Split and Mostar

Hello! I'm sorry I haven't written, but I've been, as you probably know, in Split relaxing!! It was pretty amazing, a great place to unwind. It was a bit of an in-joke between the travellers in Split that you do need a break from all the cathedrals and Old Towns!


I arrived at the train station in Split, and the first thing I noticed (apart from the heat and the beautiful women) was the landscape. The place is beautiful, and the Adriatic sea is an amazing emerald green.


I spent an hour and a bit waiting for the bus, as my hostel was a little out of the way. On the bus, I thought to myself, as the bus drove onwards and onwards, what have I done! The place was at least 30 minutes away, but at least the scenery was beautiful.


Anyway, long story short (don't worry, you'll get the long story when I get home, like it or not!) the hostel is lovely - a great family run place, back garden was the sea, blah blah blah. I extended my stay by two nights because I could not drag myself away! I've got some photos to prove it to you.


Yesterday I got the bus at 15:00 to Mostar, the fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and largest in Herzegovina at around 100,000 people. I was picked up at the station by a friend of the hostel owner, and that's when it struck me how far east I had come. I find that you can often tell a lot about a country by the cars they drive - this one was beaten up with a pretty tatty interior, and I was chastised for wearing my seatbelt.


The drive was pretty unremarkable and, after Split, this is the nicest hostel I've stayed in. Really small, attentive landlord (went out for a drink with us last night), and dirt cheap at €11. 


The town is beautiful. The old town is probably the nicest I've been to so far, with winding roads full of shops and cafes. Went out last night and got a meal of ćevapi (big pita bread with raw onions and little fingers of mincemeat) with a beer, cost me about £5, with a big tip.


Today I went for a walk with one of the girls in the hostel. We went to the old bank first. It is situated in what was the front line in the war, and as such the roads are full of bullet holes and the buildings have no windows.


The bank was used as a sniper tower during the war. All the rooms are sacked with all the furnishings gone. I grabbed a sheet of paper from what looked like an old office building as a momento! Apparently there are certain places on each floor that were used as ahooting points with bullet casings on the floor even today, but on getting back to the hostel, it sounds like we were looking in the place. Still, great view of the city, and the first time I have seen the scene of real warfare.


We then came back, and went out to do something far more relaxing - drink beer by the river! Great view of the Stari Most, the medieval bridge blown up in the war and rebuilt about 10 years ago now used by divers as a makeshift diving board, and the sun was lovely - probably the hottest day i've ever seen.


Until it started raining!! We noticed a few drops, which turned into a shower, so hid under a gazebo in a cafe to grab a coffee and shelter. 


Then it turned into a monsoon, and the gazebo was nowhere near sufficient.


We eventually walked back, shirts off, in the pouring rain, only to have it stop on our doorstep!!


So now I'm chilling out in dry clothes, and I think we're gonna head off to get some food and drink soon. Hope everyone's well, and I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone.


Ciao!