Balkan

My wife and I joined a group tour to Balkan for 10 days covering Greece, Mecodonia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Albania. We did not know the others in the group but it turned out the group made a good company.

We visited many tourists spots , the one I remembered the most was a visit to Christian monastaries on top of limestone hills. I cant imagine how difficult life was for the nuns in those days without electricity, running water and modern facilities. These self dependant community survived in unhospitalable enviroment where they served their Lord and do farming to support themselves.

The old cities of Dubronic and Kotor were also very impressive fort city I visited. It appeared to me these cities didnot have a hinterland to supprt themselves in the olden days. They must have depended on trade.

The Balkan countries have nature which they preseve well. The hill slopes are wooded, the rivers have sparkling clear water and the waterfalls are clean and natural  and the air fresh

Bosnia is the country familiar to me because of the Bosnian War and atrocities some 30 years ago. The scars of war could still be seen on the walls of houses pockmarked by bullets. Our guide was just a baby during the time and he nerrated how difficult for the family to secure food at the time of constant fear and distrust in Sarajevo.

I could say that despite my aversion for organised tour, I enjoyed the trip because of the bus load of friends I made during the trip. Most of us were in the same age group and so we spoke in the same lingo. A doctor in the group made my motion sickness of being in the bus too long more bearable.