Motoring in the Balkans
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.VIENNA ./ -> y V ">-, ./-i'. \^ ® ivesinie 1^^ ^'<^ Bc5J3!^^ ^/\Jr^in}pS -•5" -'G^^ / ^^^C^-c^ Presented to the LIBRARY of the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO by PRO^SSOR R. F. McRAE H. R. H. PRINCE NICOLA I. RETURNING IROM CHURCH MOTORING IN THE BALKANS ALONG THE HIGHWAYS OF DALMATIA, MONTENEGRO, THE HERZEGOVINA AND BOSNIA BY FRANCES KINSLEY HUTCHINSON Author of "Our Country Home" WITH MAP AND OVER ONE HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR HODDER & STOUGHTON LONDON MCMX LIERA;.Y ICIIO Ea fit) MfStijtr A. m, K. THE INDEFATIGABLE TRAVELER, THE WELL INFORMED SIGHT-SEER, THE ENTHUSIAS^^IC MOTORIST EVEN AT THE AGE OF EIGHTY, THIS RECORD IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Plans and Preliminaries .... 17 II. Trieste to Abbazia 27 III. Abbazia to Zengg 38 IV. Zengg to Gospic — Over the Vratnik Pass 47 V. Entering Dalmatia — Gospic to Zara 58 VI. Zara 66 VII. ScARDONA — Falls of Krka — Sebenico 79 VIII. Sebenico via Trau to Spalato . 95 IX. Spalato loS X. Salona — Clissa — Source of the Jadro . 1x6 XI. Spalato to Metkovic ..... 123 XII. Metkovic to Ragusa 137 XIII. Ragusa ....... 145 XIV. Ragusa — Lacroma — Lapad 155 XV. Ragusa 164 XVI. Ragusa to Zelenika 175 XVII. Zelenika 183 XVIII. Entering Montenegro .... 189 XIX. Cetinje 201 XX. Back into Dalmatia 211 XXI. Entering the Herzegovina — Ragusa to Gacko VIA Trebinje ...... 222 XXII. Gacko to Mostar — Source of the Buna . 232 XXIII. Mostar 242 XXIV. Mostar to Sarajevo 251 XXV. Ilidze to Jajce via Travnik 264 XXVI. Jajce 276 XXVII. Jajce to Banjaluka — On to Bosnisch-Novi 285 XXVIII. Leaving Bosnia — Plitvica Lakes 295 XXIX. To Agram and Marburg .... 306 — XXX. Marburg — Gratz ^The Semmering . 317 Index 327 vu ILLUSTRATIONS H. R. H. Prince Nicola I. Returning from Church, Cetinje Frontispiece Cargo-boats from Chioggia ..... 22 The Canal Grande, Trieste ..... 22 The Royal Park of Miramar, near Trieste 23 The Mail Carrier's Horse, near Pasjak . 30 A Native of Arbe at Abbazia ..... 31 The Water Bucket of These Slavic Countries . 31 The Hotel at Crkvenica ...... 40 Young Women Working in Quarry near Crkvenica 41 In The Market-place, Zara ..... 63 The Baskets are Beautifltl in Zara 68 The Riva Vecchia, Zabia 69 A Typical Costume, Scardona ..... 84 A Brilliant Crowd, Scardona ..... 85 The Ferry across the Krka ..... 85 In the Market-place, Sebenico .... 90 The Rows of Heads on the Cathedral Apse, Sebenico 91 The Pleasant-looking Lions at the Cathedral Door, Seben ICO 91 The Stony Road to Trau 100 Such Tiny Caps! 100 The Little Kid ........ lOI . Diocletian's Palace, Main Facade, Spalato 108 Corridors Converted into Streets, Spalato . 109 Marketing in Spalato 118 Fortress of Clissa, near Spalato .... 119 Countrywomen in Metkovic ..... 124 With What Splendid Freedom She Walks 1 (Ragusa) 125 The Green Omnibus to Gravosa .... 146 The Porta Pile, Ragusa 146 The Strips of Streets, Ragusa .... 147 A Typical Shop on the Stradone, Ragusa 147 Herzegovinian Women Shopping in Ragusa 156 The Old Harbor, Porto Casson, Ragusa. 157 PiERO the Gull, Ragusa ...... 166 A Dalmatian Funeral, Ragusa ..... 167 The Moat Converted into a Park, Ragusa 176 The Hotel Square on the First of May, Ragusa . 177 The Hotel at Zelenika ...... 184 Tilted Rock Strata at Zelenika .... 185 IX ILLUSTRATIONS- CONTINUED the BoccnE Crossing ........ 192 That Queer, Gigantic, Angular Writing on thk Face of the Mountai "Individual" Harbors on the Shores of the Bocche BOCCHE DI CaTTARO FROM GrOTTO OF KrST\C 1 95 The Road to Montenegro ..... 19S The Hotel at Njegus, Montenegro 199 Cetinje from the Hotel Window .... 199 H. R. H. Prince Nicola I., the Ruler of Montenegro 204 H. R. H. Princess Milena, Consort of Prince Nicola I 205 The Struka 20^) Montenegrin Officers ...... 207 The Roy.\l Palace, Cetinje ..... 2X2 The Prince's Escort, Cetinje ..... The Government Barge ...... 218 At Castelnuovo ....... 219 are The Younger Generation Adopting European Clothes , Trebinje 224 The Crowd at Bilek ..... 225 A Picturesque Couple, Bilek .... 228 They Disappe.ar down the Long Road 228 The Garage at Gacko ..... 229 Source of the Buna 238 The Bridge at Mostar ..... 239 Herzegovinian Catholics, Mostar 248 After Service at the Franciscan Church, Mostar 249 The Men are Equally Picturesque, Mostar . 249 Gorge of the Narenta ..... 252 An Interesting Group in the Narenta Valley 253 Herzegovinian Children, near Jablanica. 253 One of the Fates! (On the Ivan Pass) . 258 Wooden Spindles in the Museum, Sarajevo 258 The Prenj Alp 259 A View in Sarajevo ...... 260 An Unexpected Meeting. Young Turkish Girls, Sarajevo 261 The Hotel at Ilidze .... 268 A Typical Country Mosque, near Gromeljak 269 The Painted Mosque, Travnik 269 A Butterfly of a Maiden, Travnik . 