Friendly Bosnia and Herzegovina

Wow! What an experience Bosnia and Herzegovina was! I highly suggest this country to anybody going on a trip soon. Its in this awesome stage in its history between the war and becoming a hot tourist destination. It makes for an incredibly authentic and not very touristy experience but with enough touristic development that you aren't likely to get lost or lack things to do. I really believe that Sarajevo will be Europes next tourism hotspot. There is so much history in this country and some of the biggest events are very recent. The war between 1992 and 1995 have had a huge impact on the country and its people. This is evident everywhere you go. Some landscapes you are not allowed to access due to remaining active landmines and even in the capital, Sarajevo, there are still war torn and abandoned buildings. In the streets of Sarajevo you can see the "Sarajevo roses" bullet holes in the pavement have been filled with red plaster to mark the sights of civilian massacres. It truly is sad but a good reminder to never forget the pain this country has gone through.

I started by Bosnian adventure in Mostar. My hostel hosts were warm and welcome. Nina and her mother picked me up at the bus station even though my bus was almost 2 hours late. After settling in and meeting the other guests, Ninas mom made us guests a wonderful, authentic meal and we all sat out on the terrace chatting away.

   Mostar was probably the one city to come out of the war the most destroyed. It was the frontline during the war and a lot of the buildings are still destroyed and abandoned. The citys beautiful Ottoman era bridge was destroyed and many people still get emotional when remembering the day it fell. It has since been rebuilt and is the highlight of the city. There is a diving club that will jump off the bridge, which might I add is extremely high! Its apparently quite dangerous and some people have died doing it. For a fee tourists can jump off the bridge also. Its about 50KM ($37 CAD) to jump feet first and about 500KM ($375 CAD) to jump head first. Even the trained bridge divers only jump off head first a few times in their career. Anybody could really walk up to the bridge and jump off at anytime... But then they wouldn't be able to sign their name in the book, which of course is mostly filled with Aussies. Besides the bridge, I absolutely adored wandering through the market (everything is dirt cheap) and enjoying Bosnian coffee at the cafes. Seeing the mosque minarets peeking above the city skyline and hearing the call of prayer 5 times a day was another novelty I very much enjoyed. Its just so peaceful to listen to. Especially at dusk.

From Mostar, I made my way to Sarajevo. The train ride was only 5 Euros ($7.50 CAD) but some of the scenery was very beautiful. It goes up through the mountains so it kinda reminds me a bit of being at home. Sarajevo, at first glance didn't seem as though it had a lot to offer. However, after a day I was absolutely hooked on this city. Its so laid back! People sit and enjoy the day in the many cafes, wandering from one to the next. The old town market is unlike any other old town I have seen. The water follows freely from the many mosque fountains. Plus, if you drink the water from the fountain in Pigeon square it is said you will return again to Sarajevo in some way, shape or form. I lazily enjoyed my time most days eating, drinking and all around living like a queen. Its so cheap in Sarajevo that anyone can afford to eat out all the time. I did several tours and day trips from the city. I did a city tour, the Tunnel of hope tour and a day trip to Skakavac waterfalls (I'll do a separate post on my waterfall adventure). There is so much to see and do around/between Mostar and Sarajevo that I could have easily spent much more time here.

Whether or not its due to the magic of the water in pigeon square, I feel I will come back to Bosnia and Herzegovina again in my life time.

Mostar

 One of the largest mosques

 The market.

 The bridge from above.

 There were bullet holes in the facade of almost every building.

 Beautiful Mostar and its cherished bridge.

 Those are all bullet holes. 

 Some more of the remaining destruction from the war.

Sarajevo

 The Pigeon Square fountain. Note: the pigeons in the back ground.

 Some of the Sarajevo roses.

 Inside a pretty mosque courtyard.

 Buregdzinica. Its kind of like Burek. Just another kind of rolled phyllo pie... but smothered in sourcream!

 Vladimir and Raquel. I met Raquel at my hostel. Vladimir is from Sarajevo. He shared some stories and an unbiased view of the war with us. He also took us to his favourite cafe and restaurant. He was a very kind person!

 The market.

 Inside the Tunnel of Hope.

 Entrance to the tunnel.

Artillery shells remaining from the war.

I made yet another cute little furry friend.

Team Korcula move on.

