Greetings from Hrvatska!

WHERE, you might ask? It’s what we call Croatia. Officially known as the Republic of Croatia, it was once a part of the former Yugoslavia after WW2, declared its independence in 1991, and is currently a candidate for membership in the European Union.

Capitol: Zagreb
Official Language: Croatian
Population: 4.43 million

The majority of the population are Croats. National minorities include Serbs, Muslims, Slovenes, Italians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and others. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic. In addition there are Orthodox, Muslims, and Christians of other denominations.

Croatia sits on a fault line that lies between Western and Eastern Europe. Because of its location, it has Venetian, Latin, Hapsburg, Hungarian, and Slavic influences. It is home to Roman ruins, cobblestone fishing villages, medieval walled cities, forested national parks with amazing waterfalls, and over 1,185 islands (more than Greece).

View of the Adriatic Sea from Dubrovnik.

Join me as I explore this amazing country.

Adventure On,
Kristen

Here are my top recommendations for Bosnia & Hercegovina:

• Enjoy some rahat lokum (Bosnian sweets, much like Turkish Delight)


• Check out Islamic culture and the Turkish souvenir shops while strolling along the old cobblestone streets of Mostar

Looking for the perfect hookah?

• Drink some Turkish coffee (Move over lattes, this stuff is strong as sh*t!)


• Eat some Bosnian meats, grilled and served up with hot ajvar, a delicious relish made from peppers and eggplant. Milk and meat are Bosnia’s principal agricultural outputs.

Tasty Bosnian grill. Mmmmmmmmmm..eat!

• Drive through the countryside, and marvel at its mountainous backdrop and blue-green rivers.

The Neretva River cuts through the countryside around Mostar.

• Watch crazy people jump off a bridge! A local tradition that continues today is to jump off the Old Mostar Bridge. Even after the bridge had been bombed in the 1990s, contestants jumped off of what remained. Brings new meaning to the saying “If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?”Apparently, in Bosnia & Hercegovina, the answer is YES!

Adventurous I am…but not enough to jump off a bridge!

Kristen

Where?

How did I get here, you might ask? Well, quite literally, it was a crazy journey from Seattle to Chicago, to Galway (Ireland), to Dubrovnik (Croatia), to Serbia & Montenegro, and finally here. Trust me when I say my return journey was just as long!

Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting stories from all of the above-mentioned places, but thought I’d start here.

Not many people I know (Americans in particular) have been to Bosnia & Hercegovina. The images we receive from our national media do not portray such a nice place. I would like to share with you what myself, and my sisters who travelled with me, experienced on our trip.

First of all, yes…there are visible signs of recent warfare. Bullet-strewn buildings and blown up bridges are still in a state of disrepair. On the market streets you can buy an interesting array of war-time paraphernalia. However, the country has done much to re-build and grow, and it truly is a beautiful place.

Scars from bullets during the war of the 1990s.

The Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina was formed after the break-up of the former socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and following the wars that took place from 1992 to 1995 among Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Serbs. The country was devastated by three years of violent inter-ethnic fighting.

With aid from the international community, major reconstruction has taken place since the advent of peace in 1995, and despite the problems it continues to face, Bosnia is generally considered a post-conflict success story.

In 2005, The Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar made it onto the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Mostar’s Bridge Over the Neretva: A Muslim and Croat symbol of reconciliation.

We should all take the time to learn about, and learn from, the history of this fascinating place. And most of all, to not forget.

Piece of shrapnel on a simple memorial.

Adventure on, with an educated mind and respect,

Kristen

“The Bean” is cool.

This year I had the fortune to stop and spend time in Chicago en route to my most recent travels. Chicago is my home town, and where most of my family still reside. In addition to watching a Cubs game, a must do for anyone who visits during their season, (a season that ends shortly after the playoffs begins, unfortunately), there are a million adventures to be had in the city.

One of the most recent additions to the downtown area is the Millennium Park. As our infamous Mayor so succinctly describes it:

“Millennium Park honors and builds on several proud Chicago traditions at once – beautiful architecture, landscaped and protected parklands, and the ongoing celebration of the arts.” – Mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley

One of the favorites of the park is what Chicagoans refer to as “The Bean”. It is a coffee bean-shaped silver sculpture that reflects the city from 360 degrees. It is fun to watch kids run up and look at their reflection in the mirror. Here’s one of me (arms outstretched) with a view of the north part of the city behind me.

“Me & The Bean”.

Another amazing feature is a state-of-the-art music pavilion designed by Frank Gehry, which is the first of its kind in the country designed to mimic the acoustics of an indoor concert hall.

The state-of-the-art music pavilion designed by Frank Gehry.

So, all in all, Chicago is a great place to visit, even if it’s just for a quick stopover. And, while you’re there, don’t forget to eat some Garrett’s popcorn and get yourself a deep dish pie.

Oops…my ride is here. Gotta go!

An escort by Chicago’s finest.

Adventure On!
Kristen

World-famous Wrigley Field.

You heard it here first, kids. The Chicago Cubs are going all the way this year! No more Bartman, no more curses, no more excuses. Let’s go, Cubbies!

