Photo Diary - Bosnia & Herzegovnia

Having grown up in the 90s surrounded by news stories of the wars tearing through Bosnia, it had always been a country that fascinated me.  I never thought I'd have a chance to explore it however, until I headed to Croatia last summer and it's wealth of day trips it offers to surrounding Balkan states.  Seriously, the wealth of adventures Croatia offers is mindblowing!

With only a day spare to spend exploring Bosnia & Herzegovnia, we took a Viator tour costing around £50 to ensure we got the most out of it.  With stops in Neum (Bosnia's only seaside town), the holy town of Medjugorje, Mostar and Pocitelj, we were treated to a whirlwind overview of this beautiful country, seeing the religious angles, the war affected areas and old historical sights.  Fascinating doesn't even cover the trip if I'm being truly honest.  Here's a snapshot below of what we were treated to.  An adventure I'd recommend to everyone.

My Bosnia & Herzegovnia Top 5:

• Marvel at the border control system. With the Croatian/Bosnian borders overlapping a few times, you pass in and out of border control various times.  Sometimes they'll check your passport, sometimes they'll not, sometimes they'll even just ask who's onboard and just check the American and Japanese passports.  It's an eye-opener!
• Take a quick walk round Medjugorje and try to time it for when a mass is on.  There's even plenty of outdoor confession areas designated to most languages.
• It's a no-brainer but head to Mostar. Head to the little store over the Stari Most bridge which shows the before and after effects of the destruction of the bridge in the 90s.  Dip your toes in the water under the bridge and if you're lucky, you may even get to catch one of the bridge divers jumping off the bridge (24m into the shallow water below!).
• Climb to the top of Sahat-Kula fort where you'll be treated to beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and get to peek through the ruins of the fort.
• Climb the bell tower at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Mostar.  The stairs...there are HUNDREDS, which is an adventure in itself. And so is the moment the bell rings as you are climbing the stairs...