Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/201279
The Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia, at dusk; (below) the author sets off from the tour bus. Adriatic THE LIFE A coach tour of Croatia and beyond BY CRAILLE MAGUIRE GILLIES W e are suPPosed To caTch a ferry. It is mid-morning and our bus is rolling through the highways and side roads of Hungary, on our way to Croatia. The landscape is green and hilly and there is a brilliant sun overhead – the kind that makes you sleepy. Our plan is to hop the six-minute boat ride across the narrow part of Balaton Lake, the largest lake in Central Europe and a popular summer resort spot, and then make our way to Zagreb, the Croatian capital. "We are in Hungary," our guide, Beata, says, "which means there is a ferry. Or there might be a ferry." She pauses. "There will probably be a ferry." No one else is terribly concerned. We have a lot of ground to cover, but a lot of time to cover it. Over 16 days, our group of 33 is making its way by bus through Austria, Hungary and Croatia, where we will spend the bulk of our time among vineyards, farmland and villages hugging the Adriatic Coast. We'll briefly traverse Bosnia to reach Dubrovnik, in southern Croatia, and then, after a side trip 38 G O I N G P L A C E S p38-43_Adriatic.indd 38 >> winter 2013 to Montenegro, head north to Slovenia. The trip, organized by Insight Vacations, has attracted a diverse group: a clutch of retired baby boomers from Australia, a family with three collegeaged sons from North Carolina (who miraculously all get along), a teacher from Los Angeles, a few South Africans and the odd Canadian to boot. On this spring day, just outside Budapest, we pass blooming white acacia trees. Brahman cows graze in fields not given over to vineyards or vacation homes. Bulrushes stand sentinel along the water's edge. We arrive at the tiny, prosaic ferry terminal with just enough time to board. We might be on vacation, but with five countries to cover, there's a schedule to abide. TwenTy years ago, iT would have Been unThinkaBle To drive a bus through this region. The Bosnian War and the Croatian War of Independence following the breakup of Yugoslavia brought violence to the area. And scars from that time – physical and emotional – remain. (top) radius images/All Canada Photos, Craille Maguire Gillies 13-10-16 9:31 AM