Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Old Bridge

We took an overnight side trip to our fifth country on this vacation -- Bosnia and Herzegovina -- and spent the night in the city of Mostar. Mona and I visited Mostar on our previous trip to Croatia and were excited.  The nice thing about repeat visits is I've usually done a previous blog entry about what we're seeing. I have a nice description of Mostar from 2022 here.

I promise I'm not being lazy -- just efficient 😀.  We even stayed at the same AirBnB as last time because the location was perfect, adjacent to the old city center.  We had a great meal over looking the Old Bridge and Doug and I split what I've come to call the Bosnian meat feast, complete with local beer.

After a nice whirlwind visit in Mostar, we stopped at Kravica Waterfall on our way back to Croatia.  On the last trip, we made a brief stop to see the waterfalls and then went on our way.  It is a popular spot for the locals who come here to hang out, swim, and truly enjoy the magic.  We said if we made it back, we'd do the same thing.  So we put on our swimsuits, packed our cooler, and spent several hours with the locals as if we were at the beach, except here we had crystal clear, cold water and the sounds of waterfalls surrounding us.  We could have easily spent the entire day, but we had a dinner reservation in Dubrovnik.  More on that later.

Happy Father's Day!

In honor of Father's Day, we wanted to let Pop know we were thinking about him even though we're traveling and not able to see him on his special day.  We love you Pop!

Roman Amphitheater in Pula, Croatia.  Built during the same period as the Colosseum in Rome, but much better preserved. 

Rovinj, Croatia

Veliki Slap (Great Waterfall) — the highest waterfall in Croatia --at Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

 

The Old Bridge (Stari Most) in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Piran, Slovenia

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Our Happy Place

When we were planning this trip, the one place Mona really wanted to come back to was Plitvice Lakes National Park. This was the favorite part of our previous trip to Croatia and it was magical.  I wrote about it here, doing my best to describe the park and capture what we were seeing.  However, this is one of those places that you must experience in order to truly understand.

This was the first time Doug and Laura have been here, so I asked them to share their thoughts about the day.

Laura writes, "We’ve been experiencing the history of Croatia’s Istrian area for a few days. It’s been fast paced so the idea of spending the day in a national park came right on time. As much as I love nature, nothing could have prepared me for the walking trails at Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Before you start the trail there’s an overlook showcasing a beautiful waterfall behind a stunning lake. I could feel my blood pressure easing simply by gazing at the scene.

The water is the most remarkable shade of blue and up close you can see straight to the bottom. We were surrounded by both sound and silence — babbling brooks, roaring waterfalls, gentle birdsong, and a soft quiet among the trees. It seemed every corner we turned brought another gorgeous waterfall.

It feels impossible to capture the magic in words other than to say standing in the presence of overwhelming beauty changes a person. We’re lucky to have experienced it."

We agree with Laura.  It is a life-changing experience.

Having fun with a long exposure

Road Trip

Piazza Unita d'Italia

One of the great things about visiting Europe is that traveling from one country to another is like driving from state to state back home.  We started our trip based in Pula on the Istrian peninsula in northwestern Croatia.  We're an hour from Slovenia and 90 minutes from Italy, so naturally we took a side trip to both.  Counting our stopover and brief visit to Copenhagen, we hit four countries in our first three days.

Mona in Trieste

On Monday, we drove the 90 minutes (through Slovenia) to Trieste, Italy and explored the city center.  We spent time at the Castello di San Giusto, a large stone fortress overlooking the city and the Adriatic Sea.  It was actually built by the Austrians in the 1400's when they controlled this part of the world.  The castle provided great views of the city and the Adriatic Sea.  We walked through Piazza Unità d'Italia, the largest square in the City, and walked out on the Molo Audace, a 200-meter long stone pier built in 1751.

