My Road Trip to Bosnia Herzegovina from Montenegro, Blog 44 16/10/2023 ; nguptatravelscrapbook@blogspot.com
My road trip to Bosnia Herzegovina from Montenegro, Blog 44, nguptatravelscrapbook@blogspot.com
16/10/2023
The wars in Bosnia, Russia and Ukraine remind us that peace is fragile. Iraq, Syria, Israel and Palestine remind us that society or culture is immune from the conflicts. Gavin Esler
While writing this blog, in my hotel in Budva, Montenegro, The humanitarian conflict has erupted in Ghaza and Israel.
In due course, with my husband, Vinod, we covered most of the Balkan region, travelling to Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia, and neighbourhood countries including Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Hungary. As part of the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina were left to be travelled, resting on my bucket list of further travels.
Some years ago, during a river cruise on the Danube River, we spanned Romania to Hungary, stopping enroute in Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia. Upon reaching Serbia, when we followed a tour guide in the capital city of Belgrade, we became much more interested in this region's contemporary and war-torn history, including the division of former Yugoslavia and the Bosnian War ( 1992 to 1995).
Only when you are standing on the related conflicted soils do the interests generate further, linking our possessed historical knowledge in the background and igniting a desire to learn a bit more in a short period.
Tivat Beaches, Montenegro
As Montenegro remained untravelled by us ( having covered the rest of the countries in this region, also named The Balkans), We decided to take a week-long break to Montenegro as this region's holiday rates dip significantly towards the end of September/beginning of October. While planning our trip, could we travel to adjacent Bosnia Herzegovina for a day?
Bosnia Herzegovina is a country on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its countryside is home to medieval villages, rivers and lakes, surrounded by the craggy Dinaric Alps. The state's name recognizes two historical regions. Bosnia is roughly the northern two-thirds of the country (Muslim-dominated), and Herzegovina is the southern one-third with mainly Christian domination.
Its national capital, Sarajevo, has a well-preserved older settlement with landmarks like 16th-century Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque.
In Montenegro
After WW2, Yugoslavia was forcibly held together by Marshal Tito under communist rule. In school, I had heard much about Indo-Yogoslavia-friendly politics imparted by Mrs Indra Gandhi( former Indian Premier) and Marshal Tito (former Yugoslav Premier). At the beginning of the 1990s, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was one of the largest, most developed and diverse countries in the Balkans. It was a non-aligned federation comprising six republics: Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. Communism fell after the death of Tito, with the republics of Slovenia and Croatia declaring their complete independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. That was done without bloodshed. What went wrong for Bosnia Herzegovina, leading to the deadly Bosnia War ( 1992 -1995)? I will re-touch this subject later in this blog, but first, Montenegro.
Why Montenegro has become famous as a hot tourist destination in recent years?
Budva, on Adriatic coast, Montenegro
In February 2003, Former Yugoslavia was transformed from a federal republic to a political union until Montenegro seceded from the union in June 2006, leading to the complete independence of both Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro (which means "Black Mountain" in Italian and is often dubbed as the Switzerland of the Mediterranean) is a south European and Mediterranean country, one of the most exciting places in the world to visit, with staggeringly spectacular scenery. Majestic mountains, breathtaking beaches and larger-than-life locals prove that good things can come in small packages. In the last few years, Montenegro has become one of the most popular countries to visit in Europe, being described as Croatia without the crowds.
The elegant beach resorts of Budva Riviera and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kotor Bay, along with Skadar Lake in its south region, are some of the most visited spots.
Lake Skadar, the largest lake in Southern Europe, sharing the border with Albania, is the site of vigorous bird reserves( Pelicans are seen here), an eco-based vegetation system and a part of the large national park. Montenegro's answer to Marbella comes in the shape of Tivat. This small, coastal town is not only the youngest in the region but is also home to the ultramodern and simply stunning Porto Montenegro. This ex-naval base now welcomes super-yachts and tourists to experience the luxury it offers.
