Exploring Herzegovina

After an afternoon on my own in Sarajevo, I felt very lucky that I ended up on a Funky Tours day trip to multiple spots in Herzegovina. We had a small group of 5 people — 2 professional photographers from So Cal, a gal from New York, and a guy from Hong Kong studying in Germany. Our guide, Saudin, was amazing — full of knowledge, funny, and engaging. Another guide, Danny, was in training and he’s a young history buff.

Our first stop was Konjic which is a very small town famous for the 17th century Old Bridge. The bridge is one of the oldest Ottoman bridges in the country. It was destroyed in WWII and was later rebuilt with the help of Turkey.

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Next stop: Jablanica – another famous bridge that was destroyed in WWII. A movie, Battle of Neretva, was filmed here in the late 1960s starring Yul Brynner and Orson Wells. Picasso designed the movie poster in exchange for a case of wine. For the movie, the bridge was rebuilt so that it could be re-destroyed for the film.

After a quick stop in Pocitelj, we made it to Mostar which is actually named after its “bridge keepers”. The iconic bridge was built by the Ottomans in the 16th Century and is now often used for thrill-seekers who jump off of it into the icy Neretva River below. The town itself is lined with shinny and slippery cobblestoned streets with shops selling souvenirs and ice cream.

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We then arrived in Blagaj, a town known for its river spring and Blagaj Tekke, the Dervish house. The Blagaj Tekke was absolutely incredible and was amazing advanced for its time. In the 16th century, the house featured indoor toilets and heated water for bathing (used the fire from the kitchen) as well as gorgeous Byzantine design throughout.

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We then drove about two hours to the stunning Kravice Falls which is on the western edge of Herzegovina. I knew to expect something stunning but still managed to be blown away by the cascading waterfalls and the emerald water.

Our last stop was the town of Počitelj. It was once a bustling town with an active school, mosque, and many homes. It was damaged in the Bosnian war and then more damage was inflicted after the war due to looting and burning down buildings. It is now a sleepy town with many homes still destroyed and very few people living there.

After this, we had a few hour drive back to Sarajevo. We passed some wildfires not so far off from the road — we had seen smoke from these same fires earlier in the day. As we drove on the dark, windy roads our guide introduced us to a Bosnian band, Dubioza Kolektiv. Soaking in the scenery while listening to Bosnian rock, I felt incredibly grateful and beyond satisfied with the day’s adventure. And I could not get the Free MP3 song out of my head for the next few days.

Next: a day and a half exploring Sarajevo’s sites, mostly on my own.