In cleaning and organizing my room today, I came across the journal from my last Slavic journey.
Mostly mundane notes and poetic doggerel, but I mentioned in the journal an email to bid me joyous travels from a fellow named Tercek I know. He offered, as I recorded, Flirt with girls who don't speak English, sleep in seedy hostels, and never ever grow up. Then, as now, I reply to him, Czech, check, and cheque.
First Routine:
Monday 24 May 1pm > Tuesday 25 May 1pm
ILM>PHL>LHR>BUD.
Tuesday 25 May 10pm > Wednesday 26 May 7pm
Budapest > Beograd [night train]
Staying at the 3 Black Catz Hostel in Belgrade for two nights (maybe three if I've got something planned).
In novel terms, the flights and Budapest would be offered as opening prelude; Belgrade is the first chapter.
· • ·
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Maps inadequate for the territory...
Not only is travel information about the FYR difficult to come by, but a number of "authoratative" sources outdated or just downright incorrect.
Lonely Planet's website still lists Kosovo as Serbia, and has a grand total of two paragraphs about the entire country (or, in their opinion, region of another country).
Wikitravel has rapidly become the most current source of info on the area, with some singular reports from individuals via CouchSurfing. It seems that travel by bus is quicker than train in a number of locales.
Thanks to the British Airways strike, my flight plans are pushed back from 20 May to 24 May. This effectively eliminates Budapest from a multi-day exploration, but it looks like I'll get into that chain-bridged city at noon on one day and I can take the nighttrain to Beograd the next day, so I'll have about 34 hours to soak in a Turkish bath, eat copious amounts of goulash whilst downing an inordinate amount of Tokaji, and watch the sunset (and the lights of the bridge blink on) from Gellért Hill, and, I suppose, sleeping for a bit.
In Beograd, I'll stay for a few days and, depending on the schedule of others, stay through the weekend or visit Bela Crkva and a friendly CouchSurfing host there. The return to Beograd will conclude meetings with folks there or head on immediately, again, depnding on schedule of others. Ideally, I'd have my meeting with Kusturica following this—which means train/bus down to Mokra Gora and his entho-village near there.
I'll reach Sarajevo once before Vidovdan, but I'll certainly walk the former Appel Quay that morning, something I've had a morbid fascination of doing for more than twenty years.
Destinations without specific timeline:
Sarajevo (first visit)
Mostar
Srebrenica
Višegrad
Jajce
Dubrovnik
Krk
Bar
Prishtina
Like to, but unlikely at this point:
Zagreb
Vukovar
· • ·
Lonely Planet's website still lists Kosovo as Serbia, and has a grand total of two paragraphs about the entire country (or, in their opinion, region of another country).
Wikitravel has rapidly become the most current source of info on the area, with some singular reports from individuals via CouchSurfing. It seems that travel by bus is quicker than train in a number of locales.
Thanks to the British Airways strike, my flight plans are pushed back from 20 May to 24 May. This effectively eliminates Budapest from a multi-day exploration, but it looks like I'll get into that chain-bridged city at noon on one day and I can take the nighttrain to Beograd the next day, so I'll have about 34 hours to soak in a Turkish bath, eat copious amounts of goulash whilst downing an inordinate amount of Tokaji, and watch the sunset (and the lights of the bridge blink on) from Gellért Hill, and, I suppose, sleeping for a bit.
In Beograd, I'll stay for a few days and, depending on the schedule of others, stay through the weekend or visit Bela Crkva and a friendly CouchSurfing host there. The return to Beograd will conclude meetings with folks there or head on immediately, again, depnding on schedule of others. Ideally, I'd have my meeting with Kusturica following this—which means train/bus down to Mokra Gora and his entho-village near there.
I'll reach Sarajevo once before Vidovdan, but I'll certainly walk the former Appel Quay that morning, something I've had a morbid fascination of doing for more than twenty years.
Destinations without specific timeline:
Sarajevo (first visit)
Mostar
Srebrenica
Višegrad
Jajce
Dubrovnik
Krk
Bar
Prishtina
Like to, but unlikely at this point:
Zagreb
Vukovar
· • ·
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