Potential trip - Balkans
 

OK, putting this out there to garner the expertise of the Fodorite community....

Last year my sister and I went to Argentina and Chile and had a wonderful time, thanks in no small part to the wonderful "folks" (I just gave away my age, didn't I??) here on the Fodor's forum. My sister is angling for another trip this year, however I have to juggle my entire family's needs. So, if I can come up with an interesting enough, and reasonably priced enough, trip then who knows..perhaps another trip with my sis is in the cards.

We live in Canada and like to go to places that have a different character (we've been to Havana and Sicily as well) than what we see here in North America and experiencing things that are slightly off the regular tourist track. We like meeting people, exploring local regions, understanding recent history, experiencing different cultures, enjoying local food/drink, lovely scenery, etc. We generally like to experience a couple of places, staying for at least a few days, often in an apartment, rather than moving daily. If we did a trip it would likely be for about 11 or 12 days, excluding travel from Canada, and would preferably take place in April or May and would likely revolve around using public transportation, rather than using a rental car. (We would consider renting a car for a few days, though, if situation was right.)

My first idea was a trip to Albania, as I had just read a recent article on that interesting country. It's definitely off the tourist track, and I suspect we would hire a driver to drive us to a couple of places. However, I subsequently stumbled across a reference to Sarajevo and my heart was turned. A few years ago I read the Cellist of Sarajevo. I loved that story and my heart was forever broken for the people of that city.

So, my thoughts are that we could organize a trip around the following region ...Sarajevo, Mostar and the Dalmation coast. I could see us staying in Sarajevo for a few nights, take the train to Mostar and have an overnight stay there, and then continue to the Croatian coast. I love the idea of Korcula, but the bus routes from Mostar seem more aligned to either Dubrovnik and Split. On the surface, I have a gut feeling that we would be more interested in Split, as Dubrovnik seems even more touristy than Split.

I would appreciate ideas, particularly in light of the fact that we would have to arrange flights into and out of the region. A major city in the region (Zagreb? Belgrade? Budapest? Llubjana?) might make an interesting entry or exit point, but I wouldn't want to spend too much of our precious travel time traveling back and/or forth too much.

Also, if we end up going to the Dalmation coast, particularly in the northern half, the weather in late April/early May looks a bit rainy. Has anyone been in the mid-north Dalmation coast region at that time of year?

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!!

A couple of years ago I spent 2 weeks in Slovenia and northern Croatia in the first two weeks in May. Weather was perfect--one day of drizzle, the others sunny and mild (sweater weather, but added light jacket in early evening). When we moved on to Dubrovnik for the last 8 days of the trip, it was sunny every day and warm enough to skip sweater even. I live in New England so you can consider that when thinking about what I mean by mild and warm.

@irishface -- ha ha!

I appreciate the weather references. As we live in Southern Ontario I suspect our weather is at least as warm, if not a couple of degrees warmer. I remember that I was surprised when I went to Florence/Tuscany in late March/early April and the weather in Toronto was warmer. A few years later I went to Sicily in early May, expecting very warm weather. It turned out that they had unseasonably cold weather and it was much warmer in Toronto. We rarely took off our jackets. So much for the Med!

We aren't looking for beach weather, but it would be nice if it wasn't cloudy and damp. In any case, it isn't the beaches that are our main interest.

But then, again, Albania would be much warmer at that time of year, correct? (says the person that thought that when she went to Sicily in May!)

I visited these places in late May, and thought it perfect. (But, of course, the weather could be different when you are there!) I flew into Sarajevo, spent several days in that wonderful city, then train to Mostar, which is well worth an overnight, particularly because it wonderful to watch the sunset over the gorge and because it is much more pleasant after day trippers leave. Then I took a bus on to Dubrovnik, from which you can take a bus/ferry to Korcula. You can then get a ferry from Korcula to Split. You can do all of that in 11 or 12 days if you plan it carefully and put up with several short (1 or 2 night) stays -- 3 or 4 nights in Sarajevo, 1 night in Mostar, 2 or 3 nights in Dubovnik, a night in Korcula, then say 3 nights in Split..

BTW, if possible, consider making time for the Plitvice Lakes National Park before leaving the country -- it may be Croatia's most magnificent site (and Croatia is spectacularly beautiful). You can use public buses to get from Split to the Plitvice Lakes, but for that stretch, a car can be a decided benefit. Try to spend the night in Plitvice and plan on 6 or more hours in the park. You can then either go back to Split or on to Zagreb for your flight home.

