During my first breakfast in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in Banja Luka near the Vrbas I thought that BiH reminded me of the Westerwald, where I grew up.
A lot of farm land, forests, now and then a lumber mill or a company that works with wood or a quarry. Hardly any bigger industry so far
Bosnia-Herzegovina was my first non-EU and non-Schengen country since Covid. This was slowly becoming a new era, similar to the "beginning of time". There was a real border here and no data roaming past the border.🤔
No idea how long I had been reading about it, but BIH consists of 2 entities: Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The Republika Srpska, part of the Bosnian state association, has held independence referendums over the years. Let's see what I get from it.
When I went through customs at Granični prijelaz Izačić yesterday, I couldn´t see any difference between Croatia and Bosnia. Maybe the mosque in Prnjavor. Was just the first.
After googling it, I knew that the BiH population belongs to either Islam or Christianity. All other denominations represent a vanishingly small minority. BiH has 10 regions and I asked myself which part I had entered. Western Bosnia and on the way to Bihać.
Since I didn't have roaming and missed looking for a parking space for the Dog.O.Mobil in HR, I had to give up after a few laps and drove on towards Banja Luka. Sometime later I saw a sign on the way to Banja Luka, Republika Srpska. However not much changed.
A barren, hilly landscape with wide valleys characterizes the picture. Ideal for staying over night and off-road driving.
"According to the law, wild camping and free standing is unfortunately not permitted in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Outside of metropolitan areas and tourist areas, however, it is tolerated by most authorities and residents."
The journey was on "normal" roads, called M, so far and 5 km before my destination, Google Maps wanted to direct me to a dirt road. On the first try, a farmer told me, gesticulating wildly, that I can't get any further here with my Dog.O.Mobile.
I used to believe him. On the 3rd attempt and with the help of a Bosnian retired couple from Darmstadt, who noticed that I was slightly overwhelmed, I managed my 4km descent into the Vrbas valley.
Today I would say that this were normal BiH roads, maybe not the gravel dirt road, but once you get off the main roads it quickly becomes plain and rustic
Banja Luka was a category 4 stop. When I got so lost in Banja Luka I got the idea to categorize my stops
- Less than 1 hour: total waste of time and I would advise anyone to stop and see. Or Tripadvisor has hyped it to death and you drown in Touri's
- Up to 2 hours: One stop is OK. You can see something, but I'm not really excited
- Up to 4 hours: worth a stop. You see a lot, but not so much that you want to spend a second day there
- One Night Stay and Longer: There's a lot to see here and it's not really hyped to death on Tripadvisor
Banja Luka on a Saturday morning wakes up around 11:00 a.m. Only the market near the castle was already busy. You can find everything from groceries to clothes and everyday things here. In terms of price, it is a bit cheaper than on the market in Germany.
Since it was Ramadan in April 2022, the Ferhadija Mosque was closed. But the Orthodox Cathedral was open. You can also look at the castle without paying for it. The 3 sights are spread over about 2 km along the Kralja Petra and I managed to visit each sight in 15 minutes. And with that I had ticked off the cultural part.
But Banja Luka is more. I was impressed by the endless number of cafes. And most of them are open and busy on a Saturday. It took me a little longer to find a restaurant run by mum and dad behind the Ferhadija mosque.
In the afternoon I started my journey to Mostar. Outside of the cities, supermarkets aren't that big. When I saw that, I got everything for Saturday and Sunday. You won't really get anywhere in a rural supermarket with German or English, but your hands, fingers and feet will suffice
The main artery from Banja Luka to Sarajevo or Mostar is the M16. I couldn't complain a lot about the traffic. But the ride is still worth seeing and demanding.
Although the usual apps like Park4Night do not show many tent sites or parking spaces, there are quite a few along the Vrbas. You really don't need to panic
I was impressed by a monumental church and a potential parking space at Svetiste sv. Ive Krstitelja. I have no idea what the architect was thinking when he built such a monument in the middle of nowhere. The church is on the M16 before Podmilacje
Then I decided to spend the night off the road before Gmici on the pass. At least 1100 m high. In the morning, covered in snow, I slowly moved out of the mountains towards Mostar. The scenery is breathtaking. Alpine mountain ranges (up to 1800 m) go into a hilly landscape 600 - 800 m.
