfront trying to look for cheap hostel. A local told me that accommodation in Syros is pricy and the even the cheapest hostel cost euro25-30 per night. The Artemis ship to Paros was already at the dock but passengers are not permitted to enter until 1 hour before departure. So I decided to stay awake throughout the night in a 24 hour cafe. However, the main shops along the harbour are mainly pubs and discos. The Greeks really know how to party. Moreover, it is a national independence day on the next day so they partied the night away. I found a small cafe that open at night till 8am. I was not hungry but I ordered chicken crepe anyway. The staff in cafe is very kind. He lent me his laptop to use the wifi there and gave me dessert for free. The cafe had quite good business but a lot of customers smoke...so I was quite suffocated really. At 6am, I thanked the cafe staff profusely and left to sleep in the ferry.

Lovely street in Hora

Greece Day 1: Wed 23/03/11 Mykonos

There is a reason why I flew from Thessaloniki to Mykonos instead of taking ferry. Most ferries depart from Pireus, Athens. Since I have visited Athens back in 2001, I thought of skipping it altogether and save time by flying straight to Mykonos. My mistake here was I should have flew to Santorini instead.

The first two days I was in Mykonos, the weather was terrible. It was very cold at 7-8 degree and the wind was ferocious. So bad the weather that my catamaran to Santorini on the next day was cancelled. Mykonos is asleep during winter months and there was no public bus service. Since there is virtually no night life during off season and the sea is too cold for comfort, there was nothing much for me to do here. I basically explored almost a quarter of the island on foot because I simply had too much time...(was stranded due to bad weather). The streets were empty and the main activities seen in Hora (town) were repainting of building, chairs and tables and renovation in preparation for the full summer swing. But it is during off season, one can truly appreciate the charming narrow alleys in the Hora.

Mykonos is undeniably an attractive island with its white cube shaped houses contrasted with windows and doors painted in blue. I stayed in Vounitis Pension in Vrissi and of course, I was the only tenant. The guest house is located conveniently next to a grocery store and there is free pickup from airport and free transfer to the ferry port. During low season, a single room with ensuite bathroom costs euro25. It was 10-15 minutes walk to Hora but the sea view along the road made it worthwhile. It is very easy to get lost in Hora with it labyrinth of small alleys and after asking for direction from few locals, I found Likouris Travel agency and purchased catamaran ticket to Santorini and ferry ticket from Santorini to Crete. Next,  I visited the row of old windmills (Kato Miloi) which is iconic of Mykonos. Nearby along the coastline is Little Venice. I struggled to take photos as the wind constantly blowing against me. Further north, I found the famous old church of Panagia Paraportiani. All these white washed buildings made me hungry because I was constantly reminded of icing covered cakes ...he he he. I returned to my guesthouse to have lunch break. At about 3pm, I started walking south towards Platys Gialos (Platis Yyalos) beach. This public beach is 2.6km walk from my guest house. Bought some crackers to eat on the beach :)  I was quite disappointed with the condition of the beach. There were rubbish floating at the shore creating quite an eyesore. Nevertheless, I sauntered along the shore till the end of the sandy patch and climbed a low cliff to cross to Paradise beach ( as per direction by a local). Spring is here! Wild flowers are in full glory and cover both sides of the path on top of the cliff making the hike more gratifying. The Paradise and Super Paradise beaches are much smaller but definitely more secluded and cleaner. From Super Paradise beach, I tried using another road to return to Vrissi which was quite a mistake because it is a much longer way and uphill on most part of the journey. Not to mention, I passed by many animal farms with strong smell of animal excreta wafting in the air :( Unexpectedly, I saw a wild horse kept in captive in one of the ranch and it is a beautiful horse...that was probably the highlight of my walk back to the guest house. Reached Vrissi close to the sunset...early night rest.

