I only got to spend one day in Bosnia & Herzegovina, but I think it was a good first taste of the country (and I definitely intend to return for a longer stay).
While in the Balkans, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out Bosnia & Herzegovina, so I booked a trip! There is a tour company called Viator that provides transportation and knowledgeable tour leaders to various cities and countries from Dubrovnik, so I booked through them and had a great experience.
What I remember most from that day was that it was ungodly hot and humid. I’m used to hot–I live in Texas. But the humidity is something I’ve learned to live without (growing up in Pennsylvania, I was accustomed to it, but not ready to experience it again).
It was an early-morning pickup, but it was a relatively short drive to Bosnia & Herzegovina. First, we stopped off in Neum to grab some goodies and take a look around before heading through the beautiful Neretva River Valley.
Next up, we stopped in Počitelj, which is believed to have been built in 1383. As an American, it always blows my mind to see things that were established long before my country was even an idea. The architecture is incredibly fascinating: it’s a mixture of medieval and Ottoman, and I’d certainly never seen anything like it.
It probably wasn’t until we got to Mostar that I realized we were actually in Bosnia & Herzegovina. I hadn’t seen much evidence of the war up to this point, but when we exited the bus and began walking towards the town, there were buildings riddled with bullet holes, and mortar dents in the ground.
In Mostar, we toured an old Mosque and a Turkish house, and saw the Stari Most (Old Bridge), which was destroyed during the war, but was reconstructed in 2004 to look exactly as it did when it was created in the 16th century. We also got to spend some time in the Old Bazaar (where I picked up some jewelry and scarves for friends and family), and ate some authentic food.
I was quite surprised by how taken I was with the country. It’s beautiful, full of history, and vastly different than any place I visited prior to it (or since then, really). I’d really like to go back and explore more of the country (and stay for a longer visit).
Very beautiful pictures. You are so right the area was there before we became a nation.
I think you took the same tour I did this past fall. Mostar really struck me. It was beautiful and devastating all at once. You’re right that a few hours just isn’t enough. Also, I should’ve bought more earrings and copper art pieces.
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Maybe we should take a little shopping trip to get some more of those copper earrings? Mine have since broken. And the ring I bought is just about worn out after almost 4 years of continuos wear.
Wow, impressive array of photos for such a short trip! I’m hoping to make it that far after my Caucasus trip this spring. Inspiring post!
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Thanks! Hope you get to Bosnia & Herzegovina! It’s a lovely country!
Beautiful pictures! One of my best friends is from Bosnia and she always tells me about how it’s just as beautiful as Croatia. Croatia is more famous, so Bosnia always gets overlooked!
Thanks, Hannah! Yeah, I loved Bosnia and really want to get back and see more. I certainly think it’s as beautiful as Croatia and is very easy to get to from there if people wanted to do it all in one trip! :)