By Isa Belle

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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Thanks to Isa Belle

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.

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.

Written by Isa Belle

Banja Luka is the capital of Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  (Are you confused yet with one entity, the federation having “almost” the same name as the country?)  As you can see in the name, the population of Republika Srpska consists of mainly Bosnian Serbs versus Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats from the Federation.  Banja Luka has around 200,000 people, making it the second biggest city after Sarajevo. 

In the last year I have visited a lot of places in the Federation, but I have never properly been in Republika Srpska.  Thus I was curious to go there and see whether it would be any different from the Federation.  I know that I should visit the entire entity to come to a clear conclusion, but I don’t have the opportunity to do that–and nobody ever will see something in it entirety–so I thought the capital was a good place to start.

There are of course obvious differences between the Republika and the Federation.  Things that you can easily spot are ubiquitous Orthodox churches, brightly lit and painted standing next to road signs in Cyrillic (Latin is used here as well).  In the Federation you also see Cyrillic, but often people spray graffiti over it to show how they feel about anything that has to do with Serb.  Other than the churches and the Cyrillic alphabets, there is not much difference between the two entities, which makes sense because they are still in the same country sharing the same culture.  In Banja Luka you can find excellent coffee bars, friendly people and interesting history, just like everywhere else in Bosnia.

Banja Luka, nonetheless, is a bit different than other Bosnian towns in a way that it reminds me of an European city: the setup of the city, bigger road, pavements especially made for disabled persons and no old-town like in Mostar and Sarajevo, etc.  Perhaps it is also the fact that there is no sight of mosques lining one street block after another and things just seem slightly more modern though I can not exactly pinpoint how I come to this conclusion.  

If you are going to Banja Luka I would recommend you to walk around a little bit and you’ll run into the Orthodox Cathedral at some point.  It has special architecture and has been rebuilt recently after being destroyed in the Second World War.  A new mosque is being built because sadly none of the sixteen mosques existed prior to the 1992-1995 war survived in the aftermath.  What surprises me is the sight of many mosques in villages near Banja Luka given the percentage of Bosniaks living in the municipality is only 4%, against 92% of Serbs and 2% of Croats. In 1991 the statistic was very different.  55% of the population was Serbian, 15% was Bosniak, 15 % was Croat, and another 12% consisted of Yugoslavs, who didn’t identify themselves with any of the three main religions and ethnic groups.  The main attraction of the city is the fortress used in the past to defend the city against invading Ottomans.  Now instead of Turks and fights, one can sit and eat peacefully at the restaurant, and in the summer goes to various concerts held there.  Below, the river Vrbas quietly flows guarding the fortress, contemplating the past and as many Bosnians and/or Bosnian-Serbs, wondering about its dubious future. 

It is a pity that I was there for only a few days; I would have loved to dig deeper past the mere surface difference between the entity and the federation, to talk to more people and discover things that the eyes can not see. 

How to get there?

Banja Luka is an important town in Bosnia, so it is not difficult to get there by public transport. The city has both a bus and train station, next to each other. You can easily reach Banja Luka from Zagreb in 2.5 hours or longer depend on how busy it is at the border. The scenic route passing by stunning landscape from Mostar takes about 5 hours.  

There are also several buses a day from Sarajevo, leaving as early as 5:00.  The last departure is at 16:30. The journey takes about 5 hours. 

[image source] 

Written by Isa Belle

45 minutes north of Mostar is an area perfect for hiking, called Diva Grabovica.  It is a perfect example of Karst landscape, defined by layers of bedrocks.  If you are not familiar with this geographical term, it’s just incredibly beautiful nature with high and fierce mountains and the magical turquoise river Neretva flowing in between.  People have made an effort to turn this area into an recreational place where you you can have the most wonderful hikes. 

I have been there three times now, and all my experiences have been great. The paths are well marked, at some places there are metal ‘ropes’ to help you over dangerous passages.  There are pretty tough parts though, so you should be fit to some extent.  Don’t be discouraged, take your time and make sure you are down again before dark.  However, you may want to try staying in one of those cosy huts along the road and of course having an unforgetable night in the middle-of-nowhere. By the end of the day, the beautiful nature and tough physical exercise will bring you total relaxation and well a few grams off your weights.

