One of my favourite parts of our Croatian trip was the drive to the city of Mostar, in Bosnia & Herzegovina. We had wanted to visit Mostar to see the historic old city and the Stari Most bridge. In my typical style, we couldn’t go the direct route, it had to be some variation just so I could see something a bit different. No matter the route I chose, there was no avoiding the fact you had to cross a country border, which did make me a bit nervous. From everything I’d read, the lines at the border could get backed up with buses, cars of tourists, and locals. From my experiences at the U.S. border or with the TSA, those people have a stressful job and can get a bit testy on occasion. Hopefully my choice of an alternate route to BH will make things a bit smoother. Although with two American citizens and dual Irish/American citizen, I figured at least one of us was going to make it home :)

With a two and a half hour drive ahead of us, we got started around 8 a.m, on a cool morning, which was sure to turn hot as the day wore on. Rather then head up the coast toward Neum to cross the border, we went southeast on D8 and then north on D223 to the border crossing near Ivanica, BH. The road picked its way up the side of a mountain, but was in excellent condition and had an amazing view (which merited stopping a few times for pictures) looking down the mountains to the sea. Any concern I had about the border were unfounded, and we had no issue whatsoever and breezed right through. It goes to show that a little research, in this case on a less popular checkpoint and route, can make your life a bit easier.

We continued through some small towns and villages on the M20, entering the Republic Srpska, which was a gorgeous region of BH. Although I was keenly aware of the history of the region, I tried to think only of the current time period. With forests, mountains and valleys everywhere we looked, I knew this was exactly what I’d hoped it would be, something a bit different. We continued on for a few kilometers until it came time to take a quick left on R426, where our trip got a bit more interesting.

It started with a change from good pavement to not so good, which consisted of deteriorating blacktop filled in with dirt, rocks and paving stones. The road narrowed significantly into one lane with pull-offs every mile or so, which on a few occasions we had to make use of. We never had to back up thankfully, but one of our counterparts did, since we had the right of way (they were closer to the pull-off behind them). On another occasion, we had to stop and wait for a cow to move out of the road so we could pass safely by. All the while the road skirted the edge of of a cliff on one side, and sometimes to make it more exciting, cliffs on both sides! But we kept driving, deeper and deeper into the mountains, which rose up all around us like sentinels. The thought did cross my mind albeit briefly that if we had any car trouble or accident we were proper fucked. With rare village passed, non-existent Croatian language ability, and only a few other cars on the road, I’m not sure what we would have done. Thankfully our Renault gave us no issues.

Finally it was time to make a right turn onto the next road, and it was even more auspicious in its appearance. Almost looking like someones driveway, the road went down the mountainside on a cracked cement path between a few barn like buildings, past old equipment, before disappearing around a bend into a stand of trees. Further down along the road you emerged from the trees onto the valley floor surrounded by an expanse of scrub brush. With mountains fencing us in on all sides, you couldn’t help but notice their distinct look. They were nothing like any mountain I’d seen before. They were tall, with both bare craggy/rocky parts and other parts covered in trees. The rocks had a definite colour to them, not a dark gray, but more white or tan-ish. Meanwhile the hum of insects in the bushes provided an odd soundtrack, and with no other cars, it left me with a feeling of loneliness, as we picked our way cautiously on a now stone and dirt road crossing the valley floor. And suddenly the land went from scrub brush to lush green fields of vegetables, orchards with fruit trees and irrigation trenches. With a clearing up ahead we could see a small bridge which brought us across the Trebišnjica river, into more farmland. There were a few random farmers giving us quizzical looks as we worked our way through the orchards, up the hillside to the M6 (a main paved road) and back up into the mountains toward Mostar and bit more of concentrated civilization.

The city of Mostar turned out to be pretty impressive, with a diverse style of buildings including both western and middle eastern styles. The residents of the city were equally as diverse as the buildings. You could hear a few different languages being spoken and we saw a few different styles of dress. The Stari Most bridge was even more impressive, especially when you had the chance to see the people dive off of it, 21 meters to the water below. However in the grand scheme of things, for me, the journey here and back was the more impressive part of the day. Something about being in the mountains gives me a sense of relaxation and a feeling of freedom. From the towering peaks rising about you, to the mountain streams falling past you and the valleys stretching out down below, driving through mountains really makes me realize how amazing and how old the world is and how insignificant we are.

Just a heads up, try to pay a little attention to the road while enjoying your road-trip epiphany, or you might risk accidentally driving off a cliff or into a ditch. Here is The Route in case anyone is adventurous.