Castello San di Giusto

After grabbing lunch at a local market, we drove back though Slovenia and stopped in Piran, which sits on a point along the coast with sweeping views of the Adriatic.  We walked along the promenade next to the water and wandered the narrow streets.  We ate dinner at a local Italian restaurant, after which Doug proclaimed the stuffed pasta he'd eaten one of his all-time top five meals. I'm surprised he didn't lick the plate at the end.

We made it back to the house in time for bed.  After a fun-filled day and full bellies, we had no problem getting a good night's sleep.

Piran, Slovenia

Motovun

Motovun is medieval hill town in the northern part of the Istrian peninsula, one of several small hill towns scattered throughout the region.  It was ruled by the Venetians starting in the late 1200's, who constructed defensive walls around the core part of the town at the apex of the hilltop. These walls survive and you can walk along them for sweeping views of the surrounding valleys.

The forest and river valley below Motovun are prized for the black and white truffles that grow here. These truffles are gathered with the aid of specially-trained dogs.  This region is also the center of olive oil production in Croatia, as the climate is perfect for olive trees.  Olive oil is a staple of Mediterranean cuisine and the locals will tell you theirs is the best.  We did an olive oil tasting at one of the town shops, and after sampling -- including one infused with white truffles -- it would be hard to argue with them.  It was delicious.

Tracking Down the Artist

Mona and the artist Marija

While strolling along the Main Street in Rovinj, we came upon a lovely shop that featured Naïve artwork. Naïve refers to work by an artist who has not had any formal training. When we previously visited Croatia a few years ago, we saw an exhibit at the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art in Zagreb and Mona commented how much she liked the work in that exhibit.  

What she actually painted

In today's case, we were seeing the work of local artist Marija Peti Božić who paints in reverse on glass. She paints on the back side of the glass the final image seen on the front. Because of this, she paints her layers in reverse with fine details and foreground painted first then background painted last.  We loved her work, and bought a small painting as a souvenir.  We wanted a photo with her, but her husband was manning the store as she was at her studio in the small town of Bale. 

It was too late to go the same day, but since we were leaving Pula for our next destination the following

What you see when viewing

morning, we went on a quest to find her before leaving Istria.  Her husband gave us the address to the studio, and we drove about 25 minutes from Pula to Bale.  Because the center of Bale is also pedestrian-only, we parked in a nearby lot and strolled the narrow lanes until we arrived at.....their home.  She keeps her studio on the ground floor, and they live upstairs.

Her limited English was far superior to our non-existent Croatian, and we managed to communicate just fine.  She seemed very happy that we made the effort to see her, and she readily obliged us with a photo.  Success!

The whole gang with Marija

Byzantine history in Poreč

We ventured north to the town of Poreč to visit the 6th century Euphrasian Basilica that was constructed during Byzantine rule.  Officially the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, this catholic church is an outstanding example of early Byzantine architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

4th century mosaic floor

There were earlier churches on this site, and in the construction and preservation of the current building, numerous mosaic tile floors were discovered that date to the 4th century. Well-preserved floor fragments are on display, and other sections of flooring can be seen uncovered in their original placements. Very well-preserved mosaics also adorn the Apse.  We did a self-guided tour of the complex including climbing to the top of the 16th century bell tower for sweeping views of the town and the Adriatic Sea.

Rovinj

After our tour, we stopped in the town of Rovinj.  Rovinj was ruled by the Venetian empire for 500 years between 1283 to 1797.  The lion -- a symbol of Venice -- is prevalent throughout the town, and the remains of defensive walls and three city gates constructed by the Venetians still stand today.  The old city center is entirely pedestrian, and we walked the main cobblestone streets from the port up to the baroque church that sits centered at the top of a hill.

Laura in Rovinj

Coupled with Pula's well-preserved Roman history, Poreč and Rovinj showed us the character of other empires that once controlled Istria.  Even though Istria has not been a part of Italy for centuries, Italian is still spoken widely, and street signs still list names in both Croatian and Italian.  The past continues to influence the present.