Lovely church in Mykonos

Old windmills in Mykonos

Super paradise beach

Eastern Europe Day 9: Tues 22/3/11 Macedonia: Skopje and Lake Ohrid

Macedonia, birthplace of Alexander the Great and Mother Theresa has very interesting history...I could have skip sightseeing in this country and board a Tuesday 5am bus to Thessaloniki because I had to fly from Thessaloniki to Mykonos at 7am on the day after (the Turs buses only run on Mon, Wed, Fri 6am during off season and there is a private bus company that runs on Tuesday 5am...there is no more night train service between Skopje and Thessaloniki) . But I could not bring myself to not see this country. Hence, I decided to go to Thessaloniki by taxi at night instead...leaving a big hole in my pocket. Travelling in Macedonia is challenging. The cyrillic alphabets are used and obviously I became an instant dyslexic...totally crippled. I cannot read the bus schedule nor the destination board displayed in front of the bus. 


Woke up early to have breakfast. While eating breakfast, Hideaki turned up at the hostel door. The poor guy arrived at 3am via bus from Podgorica and slept for 3 hrs in the bus station before walking around the city searching for Art hostel for 1 hour. He even went to the police station forndirection. At the end, he found my hostel instead.

After catching up with him, I set out for Lake Ohrid. The walk to the bus station took me 15minutes. The return bus ticket Skopje-Ohrid is cheaper than to purchase one way separately. And public toilet is not free: need to pay 10 dinar. Since the bus to Ohrid departs at 10am, I had 1 hour to explore Skopje. Walked along the Vardar river to the Stone bridge. There was a lot of ongoing construction. The statues and monuments around the bridge give a very grand atmosphere to the square. The Kale Fortress can be seen from far but I had no time to explore it. The Pasi Daud Amman, a traditional bath house, is now a museum. By end of one hour, I had to skip the statue and Memorial room of Mother Theresa and walked back to the bus station to board the bus to Ohrid.

The journey was long...lasted 3 hours plus. The bus passed by Mavrova National Park which was shrouded in snow. As I arrived in Ohrid, few people bombarded me with offer to rent out their rooms. But after declined gently, they retreated. One man even gave me direction to the Lake and town centre. It was a good 2km walk to the centre. From there, it is an uphill walk all the way to the Samoil Fortress. Ohrid is the spiritual heart of Macedonia. There are many medieval churches in the old town. I was quite lost but was lucky to meet a local Macedonian girl who accompanied me to  the Upper Gate and amphitheatre. Then, we walked to the beautiful Sveta Kliment i Pantelejmon and the archaeological site surrounding the medieval church. This medieval church is nothing like any church I have seen before. The weather seemed to lean towards possible raining and I panicked. I rushed down the spiral paths to visit Sveti Jovan at Kaneo. From this old church, one can have a panoramic view of Lake Ohrid. It was awesome. Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lake in the world and is the deepest in the Balkans. After that is quite a steep climb all the way to Samoil Fortress. Worrying that Sveta Sofija might be closed before 4pm, I skipped the fortress and shuffled my way down to visit this church which is famous for ancient frescoes. It was a close call because by the time I reached Sveta Sofija, it was near closing. My bus to Skopje is at 530pm and I had plenty time to spare. Lingered around Lake Ohrid before exploring the old town. Arrived at Ohrid harbour. Lost my orientation of the bus station and one of the local directed me to the wrong way...But another Macedonian lady helped me to get back to the right track. Near the bus station is a local burger stall that sells delicious hot dog for 50 dinar. That was all dinar that was left with me...he he. Watched sunset at the bus station and the bus departed on time. It was another 3.5 hour bus journey. Once arrived in Skopje, I had to half run half walk back to the hostel mainly because I booked my taxi at 10pm and also because the street was deserted and I was terrified. Freshened up and chatted with Hideaki while waiting for my taxi. It costs me euro 110 from Skopje to Thessaloniki airport. It is the cheapest fare I could find and I had no other options for night travel.

My Macedonian taxi driver can speak simple english and he explained about Macedonia history a bit. He made no effort to hide how much he dislikes the Greek. He had to remove his Macedonian car sticker just because the Greeks would not like it, he said. I slept a bit in the taxi and arrived at the airport at 3am. Exhausted, I slept on the seats in the airport. Checked in at 5am and slept again...before boarding the plane to Mykonos at 7am.

