Bosnia & Herzegovina

MOSTAR
From Dubrovnik it's only a few minutes drive to the Bosnian border and only a couple of hours to the city of Mostar. Mostar is known for the beautiful medieval old bridge over the Neretva river and it's one of the best examples of Islamic architecture in the Balkans.

I booked the Elite Guesthouse ahead of time and the owner, Misha, arranged to meet us at one of the bigger hotels on the outskirts of town with his motorcycle so that he could guide us through the maze of streets to a safe place to park. It wasn't too difficult but it was a nice touch and he let Sebastian sit on his motorbike as we walked the final few hundred yards. Our room at the guesthouse was huge, with a kitchen, washing machine and a nice terrace with a view of the river and only a short walk to the old bridge.

MOSTAR BRIDGE (STARI MOST)
Known as the 'Old Bridge', Stari Most is a rebuilt 16th century Ottoman masterpiece and the highlight of Mostar. It was originally commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 and stood for 427 years until it was destroyed in 1993 during the Croat-Bosniak War. The bridge we see today was rebuilt and opened in 2004 but still looks amazing and better still it was uncrowded.

We spent an afternoon wandering slowly up the cobblestone streets past the Biscevic House and the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque until the bridge came into view in bright late afternoon sunshine. We stopped in a few markets and had to negotiate a few gypsy children that were hanging around and settled into a lovely dinner spot with a perfect view of the bridge. There were a couple of high divers hanging about on the bridge and apparently if you paid them enough they would dive into the river below. We hung about for a little bit but I never actually saw anyone dive.  After dinner I stumbled upon a little shop selling foreign banknotes so everyone left me behind while I searched through a few binders looking for something unique.

The cobblestones leading to the bridge

Stari Most

The kids by the Neretva River under Stari Most

The following day we drove to a few of the interesting sites nearby; Blagaj - an Ottoman style monastery and national monument built around 1520,  Počitelj - an historic village and an open-air museum nestled on the side of a hill beside the Neretva river, and the Kravice Waterfall where the kids swam while Glen, Ale and I had a few drinks in the sun.  The waterfall was a bit crowded, and very slippery in places but well worth the visit.

DON'T MISS SARAJEVO
The next day we tried to find Tito's Bunker but we had a few navigation issues, plus we hadn't booked. We weren't going to be allowed inside so we carried on to Sarajevo where Glen wanted to visit the Tunnel Museum which is a small military-history museum at the site of a storied Bosnian War–era underground tunnel not far from the center of the city. It was a somber experience but a necessary experience to understand what happened during what was the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare in the early 1990's.  In the city we stopped for lunch and drinks then found the Sarajevo Museum 1878–1918 and the famous inscription the marked the event that would herald in the Great War;

 "FROM THIS PLACE ON 28 JUNE 1914 

GAVRILO PRINCIP ASSASSINATED THE HEIR 

TO THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN THRONE 

FRANZ FERDINAND AND HIS WIFE SOFIA"

No time to waste. We drove to Makarska, back in Croatia, and caught a car ferry to the island of Brač which would be home for the next two days.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

DUBROVNIK
Dubrovnik has been around since the 7th century when the Greeks fled north to escape the barbarian invasions. They built walls around their settlement and established trade and a port which, for the next thousand years, would be known as Ragusa. It wasn't until the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire that the city changed it's name and built an industry around tourism. In recent times the city was senselessly bombed by the Yugoslav army in 1991 but recovered to earn UNESCO World Heritage status and become one of the most iconic spots on the Adriatic Sea. It is absolutely beautiful, very similar but much bigger than Kotor but many. many more tourists. Too many for my liking.

The bus from Kotor in Montenegro took about two and a half hours to reach Dubrovnik with stunning views of the Adriatic for the last thirty minutes or so. We were deposited near the cruise ship terminal but quickly got a taxi to Srebreno beach and our apartment for the next few nights. While it would have been great to stay within the old city walls, there is a ferry from Srebreno beach to the 'Porat' entrance to Dubrovnik.

GAME OF THRONES TOURISM

The best way to see the city and take in the location and views is to walk around the city from the ramparts above. The views are stunning and there are plenty of places to stop for photos and grab a drink and something to eat. The best way to explore the city is to get lost in the streets and alleys below.  There are a bunch of 'Game of Thrones' themed tours but we opted instead to explore without a map or guide - and to be honest that's the best way to do it. We stopped frequently for ice cream, or beer or food and even more frequently for photos.

For me one full day in Dubrovnik was enough for me. Although the photos may not show it, the place was teeming with tourists and at times I was worried about getting separated from the kids.  This was one of the few places where we organized a meeting point (the clock tower) should we lose each other during the day, but thankfully it never came to that.

NEXT STOP BOSNIA
Tomorrow is Sunday. We're scheduled to pick up a Sixt rental car from the city which we're going to drive all the way to Zagreb in the north. Along the way we're catching a car ferry to a Croatian island, but before then we're headed to Mostar and Sarajevo for a slide of history tour in Bosnia. I can't wait.