Where did you go?

So, um. Where did I go? And why didn't I write about it?

Well, after Budapest came...

Belgrade, Serbia. I took the overnight train to Serbia, and rocked up at 7 am realizing I had no map, no idea where my hostel was and... whats this? Cryllic alphabet on the street signs? But...I have no idea what this says! Yikes. I would up with a McMap of the city (map with all the McDs locations in the city. No joke) and somehow stumbled towards my hostel. It was 10 am and about 900 degrees outside.

Belgrade was pretty cool. I had the best iced tea and the worst guacamole of my life. I got yelled at by a gypsy because I took a picture without paying. I ate way to much ice cream, and my hostel owner had to tell me to relax. I sat in a McDs for 3 hours on afternoon because they had air conditioning. Really, I just needed to get to a beach.

Sarajevo, Bosnia. Who goes to Bosnia? There was a war there, right? Well, yeah. And it is still evident. Everywhere. Bullet holes, damaged buildings, landmines everywhere (walk on the grass and lose a leg!). It also happens to be a stunning city. It is surrounded with hills (and graveyards now, sadly), and they just look so damned pretty. Also, this is where snipers sat and picked off the people living in the city during the war. The houses have holes, but there are cafes and grocery shops, and people just live their lives.

Mostar - I took a day trip to Mostar, an old city with a famous bridge. There isnt too much to say, mainly because I spent 2 hours taking pictures of boys jumping off a cliff into the water. But hey, I got some awesome pictures.

And then Croatia. Croatia. There was this girl who lived on my street when I was little named Jen. Her family had come over as refugees (I think) during the wars around there. She quite possibly had one of the crabbiest dads I have ever met. This man was just nasty. And from the second I arrived in Croatia, I understood why. Who on earth would be happy to leave that gorgeous country - all sunny beaches and amazingly blue water to wind up in London Ontario? Sorry for assuming your dad was insane, Jen.

Dubrovnik is amazing. Heaven. The water is a colour I've never seen before, but hope to see many times again. The gelato is cheap, and there is a bar where backpackers can make friends. They even had a book exchange. There, I met a group of 3 Aussies who I spent a couple days with. I was supposed to meet up with one in London, but due to some drama llamas, it didn't quite work out.

The day I was supposed to leave I called up my hostel in Split. Yeah, turns out their reception closes at 9, and I wouldn't have made it there in time. And everywhere in Dubrovnik was full. So I hung out with the Aussies (Kurt made out with a hot blond chick and I took some pictures), and then sat outside my hostel waiting for them to open so I could get my backpack and go. Being tired, I dozed off. And woke up with a stray cat on my head. Ever wake up with a cat on your head? Yeah, bye Dubrovnik...

From there, via Split, I headed up to Ljujbjljajnaja, Slovemia. (note: I know this is not the correct spelling, but who needs that many js in one name? It rained for 3 straight days. The highlight of my time there was my meeting with Omar of Eurovision fame. I met some Slovenians, one of whom pointed out Omar to me. "He represented Slovenia in Eurovision, you know." I didn't believe him. At which point he produced his CD (does he carry them everywhere with him?) of the cheesy male crooner variety and handed it to me. I made everyone in the hostel listen to Omar, and there are some awesome pictures of everyone in the hostel striking Omar poses.

So I gave up and went to Lake Bled, a bizarre name for a gorgeous city. I helped row a boat, went down a mountain in a cart on a weirdo metal track, and... went white water rafting. And jumped off a bridge. If you don't believe me, I have pictures. Then, on my last morning there, 2 lovely girls named Corinne and Kat straightened my hair, I was stung by a bee, and I was off to London.