Touring Bosnia (Part 2): Driving to Mostar

2015-08-18 14.55.55Sarajevo set the bar high for what Bosnia had to offer. But what came next shocked the (excuse my french) shit out of me. I grew up in America, the great South to be specific, and we are anything but short of mountains in our gorgeous and patriotic terrain. But this… well, we will get there.

I arranged a rental car through rentarscars.com and ended up with a car from the Kapitals service–a local rental company in Bosnia. I paid $200.00 for five days of unlimited mileage, full coverage and the car itself. The man at the counter was even nice enough to give us a pass to go into Croatia if we decided to go, a 50 mark value! However, other  companies like Europcar, Hertz and Sixt can be found at the airport and in the old town as well. Tip: Rentalcars.com will offer you wifi service in the car; do not take this! Most rental companies do not offer this service.

2015-08-18 12.00.38With car in tow and no map, we ventured for Mostar. Luckily, we downloaded the app HERE before we left. HERE lets you upload road maps from any city that can be used for navigation without eating into your data. It wasn’t always perfect but it got us in the general vicinity of where we need to be. Instead of following the clearly marked highway signs for the second most popular city in Bosnia, we detoured through the mountains to find the old 1984 Olympic bobsled track. After 15 kilometers, a couple of “nature calls” and windy mountain climbs later, we gave up on the search due to renovations being made to the area.

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On the other side of the mountain, we reached our first and only toll road–a whopping 2.50 Bosnian marks. Again, make sure you have cash on you. They accept cards but it’s often that all of my credit cards are declined at these toll booths and you end up with a lot of pissed off people behind you. Just on the other side of the toll booth we drove past the most delightful looking restaurant ever.What actually caught my attention was the stand of homemade honey and rotating meat skewers over a hot fire sitting right next to it. They didn’t speak English, we didn’t Bosnian but we placed our taste buds in their hands.

2015-08-18 13.25.44In a spectacular conversation using smiles and nods, we were served what would be the best meal of our trip: smoked lamb, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as a traditional yogurt spread that complimented the homemade bread.

2015-08-18 16.54.25 HDR2015-08-18 16.53.30After we loaded up on delicious roadside grub (for 50 Marks) and honey, we continued our journey to Mostar. Any GPS will tell you that the route takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes; it took us around 6 hours because we kept stopping to take it all in! Turn after turn, tunnel after tunnel, we were blown away at the beauty before us.

2015-08-18 20.02.22We pulled into Mostar as the sun began to set. Our hotel, just 800 meters outside of the Old Town, was Villa Monera. This was another booking.com find and it was just super; however, keep in mind that most of these hotels only accept cash.

2015-08-18 20.38.05The city is centered around the Stari Most Bridge that connects Mostar together. The biggest difference I noticed compared to Sarajevo was the heavy focus on tourism. Every restaurant, shop and cafe displayed their acceptance of the Euro over their own Mark. But perhaps the biggest attraction are the activities on the bridge itself. For a collected 50 marks, a man belonging to the diving club will jump off the bridge into the water. For 25 euros, you can take the jump yourself! 2015-08-18 19.08.04 HDR
2015-08-18 18.55.25But before you can jump off the 24 meter high bridge you must practice your form by jumping off a slightly lower platform. After careful consideration and evaluation of assets, I decided to save the jump for another day.

2015-08-18 16.23.08If you go to Bosnia and only have a few days, here is a tip: Do not miss the drive from Sarajevo to Mostar.

 

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Konjic

Side note: There are a lot of little towns on the route to Mostar. If you have time to stop and have a drink, then I recommend Konjic. This town is known for its woodcarving industry which has been passed on from generation to generation for decades. In the middle of the town is a quaint little bridge that gives a lovely view of the entire town.

