Mostar 🇧🇦

Today we left our lovely hotel in Drvenik and headed over the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to the UNESCO old city of Mostar. Dressed as a giant bar code, we met our guide and had a walking tour of the town.

The cobbled streets were lined with lots of colourful shops selling all sorts from scarves, souvenirs and of course, a genuine (although incredibly obvious) fake. We walked over the iconic Stari Most bridge, which has since been rebuilt following the 90s conflicts. It is also known for people jumping off it into the river below. We were hopeful that the chap in his budgie smugglers would give us the ooooh we were waiting for, however he took the loose change and did nothing else apart from ask for more money off people. From the minute we got there to the minute we left, he was there, ready and waiting for the 23 metre jump. I’m sure he made a fortune today, but whether he took the plunge, we will never know!

We were also taken to a traditional Turkish house, where there was a tortoise roaming free in the grounds. Unfortunately one of the tour group (one half of the friends with benefits) didn’t see the tortoise, and ended up kicking it in the face 🐢

After the tour we were left to our own devices, so following advice from Google we went to the Lučki Most bridge for a better view of the Start Most, and it was indeed the perfect place to see it. As is tradition in Mostar, we had to try the coffee. Traditional Bosnian coffee is freshly ground into a fine powder, which is then put into a special pot called cezve or ibrik. Boiled water is poured over it and the mixture is then put back to the burner, and heated till the coffee starts to rise. I have to say, although verrrrry strong it was actually very nice!

I really enjoyed Mostar. Would I recommend it for a few days.. probably not. But if you get chance to visit for the day I would 100% recommend it. It has a certain charm and is rich with culture, history and beautiful buildings.

This afternoon we returned to Dubrovnik (after being stuck at the border for an hour) where we will be spending the next few days. We are staying on the outskirts of the town in a questionable hotel where the rooms resemble something from a retirement home. However it’s only a base to sleep and eat.. so can’t complain!