Lying in space: My time in a clinical trial

2022 marked the first time that I participated in a clinical trial. Oftentimes, I feel unsure about participating in them. My condition is relatively mild – not that amenable to experimental therapeutics, which often have a significant risk involved. Truth be told, I needed a little bit of convincing.

 Back in March, a study coordinator reached out to me and explained the trial. After another conversation in April, I finally felt ready to consent for the trial. We arranged for me to participate over the days of December 20^th and 21^st, just before end of the year. For this reason, and others, I flew back from Ohio to Oregon just a week prior.

This clinical trial’s purpose was to use MRI scanning and functional tests to measure changes in muscle function and composition over two years. (Of course, the trial was specific to a few neuromuscular conditions, including my own condition (Becker muscular dystrophy). Across the two day period, the researchers collected a baseline of my muscles. On day 1, I received MRI scanning of the arm and leg. Day 2, by contrast, involved MRI scanning of the whole body and some functional tests.

Back in 2019, I had completed a cardiac MRI…with an incident. That time, unfortunately, they used contrast agent which prompted me to faint and need a few minutes to recuperate. This is especially unusual for me – I hardly ever faint unless something serious prompts it. Admittedly, I was a touch worried about this current MRI scan.

These worries were unfounded. On the first floor, I was greeted by the principal investigator and the study coordinator. The two of them wheeled me to the elevator and we went to a conference room. Here we reviewed the consent form, the study purpose, and the potential risks. Though generally safe, the MRI machine is capable of locally heating tissues due to the concentration of magnetic flux; furthermore, metal is not allowed. To my relief, no contrast agent would be used. Then I was taken to the MRI room on the same floor. The MRI technologist reviewed the same items with me.

There was still some prep work. My clothes had a zipper which meant I had to change into an MRI gown. The technologist told me to wear it “kimono style”, which I figured out after a few minutes. Even the metal in my mask posed a problem, so I was provided a cloth mask. For those who do not know, MRI machines are exceptionally noisy – earplugs and headphones were provided. Then I lay flat.

The technologist and two technicians had to position me with gray soft blocks and sandbags. That position made it possible to place the long piece containing the magnetic coil over the required area. I was then finally told to lie as still as possible with most of my body in the MRI “tunnel”. Here only my head poked out and I saw the screen. Light flashed on, and turned off. A dark screen appeared when the MRI was “acting”, which reminded me to keep still.

MRI machines are quite logical: they observe and they think. A pulse of sharp electronic sounds (observing) followed by a softer percussive beat akin to a drum machine (thinking). Total silence meant that the three people in the other room were reviewing the images. Of course, they communicated each pause as they happened.

The day 1 was eventful. Not long in, a pause seemed unnaturally long without any instructions. The voice came on again in my headphones. It turns out that a recent software update forced a reboot. As luck would have it, the fire alarm sounded, creating a ten-minute delay. I had to be taken out of position and wheeled away. The positioning had to be recreated once I was back. After a while, we finished with scanning my thigh and moved onto the upper leg. Then, to my surprise, I was taken out before we scanned the arm. They provided me a lunch break out of order. The clock read 12:07 (or so). Somehow, three hours had already passed. The discrepancy in timing arose because they took double the amount of images to be on the safe side. At a hospital café, I ate a pan pizza and conversed with the PI and the coordinator. Then back to the MRI. In light of the delay, they scanned my upper arm and skipped the forearm, putting me at around 4 hrs of MRI time.

Coincidentally, I arrived home to learn that the running water in the house had just stopped working. This did not pose a major problem to me, but it did add to the stressful hours of the clinical trial.

Day 2, by contrast, was a little more routine. I did not wear an MRI gown and kept my cloth mask and earplugs from the previous day. This time, though, they put my whole body into the MRI. My view was transfixed on the one item in sight: silver tape running along the middle. Combined with the sounds of the MRI, I felt like an astronaut, lying down in space. For this set of scans, I was moved in small fits and had to keep especially still. Even more than yesterday. The coil was placed at different points of my body. For some scans, they had me breathe normally and for others I had to hold my breath. Later in the process, the coil was placed on my chest directly, which seemed to heighten my anxiety a little bit. My heart palpitations somehow seemed louder. The last 15-20 minutes were difficult to stay still. I had to conjure up images of other places to keep my mind at ease.

I was quite relieved to be out of the tunnel. Maybe it is simply just the six hours total of being in an MRI. As a treat, one of the technicians showed me a few MRI scans. They said that the results looked good with an expected large peak for water and a small peak for lipid. (In other words, my muscles appeared healthy.) Next they took a blood draw – thankfully this was much kinder than my previous time just after an MRI.

Afterwards, I was treated to lunch like before. The PI explained that we would have some functional tests. These were classic tests: how long to climb 4 steps, how long to walk a certain distance, and how far you could walk in 6 minutes. The 6-minute walk test, as it is known, has a high variability because it can depend on motivation. For some reason, I decided to take the walk test at a brisk pace and cover a lot of ground. That put a lot of stress on my feet, making me feel a little tired. That was thankfully the very end of the testing.  

Just like that, we held our final debriefing. As I shared, the study was overall a pretty good experience for me. Getting to see a clinical trial as a subject helped me appreciate the work that goes into testing medical therapies and diagnostics. Even just arranging for participants to come for a study seemed quite involved. Indeed, I had flown across the country to be here. These are all details that are hard to appreciate at a distance.

For the mutually beneficial exchange, I received $100 and was wheeled to the entrance. The coordinator waited with me for the Uber. After an exciting two days, I was finally back home. My timing was excellent considering that the running water had very graciously just been restored. I took a shower and felt that I had accomplished some good in the world.