Touring Bosnia (Part 3): The Trebizat River

2015-08-20 22.08.12When we realized how full of lakes, rivers and just awesomeness was in Bosnia, we couldn’t wait to get off land and on the water. I just recently popped my canoe cherry during a trip home and was itching to get back on the water. We came across Canoe Safari on tripadvisor and tracked it down after reading the raving reviews. We showed up at 10:30AM without a reservation and was greeted by Ivan. Ivan is the second in command and just as precious as can be. He set us up with a private tour (2.5 hours), alongside himself as guide and packed a little cooler for us to enjoy on the river. Ivan also gave us the option of a homemade, authentic Bosnian lunch spread after the tour which we did not hesitate in accepting. Everything included, our price was 30 euros per person! And off we went…

2015-08-20 22.08.11Like I said, I had canoed once in my whole life before attempting this tour and this was my boyfriend’s first time testing his river legs; so, naturally in our minds we were pros. Ivan was so patient with us and taught us how to navigate the rapids so we didn’t turn over. He went first so we could mimic his movements and even played the part of photographer so we could look badass taking on the rapids. 2015-08-20 22.08.03-1

He really made an effort to make our time on the river last for the full allotted time and didn’t rush us in any way. We saw turtles, snakes and river birds native to that area as well as tasted the fresh blackberries from the bushes growing on the river bends. (Sorry for dropping them in the water!!!)

I am going to skip the part where we got cocky and took the last rapid on ourselves (and flipped) and  go straight to lunch. (For the record, Ivan knew we were going to flip and made sure we did so safely.)

Ok. Lunch. If I hashtagged, I would hashtag #holydeliciousfoodinmymouth because that is what it was. I haven’t introduced Stanko, the owner of Canoe Safari and he is very important to this part of the post for one reason: his wife. His wife was creating our yummy yum yum meal when we paddled back to their dock but the smell reached us before we saw her.

2015-08-20 22.08.18A traditional method to prepare food is in cast iron pan, nestled in between wood that has been heated by fire. The creates a result where the food is half baked and half broiled for a taste and tenderness that can not be beat. Stanko’s wife had prepared chicken and potatoes for us using this method 2015-08-20 22.08.08as well as laid out a plate of fresh fruits and tomatoes that were grown right there on the property. And to top it off, we were offered liquors and wine that were produced right there in the area. They also have other non-alcoholic drinks like juice and water for those of you who do not or can not drink.
2015-08-20 22.08.11-1But the best part was not the chicken or the potatoes or the liquors or the fruits (especially the figs. Oh, the figs!) or the tomatoes. It was their little welcome wagon, Blondie. The. Most. Charming. Dog. Ever.

Kravice Falls

2015-08-19 14.19.49If you follow the Trebizat you eventually get to the Kravice Falls, a little oasis tucked deep away in the mountains. For four marks a person, you can witness the most beautiful waterfall in Bosnia. There were several brave souls swimming in the cold mountain water but we opted to stay on dry land and sought refuge under one of the many cafes surrounding the water. It is a bit tricky to find, especially if you don’t have a GPS system. The Kravice Falls are located near the village of Studenac, between Ljubuski and Capljina. That is all we had to go by and if we could find it, so can you! 2015-08-19 14.17.44 HDR-1

Touring Bosnia: Sarajevo

2015-08-17 13.05.59 When my boyfriend insisted we go to Bosnia for this year’s holiday, I had my doubts. I mean, what is there to do in Bosnia to fill up a week?? The only thing I knew about the country was its previous affiliation to Yugoslavia and that it most likely is hot af all the time. I only hoped there would be air conditioning and wifi in our hotels but I was not optimistic…

When we arrived to the Sarajevo airport, we hopped in a local cab and agreed on a rate of 30 Bosnian marks to our hotel in the old city. The currency has a fixed exchange with the euro of 2:1 so we believed a 15 euro asking price was fair. Tip: Do not do this. Later on, we realized that with the meter running, the price is around 15 Bosnian marks. Always ask the driver to turn on the meter or you will get charged double.

We planned to stay in Sarajevo for two days to allow my boyfriend the freedom to geek out over all of the alleged history there. Again, I feel like it’s safe to say I put on my “dumb American” hat by not knowing how much history there is in Sarajevo. That or I failed my high school history teacher who is most likely shaking her head while reading this…sorry.