After our funny few weeks in Korcula, Alice, Amy, Eddie and I all decided to explore Kotor, Montenegro and Dubrovnik. We made our way out of Korcula on the water taxi early in the morning and spent the day in Dubrovnik hanging around the bus station. We then jumped on a bus to Herceg Novi where we jumped on yet another bus, which might I add was probably built in the 60s and looked like it was on its last legs, to our final destination of Kotor. Unfortunately, Eddie came by the flu and wasn't able to enjoy our time there as much but us gals made the best of it. We wandered around Kotors old town and decided to climb to the top of the Fortress. We had a grand time, despite a sudden down pour while making our way back down the hill. The top of the fortress offered some great views of Kotor and the fjord.

After a couple nights in Kotor we made our way back to Dubrovnik for one night. We thought we had booked a hostel dorm room but when we arrived it turns out we had rented a whole 4 person apartment to ourselves! We had a deck, cable TV, a kitchen and two bed rooms! And the entire thing cost us only about 20$ CAD each. I think we all wished that we didn't have to move on so soon so we could have stayed and enjoyed our little apartment for a bit longer. Unfortunately, we only had one night booked because Eddie, Amy and Alice were flying out to Barcelona the next day and I was heading to Mostar. We made the most of our time sprawled on the beach, cooked a good meal in the evening and wandered the old town by night.

 It was sad to say goodbye to Team Korcula. I had such a great time with my three new pals and we made some hilarious new memories together. I honestly don't think I could have asked to meet people any more awesome then they are! I look farward to seeing each and everyone of you again in your own countries!! RED CARD for the win!

 The water taxi.

 To the fortress we go!

The lovely Dalmatian Coast

From Zagreb I made my way to Split. I had been inland for almost two months by this point and I was desperately missing the salt air of the coast. I don't think in my whole life time I have ever been away from the coast for so long. In theory, I took the train from Zagreb to Split. It was a bizarre trip though because once again the tracks were being worked on. Along the way we passed fields filled with lang mines, old tanks left in fields, and memorial stones laid along the side of the road. Presumably, marking the places of fallen soldiers. So, three trains and a bus later I finally made it to Split. 

My reunion with the salt air was so sweet! I stepped off the train and was greeted by about a dozen little old ladies trying to get me to stay in their advertised "sobe, zimmer, rooms". They see a backpack and its like an immediate target. However, they are mostly friendly and I have gotten used to them since because they seem to be at every station in the Balkans. I made my way to my hostel, which was along the old city walls in the public market. I love markets so this was like a dream for me. Our terrace at the hostel overlooked the markets food stalls. I was always so tempted while sitting up there looking down on everyone. Of course, as is natural for me when it comes to food and markets, I gave in several times.

Splits old town is amazingly well preserved and I had a wonderful time wandering through and just strolling. I walked up to the top of the hill one day to check out the amazing sea and town views. However, I spent most of my time at the beach. It was pretty calm the first two days but my last day it was filled with music and a salsa party and zumba classes on the beach.

From Split I headed on to Korcula, where I had a workaway lined up. It proved to be possibly one of the best and worst experiences I have ever had on a Workaway before. My boss was a moody, socially incompetent, lazy pervert who hit on any female. Especially, his guests. However, the people I worked with were absolutely wonderful! I made some seriously awesome friends named Amy, Eddie and Alice. Amy and Eddie are from New Zealand and Alice is from London. We had such a great time together despite our boss, who quickly learned that I was not a fan of his bossy, lazy, pervert ways and didn't try to bother me much after that. The four of us had a blast entertaining the hostel guests, making up silly games, and lazing it on the beach or in the hostel pool. We made light of what could have been a horrible Workaway, didn't take our bosses demands to seriously, and enjoyed our time to the fullest. I could not have asked to meet better people and they truly were a highlight of my entire trip thus far! I can't wait to see them all again soon!

Split

 The promenade.

 I like to make four legged friends everywhere I go.

 The wonderful view!

 A cute old man in the market below the hostel terrace.

 Beach tanners.

 I was apparently really excited about the ocean!

 View of the market and old city walls from the hostel terrace.

Korcula

 Itty bitty kitty and her itty bitty baby. They lived outside our neighborhoods grocery store. I visited them everyday but they went missing our last several days. I sure hope they are ok.

 We rented a paddle boat a few times. We had such a blast on that little thing. And for $6/hour it cost us virtually nothing between the 4 of us!

 The crew, some of our most awesome guests, and of course our infamous, weirdo boss, Dragan. Can you guess which one he is? (Hint: He has a towel on his head and no pants.)

 This was our rock jumping place! So epic!

 One of the Irish lads had several different Canadian themed shirts. This one was the absolute best!

PS- Why does the Victoria shirt have a moose on it? We don't even have moose!

 Team Korcula!

A sight in the pretty Korcula old town. I will miss this place to no end.