The herald of the fifth portion of Rachels Tour de Europe came with the arrival of her long-time friend, Kristen French. Kristen hails from Boulder, Colorado and the two met while studying abroad in Wollongong, Australia. With nostalgia for long discussions over steeping tea, and a disenchantment for the real world, Kristen spontaneously bought a plane ticket and the two decided to meet in Hungary. Two weeks later, Rachel arrived at the Budapest airport holding a sign conspicuously advertising the slogan, "Hungary for Love". Many recent arrivals in the airport looked curiously at the sig [View Full Entry]

---

---

I have been an SFT for one month now. SFT being the acronym I invented for Solo Female Traveler, or learning to deal with the world by yourself. With this new status, different cautions must be heeded, and new opportunities arise. On my first morning traveling independently, I was offered a ride to my hostel, encouragement to travel, and sugar-powdered cookies. I would like to think this would happen in any traveling situation, but traveling as a solo female makes people percieve you differently. SFTs are more vulnerable because of their independent status. They are more open to t [View Full Entry]

---

---

The residents seem unselfconscious about the Swiss-cheese like buildings that line every street. It is impossible to walk ten feet without seeing another at least partially destroyed grocery store or apartment. Bullet-sized holes and artillery shell explosions are evident everywhere. Many of the near-rubble buildings have warnings posted: NO PARKING OR CLIMBING for fear of the building completely collapsing or undetonated mines exploding. But this is not an entry about destruction. It is a story of rebuilding. Upon arrival into Mostar, Bosnia, I was taken in by the Dervisk [View Full Entry]

---

---

After leaving the flatness of Serbia, it is impossible to overlook the natural beauty of Bosnia. After a brief border crossing, the bus curved around beautiful emerald lakes and wound around rocky crags into Sarajevo. It was a city that I had associated with terrible violence in the 90s, but didnt know much more about. My mission was to stay in the city until I fully understood the conflict. I had no idea it would take hold of me and not let go for 5 days. One of my first experiences, unfortunately, was having my wallet stolen on the tram. [View Full Entry]

---

---

The overpowering odor of BO smacked me in the face after leaving Istanbul. Lucky to have the bus seat to myself, a tiny girl watched me for a while before visiting my seat to scribble in my journal. We stopped at the Turkish-Bulgarian border and waited to pass out of Turkey. On the Bulgarian border, there were five identical duty free shops. The people on the bus raced for the shops: it wasn't shopping; it was BUYING. I walked into one shop and a man from my bus demanded my passport. He handed it to the clerk, where they recorded [View Full Entry]

---

---

I woke up early in order to elbow my way to the sluggish but free computer in our hostel. Online, I learned that Smartcars are coming to the US (good news!) and Anna Nicole Smith died at the age of 39. My connection to home comes via the internet and so I cherish these moments where I re-connect with my homeland. After evaluating the status of my clothes, an executive decision was made to find a laundromat. I comparison-shopped by racing down the streets of Istanbul and discovered Laundry Express which washed and dryed my clothes for 3 lira per [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today we visited two of the most predominant mosques in the world: Hagia Sofia and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or Blue Mosque in Istanbul. They each have significance in their own right. Hagia Sofia is the largest mosque in the world and was built ın 532 AD. The Blue Mosque is an architectural dream: a stained-glass shrouded elephant. I was very excited to visit these special places of worship and history. To prepare, I did a little research on Islam and borrowed a head scarf (after my incident yesterday I was hypersensitive to cultural protocol). Diving into a sea of [View Full Entry]

---

---

Goodbye Europe, hello Asia! We currently reside in Istanbul, Turkey: a country that is uniquely situated between three bodies of water and straddles two continents. Why visit Turkey? My interest in this area has been piqued since talking to the Greeks about the relationship with their neighbors, and the news of Turkey's desire to be included as part of the European Union. Turkey has applied for EU standing and their acceptance is still an issue, as there has been no definite decision made to date. Istanbul also claims very important sectors in history. It is a city that attracted the [View Full Entry]

---

---

When traveling with boys, be forewarned that the dynamics are different. Profound and sentimental statements are often interrupted by inane comments like, "there is still chicken on your plate". NBA and NFL players are discussed as if they were lifelong companions. Games are played with more frequency and competition. We have become addicted to Gin Rummy, Scrabble and Risk. The "who is the better athlete" debate is a daily occurrance. Bodily functions and emissions have just become background noise. Throwing rocks always seems like a good idea. They make fun of m [View Full Entry]

---

---

We pass botiques with fanciful names like "Extreme Wear" and "Water City", which seem ridiculous, as there is nothing extreme or wet about them. Dive Shops and Internet Cafes have papered over their windows. Freddy's Bar and Apollo Rent A Car have been deserted for months. They only activity inside of these former businesses is the annual winter overhaul and repair work crawling along. Only those businesses necessary to the locals survival are still open: Cava Mini Market and the all-inclusive Assos International Kiosk that sells everything from milk and beer to stamps and candy. Tra [View Full Entry]

---

---