2015-08-16 21.21.23 2015-08-16 22.08.10-1 2015-08-17 20.10.01 We booked our two night stay at the Guest House Ciro which can only be found on booking.com. This family run guest house has six rooms, coffee and most important, air conditioning! We instantly made friends with the son who was running the show, Armin. He welcomed us with open arms and GAVE us a couple of beers to unwind from our long flight. Later, he took us to the rooftop terrace for a gorgeous view of the Old Town.

There is a lot to do in Sarajevo, but here are my Top 10:

 2015-08-17 13.28.00-11. First stop on our history tour is the Latin Bridge, famous for one little historical moment: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. For those of you who don’t know who he is, allow me to show off my (ahem) new found history knowledge. Ferdinand was the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and his assassination sparked the beginning of World War One. In the museum  building behind me, for four Marks you can see original artifacts from that day in 1914. It takes only a few minutes to go through everything and shares a lot of important details, as well as a timeline, of the assassination.

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2. Next stop on our tour is this memorial site dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives in the Siege of Sarajevo from 1992-1996. It sits up on a mountain side, overlooking the city. It was a very powerful place to visit as it was evident how much care was put into the site.

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3.As we walked through the memorial site, it led us up a hill to an old vantage point used by the city as a defense post. From this place was the most beautiful view of Sarajevo in the city! There
is a small cafe at the top where one can enjoy a non-alcoholic beverage and small snack.

4. One of the most important things I learned while in Sarajevo was just how much the Siege affected the city. Just walking the streets we could see evidence of the terror its people endured for those 44 months. We took a walk down “Sniper Alley” and every building was scarred with bullet holes. The city has done an excellent job recovering from that time while keeping the presence of everything prior to the siege.

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5. Other significant museums to visit include the Srebrenica Gallery and the Tunnel of Life. The Srebenica photo gallery is a must see if you do not have the time or means to visit Srebrenica. In 1995, 8,000 Muslim Bosnians (mainly men and boys) lost their lives in the massacre that occurred in only two days. It is the worst genocide in recent European history, second only to the Holocaust. The images and videos in this gallery are quite powerful as we listened to testimonies from women who lost everything in those two days.

6. The Tunnel of Life played a key part in the survival of Sarajevo’s citizens during the Siege. A man who lived near the airport agreed to digging a tunnel in order for supplies to make it into the city. Part of this tunnel can be toured to give an idea of the conditions and hazards the military endured to care for the people.

2015-08-17 16.01.22 7. Bosnia coffee is super grainy and strong! Served in these jars with a handle, it is poured into small cups to maximize the flavor in each cup. I made the mistake of stirring the whole pot together which only mixed the grainy bits throughout the entire pot. Tip: Let the coffee settle for a bit before pouring. You’ll get all of the flavor without the bits.

2015-08-17 13.04.49 8. City Ha2015-08-17 12.25.01ll is the most popular landmark in Sarajevo and comes with quite a story. The Austrian-Hungarian Empire wanted to build their City Hall on this location. However, the site was occupied by another building. The owner of the building would only give up the space if his building was rebuilt across the river in its exact form, brick by brick.Today, that building is known as the House of Spite and is the best restaurant in Sarajevo!

9. The Old Town of Sarajevo is where we stayed and is as charming as can be. It is quite small but has all shops and cafes dedicated to the spirit that is Sarajevo. My personal favorite after dinner treat was a scoop of ice cream for 1 Bosnian mark.

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10. Our favorite was owned by a man named, Hussein. His spot was on a side street near our hotel and he was the nicest man. The Bosnian people are so nice in general but Hussein gave us an added dose of warmth as we sat on his terrace drinking Turkish tea. He brought over a travel book about Bosnia (that we ended up buying) that actually helped us plan the rest of our week!

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In all, Sarajevo was a brilliant city that is full of culture, history and the most amazing people I have ever encountered. The biggest tip I can give you is this: Bring cash! Most places, including the hotels, only accepted cash.