 

The new year strikes us once more: 2023 Resolutions

 1.     Volunteering

a.      Seek teaching and mentorship opportunities

                                          i.     Pursue through organizations such as Buckeye Brighters, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Fulbright, and others

                                        ii.     Get involved in accessibility work locally

2.     Health

a.      Medical: 

                                          i.     Keep regular with primary care, dentist, neurologist, cardiologist, physical therapist, and eye doctor

b.     Exercise

                                          i.     Daily 5 minute walk; yoga and leg stretches in morning and evening

c.      Cooking

                                          i.     Cook at least 5 days a week and clean dishes at least every other day

                                        ii.     Make at least one non-pasta vegetarian dish a week

3.     Recreational:

a.      Gaming

                                          i.     Shorter form: Ame no Marginal, Ori and the Blind Forest, Bastion

                                        ii.     Longer form: Umineko, Utawarerumono, World End Economica Episdoe 3, 25^th Ward, the Silver Case, and Zero Escape

b.     Western shows

            i. Breaking Bad (maybe????)

c.      Anime

                                          i.     Precure:

1.     Complete GoPri

2.     Watch Smile and Hugtto

                                        ii.     Gundam

1.     0079

2.     Zeta

3.     ZZ

4.     X

                                      iii.     Rewatch Shinsekai Yori, Clannad, and Natsume

                                      iv.     Watch Cardcaptor Sakura

                                        v.     See 2 shows from the 70s, 80s, and 90s respectively

4.      AniFem:

a.      Finalize article proposed in 2022 (hopefully Ousama)

b.     Pitch and draft another Anifem article

5.      Blog

a.      Write 3 blog posts that are 2+ pages a year including the year end retrospective

6.     Toastmasters

a.      Attend Toastmasters weekly and hold a role at least twice a month

b.     Complete the Presentation Mastery path

7.     Language study

a.      Study Japanese

                                          i.     Learn up through N3 vocabulary and grammar

                                        ii.     Watch two one cour anime shows without subtitles

                                      iii.     Maintain conversational practice

b.     Study Urdu

                                          i.     Memorize alphabet

                                        ii.     Achieve basic conversational proficiency

Descending Stories: Rakugo in the Modern Era

Today was a bit unusual. For the first time, I got to see a rakugo performance in person, carried out on the stage below.

Someone came from elsewhere and demonstrated for us here in this city. The rakugo master, clad in vibrant purple, sat himself down on a maroon pillow. Of course, a microphone planted by his feet. However, he hardly needed the microphone, as evidenced by his exuberant activity throughout. Afterwards, there was a Q&A session where we learned all about how he approaches the art of rakugo. It was a fantastic hour and a half altogether. 

First up was the chief organizer who thanked all of us for coming. Then another person gave us a reminder of the history of rakugo, including its state as a form of comedy. She herself was a disciple of the rakugo master, which lent an intimacy to the evening. To prepare us, the master shared a couple short stories to introduce the basic concept of rakugo. One he called “the Monkey” where he depicted a monkey (apparently) crashing a car on a mountain, highlighting a tremendous vocal range.

Because of the prestige of rakugo, I almost expected a solemn act. Perhaps something not unlike the series Descending Stories, a beloved drama that exists in drawn and animated form. By contrast, Joshiraku is an exaggerated comedic take on rakugo. Today it finally stuck in my mind that rakugo can be performed as a bona fide comedy routine. I mean, he made monkey sounds, which is clearly one such element of comedic gold.

Today’s performance was split into two pieces: 1) The Grim Reaper and 2) The Goblin’s Temptation. The first was in English (though adapted from a Japanese piece) and the second in Japanese. Given that this master is much more confident in his Japanese, it was impressive that he took this approach. From the Q&A section, it became clear that he saw potential in the international reach of rakugo, even though he came from a traditional rakugo background. That allowed him to twist the performance and shock and inspire the audience.

The first story highlighted the value of props and voices as a narrative throughline. In the Grim Reaper, the master alternated between a character filled to the brim with hubris (a fake doctor in Depression-era New York) and a Grim Reaper (Shinigami as he was also named) that bore a deep, sinister voice. As the Grim Reaper, the master took on a mischievous grin, alerting us to a supernatural presence in the room. When the fan was used as a little stand, and the voice changed, the mild terror of death pierced the air. At the conclusion, the fan went from the Shinigami’s emblem to the man with excessive pride, to a mark of the man with a candle trying to add fire back to his life. This prop exposed the disconnect between the man’s real situation – on the verge of death – and his belief that he was far removed from the Grim Reaper.

In the second story, there was a steadier stream of characters, which highlighted the power of vocal expression and body language. Without my familiarity in English, I listened closely for the ways in which characters expressed their feelings. Subtitles were thoughtfully provided on the big screen, but the dynamic performance offered a challenge. Relying just on the words was no longer a possibility when subtitles were occasionally behind. Much of the humor of this piece came from the character insisting that he was not dreaming in various levels of exasperation. Through acting, the master convinced us of the character dreaming of his life within an enclosed dream. A sinister low voice – akin to the Grim Reaper – emerged in the voice of the Tengu (goblin) who wielded an unfurled fan, highlighting the danger of this dream-within-a-dream. From this emphasis, the character’s disarray upon waking up felt quite immersive.

There were some mistakes in places. The master before us was clearly taken aback when the electronic screens began suddenly climbing towards the ceiling. But the interruption provided him a way to slip back into character. Another time, for the story set in 1930s New York, he would sometimes insert a more modern reference – like Kanye West’s current state of mind, or the fast food joint Five Guys. Some of these seemed even accidental, but the way he brought us back to the moment was impressive. Perhaps the flexibility on display was the most admirable trait of the rakugo master before us.

As I mentioned earlier, the rakugo master showed a great interest in the global space for his art. This actually came out in the Q&A session. Naturally, many of us asked our questions in English. He did his best to answer in English, often taking pauses to respond. That said, every answer was elaborated. A big surprise was when he elected to give his answer entirely in Japanese and ask someone to translate for him. This happened at the time someone asked about the history behind rakugo authorship, which ended up providing a complex answer.

