March 24, 2014

Long Weekend in the Other Balkans (III)

Our third and final day on the trip into some of the other Balkan countries began slowly on Sunday morning, March 16, 2014. After waking and having some coffee at one of the restaurants, we walked along the seaside of Cavtat, Croatia. We noticed the beautiful day, the flowers in bloom, and stopped at the bread shop to buy some goodies for snacks on our trip back to Lezhë, Albania. Some of the others took an early bus ride back to Dubrovnik to walk the wall of the Old City.

strolling along the port side of the Cavtat water front

Strolling along the Cavtat Waterfront (16-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

blue-centered daisies at the bread shop

Blue-centered Daises Outside of the Bread Shop (16-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

the long view of the Cavtat waterfront

A Long View along the Cavtat Waterfront (16-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Not too long after leaving Cavtat and Croatia, we took a ferry ride from Kamenari to Lepetane. The ten-minute ferry saved us at least a half hour of driving. Behind the two mountains in the foreground of the second photo below, the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska is the local name) spreads out making a large coast line to drive around.

the ferry from Kamenari to Lepetane

The Ferry from Lepetane to Kamenari (16-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

Bay of Kotor, Montenegro (16-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

While on the ferry, I talked to a mane from Serbia and discovered that he would have preferred if all of the Balkans would have remained together as Yugoslavia. It used to be that he was welcome in Croatia and Montenegro but now he was not sure if he, as a Serbian, was welcome there anymore. (However, Albania was never part of Yugoslavia.) So this area that has suffered so much from war and national ("tribal") rivalries, still seems to be suffering after being divided up into many parts.

Can those of us who are Christ's followers bring peace to the divided people of the Balkans? That is our prayer.

March 23, 2014

Long Weekend in the Other Balkans (II)

Our second day of visiting in the other Balkan countries (March 15, 2014) started early so that we could get to Dubrovnik at a reasonable time in the afternoon.

As we left Mostar, we noticed again a number of buildings destroyed during the Bosnian civil war (but what war is ever civil!) and which had not yet been restored. Notice the many holes on the walls left by bullets. I wonder how many people may have died in that house. War is a horrible event.

building destroyed by the civil war

The Shell of a Building Destroyed during the Bosnian Civil War (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

After traveling for a couple of hours, we stopped at Počitelj along the Nertva River. trying to find a coffee shop and to see the castle ruins there. As we approached I noticed the roofs made of curved tiles as is prevalent all of this area (see below) but also some slate roofs.

tile roof

Tile Roof (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

slate roof

Slate Roof (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

At that stop, Elsie and I did not climb to the castle, but we did find some nice flowers--none of which I know the names.

A Yellow Flower in Bloom at Počitelj (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Later on near the city of Čapljina , we saw a persons boating in a crew-like boat.

a long crew-like boat

Boating on the Nertva River (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

As we approached Dubrovnik, Croatia, we stopped just outside of the city at the Franjo Tuđman Bridge (a cable-stayed bridge with one main upright).

Lois, Klementina, and Elsie at the Franjo Tudjman Bridge

Lois, Klementina, and Elsie in Front of the Franjo Tudjman Bridge (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

As we got back on our tour bus, another tourist noticed the Albanian license plate and came to talk and ask some questions.

reloading our tour bus

Reloading the Bus and Talking with Another Tourist (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

After getting settled in our rooms at Cavtat, Elsie and I took a moment together over tea and water--simple pleasures of life! Then with the others, we went went back to Dubrovnik (about a half hour drive) to explore the Old City.

Elsie and I take a moment together at Cavtat, Croatia

Elsie and I Take a Moment Together at Cavtat, Croatia (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

There seemed to be a number of very healthy cats strolling the seaside at Cavtat. And before we left for the Old City, I had to get a photo of several of them up in a tree. It seemed to be a normal spot for them to "hang out."

five or six cats in a tree

How Many Cats Can Be in a Tree? (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

We spent the the rest of Saturday afternoon and well into the evening exploring the walled Old City in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

entrance to the Old City in Dubrovnik

Entering the Old City in Dubrovnik, Croatia (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie is surrounded by pigeons as she looks at a map of the Old City

Elsie Surrounded by Pigeons Waiting for a Hand-out (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

seagulls floating above the Old City

Seagulls Floating over the Old City (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Placa Stradun (a main street in the Old City)

Looking Down the Placa Stradun (a Main Street in the Old City) (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

one of the churches along Placa Stradun

A Church along the Placa Stradun (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie captured me kneeling up close to a church for a long photo

Strange Looks for Strange Behavior (15-Mar-14; © Elsie C. Bowman)

one of the oldest churches along Placa Stradun

This Photo of an Old Church Is What I Was Capturing (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie, Valentina, Justin and Jordan all look on as I take the photo

Elsie, Valentina, Justin and Jordan Take a Break (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Finally as evening begins to set in, outside of the Old City I noticed a small boat in the distance on the Adriatic Sea.

evening sets in as a small boat drifts in the distance

What Is the Small Boat in the Distance? (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

With my camera at maximum telephoto length, I was able to see that the boat is barely big enough for two persons who are rowing, fishing and maybe using the outboard motor.

two persons fishing in a small boat

It Is A Two-person Boat Being Rowed. (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

At night the Placa Stradun is definitely much better lit than it would have been in the Middle Ages.

