Herzegovina Day Trip
It’s time to explore outside of Sarajevo, and see what else this beautiful country has to offer.
Herzegovina is the southern and the smaller of two main geographical regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its largest city is Mostar which is one of our stops today. Tarik picked us up at 8am, I only had a small breakfast as I’m not the best passenger in a car. We didn’t quite realise we would be the only ones on the tour, but at least that meant it was all on our terms.
Our first stop on the tour was Konjic, one of the oldest permanent settlements in Bosnia and Herzegovina, dating back 4000 years. Tarik told us a legend about this place. A long time ago there was a traveller looking for some food, water and accommodation for the evening, he asked everyone in the town but no-one wanted to help him. The man knocked at the last house and and old widow and child appeared at the door; she let him him, fed him and he had a bed for the night. The next morning, the traveller told her to take her horse and ride from this place as the other town people had to be punished; she was only to stop when the horse did, and when it took its hoof and dug at the ground 3 times. That day, the village she once lived in was devastated by flood and all the town folk perished. The horse eventually stopped, but she couldn’t remember what the traveller had told her, she kept saying “come on little horsey” but it did not, instead it took its hoof and dug at the ground 3 times. She finally remembered and got off her horse and settled in this new place, now called Konjic, which translates a “little horse.”
We got back in the car and started on our way to Mostar. As we drove, we passed through a village called Jablanica. It is famous for two things; firstly lamb on the spit, there were loads of restaurants and you could see the lamb turning as we passed. Apparently 95% of people living here either work in a restaurant, have worked in a restaurant or own a restaurant. Secondly, it is famous for its stone; in fact, one of the most famous “houses” in the whole world is made of this stone, its called “The White House.”
After driving for another 45 minutes or so, we arrived in Mostar. Tarik tried to park on one of the main streets but it was impossible, so we had to find a spot elsewhere. Mostar is famous for its bridge, and in particular, people jumping off it “the Mostar way” or as we would describe it, a belly flop! We walked to the old bridge, which is also the translation of Mostar and it is generally the hottest place in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We were lucky as it was a cooler day, but the temperature was still 33 degrees. Tarik gave us some free time so we waited for the “jumper” to jump, it’s actually what these people do for a living. They do collect money, so we happily donated. The river is quite powerful and hydro power actually provides electricity for the whole city. Since we had a bit of time, we wandered across the bridge which has two buildings on either side, one is a watchtower and the other a jail; they are obviously not in use now. We then decided to have a Bosnian coffee and wait for Tarik in a little cafe just beside the bridge.
It was time to get back into the car, and drive to our next stop. Kravica Falls lie just south of Mostar, they are about 25 metres in height and quite beautiful. There were lots of people swimming and sunbathing, and there were boat trips out to the falls. We opted for a beer at a picnic table, where we would also eat the Bosnian sandwich which Tarik had got for us. We had just over an hour, so took some pictures, discussed how we could put the world to rights, then had an ice cream. It was quite relaxing, apart from the walk back up the steps to the car park.
We had two more stops to go, but the weather was starting to look slightly ominous with black clouds forming above the mountains. The first stop was Pocitelj, a settlement situated on the left bank of the river Neretva. It was first inhabited by the Bosnian Kingdom, followed by the Ottomans then the Austro-Hungarians. It was originally of great strategic importance as the border was just behind the hills that can be seen from the fortress, plus the river provided a great trading route. This changed when the border was moved back in the 19th Century, so only those sellling goods remain in the town. We were visiting a fortress which was also up a number of steps, so decided to leave our bags in the car; big mistake! We were enjoying the views at the top when thunder started rolling in, and the heavens began to open. The steps were treacherous enough in the dry, never mind the wet. We eventually made it to a covering, but we were pretty soaked by that point. I’d like to point out that my umbrella was in my bag, in the car! Ah well, it was only water and it wasn’t cold.
Our last stop, and my favourite stop was a Dervish House. I had no idea what it was before I went, so wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, but it was stunning and quite peaceful. Blagaj Tekija is a Dervish Monastery, that’s nearly 600 years old and is situated at the base of a cliff and at the mouth of the Buna river. The Dervish are a mystic branch of Sufi Islam known for rituals that involve various forms of whirling; this place was considered a spiritual retreat. We paid to go in, but first I had to borrow a skirt and a headscarf. Tarik explained that each monk would take turn about for 40 days, praying to “him” of which there were symbols painted around the house. They would not leave the room, and food would be brought to them. It was a beautiful house, and the caves were used for various food storage. It really was quite peaceful, but we had. 2.5 hour drive back to Sarajevo so we had to get on our way.
As I’m writing this, I thought I better explain why we delighted to get back to the hotel. Tarik is 21 years old,, studying electrical engineering and I am pretty sure he is a wannabe rally driver. At one point, we hit 153km per hour around the mountain passes; it was terrifying. I slept for a bit, but even I had to hold on. I definitely saw my life flash before my eyes a couple of times.
I was slightly hungry, so we thought we would find a restaurant for some food, and ideally, one that also served alcohol. After 25 minutes of walking about, we found somewhere; the food looked good and it was pretty busy. The waiter said everything came from the farm directly, and it was completely fresh; we opted for a sharing platter with chicken and beef, it was amazing!