There was much to enjoy and appreciate in his performance. One of the most poignant moments for me was his discussion of the strict rakugo standards in Japan. Through seeing him today, I realized that rakugo could lean fully into a comedic routine, and be simultaneously touching and funny.  This reminded me of my favorite standup comedy performance – Hasan Minhaj’s Homecoming King back in 2016 (thereabouts at least). Every joke told fit the larger story of trying to find acceptance in America just after the horrifying events of 9/11. Now, this rakugo performance did not address the same level of despair. Still it captured that same great aspect of comedy to uplift through stories, not just jokes.

 

Bosnia Bound: Experiencing life in the Balkans

Bosnia Bound
"She took a wrong flight. She went to Bosnia." This quip came from season nine of the show Frasier.  Such a joke relies on you naturally filling in the letters "Bos" with "-ton" (for the city) not "-nia" (for the country). Of course, I went to "Bos-nia" myself.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as Bosna i Hercegovina, is a land I meant to see years ago. It is known for great beauty, and also something else. In 2015, I wrote a paper about the war in Bosnia that led to the current bizarre political situation (of three concurrent presidents). Truly, something that had to be seen to be believed.

In June 2022, just a few weeks ago, I hesitantly made my way to Bosnia to meet with family. This was my first major trip of the pandemic. Going there required *three* flights, including a ten-hour one. COVID still worried me. So, I reminded myself that 1) I had received the original vaccine and the booster shot and that 2) wearing a mask would help keep me safe. That is not to say this was easy, especially across many hours.

Many, many frustrating delays happened. For example, the first flight left a solid hour late -- it did not even have a plug in for me to use my laptop. Upon arrival, there was no wheelchair assistance within sight, no matter how much we asked. The rest of the journey was not as eventful but still modestly inconvenient.

There was a powerful force compelling me to continue. At midnight, we arrived in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, and were greeted by my sister. After several months apart, I was overwhelmed by the sight of her. A van picked us up and transported us to my sister's place, giving us a chance to catch up. There we finally rested well.

Early Days
I woke up in the morning feeling groggy, withstanding the full weight of jetlag. We acclimated to our surroundings by walking throughout the Old Town of Sarajevo. Though the river flowing through Sarajevo is small, it provided a mighty backdrop for the old architecture all around us. Some of it Ottoman, some of it Astro-Hungarian.

 

We used The Cathedral as a reference point. This is that cathedral. Though Sarajevo is predominantly Muslim, there are many influences from the Astro-Hungarian times as well. Below was a beautiful reminder of the multicultural nature of the city.

There was rather easy access to places to eat. Numerous bakeries in particular. Of note is a Balkan bread called Burek (shown below is a potato-stuffed example) that proved quite heavy and satisfying. There were more ordinary breaded dishes but even these tended to have some kind of regional twist. I remember this chocolate-containing almond croissant that was an explosion of sweetness beyond the usual.

 

Sarajevo is surrounded by mountains and riddled with historical sights. Such a unique flair had to mean a uniquely stored pigeon square; the birds congregated around an Ottoman-era fountain in the heart of Old Town. For the incredulous, here is a nearby perch (pigeons in the shadows).

Sarajevo is fascinating for its mix of gourmet and street food. Though the emphasis on beef was rather heavy, we found many places to enjoy ourselves. Below is 4 Houses of Safia, a fancy restaurant. The environment influenced me in having European style salmon, which proved tasty.

The hill overlooking us held another well-regarded restaurant -- one named Kibe Mahala promising a grand view over the entire city. I ate a chicken dish there and had an apple-pie slice disguised as baklava. The pie-baklava was the biggest surprise, even more than the sights present.  Interestingly enough -- this was the last cool night of our adventure where the weather dropped down to around 38F (3C). Truly a memorable day.

 

After getting our bearings straight, we decided to travel to the town of Kotor, which would take us through much of Bosnia. I figured that this travel would let us leave the country while allowing us access to the fabled Adriatic coast. If you're curious about this trip, I detailed it in a previous blog post. 

 

On the way back, we passed through Trebinje (seeing the beautiful Ottoman bridge there) and the famous Mostar briefly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Some of you may think Bosnia is free of beautiful sky vistas. This is far from the case, as you can see below. This photo was taken between Mostar and Sarajevo or so. The Herzegovina area of Bosnia is in fact flatter and known for significantly warmer temperatures, giving a great scene for this sight.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Settling In
The lack of thunderstorms gave us our cue to try out hiking in the mountains. We drove towards the Skakavac Waterfall and caught a glimpse into the Dinaric Alps. Unfortunately, it was too steep for our car, let alone us, so we call our journey there.

   

Over filling hot cocoa, I learned about Bosnian culture and geography. For example, the city of Sarajevo was under siege for over three years (1992-1995), a fact which I kept in mind throughout my stay.

Afterwards, we ate at a cosmopolitan style restaurant called Dos Hermanos -- there I had steak with wasabi called "Im on Fire." The dish was far removed from spicy, but the beef was quite flavorful.

Of course, the Old Town restaurants were closer still. We got food from there again -- a familiar dish called Cebappi (pronounced chevappi). This was my first proper meal on the first day, actually. The cebappi itself is beef with onions in a flatbread; the concept is simple but it's quite tasty.  In fact, there is a Key & Peele sketch on this very dish. After this satisfying meal, we headed to Trebevic mountain. The roads were almost treacherous at one point, with roads wide enough only for one car and at infamous inclines. What was supposed to be a 30 minute drive turned into an entire hour of navigating this area. (We later learned that we had taken the hard route.)

Just at the parking space, there was a charming lodge with a cute wooden interior. In fact, we saw a full herd of horses standing right outside. They were summarily herded towards the trees, up the slopes and away from the hotel. After 15 minutes of walking or so, we found oddly haunting abandoned tracks. Impressive graffiti coated the old tracks reclaimed by a great forest.

