Written by Brian

I've obtained a new understanding of "complicated politics" since visiting a region where the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Muslim, and Lutheran faiths have collided. The Romans, Venetians, Ottomans, Habsburgs, and countless other empires or dynasties have controlled this land over the centuries. The mixture and mingling of cultures, languages, and religions gave birth to an incredibly complex system prone to conflict.

In American minds, the Balkans are infamous for two things: Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination in Sarajevo which sparked WWI, and the awful wars that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia. I learned the basics of the Balkan "powder keg" in high school history class and witnessed the bleak destruction of that war in the 1990s on television.

On this trip, we've visited Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. Together with Slovenia, Macedonia, and the semi-recognized Kosovo, these modern nations comprised Yugoslavia.

In the United States, we sincerely appreciate our freedoms. We thank the military service members who have sacrificed to procure and maintain those freedoms. We decry injustices. As a collective people, we genuinely seek to do "the right thing". However, we really don't recognize how good we have it.

One of the blessings of world travel is that you learn firsthand how regular people live in far-off places. Sadly, you can encounter many places where the contrast between our wealth and their poverty is appalling, and that delivers a crucial lesson. Living and human rights conditions are far worse in places like Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Congo, Myanmar, etc., but I believe the Balkans also hold an important lesson for us as a nation.

That lesson is this - our challenges and shortcomings are nowhere near insurmountable.

The city of Mostar is the capital of Herzegovina, a historic region long-paired in nationhood with Bosnia. We visited for three days on a side trip from Croatia. At the bus station, we were met by a handful of children under ten years old begging for spare change. We've met many destitute souls of all ages along our journey, but these kids were the most alarming - grabbing our sleeves and murmuring forlorn, persistent entreaties. It was shocking and saddening. A thirty-minute walk from the bus station brought us to our guesthouse. Apartments Konak is owned by Lejla and her husband (who we didn't get to meet). As young adults, they fled during the early 1990s to Germany, where they met and were married. Lejla and her husband are Bosniak Muslim, and were among the 3,000,000 people displaced during the wars between 1991 and 1999. Tens of thousands of others were raped or slaughtered as different ethnic and religious factions clashed. By far the most numerous and appalling atrocities were committed by the Serbians, who sought to retain control of the nations which had a small ethnically Serb population and declared independence in 1991.

Walking through any street in Mostar, we could put our fingers in the pits in walls caused by indiscriminate shelling and shooting. We saw pinpoints of light seeping through bullet holes in fence gates and doors. We examined trees growing like weeds inside the post-apocalyptic shells of buildings. We walked past at least three graveyards packed full of pure-white marble headstones all dating from 1993-1995. It is a chilling, solemn experience.

The Stari Most (literally old bridge) is a 16th century stone bridge shaped like an Ottoman arch in the center of town. The bridge is perhaps the most famous structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the proud symbol of Mostar. In 1995, when the city was largely vacated and the war was in its waning days, the Croats bombed the bridge until it collapsed. It was an act of cultural defamation, intended not just to destroy the fabric of the city, but the cultural pride and history of the Bosniaks.

Following such physical and mental destruction, one might expect Bosnia to linger in tatters for decades. But in the years after the war, many refugees returned, and the new nation along with help from the European Union made recovery a priority.

If countries like Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and, to some extent, Serbia can make so much progress in the past 15-20 years, the U.S. should be able to solve lingering issues like income inequality, human rights, racism, universal healthcare coverage, prison reform, educational attainment, and equitable public transportation.

Romania is a place filled with folklore and whispers. When you arrive, you quickly understand why. Steeped in violent history, including ruthless dictators, uprisings and the fall of communism, Romanians have only truly been a non-Communist democratic society with the most recent election of a president of German heritage. We were told his election was monumental because ethnic Germans were never permitted to be a part of the communist party, "guaranteeing" a more stable government.

After our flight in from Serbia to Bucharest, we took a three hour train ride to a small town nestled in the Carpathian Mountains. We spent a week in Brasov, pronounced Brah-shahv, in an AirBnb near the famous Biserica Neagra (Black Church.) Tip: Attend an organ concert at Black Church on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm for 10 LEI.

Brasov is guarded by a Mt. Tampa, complete with a cheesy take on a Hollywood sign, which replaced the old Stalin sign that had been etched into the mountain side. During the early Communist era, the city was renamed Stalin City in his honor.

Brasov is a city from fairytales and is truly magical. The old buildings feel like you're walking onto a movie set, and the city is small and compact, making it easy to get anywhere quickly.

We hiked to the top of Mt. Tampa following the blue trail, which was extremely steep. You can also take the cable car to the top for a much easier trip. The trails are very well-marked once you find the start; walk along the Tampa promenade and you will find one of the two trail heads.

The Free Walking Tour, which we also did in Bucharest, was worth the nearly four hours of walking as the information is great and helps you hit all the hotspots easily, including Black Church, Turnbul Alb and St. Nicolas Church.

