A mini-family reunion with an unfortunate twist. Ash's cousin, Maryalice made the long trip over to Belgrade with her brother, Tom, and Rai's and Ko's cousin Devon and his (now) fiancee, Saira. We had everything planned out: 10 days in Romania, all hotels booked, all sightseeing organized and mapped out. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the border to Romania, we were turned away as we did not have an international drivers license -- something that has been a non-issue for us all over the region. With this unfortunate turn of events, we had to cancel bookings, re-arrange flight plans, and plan another area to explore together. We were able to salvage the adventure, heading west into Croatia, instead. We based ourselves near Varazdin, explored hills and castle ruins, and even popped into Slovenia for some sightseeing and thermal spas. Add to that some beautiful spots in and around Belgrade, such as Novi Sad, Avala Mountain, and the more distant Topola, Memorial in Kragujevac, Draca Monastery, and, our favorite, Voljavca Monastery, and a disaster trip looked less disaster-like and, when spending time with family, all terrible situations feel a little better...