BTW, the Rough Guide was by far the best of the half dozen guidebooks I used when planning my trip to the area.

Hope that helps!

Click on my name for my Balkan TR. I was going in the other direction from kja, from Albania through Montenegro to Dubrovnik for the bus to Mostar and Sarajevo. Loved Sarajevo, Mostar not so much. If you go through Dubrovnik try for a day with few(er) cruise ships. See http://www.portdubrovnik.hr/girica1.php

Loved Plitvice when I was there in 2004, I used buses, but it is easier with a car.

In June of 2013 our daughter and I spent 12 days touring in a loop from Vienna-Zagreb-Sarajevo-Belgrade-Istanbul-Vienna. My impressions of the trip, including the public transportation and lodging options, are under my name here on the forum. The trip rates as one of our favorites.

I was in Budapest in august and I fell in love. Its relatively affordable city. There are a lot of things to do. You can go on a boat trip through the Danube, visit there world famous thermals baths, and visit some of there really cool ruin bars. I cannot wait to go back!

It's a pity you've scrapped Albania.
I wouldn't call it a beautiful country but it's certainly different. A real mix of Balkan cultures and religions.
For me the prettiest part is in the east, on Lake Ohrid on the Macedonian border. Pogradec is a nice town on the lakeside.
There are also some fine beaches in the north of the country.

Thank you everyone for commenting with your suggestions!

I sat down over an hour ago to reply and found myself caught up in reading your various trip reports (some of which I had previously read, but of course those led me to others).

fourtotravel and kja, I read about your travels previously and they gave me many great ideas (including the train to Mostar). I'm not sure if the ferry from Dubrovnik runs during early May from Dubrovnik to Korcula. Does anyone know for sure? I presume we would have to take the bus up the coast and the short ferry ride over to Korcula.

I definitely want to avoid Dubrovnik when cruise ships are in port! Thanks for the link to the schedule, thursdaysd. Nothing like being in a crowded, walled city with thousands of your closest friends. The cruises are clearly great for some people, but I prefer less crowded opportunities to explore. I notice that you said you didn't like Mostar. I haven't quite made it through your Balkan report so haven't hit the reason yet. I will certainly continue reading when I get a chance over the weekend.

I'm almost thinking that we should simply give a miss to Dubrovnik (is that heresay??) and focus on the Sarajevo to Split line, with a final departure from Zagreb, or else a flight from Split to Munich, with a few days there, which will make a direct flight home easier.

Appia, due to our time constraints and the fact that we've never been in the region, I think Albania is just a bit too far off the track for this trip. Perhaps a later trip where we could combine northern Greece, Macedonia and Albania might work. I do think that meeting the people there would be great. Who knows what the future holds.

Keep those suggestions coming!

*heresy (not heresay!!)

I also noticed that in my original post a misspelled Ljubljana. (My apologies to all Ljubljaners!)

I'm reasonably certain (but not 100% -- you'll need to check) that you can take the bus from Dubrovnik to Korcula ANY day year-round. You board the bus in Dubrovnik; the bus crosses over on a ferry, for which you pay nothing extra; you get off in Korcula Town. Here's some info:
http://www.korculainfo.com/bus/bus-d...ik-korcula.php

I visited Mostar 5 years after thursdaysd did, by which time a number of things had re-opened that might have been closed when she was there. I certainly can't speak for her, but I would think that would make a HUGE difference. I really enjoyed my time in Mostar, despite a number of remaining scars from the war. YMMV.

If Dubrovnik doesn't pull at your heart, well, you've got a LOT on your plate for this trip. That said, I'm really glad I saw it AND the spectacularly gorgeous coast to its north (which could be seen on the bus from Mostar) When I was there (mid-May 2009), it was NOT overrun by people from cruise ships. Again, YMMV. If the timing works, you might give it a least a night or two, as it is, IMO, a very beautiful and unique place.

"...or else a flight from Split to Munich, with a few days there..."

Definitely a possibility, but Munich is probably relatively easy for you to reach; Split and Zagreb, probably not so much. You might want to consider maximizing your time in lovely Croatia while you are there!

Acrually, kja, I think you may have been in Mostar before me. Plitvice was a different trip and I was in Mostar in 2011.