Skopje

Lake Ohrid and Sveti Jovan at Kaneo

Eastern Europe Day 8: Mon 21/3/11: Montenegro: Perast and Cetinje

After breakfast and bade goodbye to Hideaki, I checked out and boarded a bus to Perast. As expected, there was no boat to the Lady of the Rock during off season. Lady of the Rock was built on an artificial island made by sinking 87 ships loaded with rocks and on 22nd July for the past 550 years, locals will sail there to drop stone overboard as a tradition. Perast is a very small and quiet village. It is like time stand still in twilight zone. Met very nice Polish couple who is travelling around in a RV home. Their RV is so comfortable..almost like a hotel inside. What a great retirement plan!

After about half hour in Perast, I took a return bus to Kotor and changed to a bus to Cetinje. Met Hideaki in the same bus! He was heading towards Podgorica. Cetinje was old capital of Montenegro. The whole town is like a textbook of Montenegro history. Guided by the Cetinje map on the wall, I walked towards Cetinje Monastery. This ancient monastery houses the hand of John the Baptist but the relic is kept and not shown in open. Inside, no photographs are allowed. From there I walked towards  the Court Church and Biljarda. I visited the King Nikola's Palace and greatly disappointed with the fact there is no toilet inside the building. While the furniture and decor is not as impressive as most palaces that I have visited, I enjoyed the portrait paintings inside the palace. Montenegro still has a lot to learn about promoting tourism. All public toilets like in Croatia are closed during off season. After vising the park, there was nothing much left to do really. Walked back to the bus station but ended up waiting for more than one hour for a bus to Podgorica. The buses are not punctual. At the bus stop, one can see Mount Lovcen from far. A taxi driver was telling about the price of taxi to go up and down the mountain(about euro25). Montenegro is a very mountainous country and the view along the bus journey from Cetinje to Podgorica is beautiful. At Podgorica, I bargained with taxi driver to go to the airport as there is no airport coach. There is night bus from Podgorica at 8pm to Skopje, capital of Macedonia but I only knew because Tokiko emailed me about it. Earlier on, I was worried about bus availability and the fact that the bus might pass by Albania or Serbia. I do not have visa to enter Serbia. Hence to avoid headache, I flew to Skopje instead of taking bus...which cost me gbp76 on flight alone. Bus fare only cost about euro22 and it goes through Kosovo and arrives at 3am in Skopje ( 7 hours). Hideaki took this bus and he said that it is difficult to sleep because there are many custom checkpoints throughout the journey. 

Podgorica Airport has a very scenic backdrop of mountain range. I had enough time to kill and even snap sunset photos there. No one adhere to the nonsmoking rule inside the airport. The smell of cigarette smoke almost choked me to death. The plane to Biograd (transit in Serbia) departed on time. The only problem was the propeller is way too noisy and I swore I could smell cigarette smoke somewhere at least for three times. Since I sat in front, the only person who could have smoked would be the pilot himself! There was light refreshment on both legs of the journey. Arrived in Skopje earlier than scheduled. It was very very cold and worst my taxi was not there. There was some misunderstanding about my day of arrival. A kind Macedonian man helped me to call up my taxi and it arrived within 20minutes. Paid euro13 (airport taxi is euro20 to centre). Reached the City Hostel near midnight. Had a good night sleep.

Perast with St George Monastery and Our Lady of the Rock

Cetinje Monastery that houses hand of John the Baptist

Eastern Europe Day 7 Sun 20/03/11: Montenegro: Kotor

The alarm clock woke me up at near 6am.  Yun Yun and Jia Qi were getting ready to catch a bus to Zagreb. I tried to sleep back but woke up again at 7am. It was a relaxing day because the bus to Kotor is at 1030am. Had a full breakfast at 8am and walked down to bus station with Hideaki at 930am. 

The bus departed on time and we arrived at Kotor at 1230noon. The view of Kotor Bay is very attractive especially at Perast where the St George Monastery and Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rock)can be seen from afar. Very photogenic like a postcard. The fjord in Kotor is the deepest in southern Europe region.

On arrival at Montenegro bus station, we walked to the old town of Kotor, an ancient walled city. The view of the twisted alleys is lovely as we entered from Southern Gate. Our hostel is located right in the centre near the Maritime Museum. After checked in, we set out to climb the long staircase that lead to St John Fortress at the top of the hill. I was almost out of breath by the time I reached the op but the view is well worth the effort. And having a friend to climb the hill with is fun. Hideaki is a 42km marathon runner back in Japan and he scaled Everest Mountain before...so naturally climbing this hill is a piece of cake for him! 

