"A blissful week in Bosnia and Herzegowina !" Top 5 Page for this destination Bosnia and Herzegovina by MichaelFalk1969

Bosnia & Herzegowina - the triangle-shaped country in the heart of what once was Yugoslavia - was the pick for my annual "off the beaten path"-destination in 2011, and it was very rewarding indeed. The locals are very approachable and friendly - many have lots of stories to tell how they struggled through the wartimes; the food is delicious; travel expenses are ridiculously low; transport is easy; and there is lots to see and do.

The Sarajevo Oldtown is something you don`t have anywhere else in Europe: a stunning mix of Turkish and Austro-Hungarian architecture (with a few concrete sores from communist times in the suburbs thrown in), and evidence of a (mainly) peaceful and tolerant co-existence of all major confessions which lasted for centuries.

Mostar is small, but one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Photos don`t do justice to the magnificent view of the Old Bridge spanning over the green Neretva river, thus linking the romantic Oldtown. You really have to see it for yourself.

The Herzegowina area is easily accessible from Mostar and a region of spectacular natural beauty. The Kravica Waterfalls, the Hutovo Nature Reserve, the stunning village of Pocitelj - without exaggeration, these are places so inspiring that they will leave lasting images in your head.

I will surely return someday - there are lots of places I missed out on, like Stolac, Trebinje, Lukomir, Sutjeska National Park.

Why Bosnia & Herzegowina?
My earliest memory dates back to the Winter Olympics of 1984, where a cute jodeling fox was the mascot of the event. (I was glad that he is still alive as a fridge magnet in Bosnian souvenir shops). My next memory from the 90`s was embarassment beyond belief that for years neither the UN nor Europe were willing to do something effective about the plight of the people in the Bosnian Civil War besides driving around the country in white SUVs. My interest was revived recently, when I read the novel "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks, in which the city and people of Sarajevo play an important role.

"Some tourists think we still shoot at each other" was a remark of a friendly waitress in Restaurant Sadrvan in Mostar. Luckily, this is not the case anymore. Some scars of the 1990`s civil war(s) are still visible, but so much has been reconstructed - the landmark achievement being the reconstruction of the destroyed historic Old Bridge in Mostar - and for once EU funds & tax money have been invested into sensible projects.

• Pros:unique blend of East & West; coffee culture; low prices; not yet overrun by tourists
• In a nutshell:visit now - before the tour groups discover it !