Outside of day trips like Trebevic, we walked around in the city. One remarkable sight was the Latin Bridge where Astro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot, setting off World War I. (Unsurprisingly, I decided to revisit the music of the band Franz Ferdinand.) The structure itself is a humble white  pedestrian bridge but carries a grand legacy. I would in fact encounter a reference to this bridge just later in this trip.

This bridge in fact was right by the Emperor's Mosque, recalling for me the poignant beauty of visiting Turkey.

The Yellow Bastion provided another epic reminder of Turkish influence over the area. Nowadays it is used as a vantage point for picnics with great sights of the city all around. On a sadder note, this means that the many cemeteries also came into relief.
 

 

Of course, we continued to seek out food. Hilariously, I ate McDonalds --  giving me a brief reminder of fast food. We later ate at another cosmopolitan restaurant known as Manolo. This place was only a ten minute walk, right in the heart of the modern area of Sarajevo. There I enjoyed a Thai yellow curry; though the curry was a touch soupy, it was excellent as my only Asian meal during the entire trip (outside of one other place).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Days
By this point in the adventure, I knew about the best treats, like the baguette from Impasto. Now was the time for a deeper dive. We retreaded our steps and finally stopped by the University of Sarajevo, which had always intrigued me. Situated along the river, it was a grand highlight of most of our walks. Afterwards, we ate again at Dos Hermanos, where I consumed a messy burger.

Later on, we went on a quest to get some stamps for the memories. The nearby Post Office told us we had to keep going. It took probably 15-20 minutes of searching to find the right place. We were shocked to find the National Post Office inside a very Austro-Hungarian looking building. The door opening was our only real hint. To Bosnia's credit, this post office was entirely impressive and enough to earn that lofty title.

 

This gave an excitement to return to Yellow Bastion and even stop by the nearby White Fortress. Sadly, the White Fortress was closed, only allowing the sight of beautiful rubble. To build back the spirit, we had hot drinks at Kawa, which also provided me a surprisingly good hot chocolate. This coffeeshop is hidden by the crisscrossing inclines but provides a great lookout over an exhausting set of steps.

All hope was not lost as we had an exciting engagement in the Old Town: at a restaurant named Dveri. Before going there, we walked around, absorbing sights, like this mosque we had somehow missed. (There were quite a few in the Old Town alone, let alone ones like the Emperor's Mosque.) Dveri was nestled in deep within a little passageway. Once inside, we were led essentially underground, creating a very quaint atmosphere. Dveri was clearly the best culinary experience in Sarajevo, despite falling into that same meat-heavy trap. 

You may think that Turkish food can be found anywhere in Bosnia. While not true, this restaurant called Turkuazz provided us a mouth watering tray of great kebabs. Some were a bit strange, like chicken liver, but many of the rest were sheerly excellent. Though we were still in the city proper, this was a new sight of the river, where many of the birds would flock.

There was another reason to head 20 minutes away by car. The beautiful Vrelo Bosne featured pristinely clear water surrounded by incredible forestation. By far the greatest shock had to be: seeing swans for the first time. I of course had seen many ducks and geese in my time. But never a swan. Even rarer was the opportunity to see young swans. Great day, honestly.

By contrast, the National Museum of Bosnia was not as impressive to me. I am not as interested in Roman-era history, which seemed to be a major focus. That said, a couple great sights stuck out to me -- like the swords and the hanging ship.

Next up was the Singing Nettle, which serves traditional Bosnian food. This of course included the herb itself (nettle) -- which people ate for sustenance during the grueling Bosnian War. A nettle doughnut, free of excessive sugar, was quite satisfying. There was also a ravioli dish with nettle pesto. As someone allergic to pine nuts, the term 'pesto' is enough to cause mayhem. After franctic searching, I decided that the dish would likely not kill me. In fact, rather the opposite: it was quite tasty!

There was a looming trip on the horizon: weeks ago we had booked a multi-day stay in Dubrovnik. After Kotor, I began pouring over guidebooks for Croatia  generally. This allowed me to devise a list of things to see in Dubrovnik. My time in Croatia is illustrated here. We were set to leave Bosnia just the day after returning from Croatia, forcing us to stay in a partially packed state.  

 

The drive to and from Croatia gave us a chance to reflect on Bosnia. Most of our trip was entirely within the national borders, outside of the 15 minutes actually in Croatia before Dubrovnik. Along the way, we stopped by a famous furniture shop in the town of Konjic by the Neretva River. This shop features a blend of modern and traditional Ottoman styles, which was simply excellent. I reflected on these styles actually appearing among my grandparents' old items.

Driving farther out, I got another chance to appreciate the beautiful Neretva, that green river. Impressive mountains along the way.

Did I mention mountains? There were many to see right outside the car window. The route to Kotor was actually quite similar but still there were surprises along the way.

 
Earlier in the trip, we had very shortly stopped by the famous town of Mostar and gazed upon its illustrious Stari Most bridge from below. However, that was far too brief to appreciate the 16th-century bridge famous across the world. Standing on it now allowed for breath-taking views of the town, overlooking a mighty river surging forth. This vantage even gave way to an appreciation for the bridge's immense scale.

After Mostar, the long-awaited Kravice Waterfalls. The waterfalls were simply alright, but it felt incredibly satisfying to check off. We took a tram back up to the parking lot, allowing us to gaze upon the waterfalls from a new angle.

Bosnia was a great experience for me regardless of any lingering doubts. For the Kravice Waterfalls to be simply alright -- truly the mark of a great country laden with many wonders. Sadly, I had to say goodbye to my sister just the day after returning. We had already made plans to travel to Vienna a few days before our flight from there back to the US. Prior to leaving, I had the chance to eat much cebappi, cementing my experience in Bosnia as a deeply positive one.