After the fortress, we wandered around the old town and got a bit lost. There are many twisting alleys, few ancient churches and aristocratic mansions. Important landmarks are St Tryphon Cathedral and Maritime Museum. I could have gone to Perast or Cetinje but by the time I googled about what to visit next (I am not well prepared for this trip), it is already 3pm. Besides, it is out of season , I might not be able to find a boat to cross over to the Our Lady of The Rock chapel. The bus journey to Cetinje is about half hour and need to climb 461 steps to reach the Mount Lovcen (Black Mountain)and Mousoleum of Njegos hence need to go the next day.

For dinner, me and Hideaki were wondering around for a good restaurant for squids. I love squids. He ordered seafood rice and mine was grilled squids. I had to order suppliments of french fries because it is not full enough. Met a Australian lady and Egyptian man in the same restaurant and they bought us rakija drink (local Macedonian spirit) which I must say tasted good, sweeter and less fiery than the one I had in Sarajevo.

After dinner, we went back to hostel in time to escape heavy rain. Very cold night...

Uphill to St John Fortress

View of Kotor Bay

Eastern Europe Day 6 Sat 19/03/11: Croatia: Dubrovnik

I reserved two days for Dubrovnik because my initial plan was to go to Mljet or the Elafiti (Luka, Sipan, Lopud, Kolocep) islands. But I was advised to not go during off season because there would be nothing much thing to do or see. During off season, one has to contact the Mljet National Park beforehand to prevent disappointment.

With lots of time to spare, I took my time to eat breakfast in the youth hostel and walked to the old town. The stari grad is a medieval walled city with fantastic view of the Adriatic sea and the Lokrum island with a backdrop of Srd mountain. Dubrovnik is an expensive city. Even one scoop of ice cream is 3kuna more expensive than ice cream in the middle of Zagreb. It is a tourist magnet and even when is off season, there were fair amount of tourists around on the street especially today because of new bishop was appointed and the ceremony took place in Dubrovnik Cathedral.


I visited the Lovrijenac fort first before entering the grad for the 2km city wall walk. Altogether, the cost is 70kuna. During summer, there will be Shakespeare play like Hamlet take place in Lovrijenac Fort. The highlight of the visit is the walk on top of the amazing city wall that overlook the the buildings within the grad and the Adriatic sea. After the walk, I visited the Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor and the oldest functioning pharmacy in Europe. There is also a small museum inside the monastery that exhibit old equipments used in the pharmacy and some ceremonial liturgy used in the monastery. The Stari Grad of Dubrovnik bore scars from the war. The monastery itself suffered great damage at certain areas. The old frescoes paintings were affected due to the bombing and some of the pillars were damaged too.


After the museum, I had a scoop of the ice cream in one of the shop near the Onofrio Fountain. Met Jane Gordet, a very friendly American lady on tour. We happened to buy the same caramel flavour from the same shop and we had a fun chat about Dubrovnik.


Then, I just wondered aimlessly around the Cathedral which was swarmed by people due to the ongoing ceremony. Decided to skip visiting Rector's Palace. St Blaise Church is lovely and the St Ignatius church on top of two flights of staircase is also worth a short visit.


To reach the top of Srd Mountain, I took a cable car up. It is a costly ride. One way cost about 50kuna and both ways for 80kuna. The bird eye view from the top is quite worthwhile. But there is nothing much to do once reach the top. I should not have gone up so early...should have waited till near sunset for better view. A stray cat followed me around while I made my way down. Thinking back, the cat might be trying to direct me to the correct way...Being directionally challenged, I took the wrong way. I ended up walking along road that leads to Bosanka, did a sharp turn and reached Ploce. From there, I took a shortcut towards Buza. I was exhausted. I walked about near 8km at least at that point and my legs were hurting.


Back in Grad, I waited a while for the sun to set in before walking back to the hostel. On the way back, I stumbled across a Croatian cemetery. It is much smaller compared to Mirogoj but peaceful and beautiful nonetheless.


