Blogs from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Europe - page 2

Am nächsten Morgen fahren wir um neun Uhr mit einem Shuttlebus vom Campingplatz die fünf Kilometer zum Parkeingang. Dort schaffen wir es ganz vorne in die Schlange, aber dennoch tut sich minutenlang nichts bis irgendwann die Information zu uns durchdringt, dass es vor 11 Uhr keinen Einlass an diesem Eingang geben wird. Währenddessen werden allerdings die asiatischen Reisegruppen (vermutlich mit vorgebuchten Tickets) im Sekundentakt links an uns vorbeigeschleust. Man sagt uns allerdings, dass es am anderen Eingang noch Einlass gebe. Und so teilen wir uns mit ein paar anderen Gästen aus der Warteschlange ein Gruppentaxi zum Eingang zwei, wo man tatsächlich problemlos eingelassen wird. Müssen wir nicht verstehen, haben wir auch bis heute nicht. Möglicherweise liegt es daran, dass Teile des Parks nach den heftigen Regenfällen der letzten Wochen gesperrt sind, allerdings ist diese Maßnahme de ... read more

The next stop was Sarajevo . It is our guides favourite city on this tour and I can understand that . It is basically a Moslem town . It has a very busy market area and and MANY churches ( both Catholic and orthodox) museums synagogues , from Sppain and Ploand , and mosques to visit. They , not sure who that is , refer to it as the Jerusalam of the Balkins . It is a beautiful place in many ways , that has largely been rebuilt since the war of the 90's .Ourlocal guide was a child of 7 when it began and his stories really were of his own experiences. He talked of the suddenness of the siege. One day there was no power , electricity or water . Soon after the mortars ... read more

We had a leisurely breakfast this morning (cold cuts, cheese, fresh bread, banana), although I left early to write sketchy travel notes. This tour is so full, I can’t record it all before the next day. Not a bad thing. Our guide, Boris, met us at our Villa Fortuna Hotel. Immediately obvious was his deep knowledge of the centuries of history in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the country’s full name). Later we learned that he is a government archivist, as well as a tour guide. His mordant sense of humour lightened the essentially horrific two thousand years of conquests and wars in the area. Thankfully, he explained why this land has suffered so much turmoil. When the Christian church split into Catholic and Orthodox, this land was on the dividing line, always a guarantee of tension... read more

Rain poured down this morning, putting the final kibosh on the boat trip around a nearby island park that was originally on the itinerary but is now closed. I was happy because I didn’t want to go on the boat trip anyway. Yesterday’s anti-motion pill made me foggy enough to lose my glasses, and a repetition on a boat was too much to contemplate. Much better was the substituted visit to Čilipi and the Konavale ethnographic museum where fabric arts displayed ordinary life in history. The knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide spoke at some length about the embroidered and woven items in a woman’s dress. Each item, such as belt, apron, vest, and head-covering, conveyed certain information about her, for example, if she were single, engaged or married. Even within one day, she might change some of ... read more

After good breakfast, best we've had so far, departed for Mostar. Stopped at border crossing to Bosnia for almost 3/4 hour while checking passports etc. Arrived Mostar about 11am when weather changed, a north wind, really strong then turned cold. Walked to the bridge through market stalls, lots of people. Bridge was very difficult to climb as it was so steep and very windy. Diving had stopped because of wind. Just started to rain so found a restaurant and stopped for lunch, nothing exciting. Didnt find the whole bridge visit that good, too crowded and cold/wet.Really just a tourist trap now. Back to bus in the rain to leave at 2.30pm. Driving around amazing to see the bullet holes still in many buildings, some still abandoned and burnt out. Long drive to Sarajevo Novotel Bristol hotel, ... read more