Before describing my return towards the US, I wanted to share life while there. It was quite different, even for European standards.

Daily Life
A new daily life was available after many months straight of being in the US. This chance to challenge my routine and notions proved to be incredibly reinvigorating. Eating Balkans chocolate and cheese, drinking Balkans milk, experiencing Balkans daily life. For example, Kras chocolate from Croatia. Sometimes we would make chicken tikka, pasta, or some other dish more similar to what we would eat in the US. That helped us through the period of finding new treats to enjoy in the Balkans.

Many sights were available to us without even using the rental car. We would walk to the bakery and/or the produce market 5 minutes away by foot. Sometimes it would be Maison Coco, sometimes Impasto, and sometimes this one bakery that made chocolate cake slices that we kept purchasing. The baguette offered by Impasto proved to be quite excellent as well. However, croissants by and large turned out much too sweet unless they were butter croissants. Truly, the bakery played a massive role in our time in Bosnia.

My sister graciously arranged massages for us at two separate places. Both gave an excellent chance to rest our tired feet and weary bodies. I felt a little closer to the sensation of home with these massages.

We saved the car for more exciting ventures. ...This did include going to the supermarket and some restaurants beyond walking distance. Accessibility, as you might imagine, was also quite different as I illustrate in this blog post. Essentially, shorter walking distances offset by the presence of numerous hills, steps, and mountains.

Going through these motions made it much harder to keep track of my usual list of group activities such as Toastmasters. During my first week, I tried to attend Toastmasters but waking up at 2 am proved far too difficult. Attending was completely in opposition to the basics of sunlight -- a break became required. Sometimes I would get extra sleep....but only by losing consciousness during the day. No matter what happened, though, I was pretty much on the way to sleep by 10 or 11 pm every night. After a week or so, my sleep schedule stabilized rather well.

Unsurprisingly, being in Bosnia gave me the chance to study languages from a new vantage. While there, I borrowed a book on the Urdu script, which is the language of my parents, from my sister, giving me an excuse to continue learning. At the same time, living in Bosnia pushed me to learn various phrases in Bosnian -- like the perennial phrases Dobar Dan (hello) and Hvala (thank you). 

You may know about my studying Japanese. While in Bosnia, I worked to better understand Japanese by studying vocabulary and kanji using online tools like Wanikani. One revitalizing experience was watching a Japanese drama film with Bosnian subs. Sometimes the subs would help me fill in the spoken word I missed. Sometimes no words made sense to me and I had to use just context clues. I spent over an hour watching and never learned the film title. Despite the difficulty, I greatly enjoyed my time. Despite Bosnia's reputation for isolation, I sure found a way to bolster my cross-cultural spirit. (Funnily enough, Bosnia does have a Japanese embassy.)

Needless to say, my time in Bosnia gave me a great chance to revitalize my routine. Soon enough, it was time to head back.

Heading back (and Vienna)
Vienna is naturally an incredible blend of modern and new, including a very versatile public transportation system. It is one of the most acclaimed cities in the world for good reason. That said, I found myself preferring the charm of Sarajevo, despite Vienna's eminence.

Of course, Vienna is also a bustling place of many cultures. On the first day, we met a family friend for Moroccan food at this restaurant called Orient. After poring over the menu, I realized that the chicken curry, topped with pomegranate, would make an excellent addition to my stomach. And it was! We were treated to magnificent lights, throw pillows, and Arabic songs, adding to the cultural experience. The server is in fact not Moroccan but treated us to an excellent time nonetheless. This meal left a fantastic impression of Vienna as a city.

I held my usual role of researching place to see. This time, there were not as many full guidebooks to help me. But I inquired on locations to see from the family friend and some of my other friends. We had to make some cuts: a train to Budapest (in Hungary) or Salzburg would take us too far. There was, as I will demonstrate, plenty to see in Vienna proper.

Naturally, Vienna is better known for ingrained cafe culture and not as much 'foreign food.' In fact, one could say European (mainstream) tastes dominate here. We went to a magnificent place called Cafe Sacher best known for the dry sachertorte cake. To even step inside the fancy red room with a chandelier, we had to wait twenty minutes. I ordered the cake alongside a hot chocolate. The sachertorte was quite nice to dig into, though it strayed just a touch from my usual ideal. My hot chocolate was certainly divine, though. During our stay, we stopped by the bakeries, offering pastries for relatively cheap. This was not unlike in Bosnia -- there we had less variety, but fewer frills to worry about too.

 

Unsurprisingly, there were no shortage of cathedrals and palaces and elegant buildings. To name a few, we saw Albertina, Parlament, Kunsthistoriches, Schronbrunn, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Hofburg, and Belvedere. Many of these sights were nice, so I decided to just focus on a select few. 

 

However, I must add that Schonbrunn Palace was keenly disappointing. We went to attend a free concert there but were faced with them unexpectedly blocking more people from attending. A whopping 60,000 people saw the Philharmonic play, but we were closed off due to inflexible rules. This historical building did not match up entirely to the grandure of the other ones.

Take this sight: St. Stephen's Cathedral stood beautifully and grandly not far from the Hofburg Palace.

Strangely, one of the most exciting views was the Karlskirche church. It stood beautifully across a lake, pulling me through a hot day in the sun.

Our grand finale was the Belvedere Palace, which stood impressively just from the entrance. Of the many palaces we saw, this had to be my favorite. Visually sure. But they also reduced my ticket to only 4 euros because of my wheelchair assistance. This gave me a sign that this surely would be a great museum to explore.

The inside of this palace was set up more akin to a modern museum. The Kunsthistoriches museum provided more tremendous beauty inside -- but not as unique of exhibits. By contrast, Belvedere was more plain. That was not necessarily a disadvantage. These two palace-museums complement each other tremendously. 

