By Fyllis Hockman

This is not going to be a typical travel story. Oh sure, it started out that way: an article about a tour operated by Overseas Adventure Travel they call "The Crossroads of the Adriatic." It was going to be all about the medieval town of Dubrovnik in Croatia — dozens of waterfalls at Plitvice Lakes, streaming down cliffs, cascading over rocks, weaving through brush over an expanse of several kilometers; crossing over from Croatia to Bosnia-Herzogovina; transitioning from Roman Catholic churches to Islamic mosques; stopping at Pocitelj, a typical old Muslim village frozen in time from the late 15th century; and a visit to Ljubljana, Slovenia, my newest favorite European city with broad promenades, wide pedestrian-only walkways and multiple town squares. And that barely brushes the surface of the extensive itinerary that brought new adventures to our group of 16 day after day.

But that's where the story veered into trouble.

I found myself being equally surprised and delighted by all the little extra things we were seeing and doing — and yes, often eating — that were NOT on the itinerary that I realized made an interesting story in and of itself. In all my travels with other tour companies, I had not experienced this before.

This is not meant as a love letter to OAT but rather my impressions of a travel philosophy of "learning and discovery" (hereinafter referred to as L&D) that OAT takes very seriously — and our guide, Ivana, even more so — which elevated an already enticing itinerary to a far more expansive travel opportunity.

During our first day we explored the Old Town of Dubrovnik, which still resembles its 15th-century heritage, scaling its huge fortress walls to enjoy exhilarating views of the Adriatic coast. At night nothing was planned — until the ever-creative and ingenious Ivana noticed a small sign on an old church announcing a string quartet concert. So with mostly makeshift chairs set up in the tiny church whose history dates back to the 12th century, we joined the locals for a surprisingly professional performance.

En route from Montenegro, a small country boasting ancient villages, a bay designated by UNESCO as one of the 25 most beautiful, aristocratic mansions and a baroque shrine — in other words a full day of historical exploration included in our itinerary — we stopped to visit a local (and yes, you will soon tire of that word) embroidery artisan in traditional dress who regaled us with the intricate process of embroidery, giving us an extensive introduction to the silkworm that makes it all possible — literally. The little buggers were there in all their iterations from birth to thread.

At a small farmhouse where we spent the night near Slavonia, Croatia's breadbasket, several women admired the pottery in the kitchen. Next day? Another unscheduled stop — this time at the potter's shop — not only to buy, of course, but also to learn about the process of how the different cups are made. Ivana convinced the potter to accommodate us even though the shop was closed for the season. And because this was a stop mainly for the women, she promised to find something comparable for the men. She didn't have to look any farther than a local brew pub in the next town.

On to Bosnia-Herzegovina, but first a little history. The four countries we visited, along with Serbia and Macedonia, used to comprise Yugoslavia, where Marshall Tito reigned from 1945-80 as a much-beloved, both then and surprisingly still, benevolent dictator. When he died, the economy crumbled, unemployment skyrocketed, and the unity and harmony among the many populations — Roman Catholic Croats, Orthodox Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and assorted Jews, who lived, worked and intermarried together — deteriorated into nationalistic jingoism and animosity. The Bosnian War of 1991-96 was the result.

In Bosnia, while immersed in all this history, the main L&D surprises revolved around food. First there was an unscheduled stop at a roadside stand where Ivana bought enough tangerines, the agricultural specialty of a very verdant river valley en route to our next town, to last on the bus for the rest of the trip.

A visit to Sarajevo's Tunnel of Life brought us face to face with the very low, narrow, dimly lit secret dirt passageway that led from under an airfield in Sarajevo to the Adriatic Sea. It was the only access to food, water, small arms and medical supplies that brought relief to the city of 400,000 who were victims of almost four years of daily bombardment, the longest, most devastating siege in the history of modern warfare, as Serbia cut off all food, water, electricity and medicines to the Muslim population it was trying to destroy. As we watched a video of the city disappearing building by building, street by street, explosion by explosion, Ivana tried to soften the emotional blow by plying us with burek, sweet Bosnian pastries. They helped, but just a little.

And did I mention the surprise visit to a local mountain village priest ostensibly, of course, to learn a little more about the village lifestyle, but I think the blueberry strudel that he cooked himself and the wine from nearby vineyards were more than sufficient incentive for the extra drive. The beautiful 18th-century church was just a bonus.

While sampling truffles and brandy one morning in one of the Istrian hill towns outside of Lovran, someone asked Ivana how truffles are found. A quick phone call later and another detour of the bus brought us to a truffle-hunter and his dog, Riki, who demonstrated the well-preserved art, the hard-to-define pas-de-deux between man and dog, of tracking down the evasive white and black gourmet gold.

In case our three squares a day weren't sufficient, the local guides and bus driver got into the act by providing us with even more to eat in the way of local snacks: "You can't possibly leave (fill in the town) without sampling (fill in the delicacy...)" was their mantra.

During our tour of Zagreb, the sprawling European Croatian capital, our L&D experiences involved the arts. Though ample free time is always factored into the tours — what should be time off for Ivana — she instead saw it as an opportunity to provide more options for her charges. In this case, the choices were tickets to either a jazz contest or the ballet, simply because they were in town when we were.

When our L&D adventures kept us on the bus traveling from town to town, country to country, they didn't stop. As impressive as all of our unscheduled stops were, even more so were Ivana's constant tales of history, culture, Tito, controversies, architecture, Tito, education, economics, Tito — yes, they want him back — plus personal experiences and other tantalizing tidbits day after day. The fact that it was still as fascinating by the end of week two is even more of a phenomenal accomplishment.

So yes, while my usual travel articles deal with the destination, this one was about the journey. And what made that journey so unusual were the many moments of learning and discovery that jumped off the itinerary page and into my heart. Thank you, Ivana.

WHEN YOU GO

For more information, visit www.oattravel.com/trips/land-adventures/europe/crossroads-of-the-adriatic-croatia-montenegro-bosnia-and-herzegovina-and-slovenia/2015.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is the largest national park in Croatia. Photo courtesy of Victor Block.

A truffle-hunter and his dog demonstrate how truffles are found near Louvran, Croatia. Photo courtesy of Victor Block.

Fyllis Hockman is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.