It wasn't that I didn't like Mostar at all, I just wasn't as imprssed as a lot of people seem to be. I found it rather depressing, and I had bad weather which didn't help.

Sorry, thursdaysd, I obviously didn't check before I wrote! :-( I'm glad you set the record straight.

We have flown to Sarajevo twice on Lufthansa via Munich which worked well at least from Boston. Both of our trips were in the fall and we had very good weather. I have no experience with weather in May.

I wrote a fairly long trip report about Sarajevo and the Dalmatian coast after our trip in 2010. We missed Mostar that time but saw it in 2012. I would include it and try to stay overnight and see Blagaj, too, if possible. (There are buses that go from Mostar)

The train trip from Sarajevo to Mostar is definitely worth it for anyone who has any interest in engineering--many tunnels.

Dubrovnik is a beautiful city, but of the two we preferred Split.

We've traveled to the Balkans several times, but we haven't made it to Split yet (tried twice and ran out of time each time), but in my opinion, Dubrovnik and the Dalmation coast are heaven on earth. I think it would be a shame to go that far and not spend at least a day or two in Dubrovnik. I agree with the other posters, that you should try to go at a time when the cruise ships aren't in; it will be a much better experience! If you go and if you're physically up to it, walk the wall; it's breathtaking on a nice day.

We drove through the northern part of Albania to Berat several years ago. It's a beautiful country, but I'd vote for Sarajevo instead. Not to add more to your itinerary, but the Adriatic coast of Montenegro is also beautiful, and it's an easy drive from southern Croatia. I call it "Croatia lite" since it's not as touristy as the area around Dubrovnik. In any event, you'll have a wonderful experience, and I suspect that you'll fall in love as we have with the Balkans!

I read an article recently that in 2014 there have been 1 million cruise ship passengers to Dubrovnik, a four-fold increase from only 10 years ago. Is there anyone left living in the old city? How do they handle the hordes? I guess some of them benefit economically, but it still must be a huge pain. But ellen, you've put forward a persuasive argument about visiting! Timing is everything I guess.

Vttraveler, yes, it looks like there's pretty good/reasonably priced connections through Munich from Toronto as well. And, Lufthansa does some code-sharing with Air Canada. One reason I thought about possibly extending a layover for a couple of days in Munich is that the connection if flying out of Split, involves a 5-hour layover at Munich. Perhaps kja is right though, and we should keep our focus on the Balkans.

Despite the increase in the number of cruise ship passengers visiting Dubrovnik, I believe there have also been new restrictions on the number of cruise ships in that port. It is a beautiful city, small enough to be enjoyed in a day or so, and easy to appreciate once the day trippers leave. My recommendation: Don't write it off unless it really doesn't fit your itinerary.

Like Vttraverler, and unlike MANY Fodorites, I LOVED Split. But I think you have enough time to visit both and do both some justice.

BTW, do consider a half-day visit to Trogir from Split.

If it works out for you to do so, I don't think you'll regret any time you spend in this magnificent corner of the world. :-)

"and easy to appreciate once the day trippers leave' - I just realized that this statement could be misread. My intended meaning = once day trippers leave, it is easy to see how beautiful Dubrovnik is! There are some things in the city that are, IMO, well worth seeing that can only be seen during the day -- I didn't mean to suggest that these things could be seen after the day trippers leave. Sorry if I created confusion!

Dubrovnik is really overrun in the daytime hours, but most ships leave in the afternoon and it makes a huge difference. And the cruisers don't really venture far (they stay where it is flat, in the shops, and restaurants.) Dubrovnik is magical at night.

In September last year we did a train trip from Budapest to Zagreb, then to Sarajevo then to Mostar , then
Hired a driver to go to Dubrovnik. We wouldn't have missed any of it and the train trip was an experience and a half - plenty of time seeing the countryside in Bosnia. 2 nights in Zagreb, 3 in Sarejevo , 2 in Mostar and 3 in Dubrovnik. We avoided the cruise ship crowds by either going very early or later in the day. Flew from Dubrovnik to London.

Thank you everyone!
(Northie, I like your travel style.)

Since we like to stay in each place 3,4 or 5 nights, with the occasional exception for a transit place of 2 nights, but are limited to only 11 or 12 nights for this trip overall, the latest version of our itinerary is as follows...

