By opening this blog post you have entered Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have, with great difficulty, chosen the top 6 things to do, see and discover.
If you experience even a fraction of the enjoyment exploring the places enclosed here that I experienced investigating each of them, then my work can be deemed successful.
01 NATURE
It is neither tame nor timid. It lives and breaths in its authentic form. Changing man to fit to her agenda rather than man transforming her to fit to his. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s natural heritage will shock and awe even the most well-versed travelers.
02 THE CULTURE OF COFFEE
First of all let’s talk about misconceptions that are widely spread, for example the one about Turkish coffee. If you order this thick dark beverage with its bewitching aroma in Turkey you’re bound to be horribly disappointed. You won’t be served a džezva ( a hand-engraved copper or a thin coffee pot), a šećerluk ( a proper sugar bowl), or a fildžan ( a small handle-less traditional coffee cup). Instead they serve coffee in a mug or worse yet in a teacup. Offering coffee in a cup with a handle to a Bosnian coffee drinker is the equivalent of serving tea in a soup bowl to a proper English lady. For the coffee of your dreams you’ll have to come to Bosnia and Herzegovina…
More than a drink, real kahva is a ritual
An invitation for a coffee rarely means the necessity of a shot of caffeine to stay awake or make it through the day. Coffee here is an invitation for conversation. This implies time. After all, making time for friends and family is something that is valued here above most other things.
03 THE FOOD!
Even though we may not have an over-sophisticated menu but we can promise this… Our food is fresh home grown and our delicacies are perfect mixture of East and West. Bon Appetit!
“The 4 rooms of Mrs. Safija” comprises a restaurant, a wine and cocktail bar, a lounge and the flower filled summer garden located in Sarajevo. This is a first venue of its kind in Bosnian and Herzegovina. Four rooms offers an unforgettable ambience and celebrates the legend of a forbidden love affair between beautiful Safija from Sarajevo and Johan,an Austrian count, during the transition from Turkish to Austro-Hungarian rule.
04 THE PEOPLE
Nature will inspire. History will fascinate. Culture will intrigue. But it is the people that make the place. And it is the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their genuinely warm hospitality that make this place exceptional.
05 BJELAŠNICA HIGHLANDS
Just 20 years ago, some of the last transmigratory populations in Europe populated the highland villages of Mt. Bjelašnica. The semi-nomadic shepherd lifestyle practiced here since pre-Roman times abruptly ended with the war in the early 1990s. During the war, groups worked to control the highlands in order to conquer the lowlands. All but one of the 20 precious medieval villages was razed to the ground, eliminating a continual highland culture of over 2,000 years. This area is actually a meeting point of three mountains. We usually call this Bjelasnica but in reality it is where Visočica and Treskavica Mountains merge with Bjelašnica near the entrance to the Rakitnica Canyon.
Recovery has been slow and the traditional architecture of these highlands villages was unfortunately replaced with less impressive modern styles during the restoration process. However, Bjelašnica is 100% worth a visit.
Today, Umoljani and Lukomir are the most attractive of all Bjelašnica’s villages. Nature here is astaunding. The terrain is great for hikers, walkers, and mountain bikers. With stunning vistas in every village and well-established hiking trails, spending time on Bjelašnica suitsvisitors of all types. The seemingly endless maze of gravel roads makes it an ideal destination for mountain biking as well. Whether you’re simply up for a beautiful drive and a traditional meal in the mountains or looking for something more adrenaline-filled -Bjelašnica will not disappoint.
06 ADRIATIC OASIS
Neum – Bosnia and Herzegovina’s coastal retreat…
As a seaside getaway for Herzegovinans and a gripe so big for Croatians that they are willing to move the earth to work around it, Neum is an anomaly. This is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s only resort – in fact, the only settlement – along the 24 kilometers of littoral awarded to the country as part of the post-war Dayton Agreement of 1995.
A whole generation of Bosnians, now in their late twenties and thirties, has happy memories of coming here on summer breaks. At that time, Neum was very similar to Makarska Riviera, which is today in Croatia, EU. Then as now, Neum offered little in the way of Historic or architectural despite two centuries of Ottoman and Habsburg rule. Whatever had remained there disappeared with the earthquake in 1962.
Neum is super cheap. For example, take the 3* Hotel Neum. A room with a sea-facing balcony and 2 meals per day costs 80KM (around 40€) per person in high season.
So… This is the right spot for those who are after the magic of the Adriatic and simple holiday pleasures at affordable prices.
If you liked, at least one thing from this post, you should consider visitng this beautiful country.
Our doors are always open!
BUJRUM!
