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.

Makarska, Croatia

Mmmm…Makarska!! 

What a lovely place and kind hosts!  
Makarska is a city in the Split-Dalmatia county and it is located on the Adriatic coast (Mediterranean). We stayed at the Lucija Hotel/Apartments, a small nice apartment hotel located in pleasant promenade of Makarska. On the first floor there are two restaurants and a bar. In the restaurants you will find a great choice of traditional home-produced food. We just loved the food, great service and very friendly staff. Love you guys!!

We landed in Split and took a bus to Makarska. It was a breathtaking bus ride, narrow roads squeezed under towering mountains. Makarska is one of the most famous tourist destinations on the Croatian coast, attractive for its nature and good climate, rich in tourist attractions and full of hospitable hosts.

View from our apartment. Pretty close to the beach!

It is easy to find a hidden beach along the rocky coast line!

The beaches with crystal clear water are popular and sometimes crowded during the peak of the season, but you can find enormous number of hidden and intimate small beaches between rocks all around the coast. There are also several picturesque villages along the Riviera where you can take a break and have a cold drink. All are worth a visit but one can note Baska Voda & Brela for their quiet marinas and superb restaurants, and both are particularly well known for their beautiful idyllic coves and white beaches.

Beautiful sunset. Picture from "our" restaurant at Lucija.

Croatia has been an attractive naturist destination for five decades. Today there are more than 30 official naturist campsites, tourist villages, hotels, apartments, beaches and numerous more unofficial naturist bathing places. 

The city of Makarska grew around a natural harbor and during the summer months the harbor fills up with yachts and tourist ships, while young people crowd the main Kačić square enjoying entertainment and cultural performances. There is a ferry line which runs a few times a day from Makarska to Sumartin on the island Brač. Makarska is one of the warmest cities in Croatia - be prepared for hot sunny days. 

Center of Makarska is an old town with narrow stone-paved streets.

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