What a Whirlwind

Kotor Bay, Montenegro

I have so much to write about from this summer that I don't even know where to start.  I guess I can start by saying that traveling for six weeks straight has its ups and downs, but the ups far outweigh the downs. Sure, there was a broken down bus, a trip to the hospital, and being stranded at a border around 1am; but this list is so small compared to all the beautiful wonders, delicious food, unplanned experiences and incredibly kind and welcoming people we met.

We left Hungary on July 2 to begin our trip through the Balkans with a rough idea of where we wanted to go, but essentially had nothing booked except a one-way ticket from Thessaloniki, Greece to Budapest on August 5.   It was both exhilarating and daunting not having plans set; on one hand we had to constantly try to figure out bus timetables, accessibility to sites we wanted to see, and finding affordable hotels at the last minute, but it also afforded us to take an extra day somewhere we loved, go further off the beaten path with recommendations from locals, and take the time to pause and soak it all in.  Our itinerary ended up looking like this: Serbia - Bosnia & Herzegovina - Croatia - Montenegro - Kosovo - Albania - Macedonia - Bulgaria - Greece - Turkey.

I still cannot believe how much we ended up seeing, and am truly humbled by and grateful for the openness and kindness that was shown to us by complete strangers. Traveling has a way of strengthening my faith in people to a level greater than I ever imagined possible .  My greatest joy in life is being surprised by the good that I know exists in us all; and this trip reminded me that this doesn't have to be a rare occasion. 

Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina 

Rila Mountains, Bulgaria

 

Nemrut Dagi, Turkey