York, UK

The city walls extend for 2.5 miles and enclose an area of 263 acres.

As “Vikings” we wanted to take a closer look at the city of York or Jorvik as the Vikings called the city 1000 years ago!

The largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe!

It took us only 20 minutes by train from Leeds to York. In York you will find wealth of cultural attractions like York Minister , Jorvik Viking Museum among several other museums and attractions.
Discover what life was really like over 1000 years ago at the Jorvik Viking Centre!

The walls that surround the city are some of the finest and most complete city walls in England.

The walls still retain all four of their impressive gateways into the city.

Enjoy the sights of the city onboard a riverboat, or take a stroll in the narrow streets with the old charming houses. The city appears busy and romantic at the same time. Take step out of the main streets and take a drink and relax at a cosy pub.

Newgate market has 110 stalls in a market square within Europe's largest single pedestrianised area. Prominent since the Middle Ages, Newgate market is the heart and soul of the city lying between The Shambles and Parliament Street.

We really loved  York, nice atmosphere and great views!

In the event that you have plans to make use of your electronic devices in your destination country, you will require your plug adapter. It will be wise for you to purchase this prior to your traveling owing to the fact that it might be more difficult to find them in your destination country.

 

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Blagaj - Bosnia & Herzegovina

On our way back to Croatia a local guy told us about a small town called Blagaj. We hit the road and drove 12 km south of Mostar.  We parked the car and strolled a couple of hundred meters or so upwards a small pathway.
 
OMG!! What a highlight of the tour -  Unsurprisingly, not only the Ottoman sultan was impressed, we were breathtaken too!

Fish restaurant

Buna Spring and the adjacent Ottoman house and monastery called the Dervish House, were impressive views.

This 16th century house/monastery was built for the Dervish cults and is still one of the most mystical places in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A man we spoked to, said there is a ghost in the old house...spooky :-)!

We had an awesome lunch at the restaurant, with fresh trout and ice cold local beer.
It was nice sitting down at a lovely restaurant and watch the cold green river rushing out of a cave under a towering cliff. 

We were told this is the largest karst spring in Europe and it gives rise to Buna river.  The river emerges from an underground stream after it carved its way through the irregular limestone commonly found in this part of Europe. 

Fresh trout - Cold beer - Life is good!

If you visit Bosnia & Herzegovina make sure you don´t miss Blagaj! 

I highly recommend Bosnia & Herzegovina, it is a beautiful country - and everything is cheap!

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Mostar - Bosnia & Herzegovina

 We drove from Makarska, Croatia to Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Traffic was not heavy and the views were quite spectacular as we climbed the mountain road towards the border. The scenery changed into beautiful and peaceful landscape of farms and small villages.
The historic town of Mostar, spanning a deep valley of the Neretva River, developed in the 15th and 16th centuries as an Ottoman frontier town and during the Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th and 20th centuries.

 
The city of Mostar is situated in a beautiful valley bedded between high mountains of Herzegovina. What makes this city known is it’s famous bridge. The Old Bridge was built by the Ottoman empire in 1565. The Old Bridge has been rebuilt (completed in 2004, almost 11 years after its destruction). 

In the 1990s conflict, however, most of the historic town and the Old Bridge was destroyed. Flanking the bridge is the old cobbled Ottoman Quarter, a haven for the city’s artists and craftsmen, along with 16th-century mosques, old Turkish houses and endless cafés.

With its hot summers and mild winters, Mostar is one of Europe’s sunniest cities.

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Visible signs of Mostar's troubled recent history.