Verdant landscapes and turquoise water. This part of the world surprised me. It screamed resilience. It screamed freedom. It screamed identity.  Croatia-Montenegro-Bosnia & Herzgovina-Slovenia. Chequered flags, chequered histories. More culture than one can shake a stick at!  The green, unsullied surrounding surprised me … that’s what happens when there aren’t many humans around. May it always remain so. May nature survive and blossom! I wish it remained as unsullied on all fronts. Tourism from our richer northern cousins ensured that prices are way too high. They know the tourists will come, so they didn’t really care…. at least not truly… and hey not all brown people are trying to immigrate. Calm down. If ever you visit remember that the rocky beaches call for water shoes. And don’t skint on that sunscreen. Too many cars, too few spots. And we only visited in June. Most of these places are cash only. Especially Montenegro and B&H.  Most places close really early and you won’t find them going the extra mile.  One day we were in a room that was 190 sq mts. The next day we are in a Sovietesque hotel which didn’t have soap or even a holder for toilet paper. Something like life. One day you have it all, the next you are left bereft. But that doesn’t change who you are. There still is much to love. Much to gawk at. Much to learn. I know I’ll be going back there…