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Off The Beaten Track in Bosnia and Herzegovina - julia_t explores

Off The Beaten Track in Bosnia and Herzegovina - julia_t explores

Old May 30th, 2010, 03:39 AM
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Off The Beaten Track in Bosnia and Herzegovina - julia_t explores

I have just returned from a whirlwind 4-day road trip along some of the back roads of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It has been an amazing experience. My mind is dizzy with a myriad of images, impressions and memories of sights seen that are all tumbling about like a kaleidoscope at the moment!

I have had a brilliant time, though I can’t say I’ve enjoyed every single minute as there have been some pretty scary moments, and some downright terrifying. It has been a real challenge driving on some of the mountain roads, but the scenery has been spectacular, absolutely stunning, and I’m so glad I did it.

When things have settled down I will fill in more detail about this breathtakingly beautiful country, and one that is one of the few undiscovered tourist destinations in Europe.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – as the name suggests – is a country made up of two regions, separated by the Dinaric Alps, with Bosnia to the north and Herzegovina to the south. They each have their own unique cultural histories but share many similarities in language, ethnicity, culture and identity. Even more confusing is the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a single country consisting of two entities, one of which is The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the other is the Republic of Srpska. And each of these entities includes part of Bosnia and part of Herzegovina!

I plan when referring to the entire country to call it by the abbreviation of BiH, but will refer to each region individually. It is not all Bosnia, and the Herzegovinians rightly feel excluded when their region is not acknowledged.

For example – Mostar is in Herzegovina. So those of you who have visited Mostar, sorry to tell you this, but you’ve not actually been to Bosnia! Same applies to Neum on the coast and Trebinje in the south.
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Old May 30th, 2010, 03:47 AM
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Welcome back Julia, hope to hear more soon.
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Old May 30th, 2010, 04:00 AM
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Ooh...I love reading reports from areas that get little coverage on Fodors. Can't wait for the rest!

Tracy
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Old May 30th, 2010, 07:46 AM
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A bit of background.
I am British, a 53yo solo female traveller. I am generally quite confident and I try to just get on with things that are thrown my way. I have wanted to visit Sarajevo for some time now and started to research it about 3 or 4 years ago.
I did visit Mostar for 24 hours in October 2007 and loved it. And I have been to Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian coast 3 times in recent years. I've driven from Split to Mostar, Dubrovnik, along and over the Peljesac peninsular and back up to Split.

Being British I always drive on the left so it is always a challenge for me driving in continental Europe, on what is the wrong side for me. And I tend to suffer from vertigo!

Research.
My main source was the Bradt Guide to Bosnia and Herzegovina – the only guide book available which covers the entire country.

It was actually quite difficult to find out much about some of the places in rural Bosnia. The Bradt guide was very good, and the internet was a good tool. It is much easier to research Sarajevo as there is so much more information out there. I also used the Thomas Cook City Spots – Sarajevo (by Tim Clancy who also wrote the Bradt guide) and Fodors Eastern and Central Europe guide.

I read the People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (about the journey of the Haggadah). I found it interesting but thought the contemporary storyline was somewhat contrived. I read – twice - the Cellist of Sarajevo by Stephen Galloway. I am currently reading a book I bought in Sarajevo called Black Soul, a novel of the Bosnian war and after, of ''one man’s journey from the battle-torn hills of Sarajevo to the bustling, windblown streets of Chicago'' by Ahmet M Rahmanovic. It has only recently been published in the US, but I do recommend it if you are coming to Sarajevo.

http://www.blacksoul.us/

Films I’ve watched over the years have been the Oscar -winning No Man’s Land, Savior, Welcome to Sarajevo, A Shot Through The Heart. The last 3 are US films, but the Bosnian film Pretty Village Pretty Flame is immensely shocking. There was also a British TV drama series called Warriors, about the army’s role in Bosnia as UN peacekeepers based near Vitez, who were constrained by strict rules of engagement which made them powerless to stop ethnic cleansing and left many traumatised.

These are the websites I found the most useful...

http://www.bhtourism.ba/eng/

http://www.sunshineworldbosnia.com/index.html (primarily a ski website but still quite a lot of info, especially on Sarajevo)

http://www.discoverbosnia.com/

http://www.balkanology.com/bosnia/index.html

http://www.sonar.ba/discover.php?lang=en

http://www.jeffreysguide.com/2009/06...d-spot-of.html

http://www.hiddenbosnia.com/index_fi...velBosnia.html

…and of course TripAdvisor was a good place to find out things and Google was most helpful, leading me to websites like VirtualTourist where there were further snippets of info on some of the more remote places.