Two paintings at the Belvedere in particular caught my eye. The first one I do not share here as it is a rather famous painting by Jacques Louis David entitled "Napoleon Crossing the Alps". This painter is best known for his beautifully grim Death of Marat (which I saw in the Louvre years prior). I certainly remember learning about this fascinating painter in AP European History back in high school.

Another painting caught my eye. This one is not as famous but moved my entire travel full circle. This painting by Friedrich Alois Schonn depicts the Latin Bridge in Sarajevo, which I visited. Clearly a different era. But I felt absorbed by this strangely familiar sight. Perhaps the single most exciting painting I saw in Vienna, giving me a great sense of satisfaction. Coming to this palace last had been an excellent decision.

 

Unfortunately, access was a struggle in this particular palace. They had to bring a metal ramp just to get me a few meters forward across some poorly placed steps. Despite the presence of elevators, one would descend to a part of the floor walled off by steps. There was only one true ramp on the first floor, limiting convenient access to just one elevator and part of the floor. These struggles were not unique to this museum either.

Vienna is certainly beautiful, though I still preferred Bosnia. With Belvedere behind us, I closed off my time in Austria by grabbing bergkase cheese. This cheese helped accompany me back across the Atlantic. Admittedly, the return trip had much of the fatigue of the first trip. Some nice cheese certainly helped me keep things together. Before I knew it, I was before my own bed, able to rest in peace once more.

Missed sights and overall impressions
Mapping out the trip was a balancing act. We each had our own demands about what to see. Ultimately, nature and history had to be blended together to offer the greatest opportunity. To address this, I established tactics of becoming very familiar with certain sights -- for example, the parts of Bosnia between Sarajevo and Kotor or Dubrovnik. We also did not have the stamina or will to drive hours upon hours every day (like we did for Kotor or Dubronvik). That means that some places were difficult to slot in, despite their obvious merit.

There were sights I entirely missed out on: Banja Luka, Blagaj, and Una National Park.  

1.  Banja Luka, the largest city in Republika Srpska, is the second largest city of Bosnia and seems impressively historical. Because I saw Mostar, the famous city, this seems like a logical next pick. Sadly, Banja Luka -- much like Una National Park -- would require 5+ hours of driving, which was difficult to fit in.

2. Blagaj, on the other hand, was on the way. However, the rocks along the hiking path would be especially hard for me and my muscle condition. The most notable features of Blagaj are a Dervish building and a fortress first built by the original settlers of Bosnia, modified by the Romans, and finalized by the Ottomans. In fact, the appeals of this location are well summarized by a Wikipedia article.

3. Lastly, Una National Park looked absolutely stunning in every photograph. Unfortunately, Northern Bosnia is quite far from Sarajevo, so we were completely unable to go in our limited time. I am quite confident it must be one of the most beautiful places on Earth, though. 

 This list is far for exhaustive; we even missed going to a bird habitat. These exclusions were sad but reflected a nation well travelled.

Soon enough, it was time to leave. In my mind, we had just gotten used to Central European Standard Time and the many features common to Bosnia. Before going on this trip, I was swamped by anxiety about leaving the country. What if there is nothing I can handle while there? I realized that it would be fine -- we had adjusted thoroughly well. We also made our way back fine. Just a day after returning to the US, I picked up my new glasses, giving me a victory this side of the trip.

I still think about the beautiful places we could have possibly seen but did not. This kind of regret, however, is beneficial. Especially as I am confident that we saw as much as was reasonable. Taken together, that makes for an excellent travel, the one that makes life worth living.

To the Coast of Croatia: Jewel of the Adriatic Sea

Our trip to Kotor met its match in a journey to the Croatian Coast. The same preponderance of historical buildings, including cathedrals, but on a grander scale. We found ourselves at the Game of Thrones city itself -- Dubrovnik. Unsurprisingly, our journey was not especially different from Kotor, though this time the car ride was shorter by a couple hours.

After an entire six hours traveling, I could not muster the energy for a full scale exploration. Keeping things simple meant walking through the town, seeing flowers across the way. Though the weather was not scorching per se -- it only hit 90F (32C) once -- the constant sunshine bore down. Fortunately, my heat tolerance carried me through. Throughout the visit, no day dropped below 68F (20C), which felt unusual for June.

The Trip

Day 1 (June 10)

On day 1, we went across town, ending up towards the Gruz Harbor. Sadly, the harbor itself more boasted medium to large boats rather than majestic sights. (Not to worry as more engrossing sea vistas awaited us in the coming days.) Ducking into stores for air conditioning gave the chance for grocery shopping. Naturally, compared to Bosnia, the prices were steeper and more comparable to the US. Seven Croatian kuna to 1 USD is a conversion factor we practically memorized.

On the way back, I spotted some excellent bougainvilleas across the way.

Day 2 (June 11)

After waiting a day, it was time. We drove to the famous Old City and found ourselves at the foot of the Pile Gate. Guidebooks had warned about the impossibility of finding a place to set our rental car. Fortunately, there was space reserved for persons with disabilities (with the international blue sign of a wheelchair user imprinted in white). The Pile Gate provides an impressive entry point: over the old drawbridge, which once rose and fell every day at sunset. Now it remained closed.

From there, we walked along the stone paths, traveled within the fortifications, and passed by many shops and restaurants. Naturally there were at least 3 stores selling licensed Game of Thrones merchandise. Numerous side alleys gave us a place to duck in and hide from the sun before venturing back onto the main path.

 

 

Right within the area there was an obvious feature: an awe-inspiring fountain standing above us and with several ornately designed heads. The water dripping forth was tempting to drink. Instead, I walked to head and splashed my face with water, readying myself to travel this area.

 Next was the Dubrovnik Port. Compared to the Gruz Harbor, this area was much freer of boats, giving a grand view of the water all around. In the area was a single fountain head -- with it was another chance to splash my face.

