In 2015, it became time to renew my passport. Once I acquired the new one, I pondered places to go for my next adventure. At my birthday party, a friend of mine suggested that I go to Estonia. Of course, it was my birthday, and I'd had a few drinks... so by the time I woke up the next morning, I could have sworn she said 'Croatia'. The next thing I knew, I had plane tickets to Zagreb and a plan to make my way to the Game of Thrones capital city of Dubrovnik.

But along with the amazing scenery and culture, I learned a lot about a corner of the world that was torn apart by war and sectarian strife not all that long ago.
 

Many of those battle scars still remain, and the hostilities just under the surface. Recovery has been uneven (Croatia is rockin', Montenegro is doing pretty good, Bosnia not so much), but underneath it all is a group of people determined to move forward from their shared grim history, and they've got amazing architecture and breathtaking landscapes to show off.

 

The Balkans are under the radar no more. Estonia can wait.