Flights.
There are no direct flights from the UK to Sarajevo. All involve a layover in Budapest, Frankfurt, somewhere, taking a minimum of 6 hours and usually more like 7 or 8 hours, and cost well over 200 GBP. They also go from London Heathrow or Gatwick.

When I saw flights to Split from my local airport (Bristol) with Easyjet for 44 GBP (32GBP for the return flight) I pounced on them! This was back in October 09.

I considered that the cost of the budget flight, plus car rental and fuel and then driving to Sarajevo would be around the same as flying there, would take around the same time, plus I would have the advantage of seeing so much more of the country and visiting other places – if I were brave enough. After mulling this over for several months, and considering alternatives I could do from Split, like Hvar, Vis, Zadar, I decided I could – and would! – drive to Sarajevo.


Car Rental.
I had used www.economycarrentals previously in Croatia and had no qualms about reserving with them again. I made my reservation in March and was charged a 20 euro deposit, and the balance was 109 euro (93 GBP). This was for 4 days and included the cross border card. They’d put me with Sixt according to the booking info but when I arrived at the Sixt desk I was sent outside to Last Minute Car Rentals. I was given an upgrade to an Astra GTC which was very whizzy but it was bigger than I’d wanted and I found it really quite difficult to see behind me when reversing and judging the distance at the front as well. When I returned the car all was well, but I saw from their price list that this Astra is normally twice the rental price of the little one I’d reserved!

When I picked up the car there was ¼ tank of fuel in it. I filled it up before I left Split (320 kuna/43 euro) and added a further 80 kuna/11 euro’s worth before I dropped it back. In fact I didn’t really need to do that but just wanted to ensure I wasn’t going to be accused of not returning it with a complete ¼ tank and charged accordingly.
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Old May 30th, 2010, 07:50 AM
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Very much looking forward to this !

M
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Old May 30th, 2010, 08:25 AM
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Thought of you this morning and wondered about your trip. So happy to find this!

Looking forward to more

~M
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Old May 30th, 2010, 11:22 AM
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Driving, routes and roads.
I bought the best map I could find – the Freytag & Berndt 1:600 000 (on amazon). I followed my planned routes on google earth to see if there were any truly terrifying parts. In fact I scanned these roads thoroughly several times, though I didn’t really look closely at the Sarajevo-Mostar road, assuming that because it was a major route it would be fine, but I found it was actually quite scary to drive in places, there was one especially twisting mountainous descent that had me all a-tremble!

I planned to pass Split, head for Sinj then at Brnaze turn off to Trulj and the border crossing at Kamensko. Then on to Livno, Bugojno, Donji Vakuf and finally Travnik where I would be staying the first night.

Setting off from Split was worrying to start with, heading up towards Sinj over viaducts and through tunnels. Did I mention I get vertigo? It’s always worse on bridges. Once on the quieter road to Trulj I began to relax as there were fewer cars. Signage was good as I headed to the border at Kamensko. The roads were good too, occasionally a little bumpy but generally OK with lots of solid-looking guardrails on the bends as the road climbed up and down. As I arrived at the border mine was the only car in sight. The guards scrutinised my passport and all the papers carefully before stamping my passport, I think they were a little surprised to see a lone Englishwoman there!

Until Donji Vakuf there was virtually no traffic, I had the road mostly to myself which was lovely because I could potter along at my own pace and admire the gorgeous vistas and views which opened up around each curve of the road. I was able to pull over without any trouble to stop and take pictures. After Kamensko I drove past a lovely lake called Busko Jezero. The road climbed up and down but nothing too steep or scary. At the top of each ascent there would be the most spectacular view behind me, and then another ahead of me. Some valleys were steep, narrow and rocky, pretty much uninhabited, almost a moonscape, with maybe a few goats roaming about. There were few villages or houses around, and I noticed most were built alpine-style, with steep sloping roofs. Some were very nice, others half-built and empty, others also unfinished yet lived in. Then there were fabulous fertile valleys, so lush and green. This was further inland.

After a while I passed by Suica and Malovan in the Milac river valley. This was a glorious wide green fertile valley, surrounded by towering mountains but here there were clear signs of war damage with lots of abandoned, derelict and deserted houses. There were also many small graveyards. There was one amazing memorial monument, just in the middle of nowhere. Something must have gone on here, and an internet search told me some of the most severe battles during the WWII in ex-Yugoslavia took place here. In the more recent conflict of the early 1990s Mt. Malovan found itself on the frontline, Here in this part of Herzegovina I only saw churches. It wasn’t until Porice in Bosnia that I saw the first mosque.

