An Adriatic AdVANture: The Bosnian Chapter

Prerequisite reading- Time to Hit the Road

**Disclaimer: I always struggle to write about our travels and vacations in destinations with heavy history. How to share our enjoyment while making efforts to not be completely oblivious to a country's past? My solution--Keep it brief on both accounts.

 

We took a very brief pause in the Croatian Chapter of our journey to pop into Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

I was intrigued by Bosnia. As a kid I had heard about the Bosnian War in the '90's, but knew next to nothing about the war or the country. So what do we do...Hit up Wikipedia and then go down a dark internet rabbit-hole that leaves one with more questions than we started. So likely getting it wrong, here is the most brief of run-downs; 

Like most Balkan countries, Bosnia has had its share of trials, tribulations and reorganizations. Although its history began in the stone-ages, let's just note those who have played a role in the shaping of the culture and demographic make-up starting with the Illyrians, Celts, then of course the Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, Communists, Nazis, an ongoing Croatian/Serbian tug-of-war, ever-going civil unrest, cultural genocide, and finally the most recent Bosnian war officially concluding in 1995. In no way are we making light of any of this heavy history, as present evidence of the turbulent past was undeniable. Bullet holes in building walls, tattered propaganda posters still pasted about and first-hand accounts of living through deadly conflict served as a reminder. 

BUT just like other countries of the region, wow--Beautiful geography, delicious food and the most welcoming people. The Balkans always give a true feeling of being invited into someone's family home (which you probably will be, because that's just the way things are done). 

Mostar: The town made known to us by pictures of the interesting Mostar Bridge or Stari Most. Having stood for 420 years, until destroyed in 1993 during the most recent of wars, we were there to check out the replica, built in 2004. Sure the bridge was neat, and we held our breath while we watched teenagers dive off it to the river below, but to be honest, the now-made-for-tourists town didn't thrill us all that much (being that we weren't on the hunt for Balkan-esque knick knacks and paddy whacks). We had a quick stroll and then headed on our way down the road to the nearby village of Blagaj.

Blagaj: Here we stayed in a campground on the banks of the Buna river, and had a lazy evening. We checked out the Dervish House--A Islamic monastery beautifully tucked into the cliffs where the river begins. Formerly for those who have accepted material poverty, there was almost nothing inside but the traditional rugs and divans of the Ottoman era. 

Kravica Waterfalls: The next morning the sun was shining and we headed off to splash around in the Kravica Waterfalls. The waterfalls were pretty out of this world! We spent hours climbing rocks, swimming across the lagoon and getting up close and personal with all the falling water (hold onto your bathers!).

As our visit to Bosnia was very brief, only checking out a few places, all of which were less than 50 km from the Croatian border. Though, what was a mere glimpse was enough to inspire a full-on deep dive in the future.

....Until then, we were about to stumble our way into (and out) of Croatian wine country!