Sarajevo - 4 nights (soak up the history and culture)
Mostar - 2 nights (easy to find places with engaging hosts, with possible regional day trip)
Split - 4 nights (like the idea of this city, plus a couple of day trips, such as Trogir and Krka NP)

That leaves us with 1 or 2 more nights to allocate. We will fly out of either Split or Zadar.

Since we will likely be there in late April/early May (timing still being confirmed). I'm not sure if a day trip from Split to Hvar works with the ferry schedule in early May. We might consider an overnight trip there, with trip to winery, if we can stash our bigger bags in Split for the night and if the ferry schedule works.

Too bad we can't make it to Istria. We'll have to save that for another time I guess.

Should be a lovely trip!

For your extra night or two, I'll again make a pitch for you to consider the Plitvice Lakes, which may be the single most unmissable of Croatia's many magnificent sites. As I already noted, you can use a public bus to get from Split to the Plitvice Lakes, but for that stretch, a car can be a benefit. Try to spend at least one night in Plitvice and plan on 6 or more hours in the park. You can then either go back to Split or on to Zagreb for your flight home.

Other options: Hvar (either Hvar Town or Stari Grad, depending on your interests) or Zadar or Sibenik (from which you can see the Krka National Park).... IMO, there are no bad options here, especially for this time of year. (During high season, Hvar Town is a bit too rich for my blood. YMMV.)

Definitely plan on a half-day in Trogir while in Split.

Unless things have changed (and they could have!), there is a luggage storage office in Split along the waterfront promenade close to the pier from which ferries depart.

(This is from a previous post with amemdments) My wife and I first visited Jugoslavia in 1966. We flew into Ljubljana and spent a week in Lake Bled, before flying down to Dubrovnik, to spend a week there. We had our young, eighteen month old, son with us. A blonde blue-eyed boy was a great attraction. To us, both places were marvelous. This holiday started what was to become regular two weeks holiday in Jugoslavia, generally one week inland the other on the coast or on one of the islands. Our number of children grew to three, but they were always welcomed. Eventually, when they were old enough to be put on a plane by themselves, they spent the whole of the summer with their grandparents in Virginia, and my wife and I would travel by ourselves. I won’t bore everyone by writing a travel guide to Jugoslavia, but these are the places were stayed for a week, and everyone one of them was great. Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj in the Julian Alps. (We much prefer Bohinj, when we spent a day in Bled a couple of year ago, it has become rather seedy.) The islands of Krk, Hvar and Korcula, Plitvice Lakes, Kapaonik in the mountains of Serbia, Lake Ohrid in Macedonia, Kotor in Montenegro, the cities of Split and Dubrovnik, and the town of Mlini. We did quite a lot of exploring on foot, by bus or we hired a car, thus visiting Mostar and Cetinje, the old capital of Montenegro. We obviously stopped going when Jugoslavia self-destructed in the 1990s. By the time things has settled down our holidays had changed, with long haul trips to Japan, South Africa and Australia, as well as visiting the capital cities of Eastern Europe. It wasn’t until 2009 that we at last returned. Since then we have had four more two-week holidays. Kolasin in the mountains in the north of Montenegro, Bohinj (twice), Rovinj, Piran, Cavtat, Makarska and a week cruising the islands. This summer we are planning to visit Zagreb, and the spending a week cruising along the islands and towns north of Split.
A word about Dubrovnik. This is our favourite small city, and is an absolute must. Unfortunately, everyone agrees with us, and from the days when it was almost empty, it is now impossible to move around. Early morning and late afternoon are the only times. It is; of cause, mainly the effect of the large cruise liners with their thousands of passengers on board. (Why these people cannot stay in the Mid-West where they belong, I cannot understand)
As I understand it, they don’t do much for economy, they take all their meals on board ship, and mainly buy cheap baubles made in China. Several of the shopkeepers in Dubrovnik have got together and have agreed only to sell goods made in Croatia. They have a sign on their doors, which states this. I would plead that everyone who shops in Dubrovnik buys only from these shops.
Just as Dubrovnik is our favourite small city, so Budapest in Hungary and Prague in the Czech republic are our favourite two large cities. Dubrovnik is overrun with tourists , so are Budapest and Prague. We first visited both cities in the days of the Communist era, Prague way back in 1963. There were few tourists then. However, even today they are ‘must visit’ cities.

kja, your comments are HIGHLY appreciated. It's people like you that make me appreciate the Fodor's forums so much. Real down to earth, first hand advice.