Still in Herzegovina, I drove through Kupres which was a lovely looking place. This is a winter ski resort and I could see the lifts on the side of the mountains.

http://www.adriaski.net/kupres.html

Just outside Kupres there is a long tunnel through the mountain and this is the crossing from Herzegovina into Bosnia. The roads remained quiet as I drove on to and out of Bugojno. The roads twisted up and down through wonderful hills and valleys with streams and waterfalls. It was all so green and verdant. Still amazingly little traffic.

Around here I stopped on the side of the road where there was a man selling cheese and tasted the 3 kinds he had. I bought some of the Livno hard cheese which was delicious. There was also some smoked cheese and a really salty sour soft cheese. I had no BiH currency at that time because you can’t get it in the UK, but I had kuna and euros. He spoke no English but made it clear he would prefer kuna. I nibbled on the hard local cheese as I drove on,

I noticed grass was being cut, and formed into old-fashioned haystacks, piled around a wig-wam-like framework of sticks. Also along this part of my route there were lots of rainbow-coloured beehives, and many roadside stalls selling honey, the signs read ‘med’. There were also stalls selling cow hides and goatskins, pots and pans, and rugs. I find myself amazed by the patience of these people, sitting at the side of the road daily for 8, 10, 12 hours, just waiting for a little passing traffic to stop. Oh, and on very many houses there were rugs hung over balconies, porches and fences to air, or maybe dry after cleaning?

Donji Vakuf was a busy town, and then I was on the main Zagreb-Sarajevo road and there was much more traffic. The road wound down again through deep wooded mountainsides and valleys. I stopped for an overnight stay in Travnik.

On Day 2 I proceeded to Sarajevo stopping in Visoko. I got on a side road to get back to the main road, and this was narrow, bumpy, and it crossed the main Sarajevo-Zagreb railway line without any barriers – that was a heart in the mouth moment! I couldn’t see a train but there might have been one speeding along the line just seconds away, about to sweep me along and crush me… it’s one of my nightmares. Anyway, deep breath, foot down, plenty of revs and I got across OK! A few miles on I was back on a major highway which had toll booths built but not yet open. At one point I did have to stop at a toll point close to Sarajevo and was charged 1.5KM.

Driving in Sarajevo was I suppose like driving in any city, coping with traffic and trams and pedestrians. Here the main road goes in one way alongside the river, turns by the National Library at the end of the Bascarsija and goes back in one direction on the other side. I had studied the maps well and sort of knew exactly where I was meant to be going and found it quite easily. The parking for my hotel was across the street in a 24hour guarded car park. The space allocated for me was quite tight and I had a little trouble parking, not helped by the fact that the attendant spoke absolutely no English! But I got parked up in the end with a bit of help from a very nice gentleman who needed to get his car out.

Day 3 I stayed on foot in Sarajevo and didn’t drive at all!

Day 4, on leaving Sarajevo I drove directly to Mostar along the main E73. This is the most fantastically scenic road, but there are so many curves and bends it is hard to really look and enjoy. I found this the most challenging and scary drive so far. I crept down the mountain very slowly in 3rd gear changing to 2nd on the bends! I must have driven other drivers nuts going so slowly as I was overtaken on many occasions! The views everywhere were stunning. There were quite a few places to pull over, but they all seemed to be on the other side and I was quite nervous about cutting across the oncoming traffic. Anyway, one photo of a mountain looks much like another after a while! After Konjic the road improved, and there were some gorgeous lakes by the side of the road, maybe it was a wide part of a river but it was beautiful.

At Jablanica you pass from Bosnia to Herzegovina, and enter the valley of the Neretva river. This is the most incredible green colour, and winds its way through steep mountain valleys. You can see the train tracks along the side of the mountain, and it must be one of the most scenic railways in the world. Along the way there are stalls along the roadside selling spit-roasted lamb, quite a few had tour buses parked up and were therefore busy. It was only about noon and I wanted to get on to Mostar for lunch so I didn’t stop. There were cherry-sellers along the roadsides here as well.

In Mostar I surprised myself by being able to find my way directly to the car park in the old town, just up from the Kriva Cuprija bridge. This brought back memories of my previous visit in October 2007 when fodorite Barb and I met up and stayed at the Kriva Cuprija Motel.