Brasov is also a great place to use as a hub for day trips. The most famous day trip is to Bran Castle, the supposed inspiration for Stoker's Dracula. We had heard mixed reviews regarding this trip so we skipped it in favor of Peles (Pell-esh) Castle. The train to get there is a stop in Sinaia on both the in and outboard train from Bucharest and takes just over an hour. Cost differs depending on time of departure and the fast or slow train. Note: From the Brasov train station to the center bus hub Bus Route 4 is the fastest route. It arrived roughly every 10 minutes on the third minute of the hour.

Peles is definitely worth the day trip, opulent and extravagant. Don't bother with the taxi to the top. Walk out of the train station and straight up the hill through the park, hugging the right path. At the top of the park is a tree-covered trail with shops taking you up to the Castle. The nearby monastery is a worth a quick look and won't take more than 30 minutes.

Pack a lunch, grab a basket of the fresh berries being sold on every corner on your way back down and a drink at the "market" next to the train station in Sinaia. Note: Peles has extremely strict copyright laws and you will need to buy a special photo pass for 32 lei for personal use only. If you want to take the tour of the apartments buy the double ticket for 50 lei per person. This was worth the cost in our opinion.

From Brasov we took the train to Bucharest. Bucharest is a huge city, holding over a quarter of Romania's population. We did not stay in the Old Town due to the cost and scarcity of accommodations, but it would be worth the splurge. Bucharest is not unsafe per se, but it is not the most charming place we've been.

We got a great history of the city during our walking tour, but note, it's a LOT of walking. Being such a large city, the walking tour covers more than it probably should and took us nearly 4 hours. It is a great option, though, to hear about the main historical points in Bucharest.

With limited time in Bucharest, we did the walking tour, stopped at the People's Parliament House (did not take the tour as we heard it is average for how over the top the building really is) and had a great dinner at the locally loved "Beer Wagon" or Caru' cu Bere. Definitely try the cheese balls, which sounds weird, but they were incredible. We enjoyed our dinner with new friends, Drew and Kelly, Americans currently living in Abu Dhabi, who we met at our Peles Castle day trip.

Romania's countryside is truly beautiful and there are so many natural places to see. Similar to Montenegro, you could spend weeks here hiking to waterfalls and other beautiful sites. The economic conversion rate is great as well. Romania is definitely on our list to return to and spend additional time outside of the main cities.

Like we've mentioned before, Serbia is one of those places we are glad we visited, but may never visit again.

Serbia was a strange mixture of unique history and selective retelling of this history. We only had two days in Belgrade, Serbia but we made the most of it and visited nearly all of the historical sites.

Serbia is a huge city and the public transportation is fairly confusing, as are the streets. Unlike most other European cities, there are no signs in English so everything feels like guess work. Also, unlike many other European cities, few people speak English. We are not suggesting other countries should speak or write signs in English, but we definitely had gotten used to the convenience.

So, we struggled through Belgrade's highlights, including a very odd Serbian History Museum which was simply a propaganda museum to famous dictator, Joseph Tito, and twisted much of the history of the country; the famous Cathedral, still under construction after its destruction in the war; and the other National History Museum, which is totally closed for reconstruction.

The city itself is a strange mixture of the old and the new, having been bombed heavily by NATO, many buildings are still in ruins and the vibe of communism still lingers. The bombed-out Ministry of Defense building has not been cleared at all and still "stands" as a reminder of the actions of the Serbian government as well as outside powers. Many of the great historical stops are still in the process of being repaired, but it's a catch-22 because due to economic sanctions there are limited funds to rebuild much of what was bombed.

On the other hand, Serbians hold dear twisted facts like an overwhelming love for Nicola Tesla, who only visited Belgrade once in his lifetime. He was from modern-day Croatia, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, not Yugoslavia. Serbs also lay claim to any land which was at one point a part of Yugoslavia but is now independent, such as Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. So if we mentioned we had been to these places we were encouraged with a "it's beautiful and a part of Yugoslavia."

Entertainment-wise, Belgrade is known for being a party city. There are dozens of floating nightclubs on the Danube River, which we purposefully avoided. They are popular hotspots for stag parties and Europeans looking to get drunk on the cheap to obnoxiously loud EDM music, and that's not our cup of tea. The restaurants, on the other hand, were pretty impressive. Both nights we had excellent meals for cheap. Dua Jelena (Two Deer) offers good traditional Serbian dishes and is located on classic Skadarska street, full of similar Serbian cafes, bars, and coffee shops. The next night on the opposite side of the river in the Zemun district of New Belgrade, we ate at Salon 5, a hiply-styled joint tucked away in an apartment building. It doesn't even have a sign on the door, so you have to know the exact address. The owner/chef, Nikola, was supremely hospitable and made excellent dishes for a very reasonable price.

Belgrade is rough around the edges, giving the impression of being unsafe, but it's quite the opposite. Most Serbs are still so plagued by the war that they discourage any type of wrong doing. In fact, it was one of the few places we went where we hardly saw any police officers and there really didn't appear to be a need. Serbs were also a bit more mistrusting of travelers than most other countries we've been to.

Combine all of this with our previous issue of not being able to get to neighboring Romania and the result was a mixture of intrigue and relief to leave what feels like a conflicted country.