In your honour, I have started to scope out one option....renting a car in Split, driving to Plitvice, staying the night and returning the car to Zadar, where we would catch a flight home. Having said that, I'm still keeping other options open.

My sister has a bad knee and long walking days are not in our plans. I would love to hear from others who have mild mobility challenges. Was the trip to Plitvice worth it? I presume that we could still enjoy much of what others see, but the trade-off might not be as strong?

Last year we went to Argentina and Chile. We pretty much stuck to the cities, with a couple of rural activities (wineries, estancia, etc.) thrown in. We missed out on the spectacular natural wonders such as Iguazu Falls and Patagonia. We loved our trip, found many great things to do, and had no regrets. Admittedly, in that case it was an easier decision as the amazing not-to-be-missed wonders were an expensive lengthy trip away from our route. What I would appreciate input on is whether someone on these forums, with mild mobility problems, was able to fully embrace the wonders of Plitvice.

Other options I am exploring include....

1) Korcula. How would we get to Korcula at that time of year, in a fairly time efficient manner? I've seen so many conflicting ferry schedules that I have to say I'm confused! We would love to check out the Grk wine and have an Adriatic experience with a bit of contrast to Split. We could then catch a bus to Dubrovnik (easier than getting back to Split?) and fly home out of there, instead of Split/Zadar.

2) any efficient, reasonably priced way to get to Istria. I saw mention of expanding float plane services along the Adriatic coast. When I checked out European Airways, their website doesn't reflect any routes between Split and Pula (or other places in the region). I'm wondering how solid this potential service will be.

3) any efficient, reasonably priced way to get to Ljubljana. So many Fodorites have sung its praises. We could spend a couple of days and then fly home form there. Ditto Zagreb, although I can see that this one is easier, as there is a cheap flight from Split to Zagreb.

4) bus from Split to Dubrovnik. Spend a day or two and fly home from there?

5) And because I don't have enough options already, ;) what about Kotor? If there was a more efficient way to get to Dubrovnik (or even nearer to Kotor), we would consider finishing up there and finding a way home.

(Hey, I may as well put all the options on the table, right??)

Thoughts? Comments?

A_S_M,
Wow, you are an experienced pro in this region! Please don't say I have to add more options to my itinerary! You went to Bohinj twice?

I would love to hear your observations on Hvar versus Korcula.

I hope others will also jump in, but I'll give my thoughts about some of your questions...

Re: the Plitvice Lakes -- I strongly encourage you to go even if you can't take a full circuit! IMO, the lower lakes are most impressive. There is a longish walk down to them, as I recall, but you can at least glimpse them from above and may have options for seeing them that I did not explore. During the day, there are park rangers at every entrance to the park who will help you identify a route that meets YOUR needs. As I recall, they have some "standard" recommendations for 2, 4, 6, and 8 hour visits, but they will also work with anyone to identify individually tailored options. And they speak several languages, English included.

If you decide that mobility issues make the Plitvice Lakes non-feasible, you might want to make the Krka National Park a priority. I personally do not consider Krka a substitute for the Plitvice Lakes, as it doesn't have those unique lake-specific coloring biota, but it is another marvelous example of travertine waterfalls, some of which are at least as impressive, if quite different, than those at the Plitvice Lakes. I'm sure there are various ways to see the Krka National Park, but FWIW, you can get there by taking a bus from Sibenik to Skradin, then a very pleasant boat ride to the park. Reaching some of the upper falls there might be a challenge for someone with a bad knee, but the widest falls -- which are QUITE impressive -- are (as I recall) pretty much level with the landing dock. There is also a pleasant and mostly flat walkway from Skradin to the falls, but not so nice that I would recommend the risk of undue stress on a weak joint. (And BTW, if you research this option, note the the Krka National Park, of which I have been speaking, is not the same as Krka.)

I thought Korcula absolutely delightful, but I'm not sure how you would fit it in the trip you have proposed without some major modifications. Korcula Town is TINY -- easily seen within a day. It can be visited en route between Split and Dubrovnik (perhaps more easily in the other direction, but for that, you'll need to consult the ferry schedules.) If you go, do try to go when you can see the moresca!

Istria also has some lovely places, but I think most people feel that it deserves at least a few days, so I'm not sure how you would fit it in.