From Mostar I had planned to drive to Siroki Brijeg, Kocerin and on to the border crossing near Imotski. Twice I drove round Mostar and could not find this road, I think I might have been on the wrong side of the town, as signage is not so good in this area. So I ended up on the main Dubrovnik road, thinking that I could either go all the way south to the coast and then drive up the Adriatic Highway back to Split which I’ve done in the past, or I could turn right at Capljina and cut across that way past Medjugorje. Undecided I continued south.

So, I’m driving down this main road, and I see one of those brown tourist-attraction signs to Medjugorje. A bus is coming out, so I think that even though this is a white (meaning very minor) road on my map this will be OK and I turn off the main road.

Oh dear! Bad decision! The road soon narrows, still wide enough for 2 cars to pass but only just and it starts to climb, up and up and round and round and up and round and up and round again and the bends get tighter – and it goes on like this. For what seems like miles and miles. It probably really was a good few miles! The only guard rail is very low and rusty and broken in places and I am seriously scared. Frankly I was terrified and I don’t mind admitting it. My hands are sweating and clinging so tight to the wheel, but they are slipping, my feet have that vertigo-induced tingling sensation, I am hunched forward over the wheel as far away from the edge as I can get!
I felt sick, I wanted to stop but knew that I could never drive back down that mountain even if I could turn round, because that would be even worse, so I carried on. I was overtaken at times, and another bus came down, squeezing me over to the edge though thankfully at that point I was on the inside of the mountain. I prayed the entire drive up, I prayed to my guardian angel and all the other angels constantly to watch over me, and I remembered to thank them each time I successfully negotiated a particularly tricky piece of road before I asked them again to keep me safe on the next bend.

At last I emerged on to a wide plateau and the road was flat and straight. But then I started to think OMG, what goes up must come down! Anyway, this was a highly cultivated area, masses of vineyards and vegetable crops planted. Here the cut grass was baled not stacked. This is one of the main wine-growing regions of Herzegovina.

I came to Citluk and took the road to Medjugorje thinking I might stop there, but there were so many tour buses and cars and people it was going to be impossible and it was already 3.30 so I continued on to Ljubuski. Shortly after I had the option of crossing back into Croatia at Vrgorac, but a quick look at the map showed me this was a white road – ie a very minor road, and I knew that at some point this would have to descend to the coast. After my earlier terrifying experience I decided to stay on the yellow road which at least was a bit of a better road and hopefully a bit safer. Continuing on, the houses were more of the villa-style now, and this seemed like quite a prosperous area. In the villages there were stalls selling flowers, like geraniums and petunias and planted hanging baskets. Mostly I had seen gardens filled with vegetables and very few flowers. This was a really pleasant part of the drive. The town of Grude was attractive too. The border crossing was easy and I was just waved through, then the road started to climb up again, twisting and turning and I got all scared again as there was a lot of traffic hurtling toward me and I was on the outside and didn’t like to get too close to the guard rail even though this looked quite strong and secure. I could tell there was the most incredible view behind me of this green valley and mountains surrounding it but I didn’t dare take a look! I just got occasional glimpses in the mirrors and when I went round bends. I couldn’t believe we were still going higher! Then I came to the town of Imotski, and the road started to slope quite gently down, though fairly straight now.

I decided at Cisto Provo to turn left towards the coast and get on the new A1 at Sestanovac. Here the road wound down steeply, but the surfacing was good and the guard rails were new and nice and high! This was no problem for me.

I took a toll ticket before getting on the A1 and then it was 130km up to Split. This new road is 2 lanes, with lots of tunnels. Some of these have speed limits, and I noticed some had signs outside them featuring what looked like bears and wolves. Afterwards I wondered if these were warning signs – beware of bears and wolves! The road does cut along the sides of the coastal mountains so I suppose it is always possible? After paying my toll of 14 kuna at Split, I made my way to Trogir where I was spending the night.

Next - Travnik, Blue Water and an ancient fortress

Driving times.
The drive from Split Airport near Trogir to Travnik took me 3 ½ hours including a couple of short stops.
I was in Sarajevo about 4 hours after leaving Travnik, going via Visoko where I stopped for a good couple of hours.
Sarajevo to Mostar was 2 ½ hours, mostly because I drove so slowly coming down those mountains!
My route from Mostar to the border at Grude/Imotski was a bit of a long way round, but I got into Trogir 4 ¼ hours after leaving Mostar, including a couple of stops. Another time I would definitely try to find the shorter route that I initially planned but couldn’t find.
When I drove from Trogir to Mostar previously along the Adriatic Highway as far as Metkovic and then up the E73 to Mostar it took me around 3 ½ hours, so this really wasn’t that much more.