In the hostel, Hideaki cooked some sausages and had some to spare. I ate it with bread and cooked some soup. My new roommates, Yun Yun and Jia Qi are law master students from China who are now studying in Paris. They returned at near 9pm and we chatted before sleep. They were impressed with my broken Mandarin...he he.

                                            View of Dubrovnik Grad from Lovrijenac Fort

View from top of Mount Srd

Eastern Europe Day 5 Fri 18/3/11: Sarajevo to Dubrovnik

Woke up early to explore Yellow Fortress (Zuta Tabija). After eating the sweet Sarajevo tart for breakfast, I walked along Kovaci road. It was slight drizzling at that time. Along Kovaci is a cemetery where victims of war were buried. The years of death were mainly 1992-1995. The view from Zuta Tabija is of the Sarajevo city. Met Tokiko at the Sibilj Fountain and we walked around Bascarsija together. It was raining slightly heavier and cold so we took refuge in a small lovely Turkish cafe where Tokiko had her Turkish coffee while I ate my Sarajevo sweets. The sweets are too hard for my weak teeth...I actually broke my tooth filling.


I only left with 0.45 Bosnia marka and the lady at the hostel reception kindly donated me another 60 cents to buy one bottle of mineral water. Tokiko and me boarded Tram 1 to go to the bus station (it stopped at the railway station). The bus to Dubrovnik departed on time.


The view of Bosnia countryside is very scenic. Rolling green hills with emerald river and myriads of bridges offer very photogenic view.

Once arrived in Dubrovnik, Tokiko and me walked towards the ferry port to enquire about ferry schedule to Mljet. To my disappointment, the ferry kiosk to Mljet is closed! It was another 15minutes walk to the Youth Hostel which is located uphill. Poor Tokiko...her bag is much heavier than mine. Worst, by the time we reach the hostel, the reception was closed. During winter, it is only open for certain hours of the day. So we walked to the fort with our rucksack.

In the stari grad, we explored the Cathedral, Sponza Palace and the pier (boats to Locrum). We bought some food to cook in the hostel and took a bus to the hostel. Back in the hostel, met Hideaki, a friend that Tokiko got acquainted in Zagreb. He never fail to make me laugh. A happy go lucky fellow, he is traveling around Europe for 5 months. Ironically, he has climbed Mount Kinabalu and Everest but not Mount Fuji. Later, we travelled together to Kotor and met again in Skopje. The night was fun because it is only three of us in the hostel. With the background of famous Japanese songs, some I recognized from watching Japanese dramas, we chatted the night away. It is like a small Japanese tea party :)

Eastern Europe Day 4: Thu 17/3/11: Bosnia: Sarajevo

Crap! It was 835am..I overslept. I was overly ambitious. I slept at 3am and planned to wake up at 6am to climb Marjan Hill. Scrambled to my feet and got ready in a gusto.  Ran like a headless chicken to the bus station. I had to pay extra 40kuna to secure a bus ticket to Sarajevo. The bus is empty except me and another Bosnia young man who just returned from Europe tour and reached Split via ferry from Ancona.

The bus journey was very long...lasted 7 hours. I struggled to stay awake because the view is breathtakingly beautiful. Croatia is reknown for its coastline. Sapphire blue sea dotted with rugged rocky mountains looks amazing in every photo shoot. The stretch between Mostar and Sarajevo is also memorable. On arrival to Sarajevo bus station, I walked to the railway station to get a free pickup to my hostel in Baseskije. Sarajevo is beyond my imagination and expectation. It is a remarkable city, with heritage from Ottoman-Turk and Austrian-Hungarian mixed with scars from the recent Balkan war. It is tragically beautiful. I walked along river Miljacka admiring the bridges and the buildings. On Mula Mustafa street, one can see a mixture of Catholic church, Jewish and Orthodox church and mosques. Unfortunately, the beautiful City Hall is under renovation. There are evidence of bullet holes in some of the buildings. Along Ferdahija are the posh and modern buildings that were built postwar.

After sunset, I searched Bascarsija for local food. Ate in Dzenita Restaurant and had sarajevski sahan (stuffed vegetables with meat), loza rakija( local fire spirit) and baklava. All in a very affordable price. Bascarsija is a fun place to explore at night. Lots of lovely cafe and shops selling trinkets and stuff. It is sad that I do not have enough time for sarajevo. I really wanted to visit the Tunnel Museum. The tunnel which is also nicknamed Tunnel of Life is the passage below the airport where people headed for safety during the war to escape the snipers.

