Day 33: Around Mostar, Bosnia Hercegovina
As fascinating as Mostar is, we were keen to explore the surrounding countryside a bit as the city is perfectly located for day trips. Miran, our hostel owner, actually ran his own trip for the relatively cheap sum of €25. We left at 10 and headed south out of the town. While we were still in the town we were able to have a small guided tour from miran who gave us a very personal insight into the war damage - showing us where they divided HIS city, where they destroyed OUR bridge and most poignant of all where they killed his uncle. He took us past where the croatian tank which blew up the bridge had stood and that they tried to stop it but had only been equipped with rifles.
The hillside at Počitelj |
Our first stop (after getting some burek for breakfast - which is like a turkish pasty) was the town of Počitelj which was a strategic hungarian garrison before the ottomans captured it in 1471 and expanded the castle to its current size. It became a famous artist colony but was pretty much flattened in the 1990’s. Much has now been repaired and the terraced houses leading up to the imposing fortress were a great place to stop for a photo. We climbed up to the citadel (which was quite a scramble) for excellent views down the Neretva valley. We looked inside the grand Hadzi Alijna mosque which had been half destroyed and while it had now been repaired it was very obvious what was old and what was new as the new section had not been decorated. Aside from the fact that it was so scenic, there wasn’t much else to keep us in Pocitelj and Lonely Planet says there isn’t even any accommodation available there.
Počitelj and the Neretva Valley |
Kravice Waterfalls |
The statue of the Virgin Mary |
Confession booths in Međugorje |
The cliffs above Blagaj |
The dervish house, Blagaj |
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