A crowd of people swarmed around the Rector's Palace from Roman era. It is considered one of the most impressive structures of the area. This was also my first time learning what a Rector was. Their role is essentially: a figure elected publicly who speaks the will of the people and lives inside the palace for an entire month. Such a place has to be expansive and elaborate. We simply passed by today. My chance to go inside would come two days later.

After a walk through the walled area, we found our way towards Fort Lovrjenac (Lawrence). In Game of Thrones, this area is known as the Red Keep, which creates a rather intense image. 

 

 

From our view on the West Dubrovnik Harbor, a long line of steps led up. In the harbor itself, kayaks were available for rental. This little area featured much beauty from its seclusion from the greater body of water. The fort presiding over the area makes it an especially strong place to look at from afar. (We could see the broader area from our tables at the Nautika and Dubravka restaurants in fact. )

We ate at Magnolia outside the Walls and did some more exploring. Climbing along a walkway was especially tough after I was already tired. There was a fort at the top, lifting my flagging spirits a little bit.

 

 

 

 

 

The urge to lie down called but I did not listen. Instead, my wandering spirit sought out the craggy heights of Mt Srd. We drove up winding, narrow paths that could scarcely accommodate one car. The mountain was only 10 minutes away, but took an extra ten to make the way up. At last, we were at a majestic vantage. The mountain rose above the famous walls of Dubrovnik, giving a great sight from afar. Naturally, this was another Game of Thrones filming of location.

An island sat in the distance: that of Lokrum, only a 15 minute ferry ride from the city. Perhaps Game of Thrones came up, but this too appeared in the television show. As should be pretty obvious, Lokrum features a dense array of trees.

The entire Old City stood before us, giving a sight to my goal: mounting the City walls.

It was not actually a light choice to climb to the city's historic rim. Because the price was 250 kuna ($36 USD), I had a serious decision to make about going up the city walls. This would likely be a commitment of an hour or two.

With my muscle condition, this could be challenging, even more so than the fortress I spotted early on Day 2. My companions warned me about this possibility. I had also seen for myself how steep, how laden with steps, this city could be (like on the right). However, it occurred to me that the steps would only pose an occasional problem -- I resolved to go ahead.

 

 

 

Day 3 (June 12)
Of course, as it goes, we chose the 32C (90F) day to mount the walls. I slathered on sunscreen to protect my pale skin from destruction by the sun. Not long after, I fought my fears and began the ascent up the walls. The steps were many, with narrow railing boiling to the touch. Fortunately, the metal rails were just cool enough for me to hold on for balance while making my way up. My confidence stumbled with another staircase right after. At the very top, though, I realized that this was entirely doable, even if tough. The walls themselves naturally had changes in elevation, but the path was generally manageable with walking a little slower. This way, I kept my energy throughout, even during the 1.5 hrs we spent moving. (Along the way, we passed probably 3 or more cafes catered towards the tourists taking the same journey. There were a fair few benches, and sometimes I made do with sitting on the stone of the wall.) Rest assured that we were drenched in sweat, and coated with sun, throughout the vast majority of this time.

That apprehension cast aside, I enjoyed the great sights from those heights. For example, Fort Lovrjenac was picturesque against idyllic waters of the Adriatic.

From a distance, I observed the protrusion of Fort Minceta (of course another piece of Game of Thrones tourism). Admittedly the stone aesthetic was not especially eyecatching. Instead, the experience of being that high up was the true reward. The features of the city and the forts were before me, even with my concern over fatigue.

Sadly, these particular steps looked downright dangerous. My companions did not permit me to walk up and we let just one of us go up there. (Even ascending to the level *before* this one was tricky.) From this vantage, I was curious how this Fort operated -- there looked to be just the top and just one room at my level. This almost made me want to watch Game of Thrones to find out for myself.

Fort Minceta impressed me even without a full ascension. The scale of the stonework begs attention and it is so clear why this structure draws attention. Perhaps its height is akin to the barriers I had myself faced. After going down the steps, by the Pile gate, we found ourselves at the start. For our troubles, we grabbed gelato, giving a brief chilly pause.

 

Hours later, I returned to the scene of the crime 2 hours before our dinner reservations. You may be wondering why. My access to the Walls was actually in the form of a City Pass, granting free admission to a certain few museums not just the Fortification. Namely the Franciscan Monastery and the Rector's Palace. Both showed ornate designs from ages long past. 

 

The Franciscan Monastery was a nice iteration on Christian designs and itself a storage of many religious paintings. Of note was a garden with a cross-shaped walkway and a pharmacy that far predates me. Back then, medicines were stored individually in beautiful vases, which is a marked different from plastic containers.

Admittedly, while pleasant, the Rector's Palace was my real goal. Surprisingly, Sunday afternoon was not an especially busy time for the museum. Because there was only an hour to closing, this was welcome news. Some rooms looked more like a history museum, but other areas were genuinely impressive. The sprawling staircases leading upstairs, for example, caught my eye quite readily. Walking through made for dynamic experience as the aesthetic continued to morph.

Some sort of time-measuring contraption was on display on the second floor. Of course, there were other devices, such as iron chests used to lock valuables. Even years ago, technology was quite clever. That's why we continue to study history!

The greatest surprise was finding a dungeon cell on the first floor. Through one small door, and then through another. The claustrophobia became quite palpable when I stood up inside. The light coming in from outside felt filtered, as if you were given just a taste. This must have been a terrifying place to be locked up. 

 

 

 

 

 

   

After a great time at the Palace, I hurried to Dubravka, where we ate a fancy meal. We then decided to walk to the Buza Bar. This led us through unfamiliar territory -- past the painfully elevated Spanish Steps, and across small sets of stairs with wooden ramps. This area was not even well lit. Despite this issue, and a longer distance, we found our way to the steep Budza Bar area. While my companions went further down, I contented myself with a beautiful view of the sunset. (Honestly, the restaurant with bright lights situated just above the beach felt a touch gimmicky to me.) All in all, a strong end to my last evening in Croatia. 