I forgot to check the mileage (in kilometres of course!) when I handed back the car, but I used a full tank of petrol so I’d guess about 350 miles based on the fact that my car at home is a similar size and averages 400 miles to a tank, and that I did drive a fair amount using low gears.

So as for my original question as to whether travelling to Sarajevo by plane only from a London airport as opposed to flying to Split from a local airport and then driving was a) cheaper and b) quicker, the answer is it cost about the same, just a little bit cheaper, and time taken was also about the same given that it is a 2 ¼ hour flight from Bristol to Split. But it was much more interesting doing it my way than sitting on planes and hanging around airport lounges. Much more fulfilling too.

Incidentally, Continental Airlines fly from Newark to Bristol daily, which might be of interest if anyone wants to try a slightly different route to Croatia via Easyjet.
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Old May 30th, 2010, 12:18 PM
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Great report, Julia! Hard not to get sweaty palms reading about your driving experiences, though!

What did you think of Sarajevo? What was it like walking around? How would you compare it to other places you've visited? Were the people friendly? Indifferent? Did you see any UN presence or mostly locals?
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Old May 30th, 2010, 01:40 PM
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Thank you so much for your trip report, julia....it was very concise and informative! We will be in Croatia and Slovenia for close to a month, and will also travel to B-H from Split through Kamensko, using much of the same route as you did. Your details will be of great help to us.

Thanks again.

Joy
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Old May 31st, 2010, 02:26 AM
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Here is a batch of photos, I added descriptions but they seem to have got lost somewhere!

Anyway, these pics are taken from when I crossed the border, driving through Herzegovina and then in Travnik.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5070021...174278/detail/

I'll post about Travnik later. Sarajevo will be posted too! It is still all a jumble in my head, I saw and did a lot, and I didn't write enough down in my notebook so I need a bit of time to remember it all.

Thank you all for your kind comments.
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Old May 31st, 2010, 04:13 AM
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TRAVNIK

Travnik was once the home of the Ottoman rulers of Bosnia and was an ancient trading place in medieval times with the carsija (market) filled with traders from Dubrovnik, Serbia and other Ottoman territories. During the 16th-19th centuries it was know as the European Istanbul. The Old Town and the fortress dominate the town. There are many mosques. It is a very picturesque place, and there are some incredible views from the fortress.

There is very little accommodation in Travnik, and due to some issues with my foot and ankle I decided to stay at the Motel Aba which is right in the Old Town and very close to most of the main sights. It has parking spaces.

http://www.aba.ba/abaJ/index.php?lang=english

I reserved a single room by email for the grand price of 15 euros, breakfast included. On arrival I was shown into a fairly large room with two beds and a strange bulky chair which was obviously a further bed. The bathroom was small but adequate, but everything was a bit tired and shabby though clean. I had a room at the back of the building so there wasn't too much noise from the main road. The window looked onto another building, but to the side there was a view directly up to the fortress which was nice to have. It is true you get what you pay for, but all other options seemed to be out of the town, or at least much further out. Anyway this was fine as I’m not too fussy and I’ve stayed in worse rooms for much more money, for example a room like this would cost around 80 euros in Paris.

I freshened up and went out to see the Plava Voda – meaning Blue Water. This is a fast-flowing stream that tumbles down through the town, and the water really is a wonderful shade of turquoise blue, which doesn’t really come across in my pictures. This was a busy area with two restaurants on each side of the water. They were all called Restaurant Plava Voda but all had different coloured tablecloths and seemed to have different menus too. Many people were walking around, having coffee, it seemed to be quite a social thing, maybe a bit like the passiegata in Italy. I heard no one else speaking English at all in my entire time in Travnik, and there were very few other people who looked like they might have been tourists, ie with cameras!

At this time I had no BiH currency, the Convertible Mark – KM – but had been assured that the euro is an acceptable currency due to an agreement whereby there is a two-currency system. The euro to KM rate is fixed at approximately 1 euro = 2 KM. I had asked at the hotel if there was a ‘bankomat’ nearby and was told I could only get money from it when the bank was open. Seemed strange to me but the receptionist told me not to bother until tomorrow.

