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Trebinje, the City of the Sun and the Plane Trees
Trebinje is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, huddled in a valley along the Trebisnjica River. It is part of Bosnia, yet not quite. The area is populated by mostly Serbian people. As we entered the territory, we spotted a curious sign that said, “Welcome to the Republika Srpska” (“Welcome to the Republic of the Serb People”). In a previous story, I explained that Republika Srpska is a Serbian territory that covers large parts of northern Bosnia (called Bosanska
Atlas and Anthology
A Walk Around Mostar
We parked the bus at the base of Hum Hill in front of a big souvenir store and washroom complex and met our local guide for the walking tour. As we were right beside the Catholic church, we went there first. The Catholic Church of St. Peter and St. Paul was built in the Ottoman era but was completely destroyed during the Bosnian War. It was rebuilt in 2000 on the foundations of the previous building with a much higher bell tower, which, according to our guide, is currently th
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Mostar, Then and Now
As we approached Mostar, our Tour Director told us more stories about the war in the Balkans. He passed along some black and white photographs showing the famous Mostar Bridge and the city’s main streets totally destroyed by the armed conflict. He told us to keep those images in mind when we see how the bridge and the city look like now. Mostar is a lively little town that spans the deep valley of the Neretva River. It is the capital of the Herzegovina district and is the fif
Atlas and Anthology
A Connecting Bridge, a Fallen Bridge, and the Best Lamb Sandwich
The drive from Sarajevo to Mostar took only two hours or so. Though we were going to a different district, we were still in Bosnia and there were no borders to cross. The scenery was spectacular no matter which side of the bus you were sitting at – mountains, canyons, the Neretva River, picturesque villages, old bridges. "I could get used to this," I said, with a reminder that I should just enjoy the moment, but not get used to it too much, lest I suffer from beautiful-scener
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Of Miracles and Pyramids in Bosnia
As our bar circle thinned out (because at this time, the youngsters had already formed their own little bands, my roommate included, and made their own night-out plans), I told our Tour Director that I had two questions for him before I retired for the night. First, I wanted to know where Medjugorje is and what the closest major city is. I told him that I am Catholic and that a pilgrimage to Medjugorje is on my bucket list (even though this apparition site is not yet formally
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Lessons in Bosnian History at a "Fancy" Hotel
On our way to the hotel, our Tour Director once again reminded us that we were in Bosnia, so we had to lower our expectations a little bit when it comes to hotel amenities. He said that our hotel was not bad at all and the staff are friendly and helpful, but the rooms could be lacking in certain ways. Once we got there, we understood what he meant. The room assigned to my roommate and I was a spacious suite in a corner of the top floor that could fit a family of five or more.
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The Bridge Where World War I Began and Some Burek
Our Tour Director walked with us to the Latin Bridge, the one place that I wanted to see in Sarajevo. This is not an ordinary bridge. This pale-stone triple-arch bridge was constructed in 1798 to replace a stone bridge that was washed away by the floods in 1791, and an older wooden bridge. It was named after the neighbourhood on the other side of the river where Sarajevo’s Catholic community resided. But the attraction here is not the bridge per se, but the incident that occu
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Drinks at Tesla's and a Peek at an Old Caravanserai
No, we didn’t go to Nikola Tesla’s house nor visited a museum dedicated to him. We didn’t ride a Tesla car either (this was 2019). Instead, we went to the Tesla Pub, obviously named after the famous inventor and engineer. And if anyone had doubts, the life-sized sculpture of Nikola greeting you by the pub’s door would obliterate it. The Tesla statue sits there, in a “thinking” pose with a light bulb placed on his lap. It was as if he was pondering on his next invention. On th
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Sarajevo, A Blend of East and West
Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the greater Sarajevo Valley of Bosnia, surrounded by the Dinaric Mountains (which we just traversed) and situated along the Miljacka River. The first thing we explored in Sarajevo was the Old Town. I couldn’t help but notice how starkly different it is from any European city I’ve been to. In fact, it felt like I was outside Europe, or maybe, its outskirts. The vibe was a blend of East and Wes
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Touching Stories at the Border Crossing to Sarajevo
The drive from Belgrade, Serbia to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina took around five hours. We drove west on Highway E-70, south on Route 20, then southwest on Routes 136 and and 26, all mountain roads, until we were driving side by side the Drina River to the Karakaj Border. Our Tour Director said that the Drina is the largest tributary of the Sava River and forms a large portion of the border between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. At that moment, we were on the Serbia
Atlas and Anthology
Journey Through the Balkans
The Balkans is the region in southeast Europe long overshadowed by its western, central, and northern counterparts, but is now emerging as a tourism hotspot. More than a decade ago, I almost visited this place when my Iberian trip nearly fell through the cracks but got salvaged at the last minute. The Balkans was my second choice that time. Fast forward 2019 and it was also second on my travel options list. I was traveling solo again that time. My first plan was to visit Mach
Atlas and Anthology
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