Just outside the Rector's Palace, there was the sleepiest cat one can imagine. Lying with their eyes closed, curled up. After some time, maybe 30 minutes, the cat walked to the other side, jumped up, and closed their eyes again. No matter what kind of place this was, the cat still wanted to sleep.

  

 

 

 

 

Food
Being on vacation, I took it upon myself to try out foods ranging from decent to excellent.  Some meals came more from the grocery store, but even that felt satiating. The higher than average amount of walking throughout 3 days surely helped here.

Shizuku (6/10)

Asian food in the Balkans is not exactly common. The sharp skew towards Italian food especially is almost unfunny. Croatia, as a more wide-open country than Bosnia, follows this general trend. Surprisingly, a couple guide books on Dubrovnik pointed out this Japanese restaurant named Shizuku. (Even more shocking: Shizuku is within a more modern area of the city.) In a fit of excitement, I made a reservation with the promise of Croatian sushi. 

Upon arrival, we realized that Shizuku had merged with Trinity, giving a joint place that serves Asian fusion. As a consequence, we ordered fare like maki rolls and nigiri alongside fish carpaccio and pad thai. Such a meal was the perfect antidote to a deep road trip-induced hunger. Alongside our meal, a DJ played music, adding excitement to our experience. Access to this food filled my stomach and gave me a great burst of energy. I look forward to this type of eating once back in the US. We all felt a nostalgia from eating here.

Magnolia (6/11)
The restaurant Magnolia sits right outside the Old City, close to the Pile Gate. This marked a comfortable place to recharge after hours of traversing the path just beyond the Gate. Out of curiosity, I picked a familiar dish. A good fish and chips dish exists at the intersection of flavorful fish and proper breading. While my fish and chips here certainly hosted nice cod, as expected, the breading was thick and not as pleasant. Surprisingly, the fish and chips I had early in 2021, while in Astoria, was a much better take.

Nautika (6/11)
This place we had planned to come to months in advance. Nautika, as it turns out, is considered one of the best restaurants in the world, winning many accolades -- including becoming Michelin starred. There was an elevated chance for high prices. Furthermore, the menu appeared restrictive to some of us, especially in combination with the prices. I had to set aside my dread of spending steep prices for food. At some point, we resolved ourselves to the meal and made our way over.

A mansion awaited us, creating a backdrop to our meal outdoors. The night had already decisively fallen, creating a quieted atmosphere. The ambience, I must say, was incredible, giving us a beautiful view onto the Dubrovnik West Harbor and the Fort Lovrjenac (Lawrence).  Alongside this experience, a skilled musician played piano while singing, including soft, jazzy versions of hits like "Time After Time." (This was quite the surprise for me!)

Before our main courses came, we were greeted with an egg meringue containing a tomato. The acidic flavor was not unlike ketchup, but richer. House-made butter came next, complementing the bread brought before us. Such side dishes prepared us for the main meal. This built up the anticipation of a great meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received a steak, cooked medium-rare and from French cattle, adorned with many items including corn and a cooked section of beet. Of course, my mom has made beef curry with beet quite a few times. But this dish pushed me to eat all of the beet with the beef, instead of my old habit. Perhaps the most shocking addition is the corn, which still paired well with the steak. For such a pedestrian-seeming dish, this was made to perfection.

The piano accompaniment proved to be lovely enough that I sat for a few minutes transfixed. Inside Nautika was a beautiful waiting room. Up close, the performer seemed more magnetic, able to draw audience attention just off his skill as a pianist and singer. Every song was likely a cover, but none felt quite like the original. Given that we paid around $150 USD (1050 kuna), they practically owed us luxury. My last Michelin starred restaurant must have been several years ago -- admittedly I was quite satisfied. 

Because of our 9:30 pm reservation, our meal did not end until close to 11 pm. Still, we were excited to go out through the Pile Gate once more. By my standards, we arrived late -- past midnight or so -- but for good cause.
 

Dubravka 1836 (6/12)
This restaurant, belonging in the Nautika family of eateries, also featured reasonably upscale cuisine. We sat across from the walled structures arising from the harbor , granting a similarly grand view. Originally we planned to eat at Zuzori, a Balkans style place within the walls, but ended up here. My meal consisted of nicely cooked fish within a European context. Alongside this fish steak, I shared beef steak. The meal itself was not as spectacular as with Nautika. The greatest show was in fact put on by swallows that flew in thick circles, swooping down and across the sky before us. Such a show inspired us to take a stroll into the night once more.

 

 

 

Things missed:

Many fascinating islands surround the city of Dubrovnik. From Mt Srd, and from the City Walls (below), one can clearly see Lokrum -- one of these islands. Ultimately, we decided that the 15 minute ferry was not worth the price. At the same time, the islands of Korcula (alleged birthplace of Marco Polo) and Mljet (featuring an acclaimed National Park) required hours of ferry travel.

There are other cities like Split, along the Croatian coast, that would also make for interesting trips. Sadly, there is only so much time in a day. Before coming here, I actually investigated traveling to the capital city of Zageb but ruled it out. Perhaps another day I will see more. 

Overall impressions:

Driving back, I had the chance to reflect on my time there. After only twenty minutes of driving, we were back in bordering Bosnia, seeing the Adriatic Sea from a distance. To me, this city we just visited should be in this other country, not Croatia. The placement of this city feels so puzzling. Perhaps that adds to its mystique, making this time even more memorable.

All in all, the city of Dubrovnik gave us a great chance to roam the historical area and take a slice of Croatian life for ourselves. Traversing the area encircled by the Pile Gate was the clear highlight, whether we went above or with the ancient road. The chance to eat at Michelin-starred Nautika was certainly not bad either! Like the other travels this June, I emerged wiser and more experience.

That's all one can ask for, right?