travel, travel, and then some more travel

Helloooooooo, I am still here, just in case anyone was worried... And... drumroll please... I'm coming home!!! ok, so not yet, but I have a ticket now, so I'm definitely coming. I should be back in Colorado at 10:37pm on jul 1st!
This post should be monstrous, so I'll have to leave out lots.
I have been taking advantage of the nice spring weather and the facility of travel in Europe, and I haven't been in Zagreb for even two weeks at a time since early march!
After Budapest, I headed to Istria (the peninsula at the northern tip of the Adriatic) where I saw picturesque medieval cities perched on hills, Tito's weekend home among a smattering of islands, and of course, the sea.
Next stop: Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, for a tango festival. Though they didn't boast a large number of dancers, the organizers were particularly proud of the number of countries represented, and sure enough, I heard tons different languages bouncing around all weekend.
The week after found me aboard a night train on my way to visit Anna, a friend from Boulder who is on exchange in Rome. Along the way (a long one, if you hadn't guessed) I got a taste of Venice, Siena and Bologna, though in the couple of hours I spent exploring each of these places, I couldn't really do them justice. I know I'll be back, though.
Rome was an amazing city to visit-- there was just so much to see. I couldn't believe how many churches there were-- churches that could be centerpieces in smaller cities, but in Rome, hardly got a second glance. Many weren't even open. It was interesting to get to actually see so many things that I've learned about over the years: the Pantheon, the Coliseum, the Forum... Rome is a city steeped in so much history. It must make a difference when the teach it in school. It all becomes so much more real when I can think that I could be walking where Caesar walked, standing in the room in which Cesaro debated.
Then, less than 48 hours after I returned, I was off yet again, this time to Dubrovnik with the Rotary. Dubrovnik is probably the best-known destination in Croatia, and often referred to as the pearl of their beautiful Adriatic coast. The city really is lovely. It almost seems like a living museum-- unchanged since the middle ages except for the sparkling clean-ness and the souvenirs hanging in the windows. My favorite part was walking around the top of the city walls and admiring the jumble of red tiled roofs and the deep blue sea.
Finally, last weekend, my host family took me to Eastern Croatia, where I saw a marshland national park and Vukovar, my host father's hometown and one of the most famous for the atrocities committed there during the war. I don't have time or energy now to describe much, but I will say that it was striking to see this sleepy beautiful, peaceful town on the banks of the Danube, and imagine tanks rolling down the streets and bombs dropping on the houses. Though the war ended almost a decade ago, the damage is far from repaired; houses are missing windows, walls roofs--only the thick vegetation filling the abandoned buildings tells of the passage of so much time. Obviously, the people are affected as well. Unlike before the war, the Serbs and Croats go to different schools. My host dad says more than half his friends were Serbs, but now the children don't even know each other.
While not on the go, I have been fully appreciating the sun, the flowers, and the relaxed lifestyle here. I'm really going to miss that!