Balkans Tour - Split

After our melancholic trip through Bosnia, with its war scars visible for all to see, it was nice to return to sun-drenched, beach-filled Croatia, which has shrugged off any remaining signs of the Balkan conflict.

Split was wonderfully warm at 9pm as our bus pulled in to the lovely harbor-side station. We were again accosted by little old ladies offering us rooms, but pushed them aside as we sweated through the twisty streets in search of our final hostel. When we found it, we were greeted by a super-enthusiastic host who had more energy than anyone should on such a balmy, humid night. Our room thankfully had A/C but instead of a wall unit, there were these giant tubes that had to stick out of the open windows. Miraculously, it still managed to cool down the place.

We got up, picked up some breakfast at the local fruit market and headed to the center. The highlight here was the Diocletian Palace. It is a huge structure that has somehow grown to be a part of the city itself as hotels and shops are housed in its old marble-white buildings that glitter in the sunshine.

We visited its labyrinthine-like basement

and (attempted) to climb to the top of its bell tower.

Jon made it to the top and took some lovely photos. My acrophobia kicked in as I saw its wiry, open staircase

and I decided to admire the half-way-up view instead.

The rest of the city is also quite lovely. There were beautiful flower gardens

and interesting museums with old statues. One of them cost an extra 10kn to see, only you could catch a glimpse of it from the regularly-priced museum so it was a bit of a rip-off. The statue was found by a tourist – or a fisherman – or a tourist who was fishing (?) – completely by accident. Now it’s the star feature of the museum.

We spent our last day as typical Czech tourists vacationing in Croatia – at the beach, soaking up as much sun as possible before returning to a grey, gloomy and much colder Prague. It was a perfect end to a relaxing and intriguing vacation.

Balkans Tour - Sarajevo: Part Two

Sarajevo’s sad history didn’t begin with the Balkan conflict of the early 90s. Much of the city has some sorrowful connection to the past. Our first sightseeing stop after our arrival was the Latin (or Spanish) Bridge, the site of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination and the camel’s-back-breaking-straw of the First World War. A museum now memorializes the spot with personal effects of the Archduke and his wife Sophie – also a victim of the shooting – and their assassin, the Serbian Gavrilo Princip as well as a reenactment video of the event.

Sarajevo was lucky to survive the Second World War without significant damage or fighting in its environs. The exception of course was its Jewish population which was persecuted, sent off to camps and killed. In a touching (and rare) sign of inter-religious cooperation, a sacred and valuable Jewish relic (a Torah that is one of only three ancient copies in the world) was moved to a mosque for safekeeping during this tumultuous time. It is now housed behind walls of glass in the National Museum.

While much of Sarajevo is still recovering from a decade of war, much of the city shows signs of rejuvenation. The Turkish quarter, Baščaršija was shelled during the siege but there were few scars to be seen in this wonderfully bustling section of the city.

It is filled with kebaberies and shops selling souvenirs and leather goods, beautiful mosques and elegant minarets, some of which use actual muezzins. We were lucky enough to see one real-life, human muezzin give the call the prayer without aid of a loudspeaker from one of the mosque’s minarets.

Tourists were not as plentiful as they were in the beach-filled Croatia but a few could be spotted here and there, including a terrible American singer/guitarist. He seemed to follow us wherever we were in the city to “entertain” us and anyone in listening range with his off-key warbling and forgotten notes and lyrics of popular American soft rock songs.

One of his favorite haunts was near one of the churches. In the park just in front, there were old Bosnian men playing chess with giant pieces that would never last a day in the US before being stolen. It was hard to tell if these were retirees or maybe unemployed upper-middle-aged men who had no other way to spend their days. But they did seem to be enjoying themselves (the players and the bystanders who would shout occasional advice at them). While melancholic, some signs of hope and happier times have returned to this intriguing Bosnian capital city.

Wieliczka Salt Mines, Poland

I am posting my travelogues a bit out of order. I haven't quite finished my Balkans one, but then never got around to posting my Poland trip either. So here is my blog on the Wieliczka Salt Mines, just outside of Krakow. We were there earlier this year for the May holiday.

Krakow is a picturesque little town, reminiscent of other eastern European cities such as Prague and Ljubljana. Wieliczka and its world-famous, UNESCO-acknowledged Salt Mines. with its obligatory castle, cathedral(s) and pronunciation-defying street names. There’s the winding river, narrow cobblestone streets and the smell of kielbasa in the air. However, there is one unique attraction that you’d be hard-pressed to find in any of these other cities. Journey just about ten kilometers outside the city and you’ll come to the city of Wieliczka.

And Wieliczka certainly realizes its uniqueness. The admission price was shockingly high – we paid 100 zloty for round-trip transportation and a guided tour (required) inside. Our tour guide had a wonderfully stereotypical Slavic accent. He sounded a bit like Dracula, and his accent echoed and boomed atmospherically in the dark mines. He led us down a seemingly endless staircase that plummeted down for about 150 meters. Thankfully, the staircase is one-way and an elevator will return us to the surface!

Wieliczka had been a functioning mine for 900 years but stopped production in 2007. Many of the “exhibits” (i.e., dummy dioramas for the most part) in this place are a testament to the hardships endured by the mine’s employees. It was interesting but also frustrating considering the $50 we had paid for entrance. We were hoping for something a bit more than a glorified model of mine work. Luckily we were soon treated to some of the spectacular salt sculptures –

a ring bearer

and what could have been an ode to the seven dwarves, a scene of little gnomes working the mines. All that was missing was the tune to “Hi-Ho” playing in the background. My picture came out quite dark so here is a better one I stole from Wikipedia.

Finally, we arrived at the crown jewel of this historical site, and indeed, the reason for its UNESCO certification (and also to charge an additional 10 zloty for the right to take pictures) – the salt chapel.

This chapel is extraordinary for many reasons: its unusual underground location and the sheer size and beauty of its sculptures and bas reliefs. However, the most astounding thing is that this artistic marvel was carved by simple, ordinary miners. It is truly magnificent. Even the exquisite chandeliers

are made from salt. The other sculptures are all of a religious nature, of course.

The Last Supper,

the holy family in Bethlehem

and a life-size sculpture of one of Poland’s greatest hero, Pope John Paul II,

are all represented. While the chapel is definitely the highlight of the tour, there were more pleasant surprises to follow.

There were pools of water that were reminiscent of Tolkien and the Mines of Moria

and dizzying staircases that seemed suspended in the air.

There was the sad story of Austrian tourists who drowned in a boat ride that used to be offered in the lower depths of the mines. Their bodies were never recovered, and the boat rides have never resumed.

The elevator ride back to the surface was also quite unforgettable. We waited in line since the capacity is only about ten people and it takes a full 30 seconds to get back to the top. It was like an amusement park ride where you were never quite sure of making it out alive.

All in all, the Mines were a memorable, fascinating and sometimes eerie tourist attraction. It also remains the highest-priced attraction I have ever visited, surpassing even the ridiculously expensive (but equally remarkable) Tower of London’s 15£ admission. Was it worth it? Until I find some other site comparable to the impressiveness and uniqueness, I have no regrets – apart from the emptiness of my wallet.