Mostar, Bosnia with the Children!

It’s not a secret I LOVE Bosnia! I LOVE Bosnia so much I’m always trying to figure out ways to get back to Bosnia. So when I found out that we would be traveling by Mostar, Bosnia on our way to Podgorica, Montenegro I suggested to Ty that we take a slight detour and visit Mostar the home to the famous bridge Stari Most (Old Bridge) . It was so worth the detour for many reasons! (I’ll get to that in a minute!) 

When we arrived in Mostar it was your typical Bosnian town. We found parking very easy since it’s off season (Bonus for kids not in school yet) We all got out of the car and headed straight for the Stari Most. The water was BEAUTIFUL it was that blue/ teal color, you could even see the bottom of the water too! 

Below is the view from the bridge looking  to the right of the image is where I took the bridge picture, I think it’s equally as beautiful. The walk up the bridge to take this pictures was TRICKY the Old Bridge was made for looks and beauty, not for ease of walking over a river. Poor Heath couldn’t even walk over the bridge I had to carry him, and Nolan kept tripping. We looked like a HOT mess trying to walk over the bridge not once but twice! 

This is what the view looks like walking up the bridge. I HIGHLY suggest you wear flat shoes, tennis shoes would have been GREAT, my poor TOMS made the bridge soooo slippy I felt like I was ice skating. Nolan, and Tyler both had their hiking shoes on and still had issues with slipping. I don’t recommend this bridge if you are pregnant, over the age 70, a toddler, or if you plan on babywearing. Babywearing would be a very very bad idea trust me! 

Once over the Old Bridge, it’s Markets and more markets! One of the reasons Bosnia is my favorite! I love all the textiles, and tea sets you can purchase for soooo cheap! If you know me I love unique and cheap and Bosnia is full of all of these things. I would get lost for days in these markets if Tyler would let me! I have learned that Tyler doesn’t mind the old markets of Eastern Europe tho for the simple fact that he gets lots and lots of language practice with the locals! 

After walking around the markets, and the bridge. We all decided it was time to eat. When walking to the bridge earlier in the day we saw a restaurant on the water/ by a waterfall. We thought that would be a GREAT location to relax and eat. The boys thought it was great, and the food was amazing. Below is a picture of the waterfall we sat right next too. I failed to grab the name of the hotel/ restaurant. (Fail I’m sorry!) 

After lunch, we got back in the car and headed to Podgorica, Montenegro….  

When I think about a 3rd world country and what I think the roads would look like. I think of our drive leaving Mostar, Bosnia, heading to Podgorica, Montenegro. One word WOW! Holy Moly, never would I have thought a “main road” would look and be in the condition these roads were in. 

Below are a couple of pictures that I took on our drive to Montenegro. 

I grew up in Tennessee where cows are on every corner (in a fence) What I have not seen in my life is “Happy Cows” that are free to go anywhere they want. 

I originally thought it was a sign…until…

We saw 16 cows on the road in an 80km radius  (Crazy Crazy) Below is a picture of what the houses and the roads looked liked. I really tried to get the best picture that would paint the best picture of BAD ROADS/ but it was hard. 

Sadly this is what most the buildings and homes looked like on our 4-hour drive to Podgorica, Montenegro. What’s even worse is I realize that the houses that looked abandoned probably aren’t even abandoned. I’ve also never been so grateful for Tyler being able to speak the language too, I’m not exactly sure what we would have done if we had a flat tire… I said I wanted an adventure and boy did I get one! The backroads of Montenegro and Bosnia are no joke.

If you must drive in Bosnia for long periods of time I suggest that you pack food, water, blankets (if winter), flashlights, and make sure you have supplies for a flat tire! We did not see a gas station for miles, and when we did see gas stations most of them barely had a bottle of water to buy. It’s truly an eye-opening experience living in The United States for 29 years and then moving to Europe and seeing how the rest of the world functions. I honestly can say now that I’ve been living in a bubble for sooooo long and I’m so grateful for this experience as it’s opened my eyes so much to the bigger picture of life. 

Stay tuned for my blog posts on Montenegro and Serbia!