Not every place we visit is on our must see list, but we go because we know we may never return.

Belgrade or Beograd, Serbia is one of those places. We decided to spend just a few days in the capital on our way to Brasov, Romania, located about three hours north of Bucharest, the capital.

We took an extremely long bus ride from Budva, Montenegro, arriving in Belgrade around eight p.m. When we arrive in a new place, the first thing we do is check the bus and train schedule at the station to our next destination, in this case, Brasov, Romania. (Most cities do not post the current schedule online for local routes.)

But, a funny thing happened in Belgrade when we asked for the bus to Romania. A shake of the head, a wave of the hand and a firm "no." Certain this was just a mistake due to our lack of Serbian language skills, we headed to the next ticket window. Five windows, eight people and a visit to the train station nearby all confirmed the unbelievable:

There are no buses to Romania! There are no trains to Romania!

Brian and I were incredulous and confused. It's the country next door. Relations aren't bad. We never quite got our answer except to guess that many Serbians simply don't travel much, causing the demise of many routes.

We were stuck. In Serbia. The entire walk to our hotel, we kept wondering out loud, laughing and occasionally humming Hotel California. "We are stuck in Serbia and we didn't even want to come to Serbia!" "There are no buses to Romania!" "We can't leave!"

Our research of the travel from Belgrade into Romania never showed any bus or train lines, but we never gave that a second thought as most schedules aren't posted. Like most cities, you just show up at the bus or train station and buy your ticket. We never thought there wouldn't be ANY option.

After getting to WIFI, we researched our alternatives. We found out the process for getting into Romania from Serbia comes with a few options:

1. 55-minute direct flight into Bucharest, then a train to Brasov

2. 9-hour train to Budapest, Hungary or Sofia, Bulgaria then another overnight train into Romania

3. 3-hour mini-bus to the border town of Vrac followed by three overnight train or bus connections to Brasov

This is like trying to get to Atlanta from Tampa, but having to drive through the Panhandle and up through Alabama.

After much debate over costs, complications and connections, we did the least adventurous thing and booked a $100 flight on AirSerbia, which turned out to be surprisingly nice.

Montenegro is truly a hidden gem of Eastern Europe. With sparkling waters of the Adriatic, fresh seafood at every restaurant but fewer crowds than Croatia, it makes for a remarkable find.

Montenegro is much easier to get around with a car, as some of the main, natural attractions are a bit tougher to get to via public transportation. We missed a few of these places, but we will happily return one day to complete the full tour.

Our time was divided by three days in Kotor, a short 35-minute bus ride from Dubrovnik, and Budva, a short 35-minute bus ride from Kotor.

Kotor

Kotor is set nestled into the coastline, surrounded by protective mountains which rise straight out of the water. Kotor Bay is so well protected that the waters are calm, even in windy conditions.

Kotor has a quaint little Old Town with so many shops and restaurant cafes. The Fortress overlooks the Old Town and is worth the strenuous, nearly 1,400 stairs to the top. Don't worry if you can't make it the entire way, the lookout at the midway point has a worthy view. The Fortress itself is a forgotten relic, falling into sad disrepair. It is a mixture of 18th century stone walls and 20th century concrete bunkers, which were used in the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Unfortunately, trash and graffiti populate the upper portion of the fort. Take plenty of water with you.

Our highlight of Kotor was an evening sailing trip from Kotor to Tivat, a bigger town just outside the safe harbor. We enjoyed our four hours swimming, watching the sunset and admiring the beautiful scenery with our hosts, Katie and Tim, and our ship mates, two other couples, all from England.

We also took a day trip to Perast, an historical and preserved town just 20 minutes north of Kotor. It is a short, easy stroll and cafes line the waterfront beckoning you to sit in perfect views of the mountains and the two islands in the middle of the bay.

Budva

Budva is similar to the Daytona Beach of Montenegro, packed with touristy shops and restaurants.

We spent our full-day there on the beach, lounging with an incredible view of the Old Town Citadel. The small rocky beach on the south side of the Old Town offers a few cafes, which provide free lounge chairs and umbrellas, provided that you order a few drinks throughout the day. It's a very relaxing way to pass the day. The Citadel is a great place to experience the sunset, with views over each side of the peninsula.

The Old Town, or Stari Grad, of Budva resembles that of Kotor. It is small but packed with cafes and shops. Stone walls and buildings are fairly well-preserved. It's easy to get lost in the winding alleys, but luckily you can walk across this minuscule old town in five minutes. Just outside the old town, the waterfront promenade extends at least a mile along the bay. Its pebbly beaches are packed with restaurants, night clubs, video game arcades, and playgrounds. Budva is clearly the spot for family vacations or beach clubbing for Montenegrans, Serbians, and Croatians, since we hardly encountered any English speakers in the town.

Montenegro felt like a vacation. It is very relaxed where you can easily do nothing, or you can fill your time hiking and seeing the many natural wonders it offers. We will look forward to returning to experience several of the national parks, which were just too inconvenient to reach via public transportation.