And always along rivers, reservoirs or lakes. Lake Jablanica left a powerful impression on me. Framed with a couple of 1000 m mountains, that's something. If it wasn't for the snow and wintry weather, I would have stayed here longer. The Neretva flows through the lake.
The other lake I liked was Rama Lake at 600 m surrounded by mountains up to 1200 m and Razvrzde at 1759 m.
In a Pekala (bakery) I fed myself with Börek, a filled bread (I could identify meat, onions, potatoes). I did that more often afterwards. The sweet versions are not bad either. Filled with all sorts of fruit (jam) or with a Nutella nut mixture
Mostar was a similar experience to Banja Luka. There is the bridge, next to it a small old town (approx. 100-200 m deep) and the rest are functional buildings or construction sites. I walked through the city from the campground on the Neretva. All in all 7.5 km over 3 hours with various breaks.
Also tried a Bosnian coffee, served similar to a Turkish mocha. Mostar and the Neretva are framed by hills that go up to 650 m high.
I have described the trip to Sarajevo in a separate post. What I really like in BiH is that every restoran has WiFi. That's how I found Camp Sarajevo on the second try, a bit out of the way, but clean, quiet and super-friendly owners. In the evening we sat together and there was wine and the next evening home-made apple schnapps or sour cherry liqueur, delicious as Uschi would say.
Sarajevo 1992-1995 is the Kyiv of 2022. If you keep that in mind, you look at the city with different eyes. It didn't click for me in Mostar, but the "Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide" gave me this perspective.
Also, I walked around town with Berry. We got to know each other at the camp and he is a really good lateral thinker with whom you can discuss other views.
<meant in a positive way and not to be confused with some LeeeeerDenker I've met>
So what did I take away from Sarajevo? The first real city in BiH with smelly car traffic, skyscrapers, wide multi-lane roads, big supermarkets, MacDoof, DM etc. Until you get to the Old Town, Sarajevo is similar to many other cities in Europe.
The Old Town is developed for tourism, but there are also normal shops for local BiH people. What I like is that there are cafes everywhere and you can relax with a Bosnian coffee. It was pretty relaxed in April at 20 Celsius. Look at the pictures and form your own opinion, or better yet, go to BiH.
Let's get to my personal conclusion on the conclusion of BiH
- Banja Luka and Mostar are cities that you can see in 4 hours, Sarajevo you need a day or better 2 days. Maybe I'll make a detour to Srebrenica and Visoko on my tour north, let's see.
- Roads. I drove on the M18 on my way to the MNE border in Hum. I thought I understood the concept of M and R roads, but you always learn something new
- Food. Dear vegetarians and vegans, BiH is a carnivore country. You can order mixed vegetables grill, eat side dishes and salads. Börek is a laudable exception. Is filled with potatoes, vegetables or cheese. There are many Pekara's or small shops.
As a self-confessed meat eater, I only say lamb/pork on a skewer, cevapcici, doner kebab, goulash. I really liked the Banja Luka Cevapcici so much that I made it myself twice afterwards.
In BiH you can eat well for little money. You can get through here with 10 marks <5 €> - People. Super friendly!!! Whether it's the sales woman who only speaks Bosnian, the waiter with a few words of German or the farmer who kept me from sinking my Dog.O.Mobile in the forest with wild gestures.
And then there are many who can speak German or English. The taxi driver who described his view of the political situation to Berry and me could have given German lessons in Hanover without any problems.
Always smiling and helpful. I found it such a pity that I only know 3 words in Bosnian - Religions. 30 years after the Bosnian war, I didn't really notice that there was a demarcation. Muslim cemetery alongside Catholic. Mosque, next to orthodox church. Hallal food and a few meters further fast food on the shelf.
- Nature. Unutterably beautiful and unspeakably lonely
I know I'm not doing BiH justice with this summary, so apologies for anything I haven't seen, experienced or described