Calipso.

The three of us woke up prepared a quick breakfast, and then headed to the bus station. We boarded the bus to Budva, Montenegro and were on our way. The whole bus routine has become quite normal, though  I do miss our other travelling companions.  After getting stamps of departure from Croatia and then a stamp of entrance to Montenegro we waved good bye to Croatia, and were ready to see more of the Balkans.

Upon arrival we found a taxi and then checked into our apartment. Travelling is exhausting so we took a small nap and then headed down to the beach area to scope out the area and find dinner. To my delight the ice cream vendors on the beach had my favorite ice cream, that I had only seen before in Serbia the Calipso.

We ate dinner then relaxed for the evening. Gabi and Ben went exploring further, but I headed to bed  early.

The next day we slept in, and then began to do serious work on our papers. But in all honesty who wants to be writing an essay when the Adriatic Sea is just a three minute walk away. In late afternoon, Gabi and I headed to the beach. Although these beaches did have more of a sand texture as opposed to concrete blocks, they were dirty, and reminded me of the beaches back in Connecticut.

Tomorrow we are off to Tirana, Albania. Hopefully we will be able to meet up with Gino a fellow student who was on the dialogue with us. 

Relax.

Disclaimer: Now that we are off the dialogue, I am going to attempt to maintain the blog, but some posts may be lumped together.

Finally some days for complete and utter relaxation. Gabi, Ben and I all slept in and then we had a nice little breakfast together. Our apartment is perfect we have a great terrace for inspiration(view to the left); it also provides us with fresh grapes and lemons.  Also the living is extremely cheap, we bought some groceries, and then have been making delicious meals.  We also spend time relaxing on the cement blocks across the street that are adjacent to the Adriatic Sea. On Monday we had a similar day, except we all started to work on our papers, the only problems in our paradise, that are due within the next week.

 Also, if anyone ever needs a travel agent, Ben has done a fantastic job researching the area and finding the perfect apartment to stay in. The couple who owns it has been more than helpful, and the place is immaculately clean and stocked with all the necessities, all for just 50 Euros a night. 

Grateful.

After looking back on this dialogue I am ever grateful for all the experiences we have had, all the people who have chosen to take their time and meet with us, and most importantly to our professors and TA.

Each meeting that was setup was done through networking and a series of phone calls. Meetings were cancelled and changed without a moment’s notice. Travelling around for five weeks is stressful and trying, but everyone tried to keep a smile on his or her face. Thank you again to all those who helped make this trip amazing. I can honestly say that by studying the conflict by travelling through the region and talking to the people I have learned so much more than any textbook or webpage could possibly have taught me. 

Sweet Tooth.

I cannot believe this day has already come. It was time to say good-bye to our friends and to start life after the dialogue (though we still had two papers to complete). Because the national holiday was yesterday the local ice cream shop was closed, so Fiona and I decided to head back to the city this morning and indulge our sweet tooth(s). The trek was definitely worth it. I got my favorite cappuccino and dark chocolate ice cream (so yummy, me enjoying the treat to the right). And Fiona got raspberry and dark chocolate, and she bought some macaroons to take with her back to the states.

All of us loaded our suitcases onto the bus, hugged the friends who were remaining behind and headed to the airport. Once through security I said all my final goodbyes to those travelling back to the states or other countries around Europe. Gabi, Ben and I are headed back to Dubrovnik and then onto a few other places.

Our flight was short and sweet; we were so excited to be back by the sea. At the airport the man whose apartment we rented picked us up and drove us to the house. Thank you to Ben for all his research. We are situated in a small enclave just outside the busy tourist area of Dubrovnik. Here we have two terraces with views of a bay, a kitchen, and three beds, a washing machine, and the ever-important wifi.

Upon arrival we walked down to the local marina and got some groceries, then headed home and cooked our first dinner and did some laundry. Having clean clothes is heavenly. We relaxed and enjoyed our time away from the stress of the dialogue. 

Presenting.

Today is the last full day of the dialogue, and the day to give our group presentations focusing on EU accession, and the Euro-Atlantic treaty. If I were assigned this presentation back when we were in Belgrade, I would have had no knowledge or experience in regards to these topics. Professor Yiannis likened this trip to a puzzle, as we travelled we were able to put together the pieces, and then learn about the big picture.  I am so grateful for the opportunity. By being in the region I have learned so much more than a textbook could have ever taught me.

