Driving North

I struggled a bit when planning the trip on how to get from point A to point B.  We knew that there were some places where we would definitely want a car, but I also knew that taking a car and dropping it off in another country added a hefty fine.  We looked into some versions of public transportation, but considering it was for three people and we'd still have to take taxis to get to those points, it wasn't always the most economical.  We looked at highering drivers for a few hours to help us get across borders so that we wouldn't worry about the stress of crossing an international border, but all of those options added up to a large amount as well, so we took the easy route and rented a car for pretty much the entire trip, well, since leaving Dubrovnik where cars are not allowed.

Dubrovnik sits on a small, narrow strip of land in the south of the country.  To get to the north of the country, you have to pass through about seven miles of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where this country has its small but important claim to the sea.  I had read blogs about it that made me a bit anxious, and we've crossed borders before where there were men with large automatic weapons standing around, and so I felt that we had the background knowledge of reasons to be anxious.  It could not have been easier.  People had said that sometimes you had to wait for hours.  I believe we waited about three minutes, if that.  Our passports were barely even glanced at and we were able to enjoy the rest of Croatia without a moment's pause.  As we speak, though, Croatia is working an a bridge that will connect the north and the south through one of its long peninsulas, so that this will in no way be an issue in the future.

The drive along the coastline north was stunning.  Dramatic coastlines with rock cliffs landing into azure waters.  Islands sprinkled along the coast were of varying sizes and shapes.  Yellow and purple flowers grew sporadicly along the roadway.  Inland, the land was often desolate, appearing desert-like with only shrubs growing on the rocky embankments of rolling hills.



Then, we took one turn inland soon after crossing over the Bosnian border and found a valley, miles wide and perfectly flat.  It was a vibrant green and every square inch of it was planted with a variety of crops.  Since the land around was obviously not suitable for growing, this land was not to be wasted.  Family plots seemed to be marked and squared off, showing different items growing in different locations.  Along the road, roadside stand after roadside stand was full of fruits, vegetables, jars and bottles all made, I'm quite certain from only footsteps away in this abundantly fertile valley.

It was after this that we got on the motorway, a seemingly new addition similar to our interstates.  The road was wide open, and the substantial toll helped to keep the amount of drivers on the road limited.  There were new, clean stops along the way for fuel, restrooms, snacks and even views of the surrounding countryside.  What we got the biggest kick out of were how many of these stops also had bars.  Yes, how many of the roadside gas station/rest stops were in fact establishments serving alcohol, even though there were signs along the motorway that said "Don't drink and drive."

The farther north that we drove, the more tunnels we went through, seemingly the easiest way to navigate the mountains.  Some tunnels were miles long and often, when we got to the other side, we were shocked at how vastly different the scenery was.  Air temperature sometimes changed drastically, as did the winds.  Soil changed from rocky and sparse to closer to our Alabama red clay.  We saw more and more land that looked suitable for farming, which meant not every inch of cultivatable land was not taken.  Cows and goats began to be occasionally seen, where as before they were nonexistent.  The landscape grew greener and trees grew where before only stubby shrubs.  Olive trees and "wine trees" filled hillsides.

Navigation both to Split and then on to Istria, where we are currently, were both fairly straightforward and usually simple.   As at home, the long stretches in between is usually the easy part.  It is once you get close to your destination that roadways are more cluttered and turns are more frequent.  They just typically aren't two-ways on stony paths, barely the width of a car in between two tall buildings....  I'm so thankful Dad was brave enough to take on the adventure of driving here!