Blogs from Mostar, South, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Europe - page 2

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Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar July 15th 2017

Sometimes the journey is better than the destination and sometimes the journey just never seems to end. Let’s just say that we had an interesting journey from Zabljak to Mostar. It started well; we chose to start with the windy route through more of the National Park and it was lovely, more valleys and meadows. Then we continued the journey towards the BiH border, the problem came when we came to a junction on the Tara river; the gps was quite insistent that we turn right and the route we had looked at the day before said turn left. As we had neither a paper map nor access to the internet we decided to trust our gps machine. This was fine to the border then suddenly became not so ok; a narrow road in very poor ... read more
View from the bridge at sunset
Bridge lit up in the evening
Old town and bridge in early morning

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar November 25th 2016

Mostar is full of winding cobblestone alleys with Turkish-style bazaars and small coffee houses where people sit drinking from tiny cups. Minarets compete for space with church spires, and, at certain times of the day, the Muslim call to prayer battles with the ringing of bells across the river. But the centrepiece of Mostar's old town is definitely its famous bridge. The Legend According to legend, an Ottoman called Mimar designed the bridge. When Suleiman the Magnificent had commissioned him to build it, Mimar had trembled with fear. He knew the bridge had to span thirty metres, something unimaginable in those days. But that wasn't the source of his angst; it was more to do with the sultan. As well as being magnificent, Suleiman was cruel, notorious for his love of gruesome executions. Mimar knew he ... read more
Mostar
Mostar
Mostar

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar November 14th 2016

It was a really short stay in Montenegro and as we were leaving the apartment I thought that probably we should've stayed at least one more night to give Perast another go. The weather also was absolutely beautiful which only made me regret leaving Kotor even more... but what was done, was done... We had accommodation booked in Mostar already and the transport as well, so it was time to leave Montenegro and go to another country I have never been to before - Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our driver came to pick us up from the main entrance to the Old Town. He was right on time! Quick adjustment of Millie's car seat (yep! full service!) and we were off! The guy actually looked really friendly and was speaking surprisingly good English... It turned out that ... read more
Old Bridge in its full glory
Walking around Mostar
Walking around the Old Town in Mostar

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar October 10th 2016

Looks like we're back again, and I guess we'll pick up talking about Mostar. I'd picked Mostar over Sarajevo for logistical reasons more than anything. I was going to Croatia and Mostar was more on the way and would allow me to make the most out of a night bus. A separate railway, under reconstruction at the time, apparently offers one of the most breathtaking trips in Europe. A shame to miss it, but I can vouch for the landscape anyways. Traveling across the Balkans by rail or road generally is not to be missed. The landscape's cut sharply and beautifully between mountains, the sea, and valleys. Ruined castles dot the hilltops, and everything feels out of step with any time. An appropriate segue to Mostar itself. History a-bridged. Mostar isn't a large place, but it ... read more
Mostar destroyed
Mostar Bank
Philosophizing bankers

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar September 13th 2016

Day 232 Tuesday 6th September 2016 – Belgrade to Sarajevo The hotel we are staying has been great although a bit more expensive than we usually pay but it has been worth it. Our room is lovely with a balcony and a fantastic breakfast, so we made sure we booked the bus a little later. As we booked out the hotel staff gave us two small packages with homemade biscuits from their kitchen with a thankyou note. The two ladies behind the reception were excited we were going to Sarajevo and gave us some tips on food and said it was a great city. The bus terminal was a short walk and we knew where to stand, a nice big bus pulled in to the platform next to ours giving us hope it would ... read more
Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Mostar

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar July 12th 2016

I had done this journey before. But thankfully this time, I wasn't horrifically hungover for my bus ride down Croatia's Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik. Along the way, there were loads of amazing coves and relatively empty pebble beaches; if you had a car, it would be amazing to be able to stop by at some of them. As I was leaving Croatia for the last time on this trip, I wanted to make sure I had no kuna leftover and so I spent everything I had on food while waiting for my bus to Bosnia in Dubrovnik. Feeling pretty chuffed with myself that I managed to spend every single kuna I had left, I then realised that I needed 8KN (£1) to pay the f*cking luggage fee on the bus. Why don't they just include the ... read more
The Sniper Tower
Kravica Waterfalls
On The Bridge

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar June 7th 2016

Woolly says – Bit of a first this morning as I heard the call to prayer quickly followed by a cacophony of bells ringing in the morning sunshine, squinting through my one semi open eye to the outside world I realised that our latest hostel was situated next to a mosque and opposite a church.....might need ear muffs! Our journey had taken us along some of the most beautiful coast lines I have ever seen before turning towards the mountains and the heavy thunder and rain which greeted our arrival in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina was at the heart of the former Yugoslavia geographically and culturally. First mentioned in Byzantine sources in the early tenth century as one of the polities that had emerged from Slav settlements on the territory of the Roman ... read more
Damage
Inside the Mosque
Cute Houses

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar February 9th 2016

There's a rule between me and my friends from Mostar: What happens in Mostar, stays in Mostar! But I'll share something anyway :) So, it's Tuesday morning, I was picked at the bus station and delivered to an apartment of my friends (Mirko and Almira) where I will stay. At that point I didn't have a clue how long for. It was 7.01am when Mirko as a great host poured us one home-made rakija (Breakfast of champions). Then we decided, it's really time to have some real food as I didn't have anything but bread and some salami since Monday morning. So we went to a local place for breakfast. And what can be better for breakfast than half of the chicken with potatoes and shredded cabbage? And I tell you, it was delicious. Mostly because ... read more
BBQ spot
Majestic Blondie
Try not to get dirty kebab

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar February 8th 2016

It's Monday morning, time to leave Podgorica and visit my friends in Mostar. Weather is not ideal for hitchhiking but comparing to Tuesday morning, with several warnings for wind and heavy rain issued, today is the day to say goodbye to Podgorica. There's 232km in front of me and with some luck, it's doable in one day. I got my backpack packed after breakfast and waited for rain to stop so I can start walking to my first hitchhiking spot. It didn't look like it's going to stop so I decided it's time to go despite the rain. On my way to a spot I bought some bread and water for my journey and picked some cardboard from shopping centre so I could make my signs up. I was at the spot just before noon. My ... read more
View from the car on my way to Nikšić
Montenegro side of the border
View from top of the mountain

Europe » Bosnia & Herzegovina » South » Mostar July 8th 2015

En longeant la côte croate le long de l'Adriatique, 150 kilomètres vers l'ouest, on arrive à Mostar. Il faudra passer la frontière bosniaque à 3 reprises vu la découpe géographique entre la Croatie et la Bosnie-Herzégovine. Dès l'autre côté de la frontière, on remarque la très grande diversité d'architecture d'abord: bienvenue en monde musulman... Nous sommes désormais loin de la mer et l'aridité du paysage le confirme. En rentrant à Mostar, la Neretva, rivière que l'on a suivie en bus depuis la frontière, prend une couleur émeraude unique au monde. C'est une couleur familière des lacs de l'ouest canadien, mais c'est la seule rivière au monde qui a cette teinte exceptionnelle. C'est en partie dû à la très grande densité de cuivre qui s'y retrouve, la rendant même toxique. En s'engouffrant dans les petites rues de ... read more
La grande mosquée
Bazar
Un plongeur saute du pont...




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