Southeastern Europe Travel Diary Part One

11.11. 20:04
I still can’t believe that I finally left my home. Yesterday morning, I woke up in my apartment, and today I’m three countries away. It’s weird to think about it. How easy it is for me to adapt. The last few weeks were all about preparing for my departure. I had to

• sort and pack my stuff
• clean the whole apartment inside out
• repaint the walls
• sell or give away the things I wouldn’t need anymore
• visit family and friends
• digitalize important documents
• organise mobile internet for travelling
• make a few last doctor’s appointments
• and so on….

But now I’m finally on the move and very proud of how much I achieved in such a short amount of time. I left yesterday afternoon after work and drove to my first destination, Bihac, in Bosnia. The drive through Slovenia was fairly quick; Croatia took up most of the four hours. The last part was the hardest because it was off the freeway, and there was a lot of traffic and construction sides.

About 30 minutes from the Bosnian border, I saw about 15 people in the middle of the woods, probably refugees. Finally, around 8 p.m., I arrived at my accommodation. It is a very nice one; I have plenty of space. The landlady is very friendly, and after I settled in, I went to a bakery because I was starving. The food there is very unhealthy, but all the more tasty.

This morning I started to talk a bit with the landlady, and she told me about guests coming from Turkey and being very disrespectful (e.g., ignoring the “no smoking in the house” sign). She told me that they were refugees. So I asked her how it’s possible for them to book an accommodation and what their plan is. She said that they cross the border to Croatia by foot by night to enter the European Union. I ask her why they don’t come in legally. She didn’t know. I don’t understand it at all, as Turkey is not a country that’s at war. I feel bad for those who really need asylum. But I hope that one day I’ll be able to talk to them personally to find out their motive. Maybe then I could understand.

After breakfast, I went to the center of Bihac, which has probably the most beautiful river I’ve ever seen.

I spent a long time there and could hardly get enough of the view. It was cold, and I didn’t put on much clothing, but I still enjoyed it. I also saw a church that was mostly destroyed during the war. It’s so hard for me to imagine what it must have been like during those times. Ever since my Israel trip in July and the ongoing war in the Middle East, I think about it a lot, and it makes me sad because, whatever the reason, I will never be able to understand why innocent people are kidnapped or killed. I read a lot of signs at the historical landmarks in Bihac, and Austria is mentioned quite often. I have to admit that whenever I travel and read about a country’s history, I feel a bit ashamed when Austria is mentioned. Though I’m not responsible for what happened many years ago or what other Austrians do, I can’t help but feel this way. But I think it’s very important to educate ourselves on those things so we can learn from them and hopefully stop them from happening in the future. I wish every country would be able to put history to rest, whatever happened. I think about how big Austria used to be before the First World War. Yet we don’t have any desire “to take it back”.

Anyway, after my morning round, I walked back to the accommodation to warm up a little and eat lunch. Then I visited “Sokolac Fort”, another historical place. Again, it was such a beautiful place. The view was incredible, as was the fortress. There were only four other people who left after I came, so I had the whole thing to myself.

Later, I drove back to the accommodation, had dinner, and now I relax a little. Tomorrow I’ll continue to my next destination, Sarajevo.