270 Tombs of the Viziers, Travnik 271 The Fountain by the Tombs, Travnik 271 The Ancient Poplar, near Travnik 272 The Bogomile Gravestone 272 A Christian Family of Bosnia . 273 A Christian Farmhouse in Bosnia 273 The Tiny Mills of Jajce 276 The Pliva above the Fall 276 ILLUSTRATIONS — CONTINUED The Gate of Jajce from the Outside ...... 277 The Same Gate from the Inside . -277 Turkish Women out for Their Weekly Promenade, Jajce . .278 A Modern Shop at Jajce ........ 279 At the Entrance to the Franciscan Church, Jajce . 280 In the Market-place after the Service, Jajce .... 280 The Beaded and Embroidered Coats in Jajce . .281 Brave in Scarlet and Gold 282 With Coin Necklaces and Head-dresses 282 A Bosnian Couple, Jajce ........ 283 Peasants at Luncheon, Jajce 286 Turkish Children, Jajce 287 Jajce to Banjaluka, up the Urbas Valley 288 The Conscription at Banjaluka 289 The Orange Vender, Banjaluka 290 A Sheepskin Coat, Banjaluka . 291 A North Bosnian Costume, near Banjaluka ..... 292 The Cap in the Back 293 The Cap in the Front 293 In the Una Valley 296 A Ruined Castle above the Una 297 The Plitvica Lakes from our Windows 300 One of the Plitvica Falls 301 Peasants near Karlovac 310 A Bosnian Mill 310 The Church of St. Mark, Agram 311 The Market-place, Agram 312 Croatian Countrywomen 312 A Croatian Peasant 313 The Ilica, Agram 318 A Croatian Harness 318 The Procession at Marburg 319 The Market-place, Gratz 322 At the Semmering 323 XI ITINERARY AND TABLE OF DISTANCES 1908 DATE MOTORING IN THE BALKANS MOTORING IN THE BALKANS CHAPTER I PLANS AND PRELIMINARIES "ILJOW would you like to go to Dalmatia this year?" quietly asked the Leader one rainy evening in early Autumn, as we were planning our Winter migration. "Dal- matia," he said, but other lands beside were in his mind,— Montenegro, the Herzegovina, Bosnia, Croatia. He appar- ently did not see our startled countenances nor hear our explosive comments. "Dalmatia!" "In an automobile?" ^'Can we?" Thus in varying pitches the trio simultaneously an- swered. "Why not?" was the reply. "It is certainly not so far away nor so difficult to reach." But to me it seemed almost another planet. Dalmatia! What strange magic in the name ! How remote and Asiatic it sounded ! What visions of mountain fastnesses and land- locked harbors, of curious buildings and primitive peoples, danced before my excited fancy! 17 MOTORING IN THE BALKANS "You know that narrow strip of country on the other side of the Adriatic, across from Italy!" I came back to a consciousness of my surroundings and the expatiating voice of the Leader at the same moment. **It has been a favorite coast for yachtsmen during the last century. Zara, the most northern city, is about the same distance from " Trieste as Rimini is — "Yes, by sea," interrupted the Cautious One, "but the — " roads, are they passable ? Has any one ever tried them ? For the spirit of the pioneer is strangely absent from our small group and some of the comforts of this life have become necessities. "Are there any road maps?" questioned the Enthusiast incredulously. "I believe that there are some government maps to be had, and the Italian Touring Club has also published a map of the northern portion of Dalmatia. I am going to send over for them. It is difficult to get any information about the roads, but as there are few railroads the highways should be in so much the better condition. We shall have to in- vestigate as we go along, making all possible inquiries from to — if for reason we find ourselves blocked place place ; any we can always turn back. April and May are the desirable months, I hear, as earlier there is too much snow on the mountain passes, while later in the year it gets very hot." The uncertainty of the journey promised to add to our interest. "But how do we get into Dalmatia? Where do we start from?" queried the Enthusiast, always desirous of details. i8 PLANS AND PRELIMINARIES "Well," answered the Leader of the expedition, "we shall probably go from Paris via Nice, Rapallo, and Spezia; and Rimini Pisa, Siena, and Rome ; Temi, Foligno, Urbino, ; Ravenna, Padua, Treviso, Udine, and Trieste; but I cannot recommend that as the shortest route!" The Enthusiast was following with her finger on a large map of Europe. She reserved her comments, but her looks spoke volumes. "Trieste, of course, is the natural starting-point," went on the indefatigable Leader, "but if we cross in January we must find a good climate during February and March. " The Riviera — But there was a chorus of disapproval. "Oh, no! not the Riviera. It 's far too crowded, too dusty, too gay!" "If I should show you a quiet spot on a green hillside," " composedly proceeded the Leader, a small hotel in a beautiful garden, an apartment where the sun floods every room all day long, a cuisine both varied and tempting, would the mere fact of its being on the Riviera dissuade you from at least trying such a place ?" We protested our unbelief, but meekly consented to a trial.