IMO, Ljubliana is one of the world's most charming destinations; you might want to combine it with Lake Bled and/or Lake Bohinj and/or other parts of Slovenia.

I loved Zagreb, believe it is vastly underrated, and wish I'd been able to give it more than the 2.5 days I had for it.

Dubrovnik can be stunning -- when not overrun.

I enjoyed Kotor, and am very glad I saw it. That said, I personally would not have given up any of the places I saw in Croatia or Bosnia & Herzegovena or Slovenia just to see it --despite its unique elements, Kotor itself seemed to me similar to Dubrovnik and Korcula. YMMV. The scenery I saw en route was stunning!

When in Split, spend a half day or so in Trogir, only 1/2 hour away by bus. Very different, more of the Adriatic feel, absolutely stunning stonework....

With only 11 or 12 nights for this trip overall, you will have to make some difficult decisions. But you have MANY wonderful options and should be able to have a very enjoyable trip.

Fabulous input as always, kja.

I'm still not finding an easy way to get to Ljubljana from Split. Does anyone know of any new options that have cropped up?

I'm starting to lean toward building in a day trip to Krka NP while in Split and then finishing up the trip by simply flying to Zagreb and having a couple of days there.

Would love to hear from others.

Llubljana to Split. As far as I know, the only way is via Zagreb. Bus, Train or Air, or any combination of two of them. Depends on time available and/ or money. I think I would prefer by train.

Geenance I can recommend a great b&b in Mostar - walking distance to old town and bridge and a lovely garden out back to have a drink or sit in.- villa Fortuna

Another option in Mostar -- the Muslibegovic House:
http://www.muslibegovichouse.com

I agree with the recommendation of the Muslibegovic House as a good place to stay in Mostar

Thank you for the B&B tips for Mostar everyone! Much appreciated.

Another one that I came across was Casa Mostar...perhaps a bit less well known than Villa Fortuna and Muslibegovic House?

FWIW, the Musilbegovic House is an historic property -- a very special Ottoman house that survived the war. (I could easily be wrong, but I think that only 2 others survived, and this is the only one in which you can stay). I didn't feel that I could afford it when I traveled, but I did visit it and thought it would have been worth every bit of the cost. But since I did NOT actually stay, I can't speak with authority....

There are four things we are really interested in regarding accommodation:
1) interaction with lovely locals (this is key!);
2) reasonable accessibility (my sister has a modest knee problem and we don't want a room on the third floor, up a major flight of stairs.)
3) good location (i.e. reasonable walk, considering previously mentioned knee problems) relative to interesting sites, cafes, small food stores/stands, restaurants;
4) room to spread out (2 separate beds; 1 BR + living room sofabed or 2 BR)

There are four things we are really interested in regarding accommodation:
1) interaction with lovely locals (this is key!);
2) reasonable accessibility (my sister has a modest knee problem and we don't want a room on the third floor, up a major flight of stairs.)
3) good location (i.e. reasonable walk, considering previously mentioned knee problems) relative to interesting sites, cafes, small food stores/stands, restaurants;
4) room to spread out (2 separate beds; 1 BR + living room sofabed or 2 BR)

We have typically found the best value solutions at Airbnb apartments (with great hosts) or interesting B&Bs.

Villa Fortuna is in an excellent location for exploring the old part of town. The owner loves to chat in her garden . Can't remember if it has a lift . Charming place

Are you familiar with booking.com? with that site, tripadvisor.com, and the lodging's own website (if there is one), you should find what you need to know.

I did stay at the Musilbegovic House two years ago. As mentioned above, it is an historic property, and we enjoyed touring the historic Ottoman house as well as staying in a more modern section. There are lovely courtyards.

It is at the edge of the historic area you will want to tour, a few blocks up from the Karagöz Bey Mosque. We had a simple but very nice double room. I don't know whether there are larger suites. We were on the second floor and I don't remember an elevator.

The staff were pleasant and helpful but I wouldn't say there was "interaction with locals."

kja, yes, I've checked out those websites. I have some ideas of where we would like to stay, but am always welcoming of new 'insights'. That's why I specified the things we were really looking for in accommodation.

And, I wanted to acknowledge the recommendations of fellow Fodorites. I definitely want to continue to hear about everyone's personal experiences.

Off topic, but exactly 30 years ago...the opening ceremonies for the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo.

And only 8 years later....