Bosnia & Herzegovina

I feel quite privileged to have visited this place, especially in it's current state. Not having the E.U. connection (like Croatia) has seen progress after the war creep along very slowly. I was gob-smacked to see the devastation first hand. It really makes you realise how utterly stupid war is... especially when the only people hurt, are the innocents. Driving into Bosnia is a very sobering experience. On either side of the road, and for as far as one can see.... there is only rubble and burnt out buildings. Slowly but surely little pockets of humanity are returning, and re-building their lives and homes. I can't help thinking what a magnificant place this country would have been prior to the carnage. Visually, it is stunning. Here's our trip in a nutshell...

This is the sort of scene that greeted us on our approach into Mostar. I believe that used to be the library. One of the first places that gets destroyed during War. Some of those rocket holes are well over a metre in diametre.

A view of the library from the back. It's all fenced off and burnt out.. no-one is allowed to enter due to live ordinance still being present.

We figure this would have been some kind of parliament building, or possibly the town hall. Once a beautiful piece of eastern architecture.... now just a hollow dillapidated shell.

I snapped these girls eating ice cream in the shade of a bombed out hotel. A bright future presents itself out of a dark past.

Exploring the streets, and on our way to see the most famed building of this little town, it's not hard to see the Turkish influences. Difficult to believe that these same influences, helped contribute to ethnic disharmony. Why??

As we rounded the corner... there it was. Stari-most. The most famous bridge in the whole of Bosnia. The fighting centered around this landmark, was some of the most serious and bloody of the war. The story it has to tell is something else, and a trip to Mostar is worth it, for this alone.

Re-built, brick by brick, and restored painstakingly to it's former glory... it is a testament to the resilience and the human spirit of the people who call this place home. If you look closely, you can see Shagga and Bluey a couple of metres to the left of the apex.

Heres the mob on top of the bridge.

And this is the view from the bridge, looking north. As usual, the pictures never do it justice.

Every year late in July, local nutters and daredevils from all around the globe converge on Mostar to jump or dive from the old bridge. Tourists come to marvel at the size of these blokes cahones. It's a long way down, and the water although it looks nice, is very cold.

If that doesn't get you on edge, a sip of this stuff will. Supposedly the largest coffee percolator in the world. Who was I to argue. The coffee was great.

More of the Turkish influence.

And some gypsies, left homeless because of the war.


Heres some particularly menacing graffiti on a blown up building on the way out of town.

The road from Mostar to Sarajevo is one of the most spectacular I have ever travelled. Sheer rock walls, craggy mountains, tunnels galore and the most sublime coloured river snaking it's way through the valley. We stopped here for a spot of lunch. Roast lamb, potatoes and bread. We also sampled our first Bosnian beer here... which was damn good.

Arriving in Sarajevo was one of the most exhilarating and dis-heartening experiences of my life. As a kid I remember watching the winter olympics and thinking to myself.. 'what a beautiful place, i'd like to go there some day'. This is the National Library. It was gutted during the war and every last book was gathered and burnt, so as to erase the history of this remarkable place.


Scattered in the hills around the city, amongst homes and places of worship, are thousands upon thousands of graves. Wandering through these quiet cemetaries is eerie. Every gravestone bears the name of a man or woman, old and very young.. but they all have the same date on them. It's tragic.

This is some work from local artists that I thought was rather poignant.


Ever wondered what war is like?? This was a modern apartment complex on 'sniper alley' that must have been the setting for some heavy resistance. It is totally riddled with bullet and rocket holes. Now it just awaits demolition.


Not everything in Sarajevo is war torn. The city is on the mend. This Mosque is in the old Turkish Quarter. And it's a great place to escape the hustle of the city streets and the bustling market.

Another serene oasis is the rug shop. I spent some time here, chatting with the owner and sipping tea. The locals here have so much to say. I must admit it was terribly difficult to walk out of here without a 20kilo carpet on my back. This was perhaps the finest collection I've ever had the pleasure to peruse. And this is but one corner of the shop.


After a few short days in Sarajevo we hit the road again, and headed towards Montenegro. The drive was incredible. Towering mountains, gravity-defying rock formations, and these enormous trees clinging onto the rock. You can't see the scale here, but those trees are massive, and a long way up. How they survive and prosper is well beyond me.

I really enjoyed my brief stay in Bosnia & Herzegovina. It was enlightening. I will most definately be back there... except next time with Mezzy.

I'd encourage anyone to visit this place. I think it's important to witness a country so fresh from war... if only to make one appreciate just how fortunate we are.

Next stop.... Montenegro. The newest country on Earth.

DUBROVNIK- CROATIA...

A couple of weeks ago, I joined Shagga, Bluey and Woody on a little trip through Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro. Having never been there before, I had no idea of the beauty that this part of the world had to offer. Sparkling blue water, sheer rock walls, and medievil fortified towns. Although much restoration has taken place since the war of the 1990's, it's still a terribly charming place.

This is the sort of coastline you can expect to see, and the water we were forced to swim in. It was hot at this time of year... 35 degrees, so lazing about by the waters edge was our main focus.

I was on hand to witness this daredevil execute a perfect dive into the blue from at least 12 metres.


Lunch was another difficult decision... should I have the mussels, the squid, seafood risotto, or the local specialty- squid ink risotto. Maybe abit of each. Washed down with an infinately drinkable local beer, and some bread with oil and vinegar. Yum.

If that wasn't enough, theres ice-creameries galore. Here the crew hook in on the main street in Dubrovnik, just before sunset.

Climbing around the city walls late in the afternoon, offers up some pretty beautiful scenery. Up on the hill in the background was where Serbian forces set up camp, lobbing mortars down onto the old town.

Nooks and crannies everywhere.... exploring this old town was alot of fun.

On the long climb up to our apartment (470 uneven steps) you can catch glimpses of the old fort through crumbling walls.

And little offerings to Saints and Guardians of this ancient place.

I got up early one morning to walk the city walls, before the heat kicked in. And it was well worth the effort.

You get a much better perspective of the architecture and design of the old town.

I particularly love the old roof tiles. Slowly but surely they are being replaced with new ones since most were damaged during shelling by the Serbs.

Even the new ones have a certain appeal to them though.

This is the view from the base of the tallest tower of the city fortifications.

Some detail of carvings on one of the cities palaces.

And heres a picture of Bluey's place. Situated in Raba, about an hour north of Dubrovnik. He's just finished the renovations.... you should have seen it before.

Next stop Bosnia.....