Herzegovina is the southern and the smaller of two main geographical regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its largest city is Mostar which is one of our stops today. Tarik picked us up at 8am, I only had a small breakfast as I’m not the best passenger in a car. We didn’t quite realise we would be the only ones on the tour, but at least that meant it was all on our terms.
Our first stop on the tour was Konjic, one of the oldest permanent settlements in Bosnia and Herzegovina, dating back 4000 years. Tarik told us a legend about this place. A long time ago there was a traveller looking for some food, water and accommodation for the evening, he asked everyone in the town but no-one wanted to help him. The man knocked at the last house and and old widow and child appeared at the door; she let him him, fed him and he had a bed for the night. The next morning, the traveller told her to take her horse and ride from this place as the other town people had to be punished; she was only to stop when the horse did, and when it took its hoof and dug at the ground 3 times. That day, the village she once lived in was devastated by flood and all the town folk perished. The horse eventually stopped, but she couldn’t remember what the traveller had told her, she kept saying “come on little horsey” but it did not, instead it took its hoof and dug at the ground 3 times. She finally remembered and got off her horse and settled in this new place, now called Konjic, which translates a “little horse.”
We got back in the car and started on our way to Mostar. As we drove, we passed through a village called Jablanica. It is famous for two things; firstly lamb on the spit, there were loads of restaurants and you could see the lamb turning as we passed. Apparently 95% of people living here either work in a restaurant, have worked in a restaurant or own a restaurant. Secondly, it is famous for its stone; in fact, one of the most famous “houses” in the whole world is made of this stone, its called “The White House.”
After driving for another 45 minutes or so, we arrived in Mostar. Tarik tried to park on one of the main streets but it was impossible, so we had to find a spot elsewhere. Mostar is famous for its bridge, and in particular, people jumping off it “the Mostar way” or as we would describe it, a belly flop! We walked to the old bridge, which is also the translation of Mostar and it is generally the hottest place in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We were lucky as it was a cooler day, but the temperature was still 33 degrees. Tarik gave us some free time so we waited for the “jumper” to jump, it’s actually what these people do for a living. They do collect money, so we happily donated. The river is quite powerful and hydro power actually provides electricity for the whole city. Since we had a bit of time, we wandered across the bridge which has two buildings on either side, one is a watchtower and the other a jail; they are obviously not in use now. We then decided to have a Bosnian coffee and wait for Tarik in a little cafe just beside the bridge.
It was time to get back into the car, and drive to our next stop. Kravica Falls lie just south of Mostar, they are about 25 metres in height and quite beautiful. There were lots of people swimming and sunbathing, and there were boat trips out to the falls. We opted for a beer at a picnic table, where we would also eat the Bosnian sandwich which Tarik had got for us. We had just over an hour, so took some pictures, discussed how we could put the world to rights, then had an ice cream. It was quite relaxing, apart from the walk back up the steps to the car park.
We had two more stops to go, but the weather was starting to look slightly ominous with black clouds forming above the mountains. The first stop was Pocitelj, a settlement situated on the left bank of the river Neretva. It was first inhabited by the Bosnian Kingdom, followed by the Ottomans then the Austro-Hungarians. It was originally of great strategic importance as the border was just behind the hills that can be seen from the fortress, plus the river provided a great trading route. This changed when the border was moved back in the 19th Century, so only those sellling goods remain in the town. We were visiting a fortress which was also up a number of steps, so decided to leave our bags in the car; big mistake! We were enjoying the views at the top when thunder started rolling in, and the heavens began to open. The steps were treacherous enough in the dry, never mind the wet. We eventually made it to a covering, but we were pretty soaked by that point. I’d like to point out that my umbrella was in my bag, in the car! Ah well, it was only water and it wasn’t cold.
Our last stop, and my favourite stop was a Dervish House. I had no idea what it was before I went, so wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, but it was stunning and quite peaceful. Blagaj Tekija is a Dervish Monastery, that’s nearly 600 years old and is situated at the base of a cliff and at the mouth of the Buna river. The Dervish are a mystic branch of Sufi Islam known for rituals that involve various forms of whirling; this place was considered a spiritual retreat. We paid to go in, but first I had to borrow a skirt and a headscarf. Tarik explained that each monk would take turn about for 40 days, praying to “him” of which there were symbols painted around the house. They would not leave the room, and food would be brought to them. It was a beautiful house, and the caves were used for various food storage. It really was quite peaceful, but we had. 2.5 hour drive back to Sarajevo so we had to get on our way.
As I’m writing this, I thought I better explain why we delighted to get back to the hotel. Tarik is 21 years old,, studying electrical engineering and I am pretty sure he is a wannabe rally driver. At one point, we hit 153km per hour around the mountain passes; it was terrifying. I slept for a bit, but even I had to hold on. I definitely saw my life flash before my eyes a couple of times.
I was slightly hungry, so we thought we would find a restaurant for some food, and ideally, one that also served alcohol. After 25 minutes of walking about, we found somewhere; the food looked good and it was pretty busy. The waiter said everything came from the farm directly, and it was completely fresh; we opted for a sharing platter with chicken and beef, it was amazing!
We were both stuffed and waddled back to the hotel, we had to pack and I realised the mini bottle of dessert wine was slightly leaking so we would have to drink it. So much for the early night!
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