Infinity pools, nightclubs, and ultimate eat-outs join a wondrous rugged coastline, beautiful pebble beaches and the dramatic sunsets that the Bay of Kotor provides with the flair and charisma of St Tropez, Monte Carlo and Puerto Banus at just a fraction of the price. The wines were delicious, and the Riviera had rich, inviting of seafood.👇
Of course, Nikola Tesla is the most famous national of Montenegro, disputed by the Serbs and the Croatians. But no one can deny the Montenegrian ancestor of Nikola Tesla. The famous James Bond film Casino Royale was set up here in Montenegro( mainly in Budva and around). As I mentioned above, we had a great time visiting these places while enjoying the luxury of freshly prepared seafood along the Riviera.
And now, back to my road trip to Trebinge( Bosnia Herzegovina) from Montenegro.
As I mentioned, the Bosnian War maintained front page news covers and the headlines news bulletins from 1992 to 1995. Serbia wanted total control of the remaining Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, while Bosnia Herzegovina demanded a complete detachment and freedom from Serbia. A bloody war was waged with final intervention by NATO, causing a ceasefire along with the Dayton Agreement.
As I had repeatedly seen the visuals of War-torn Bosnia Herzegovina over the television screens, I could not resist taking a day-long road trip to the southernmost town of Bosnia Herzegovina while in Montenegro.
The hotel Concierge efficiently organised the trip, booking a car with the driver who picked us up from the hotel at 9 AM. We travelled first to the Bay of Tivat ( Montenegro) and took a short ferry ride to cross Tivat Bay, reaching a small town named Herceg Novi.
on the ferry to take us across Tivat
Bosnia at a glance
It took two hours to reach the small town of Trebinje in the southernmost of Bosnia, getting passports stamped at the borders both ways. Trebinje is a pleasant location that is moderately sized and has an old charm. We walked through the small town market and stopped by the Arslanagić Bridge. 👇
A few buildings, including a church at the hilltops, have stayed untouched by the town's awful and unorganized reconstructions lately. During the Bosnian War, Trebinje had seen some fiercest ground battles with the Serbian army. The Arslangica Bridge, situated in Trebinje, is the country's third landmark for bridges. The watercourse of Trebišnjica, the world's longest sinking river, is traversed by many bridges, but the one that steals the glory is, by all means, a 16th-century masterpiece - Arslanagića Bridge.
Church at the hilltop of Trebinje
Bosnia Today
Almost half of Bosnia and Herzegovina's population was displaced by the conflict. Today, many Bosnians choose to live abroad. The Bosnian diaspora is concentrated in the USA, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden, Canada and Australia. Money and charity donations – from these former refugees significantly impact Bosnia's economy positively.
Trebinje
Bosnia continues to function uneasily under the Dayton Peace Agreement – which established two separate entities – a Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb Republic, or Republika Srpska, each of which has its president, government, parliament, police and other bodies. There is a central Bosnian government, and the presidency rotates every eight months between a Serb, a Bosniak and a Croat.
Trebinje
Political reconciliation has been challenging, but the Bosnian economy has advanced, and tourism is growing.
A local cafe in Trebinje is covered with a Canopy of Planes trees.
We had an easy time wandering around in Trebinje, where life appeared laidback, with people engaging in easygoing chats over coffee and cigarettes. The local markets were full of locally grown fruits and vegetables sold cheaply. We came across a cheese market where huge mounds of various kinds of cheese were sold with long lines of shoppers. The town lacked the crispness of new and designer outlets. It had a good older generation population lazying around with a good mix of the well-dressed younger generations. After spending about three hours in Trebinje, we made the same road journey back to Budva, Montenegro, in two hours, fulfilling my desire to step on the soil of Bosnia Herzegovina!
Please feel free to write your comments in the comment section of my blog. Many thanks!
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