Placa Stradun at night

The Placa Stradun at Night (15-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

After a dinner of pasta, soup or whatever we ordered, we were glad to head back to our rooms for a good night's sleep for our return trip to Lezhë the next afternoon. I'll share a few photos from that leg of the trip next time I post.

March 21, 2014

Long Weekend in the Other Balkans (I)

News Bulletin!!

Yesterday Elsie and I finalized our decision to respond positively to the invitation from Lezha Academic Center to extend our time here by a month until May 22. [This date has moved from the 20th but is now firm. (22-Mar-14)] This will allow me to teach the seniors physics until they complete their studies several weeks before they graduate near the beginning of June. Elsie will continue to work in the library and to assist Mrs. Klementina Shahini, the LAC director, as needed.

We are very thankful for the affirmation from our children and spouses, from the Virginia Mennonite Missions staff, and from the officers of the Central District of Virginia Mennonite Conference with whom I seerve as an overseer of several churches.

Now to the Photos from Our Trip

Would you like to spend a three-day weekend touring four Balkan countries? We did it! We travelled from Albania through Montenegro and into Bosnia and Herzegovina the first day. The second day from Bosnia and Herzegovina into Croatia, and the third day took us from Croatia back through Montenegro and into Albania again. Here is a map (from Google maps with my modifications) showing the relationship of the Balkan countries to each other and to Italy and Greece. The three cities of our trip--Lezhë, Mostar, and Dubrovnik--are boxed in in red.

map of the Balkan countries, Italy and Greece

Map Showing the Three Cities of our Trip (20-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

A larger map is available.

It began soon after 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning, March 14, when we were picked up by our small tour bus which already had the other expatriate teachers and staff onboard from Lezha Academic Center. Thus began a wonderful weekend of visiting on the bus and seeing many sights as we travelled and at the two major cities we visited--Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Dubrovnik (Croatia).

Below are the photos from the first day--Friday, March14.

plum trees in bloom

Plum Trees in Bloom on a Farm in Montenegro (14-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Grape Vines Pruned and Ready for a New Season (14-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

fertile farmland in the valley

Fertile Farming Valley in Montenegro (14-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Lake Skadar, in northern Albania and southern Montenegro, is the largest lake in the Balkans (according to Wikipedia) and varies from 370 to 530 km² (140 to 210 mi²) depending upon the water level and rainfall. We stopped at one overlook for some fun photo taking and to document who was in our group.

Lois King photographs Dini

Lois King Photographs Dini Shahini (14-Mar-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Skodar Lake

the younger teachers get ready for a group photo

the older teachers and staff also pose

While the lake and Shkodra are known for their birds, we did not stay long enough for me to look too far around. However, along the way, I did find an example of the all present sparrows.

a sparrow poses

Shkodër (in Albanian) is a much larger city than is Lezhë. Their respective populations are approximately 96,000 and 16,000, reespectively,

With Montenegro's many mountains, hydroelectric power seems a logical choice. The Mratinje Dam (in northern Montenegro near Pluzine) has three turbines each with a capacity of 114 MW (for a total of 342 MW.) Energoprojekt, a Serbian firm, designed this concrete arch dam which at its highest point reaches 220 m (720 ft). For those who are interested, the Safe Harbor Hydroelectric Plant on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania (USA) and completed in 1931 has a total capacity of 442.5 MW.

the Mratinje hydroelectric dam

As we continued through the small bit left of our travels in Montenegro and then into Bosnia and Herzegovina, we saw much barren rocky hills and mountains and fertile valleys of grapes and other crops neatly cared for.

barren rocky hills but fertile valleys

more rocky hillsides

In these areas of the Balkans, most of the construction we saw was like that below--reinforced concrete post and beams with a red block/brick then mortared in between. A lot of construction seemed on the way with a lot not finished (some of which looked like it was permanently stopped in mid-project).

concrete post and beam building construction

By late afternoon on Friday, we were in Mostar and looking at the Old City. It received its name from the word for bridge keeper who stayed in the tower to the left of Old Bridge pictured below as it spans the Neretva River.

the Old Bridge ove the Neretva River

The tour guide gave us a lot of info on the Old City part of Mostar and found us a very good restaurant to eat at for a very reasonable price.

our guide for the Old City in Mostar

On the way to the restaurant, after viewing the Old Bridge, I had to pause to capture this flowering tree.

flowering fruit tree in Mostar

From the outdoor deck of the restaurant, we could see the Neretva River again but not the Old Bridge. Elsie and I then ducked out to rest out wearing healing legs while the others toured the Old City.

the Neretva River from our restaurant

But before we left the rest of the group at the restaurant, I had to take a picture of the waxing gibbous Moon as it rose above the near by hill.

rising waxing gibbous Moon over Mostar

Come back for a report from the next two days of our trip into the other Balkan countries..

Response Form