Back in hostel, I met Tokiko. She is a nurse back in Japan. This amazing woman actually climb the hill in Medugorje in heavy rain. She has travelled around Africa alone. We chatted a bit before retiring early.

Sebilj in Bascarsija

Sarajevski Sahan 

Bosnia countryside

Eastern Europe Day 3: Wed 16/03/11: Croatia: Split and Hvar

Up early to explore the Split stari grad. The weather was horrible. It started raining and it was cloudy. Crossed Narodni Trg to enter the grad from Iron Gate. Reached Diocletian's Palace within a minute. It is indeed a majestic structure located in the middle of the grad. There is an old church besides the Roman ruins and a vestibule underground where vendors sell handicrafts and paintings. Since it is raining, there was nothing much I could do. I could not go hiking at Makarska nor Marjan Hill.


I was reluctant to stay indoor hence decided to board a ferry to Hvar, which was a big mistake. The rain became heavier and the wind became more ferocious. By the time I reached Hvar, it was like a mini storm. To make things worse, I went to the toilet about the time of disembarkation and I missed the one and only bus to Stari Grad and Hvar town. I did not realize that bus from ferry to town is only 3 times a day and correlate with ferry arrival and departure. The taxi from the port to town cost euro20 about 3 times my ferry ticket. I tried to ask for a lift from the locals that dropped by the port to buy ferry ticket but all refused to help. Even the ticketing officers were not helpful. Stranded at the port for about an hour and there was no sign of rain becoming lighter or stopping. So, I decided to walk to Stari Grad...with my umbrella. It was very difficult to walk against the wind...and all the time I was thinking about the tsunami victims in Japan and how horrible they must have felt. Was praying to God all the time to reduce the rainfall but God gave me better. About 10 minutes of walk, a Croatian man drove by and stopped me and gave me lift to town without me asking. Bless him. He dropped me off at Stari Grad. Off season, there is nothing much to do there really. It is a quaint and peaceful little village. Charming in a way. I explored the waterfront and walked around the town. Discovered a small church and Dminikaski Samorstan, a monastery that functions as museum now (closed). There is a bus from Stari Grad (old town) to Hvar town at 2pm so while waiting for the bus, I bought some food in supermarket to eat. 


The journey from Stari Grad to Hvar town was along the coastline hence was rewarded with scenic view. Thank God, the rain has stopped. From far, one can see the imposing structure of Hvar fortress. It is a very attractive resort town. Off season, it is peaceful and relaxing but during summer, it can get very crowded. The public toilet was locked hence I walked to hotel at the waterfront to use its toilet. The massive square at the centre is called Trg Svetog Stjepana and Cathedral of St Stjepan is one of the important landmark there (closed). Since museums and cathedral are closed, the only thing left to do is to climb the hill to reach Spaniolar, a citadel built on site of a medieval castle to defend the town against the Turks. From the top of the hills is a bird eye view of Hvar town, Adriatic sea and nearby islands. 


Descended the hill in time to catch the bus back to ferry port. Left my umbrella at the bus stop :(
While waiting for the ferry, I noticed how clean is the water at the ferry port. Not polluted at all and not a single rubbish seen compared to Locrum port in Dubrovnik. I was impressed. Made me wonder was it because it was off season...


It was nightfall by the time I reached Split. Bought bus ticket to Sarajevo and changed some pound to BAM (Bosnia currency). Had pita bread with squid for dinner. I love squid! Explored the stari grad again and the night view of Roman ruins at night is even more attractive than daytime.
Slept late again...

Diocletian's Palace, Split

Hvar fortress from far

Eastern Europe Day 2: Tue 15/03/11: Croatia: Plitvice National Park

Set out at 6am to explore medieval Gradec in upper town (Gornji Grad). It was an uphill walk along Radiceva road. I turned into Opaticka and passed by the Stone Gate before reaching the iconic St Mark Church with tiled roof displaying Croatia coat of arms and emblem. From there, it was a short walk to Jesuit Church of St Catharine at Katarinin Trg. Behind the church is a Strossmayer square which is a perfect place to get sunrise view of Zagreb city. There is a very short funnicular that one can take from Ilica all the way up to the Katarinin Trg. Rushing for time, I walked down the verdant staircase to reach Mesnicka and boarded a tram to the bus station.