Today is also a national holiday in Croatia, so the majority of the shops downtown were closed, so we decided to stay by the hotel and relax. The afternoon had a bittersweet feeling. Many were happy to be done with the work and were ready to get home or onto their travels, but there was also the feeling of missing new friends. After a late dinner at the mall, many of us hung out in the hotel reminisced on the trip. Fiona and I also made plans to wake up early and head into town for a breakfast of champions, ice cream. 

Last.

Marissa and I woke up at Lara's cousin's appartment which was a welcome change from the hotels. We got ready, and then Lara took us to her favorite bakery (pekarina in Croatian). After eating we took a small tour of the old part of the city, there was a Museum of Broken Relationships which looked quite funny, while waiting for the rest of the group to meet us. 

We had two meetings today; Parliament (above, the main chamber) and we met with a Serbian business organization Prevrednik. Luckily the apartment we stayed at was across the street from Parliament so meeting up with the group was easy. We were given a tour of the building, and explained the history of some of the smallest details. I learned that something that one does not notice on first glance might have symbolic meanings rooted in the past of the nation, for example the windows. During the conflict the windows were covered with bricks too not only protect against gunshots and grenades, but also to symbolize the closed mindedness of the communist regime. Once the new constitution was in place the bricks came down to let in the light. We also learned that there are about 153 Members of Parliament, at least 5 of them are dedicated to Croats who hold duel citizenship and live outside of Croatia.

Our last meeting was with a Serbian organization Prevrednik. The word Prevrednik means entrepreneur. This was an organization started in 1897 to help poverty stricken Serbs realize their full potential through apprenticeships. The organization has been in operation on and off since the time of inception, due to the change of government, and multiple conflicts. Our speaker talked also about the discrimination of Serbs in Croatia, such as in jobs and in elections.

After our meetings we met up with Lara again for lunch. We spent our afternoon enjoying the city. Zagreb is quite a nice town, but I do not recommend anyone to visit it during the summer everyone is out of town enjoying the coast. Later in the night we had our last family dinner at a Red Hot Chili Peppers themed pizzeria. 

Reunited.

 Today, not only did we have two meetings, but also Marissa and I were going to get to see one of our dear friends from school Lara. Marissa and I packed our bags and got all dolled up to go to the Presidential Palace.  We all crammed into taxis for the 30-minute trip to the presidential palace. Upon arrival we were ushered into vans and taken to the building. Here we met with the chief foreign policy analyst for the president of Croatia in the reception hall, here they have greeted diplomats from all over, including the late pope (below).

He is an expert in the field, and he has written numerous texts (perhaps reading suggestions for next year). The European Union was the issue of discussion today. He first talked about how each country in Europe has suffered one or more of these four issues: internal civil war, occupation, reunification, and or disintegration. The Balkans is no different. Now just 20 years after the conflicts they are looking to be a normal part of the EU.

Croatia is set for admittance in 2013, but emotions are mixed. Many Croats are opposed to joining the EU for various reasons. First, Croatia just gained independence and many citizens do not want to give up their newfound freedom. Also, there are currently problems within the EU, and Croatia has a stabilized economy. On the other hand, the EU would provide protection to this small nation, and if all falls along the EU plan by joining the quality of life for Croatians should improve.

We were then escorted to the bus stop where we waited for the bus to take us to the main square. Once at the square Marissa and I were reunited with Lara. We met for a quick lunch of cevapi. After lunch we made a quick stop at Vincek’s Pastry Shop for some of the best ice cream I have ever had.  We gave our clothes to Lara and then parted ways, and made plans to meet after our meeting.

The next meeting was with the director of lexicology at the University of Zagreb. He talked about both the political and social affects of languages. Which reminded me of the book I had to read for class Blueprints of a House Divided. In this book they discussed how each language has changed due to politics of a region. So the original constitution for Serbia in 1990 included the term Serbo-Croatian and said nothing about Cyrillic. But then in 1992 when the constitution for Greater Serbia was written they called the language Serbian and included the term Cyrillic to describe the alphabet.  As there are differences in languages in different regions of Italy, there are differences in the Balkans region.

 Once the meeting was over we waved goodbye to our group and headed to meet Lara and her cousin Sandra. The two of them continued to give us a tour of the city, and show us their favorite places (the local park right, St. Mark's Church with the Croatian flag on the roof). It was so nice to see another familiar face. We then stopped by the grocery store to get goods for the dinner we planned to make. It was so nice to finally have a cheap and delicious home cooked dinner (me cooking below). We talked about their opinions on Croatia joining the EU, Sandra and Lara both were against the idea, while they said their parents felt oppositely. After dinner we wandered around the town and enjoyed the evening together (Lara and I with the statue of King Tomislav below).