4 borders, 5 country visits

To get to Dubrovnik, you have to drive into Bosnia ,then back into Croatia, then back into Bosnia and then finally back into Croatia. Consequently, today we were in and out of two countries making us in and out of five countries according to passport controls. This arrangement seems quite strange but means Bosnia has access to the sea.

Here are your blur blurrrr shots from the car so you can see the countryside we are travelling through.

As we travelled along, we kept seeing people selling cabbages in bags. This of course led to a discussion on possible uses for such large bags of cabbage : cabbage soup, cabbage rolls, boiled, fried steamed stuffed cabbage, sauerkraut ,Kim chi, coleslaw, poultices and so forth. Of course I decided , we should photograph these  bags of cabbage for you. Watch out for cabbages, I told my companions…..did they tell me in time..of course not. I had photos of Pauline, cars, carts, fences, buildings, goats, stone fences, plants, oranges but no cabbages. You will just have to believe me .

As we were going into Bosnia , we decided to visit the famous Mostar Bridge.

Built in 1566 to replace a wooden bridge, the Mostar bridge is unique in its shape . A mosque was built close beside the bridge,  but had no minaret. When the time came for the call to prayer, this was done from the stone mounted at the top of the bridge. The bridge was the minaret. Apart from its obvious function of connecting the town across the river, the bridge was used for sport including diving from the bridge into the river below, cultural activities and as inspiration for art and literature. During the Bosnia war , it was destroyed as it was the battle point for Muslim and non Muslim troops. It has now resumed its rightful place for the people ,and both the towers and bridge were reconstructed , using the original plans and materials from the old bridge. There was a typical bazaar on either side with stores and restaurants. Best thing was you could look, were invited in but there was no pressure if you said no thanks.

From Mostar, we followed the river, then through the hills to the coast. Here we went back into Croatia for a short time..then back to Bosnia ……well you know the story. Orange and other citrus fruits were common as well as grapes and crops. They were in very orderly patterns often with water channels dividing them.

Once on the coast, there were less crops. Fabulous sea views, interspersed with tiny fishing hamlets and bigger resort type towns. One town had a magnificent arboretum running down to the water. As it was now raining, we kept going so we could reach Dubrovnik before night.

Arriving in Dubrovnik, the rain eased. Just as well, why you say….there was a one way street to drop our bags off. The apartment is halfway down the hill. Yes there are stairs…….lots…no eating big dinners or too much cake or you won’t make it up. The view makes it worth it. You can just see the old city and this city  is completely walled. Tomorrow you will see photos of stairs and Dubrovnik…..if it is not  raining too hard.