I sat down at one restaurant under the weeping willow trees ready to order cevapcici, the little meaty sausages, but then discovered they did not sell alcohol. I was more than ready for some wine by now! So I crossed the stream and sat on the other side where alcohol was served. Apart from a full 75cl bottle which I did not want, the wine only came in little 20cl bottles – just like at the Buza Bar in Dubrovnik!

I had my order of 10 pieces of cevapi which came with that lovely soft bread and kajmak (soft cheese) and a shopska salad and 2 little bottles of Grasevina. The bill was 18.50 KM, but 10 euros was enough including a tip. I wandered around a bit, eating a lemon ice which I bought for .50KM from a little shop. Then I returned to the hotel.

My room was 101 and on the first floor close to the top of the stairs. This meant I found it quite noisy, with the sound of people’s voices echoing up the stairwell from the reception area, but I didn’t realise this until later that night! The bed was comfortable with quite a firm mattress, and I slept fairly well until around 4am when the call to prayer started from the nearby mosque and the dawn chorus was in full swing. So many very noisy little birds!

Breakfast was a disappointingly dry roll and soft cheese. There were also jams, fruit conserves and cold meats, which I didn’t fancy.

I paid and checked out, telling them I’d be back to collect my car later. It was shortly before 8am. I walked about 100m across the main road into the main part of town, where I found a bank open and the cashpoint worked just fine. I daresay it would have worked last night as well. I saw the Sarena or Coloured Mosque which was lovely in the early morning sun with its beautiful fruit and flower paintings on the walls. It is considered by some to be the loveliest mosque in the Balkans. The amazing carved wood doors were open, so I removed my shoes, pulled my scarf over my head and went in for a look round, you can see it in my photos.

I decided to proceed up to the fortress. It is quite a steep hike, but it’s not far. There are some fascinating houses along the way as well, of many different architectural styles. At the fortress there were a few workmen doing restoration work, and a woman who welcomed me in for the admission fee of 2KM (1 euro).

My goodness, the views from up here were spectacular! There is a museum in the tower with quite a few artefacts, costumes, weapons. There is no signage in English so it was a bit difficult to know what some of the items were, and the woman overseeing the museum didn’t speak English. However, upstairs in the tower the walls are lined with photos and posters of the history of the town and area from Neolithic times up to the present day, and here there are laminated sheets with an English translation.

There was another room with a mosaic and some carved tombstones, and outside the tower but still within the walls is a sort of amphitheatre with what looks like a stage below. It was all delightful and I spent about an hour up at the fortress. Wandering back down I went to look at the Plava Voda again, but by now there were 3 busloads of schoolchildren screeching around, and I didn’t stay long before getting into my car and setting off towards Sarajevo.

More about Travnik here…

http://www.bhtourism.ba/eng/travnik.wbsp
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Old May 31st, 2010, 06:15 AM
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I'm really enjoying this. Thank you. I travelled through BiH in 2008 but by train from Zagreb and bus to Dubrovnik. Didn't get to the out-of-the-way places you saw. Also didn't have that scary drive.
Looking forward to reading what you did in Sarajevo.
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Old May 31st, 2010, 07:06 AM
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Julia-I will be visiting Sarajevo in September. Can you give me ideas on things to see there. Any other tips?
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Old May 31st, 2010, 07:22 AM
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scatcat - I really enjoyed Sarajevo, and will get that part of my trip written later this week. I really packed a lot into my time there, so I hope you'll find some of it interesting and useful for planning your visit.
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Old May 31st, 2010, 07:27 AM
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Thanks, I'll be watching.
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Old May 31st, 2010, 07:28 AM
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Fantastic report, you are my new travel hero. Thanks for the details and telling us your honest feelings.
SeaUrchin is offline  
Old May 31st, 2010, 08:15 AM
  #17  
 
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The last time I visited Sarajevo was in 1990 ( before the war). Looking forward to more of your report.
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Old May 31st, 2010, 09:15 AM
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I wrote earlier that >

I'd just like to point out that it was actually only about 40km to Split, but the speed limit was 130kph!
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Old Jun 1st, 2010, 01:45 PM
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Julia, great report!! You are one brave woman to do all that on your own. I could feel your terror going up that mountain road. Loved the photos too. Brought back some great memories of our time together in Mostar. Looking forward to reading about Sarajevo.
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Old Jun 1st, 2010, 02:08 PM
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What an interesting report. I am enjoying reading it.. still have to re-read some parts. Thanks for posting.
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