The bus to Plitvice departed on time. My experience with Croatian buses were good...no delay at all. The countryside view is beautiful. Arrived at Plitvize Jezeru on time. Besides me, there were 3 more Japanese in the bus that alighted at Plitivice. The bus stopped outside station 2 and continued its journey towards Split. The first building one would see is a post office on the left and a bridge on the right. It is a short walk (about 5 minutes) to reach the P2 station booth. Passed by few hotels on the way. It was off season hence no buses nor ferries. So, the admission was free! In summer, the admission fee is 70 kuna inclusive of bus and ferry rides between P1 to P4. P1 is at the lower lake and P2-P4 stations are for the upper lakes. Even the public toilet was closed...I had to go to the toilet in the hotel. One of the hotel staff advised me to just go around P2 and walk to P1 because the upper lake is too massive to explore on foot. I am glad that I did not follow his advise. With rucksack on my back, I walked toward the ferry stop at Gradinsko Jezero. There is a small waterfall at the turquoise lake. Then I followed the bus road and walked towards P3 station. The view along the way is breathtaking. And the view that appears near P3 is even heart stopping. I felt like I found paradise on earth. There is no words to explain how exhilarated I was when I found the series of waterfall that cascading from Galovac Jezeru. A truly amazing view. The water is crystal clear and of various shades of green and blue. No one is allowed to swim here and the reason for the colour is minerals formation at the bed of the lake. It is a heaven for geologist and naturalist. There is wooden path along Galovac Jezeru and along the waterfalls like Galovacki Buk and Veliki Prstavac. The hike towards P3 from P2 and return took about 2 hours. I had time to walk to P1 and take bus from there but I was worried that I might not be able to find the bus stop at P1 and miss the bus to Split. I was tired too. So I took my time and walked to the bus stop. Ate my packed lunch while waiting for the bus to Split. Two Japanese girls joined me.

Arrived in Split at night. The bus station is located next to the train station and near the ferry port. The Grad is only 5 minute walk away. The Premi guesthouse that I booked online is just outside the grad. The lady who owns the guesthouse is very kind and warm. She even lent me her laptop to use...which was really useful because I managed to book hostels for Greece. I had the room all by myself which is great. The landlady recommended a local restaurant named Fife and luckily, I managed to find it despite it was quite dark and it is located at the corner. Had a sumptuous dinner of traditional Croatian food of dumpling and beef with gravy. Very filling indeed. Slept late...

Plitvice National Park

Eastern Europe Day 1: Mon 14/03/11 Croatia: Zagreb

This 14 days backpacking trip had been quite stressful...the planning was not easy either.
For Croatia, I was still able to plan my bus journeys since there is good bus website which gives information about buses going to Bosnia as well but there is constant worry whether the schedule online is the updated version. For Macedonia, it was really challenging because the bus website is in Macedonian language and I had to get a Bulgarian nurse to translate it for me. The best part was I had to ask her to call Skopje to confirm the timing...which was a wise thing to do because the schedule displayed online was not the updated version (off season buses are less frequent obviously). And another bombshell dropped was the fact that the Greek railways stopped their train service between Skopje and Thessaloniki in mid Feb and I only found out about it few days before I flew to Zagreb. I was tearing my my hair off thinking of a solution to get to Thessaloniki from Skopje. The bus from Skopje to Thessaloniki only runs on Mon, Wed, Fri 6am. Unfortunately, my journey was planned in a way that I would be in Macedonia on tuesday and had to catch a flight to Mykonos on wednesday morning...I was extremely distressed but things worked their ways out with God's divine help. Another problem I faced during off season travel in Eastern Europe is the lack of public toilet. All public toilets are closed. Even some museums do not have toilet for tourists which I think really unfair. Facilities for tourists in Eastern Europe really need to improve in order to compete with western Europe countries.

