By Isa Belle
Trebinje is a city in the far south of Bosnia and Herzegovina, part of Republika Srpska entity.  Only 10km from Adriatic sea and 24 km by road to the jewel Dubrovnik makes it perfect day trip from there. A little bit longer by bus from Mostar for those who want to start the excursion from there.

The best time to visit Trebinje is in spring or autumn unless you crave the deadly hot Mediterranean climate during the summer.  I was there in the winter when the city wasn’t at its best but still pleasant for any easy-going traveler.  It’s worth every minute of your time to come here as Trebinje is different than any other town in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The air here is more Mediterranean and sparkling than the stuffy atmosphere that one sometimes encounters in other cities.  But like the rest of the country, you can always find your favorite bar to sip away the lazy day over a good cup of coffee in the central square.  After the coffee, you can stroll the beautiful Old Town without being reminded by the war because Trebinje fortunately was left undamaged by the conflict. The Herzegovinian museum is another option to learn about the city. The Museum is open to the public Monday to Sunday  7 am to 8 pm. Visits are by appointment only. Entry is 2 KM (1 KM for groups 10+). 

When you drive toward the border with Montenegro, the nature will only get more pure and scenic. Trebinje  is conveniently located below the Leotar mountain and through the heart of the city flows a river with the same name, Trebisnjica.  On the mountain, there are an Orthodox church and a monastery overlooking the city.  In this monastery, Serbian poet and diplomat Jovan Du?i?, the town’s famous son was laid to rest followed his wish to be buried in his birth place.   Near the monastery is a beautiful cave where according to the legend, St. Paul baptized earlier Herzegovina inhabitants from the miraculous water that running through the cave.

There are buses from Mostar to Trebinje every weekday at 06:15, 15;30 and 17:30.There are also daily buses to and from Dubrovnik except Sunday for only 5KM.

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There are new resource pages with information about Mostar for the following topics: food & drink, museums, transportation and list of travel agencies. Hopefully more will be provided in the near future.

Link is also available on the menu on the left sidebar.

Thanks to Isa Belle

By Isa Belle
People in the Balkan love football, and Bosnia is no exception.  They play, watch and support big clubs from English Premier League and then fight about it.  There have been several occasions when I was not allowed to leave my house in Mostar because the city’s rival teams were playing against each other and normally resulting in riots.  Local people say that it has less to do with the match than the temperamental Balkans simply need a reason to burst.

Football madness is not only restricted at the regional level but also spreads national-wide.  Bosnian-Croats generally support Croatia’s national team; Bosnian-Serbs cheer on Serbian national team; and you see where I am going with this, Bosniaks pledge their loyalty to the team wearing blue jerseys.  As the qualification round for the World Cup 2010 was coming to and end, I had my share of witnessing the national pride. I was in Mostar on the day of  Bosnia-Turkey and Croatia-England matches. Both games were significant in the way that the outcome could change the pecking order of the groups.  It would strengthen Bosnia’s and Croatia’s 2nd-place status to advance to the play-off round and compete for Europe’s last four spots going to South Africa.  Bosnia tied Turkey which was a very good result for them while Croatia  was crushed by England.  The tension in the city was high with all those pent-up, conflicting emotions on both sides.  I was on my balcony, in the Bosniak side of the town, the whole night watching Mostar becoming a bedlam.  Cars were honking; people were screaming and cheering; fireworks were exploding.  I heard from a policeman later that some policeman was beaten up in that riot.  But it was incredible!  The liveliness of Mostar–I had never experienced such–lasted even hours after the match had finished.

I was in Sarajevo during Bosnia’s next match, an even more important one because it will guarantee them the second place for the play-off.  The spirit was amazing.  People were walking around in their national colours and gathered to watch the match live on big screen television in a square.  Unfortunately I had to take the train back to Mostar before the match started. Back in Mostar awaited me the same uplifting sight of people cheering on the streets in huge masses.  I will definitely return to Sarajevo when the play-off match is played against Portugal, yup the Portugal which produces World Football Best Player in 2008, Christian Ronaldo.  So Bosia needs a lot more than just skills and talent.  I am praying for Bosnia’s uphill win to relieve the spirit of the after-match, and of course to have two teams to root for in the World Cup,  Bosnia and The Netherlands.

Will it be possible that football in Bosnia for once not divide the people but unite them given the national team stellar performance, similar to the divisive Belgians and Spaniards unite behind their national football team.

Written by Belen

What I am trying to do through this post is to give you basic information on how to get to Sarajevo.

The best way to get to Sarajevo is by plane.  There are daily flights from a few European airports for example Franz Josef Strauss Airport in Munich or Vienna International Airport in Austria.  If you are departing from another European city, you will have to book a flight which stops at one of these cities.  It’s also possible via Budapest, in Hungary.  The most important companies that offer daily flights to the capital of Bosnia Herzegovina are Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Malev.
The German-owned company Lufthansa has few delays and good on-board service.  It offers lunch or a snack and some beverage during the trip; flight assistants are cordials and the seats are comfortable.  The company owns a large number of planes and the service at the airport is good.  In some airports you can take the company’s shuttle to designated destinations.  You will likely to fly Lufthansa from Munich. The price is cheap, but of course it always depends on the dates and how far in advance you book the ticket.  If you search for a flight from, for example, Madrid to Sarajevo, the first option (cheapest one) will probably be Lufthansa.  You can carry up to 20 kg of luggage without paying a fee or 40 kg if you travel first-class.  For every extra 10 kg, you pay 10 EUR.  Try to travel with the correct weight since the extra fee will push up the ticket price, thus it’s not worth to fly with them anymore.  You are allow to bring two pieces of hand luggage for first class and one for economy class.

Austrian Airlines is a member of Miles and More, the same group Lufthansa belongs to.  Checked-in luggage is 20 kg in economy and 30 kg in business.  One piece of hand baggage, up to 8 kg is permitted in economy, or two weighing up to 8 kg and 4 kg respectively for business class.  Excess baggage fee is also 10 Euros per kg.  Austrian Airlines, understandably, is the first option when you fly from Vienna International.

Another choice is Hungarian owned Malev Airlines departing from Budapest, lasting 1h and 15 minutes.  It’s a little more expensive than the others, but this is a good company with polite air hostess, great seats and free food and beverage.  Baggage is 23 kg in economy and 30 kg in business class.  (I like companies which do not make a huge distintion between “second” and “first” class).  Regarding hand luggage, you can bring up to 10 kg and 10 + 8 kg, respectively.  The 10 Euros per extra kg seems to be the same for all companies.

There are other airlines connecting Sarajevo with other part of Europe and the world which I will review them in my future posts so you will have all the possibilities to make the best choice.  In the mean time, I hope you find this post useful.