Spoken like a true Cubs fan…I am ever hopeful. Plus, if it doesn’t work out, there’s always next year. Or next century. My grandparents (aged 92) have been waiting a lot longer than me to see our team win its first World Series.

Even so…seats at Wrigley Field are hard to come by. It is always with much pleasure (whether a winning season or no) that people stream into one of this country’s greatest stadiums. I had the good fortune to run into an ex-boyfriend from days of old who just happened to have received extra tickets to that night’s game. I chalk it up to good karma. A bridge unburned was my ticket in! Plus, it’s not too difficult to sit next to Chicago’s finest Firefighters while watching your home team bring in a WIN!

Cubs win!

Of course, no game is complete without a Chicago-style hot dog…complete with Old Style beer. A classic Chi-town meal.

Chicago dog.

To Lou Pinella and the boys…best of luck!

Kristen

Morning view in the San Juans.

Learning to sail has been quite an awesome experience for me. Living in Seattle, being so close to the Puget Sound and all it has to offer, how could I not take to the water?

This Labor Day I was fortunate enough to spend four days onboard my friend Cap’n John’s boat. We sailed through the San Juan Islands of Washington, and the Canadian Gulf Islands. Although just a few hours away from Seattle, we were worlds away!

Sunset view from South Pender Island, Canada.

The peace of the water, the hilly islands, some with dry terrain, others with lush forests, the wind whipping through the sails…it was like living in a post card.

I caught my first big fish, and “Norm” (as we named him) provided our meals for the next few days. I broke down crying after catching him, once I realized that we’d have to club the poor fella and filet him. (Hey, I’m a city girl from Chicago! I don’t normally indulge in such behavior!) He was quite delicious, though. Thank you, Norm!

The One That Didn’t Get Away! Salmon Slayer Gill.

Fishing video

I highly recommend a sailing adventure throughout this beautiful area. There are also ferries that go back and forth to the mainland. For more information, check out:

www.guidetosanjuans.com/

Sail on!

Kristen

photo credit: Reuters

(Dublin, Ireland) A 65-member team that set sail from Roskilde, Denmark on July 1st, arrived yesterday in Dublin. The team journeyed over 1,000 nautical miles using only oar and sail power. Christened the Havhingsten af Glendalough (The Sea Stallion of Glendalough), this reconstructed viking ship is the largest in the world, say its builders, who built it using the wood of 300 oak trees.

The Sea Stallion’s return voyage was 1,000 years in the making. Originally built in Dublin in 1042, it sank 30 years later in the Roskilde fjord, south of Copenhagen. It was not excavated until 1964, and was finally completed in 2004. The aim of this journey was to address questions related to Viking ship-building and travel.

Researchers will examine film and computer data gathered during the voyage, and the vessel will be on display at Dublin’s National Museum until next year, when another crew will make the return voyage home.

Now that’s what I call an adventure!

Bathing suits in Brazil come in two sizes: small and smaller. I spent a LOT of time looking for the former.

In the place that invented the “Brazilian” wax, a bikini is a staple.

My bathing suit from Seattle just was not going to cut it. But, where to start? Having heard the Brazilian bikinis described as either “fio dental” ( “dental floss”) or “asa delta” (“the hang glider”), I was a bit nervous. A credit card and some courage, and I was off!

One of my favorite shops was BumBum (www.bumbum.com), which is named after a slang word for “butt”, and can be found at several locations near Ipanema and Copacobana beaches, and I also really like the styles at a lovely boutique called Vanina Nemer (http://www.vaninanemer.com.br/). Has anyone else ever heard of a Trikini before?

But…(no pun intended) you don’t have to go into a shop to buy a bathing suit. They sell them just about everywhere: crocheted bikinis on the beach, cardboard boxes full of Lycra on street corners, and even at the Sunday markets.

You’ll see people of all different shapes and sizes wearing them not just at the beach, but while walking along the streets, riding bikes, shopping, and even to the restaurants.

The guys are wearing speedos. Sometimes they’ll wear them under board shorts, but they shed the shorts as soon as they hit the sand. Get used to it!

So, my best advice is to make up with confidence what your bathing suit lacks in material, and strut your stuff!

Trying on bits and pieces at the hippie fair.

Adventure On!

On July 7, 2007 (07.07.07) the New 7 Wonders of the World were announced, after the first ever global election. Here is the list:

1. The Great Wall, China


2. Petra, Jordan


3. Christ Redeemer, Brazil


4. Machu Picchu, Peru


5. Chichén Itzá, Mexico


6. The Roman Colosseum, Italy


7. The Taj Mahal, India

Personally, I have been to two (Christ Redeemer, Brazil and The Roman Colosseum, Italy), but you can be sure the others are on my list!

By the way, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only wonder remaining of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

It’s a wonderful world we live in. Now get out there and experience it!

(Sao Paulo, Brasil) Having just recently been through Sao Paulo’s airport 3 times, and also having been affected by the numerous air traffic controller strikes and cancelled flights while in Brasil, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the lives lost in the terrible plane crash that happened there yesterday.

The President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, declared three days of national mourning for Brasil’s second major air disaster in less than a year.

More information can be found here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6904087.stm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070718/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_plane_crash