DUBROVNIK, Croatia — I continued my unprecedented two-month special event by heading to Europe to see my son, who is studying in Rome. Together, we visited Croatia and Montenegro during his fall break.
Last month on Max Tracks: I got advice from Katija Stjepovic and her dad Stanley before flying to see my son in Europe. Stanley is from Dubrovnik, a city whose old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"I would say probably the best childhood ever," Stanley Stjepovic said.
I got a relatively cheap rental, which was in what seemed to be a Soviet Era cube of a building with 4 floors and no elevator. That sounds bad, but it wasn't at all! Jackson and I had our own balcony that overlooked Old Town.
Dubrovnik is a historic treasure — surrounded by walls that have stood, and occasionally fallen and stood again, since medieval times.
Walking around the walled city, fans of "Game of Thrones" may recognize settings for many of the scenes in the fictional city of King's Landing.
Old Town is an intimate cluster of apartments, shops, restaurants and churches, some hidden in side alley warrens that open up to grand plazas and promenades. Walking atop the walls affords views of the Adriatic and the islands that make the city feel like it has another protective layer beyond the walls.
So the views never ceased, and we soon found ourselves with an even higher vantage, taking a cable car up the steep slopes rising directly east of town.
"They have it in Dubrovnik. You have to walk seven, eight minutes. You have to do that. It's a must," Stanley Stjepovic told me.
When we got to the top, we decided to explore in a rugged American kind of way. Each of us drove a UTV, following our guide around the mountain. We saw what I think were small cows (I don't know the Latin, maybe MOO-Minimus?). Also along the trails and roads, locals have erected monuments to people lost in the Croatian Civil War.
Of course the other important aspect of travel is food! I asked Stanley for more than a recommendation.
"Is there someplace I can go and drop the Stanley Stjepovic name, and they'll think, 'Oooh, you know a big shot?,'" I asked.
"Yeah, you get free beer," Stjepovic replied.
I went to the restaurant Wanda, owned by Stanley's friend Goran. The food was terrific, so I asked to meet Goran. It turned out he was most excited to hear I was friends with Katija, who he knew when she was a baby. He sent me off with a gift for her. It was a bottle of wine I was honored to deliver.
One thing I notice when I travel to new faraway places is that the distinctive beauty of the Utah desert follows me, showing up in hotel wall photos and advertisements on TV, on billboards, and as the background to waifish, melancholy-looking models wearing the latest fashion. They're reminders that I'm flying to a place of wonder when I leave, and when I return.