I had very little sleep few days prior to the  travel day. In fact, I only slept for half an hour before catching the flight to Zagreb. The flight was slightly delayed but uneventful. On arrival to Zagreb airport, I was a bit shocked. It is unbelievably small and basic. There is only one room in the toilet before passing the custom checkpoint...and though it was during office hour, the tourist information counter was not manned (in fact, it was locked) and the money changer does not sell BAM notes in which I was surprised because Bosnia is a neighbouring country. I could not get information about the tram network nor buy a 24 hour Zagreb card. There are shops inside the airport that sells Zagreb card but only 72hours card are available...

Getting a bus from the airport to the central bus station (autobusni kolodvor) is easy though. The stop is just outside the exit point of the airport and bus fare is 30 kuna. However, once I reached the bus station, it was quite a headache. Fortunately, able to find direction from Croatian who speaks simple english. Found my way to the ticket counter and purchased bus ticket to Plitvice. It was extremely confusing..the counters are numbered but no signage present to inform customer which counter is designated to which destination...I was directed to 3 different counters before reaching the correct counter.

The worse was yet to come. Once outside the bus station, I was completely lost. I could not find the hostel that is near the bus station and decided to go the city centre. Standing at the tram stop, I was there for good ten minutes trying to figure out which tram goes where and which direction to go for...A tram map from tourist info centre in the airport would be extremely helpful. I gave up trying to figure out the tram network and asked a young Croatian girl about which tram to board to the Trg Josipa Jelacica. Most young generations in Croatia can speak decent or simple English. I boarded tram 6 happily just to find that driver did not have day tram pass! I had to get down and cross the road to nearest tissak to buy the tram pass (25 kuna, day pass only valid till 3 am next day, need to validate with ticket machine inside the tram). It is important to note that tourists should buy bus ticket or tram tickets from tissak because it is cheaper.

It was 2pm by the time I reach the famous square. Dolac market was still open but I did not have time to explore it. Fortunately, Fuhlir hostel was very easy to find. Checked in and dropped my rucksack in the room. With tram map from the hostel, I could navigate around the city with no problem. I am not really a city person so the first place I headed for was Medvenica mountain. Hopped into tram 14 till its last stop and changed to tram 15 till its last stop. Then, I was stuck. I assumed that there would be a funnicular to go up to the top. That was a foolish assumption. Off season, the funnicular was closed and the station is actually located about few miles away. At the tram stop, I met a Croatian lady who directed me to go through a tunnel. So, I walked on the off beaten track towards the tunnel (sign posted as tunnelum). There were few old folks chatting outside the tunnel and that gave me courage. The tunnel is very creepy, reminded me a lot of the tunnel in Kakashi, a Japanese horror movie. After the tunnel, it is few kilometre hike through the woods but with good trails. After about near half hour, I saw the funnicular station. Met a group of Croatian men who told me that it would be another 2 hours (return) to reach the top of the mountain where Medvedgrad (fortress) is. At that point, I had to give up going to the top because I am worried I might miss the last tram that descend to the city. Well, the hike up the mountain was refreshing so it was a good experience after all.

Back in Ban Jelacic Square, I walked towards Kaptol Square to board bus 106 to Mirogoj cemetery. It is reputed to be one of the most beautiful cemetry in Europe. Since visiting Necropolis in Glasgow, I was fascinated with western cemeteries so I knew I had to visit Mirogoj. Unlike Necropolis, Mirogoj is modern with very well designed layout. There are beautiful sculptures and a big cross in the centre dedicated to fallen soldiers in war. It is interesting to observe the Croatian culture in relation to death. Very peaceful place to contemplate about life and death...

Returned to Kaptol square to explore the Zagreb Cathedral. One of the spire is under repair. Then, I took tram 12 to Maksimir Park. I should have alighted at Bukovacka stop but I had to walk a bit because I got off at earlier stop. It is a very old public park and was inaugurated in 1794. Massive and lovely, it is at its best during sunset. I actually prefer this park than Hyde park in London. It was dark by the time I reached Ban Jelacic Square. I was very tired due to sleep deprivation. Explored part of Ilica and bought multiple berry flavour ice cream in Vincek ice cream shop. Yummy! Shopped for food and drinking water before heading back to hostel.

Ban Jelacica Square

Mirogoj cemetery

Maksimir Park at sunset