The most amazing thing happening on my second hike when I met a group of older local people. They were eating, drinking, talking and enjoying in the first hut on our way. The huts were small and basic but cozy, ready to indulge your tired bodies.  There was an ax and a small stove which could run on fire made from your own freshly-chopped firewood.  There were plates, cups, forks, knives and even instant coffee, an amazing windfall for exhausted hikers. 

We greeted the people sitting by the hut and eventually sat down to have conversation with them since two people from our group spoke the local language.  We were exhausted after the hike, thus could not refused their offering us warm coffee.  Our coffee was served in the cutest china I had ever seen and accompanied by Turkish Delight, ended with delicious baklava.  It was a fantastic experience which once more proved the incredible hospitality of local people.  The drink, sweets and the warmness of the people replenished our body and provided the needed energy and drive to walk up the mountain. 

It’s peaceful and satisfying to hike in stunning nature, smell fresh air, enjoy amazing views, feel sweat drops on your back, chat with friendly local people and eat delicious cevapi afterwards.  If I could do this every weekend, I would be the happiest person on earth.

Getting there from Mostar (45 mintues) is possible only by car because it is a remote area.  Take the road to Sarajevo and watch carefully until you see a roadsign ‘Grabovica’ which direct you to the left, over the Neretva.  Once you cross the Neretva, turn right and be patient until you see a little meadow where you can park your car and where you’ll also find a sign indicating the begining of one of many possible hiking routes.  I recommend you to go with someone who have hiked there already or know the area well just for your own safety.  Wear hiking boots, bring enough water, etc.

[image: www.flickr.com -dino70]

For a school assignment, I interviewed an ex-Dutchbatter who served in Srebrenica during its fall. The interview was interesting, so I decided to translate and post it here. I encourage you all to read it; however it’s best if you do a bit of research before reading it.

Please take into consideration that I am not a professional interviewer and have never interviewed before in my life. I hope you find the interview worth your time anyway.

What did you know about the war in Bosnia before you went to Srebrenica?

Not a lot, just that there was a war, I saw a lot of it on television. I knew it was between different national groups. On television I saw blokes with those blue helmets helping the local population, then I thought that that I would like to do that as well. So after highschool I applied for military service.

When exactly did you arrive in Srebrenica and how was the situation at that time?

I arrived there in December 1994. The situation was quite calm. I was immediately disappointed in the beginning. I went on a patrolling during one of my first days and then I saw this older man who told us: ‘Ide kuce!’: Go home!” That was only one of many examples when I felt that the local population did not really appreciate us being there.

How was the relation between Dutch soldiers and Muslims in Srebrenica? Also in relation to the death of Raviv van Rensen from a shell of the Bosniak fighters.

We really saw them as “locals;” they were seen as a “different” group of people. Of course we had to be neutral, and in my opinion Dutch soldiers did a good job at it. We didn’t involve ourselves too much with the locals. Giving humanitarian aid was not allowed as agreed with the Bosnian Serbs. Medically trained staff was only there for the Dutch. Our mission there was only to observe both fighting groups. Through observation one can keep the factions away from each other. The case of Raviv van Rensen was in the last week before the fall of Srebrenica. When it became known that shell from Bosnian fighters killed him, we thought: ”What in God’s name are we doing here?” But we couldn’t complain because that was the only casualty. If you think about the fact that only one man died during the whole mission, it is still (xxxxx) . Then came extra medical stock, in case of similar events, but that stock was never used.

Did you have any idea of Mladic’s plans for the enclave?

No, I was just a normal soldier, nothing special. The staff did not know about them either. It was thought that the Bosnian Serbs only wanted a small part of the enclave. The first attacks were mainly directed to the southern part of the enclave, so we thought they only wanted to have the southern half of the enclave. However, people were wondering what the Bosnian Serbs would do with all the people in there if they might conquer the whole thing.

Were you allowed to use violence or weapons when necessary?

Only if someone aimed for you while shooting, then you were allowed to shoot back at them.
Did you, as a group, have to be extra-careful because there were some Dutch hostages in Serbian hands?

The fact that there were Dutch hostages in Serbian hands did not in any way dictated the way we acted. Commander Thom Karremans did everything possible to get air support, even though there were hostages. It is possible that the hostage situation unconsciously played a role; nonetheless it was not important enough to not ask for air support.

What went wrong with the air support?

I believe that you needed a special form in order to get air support. Karremans filled the form several times, but apparently on the wrong form. You can call it bureaucracy, too many rules around the whole procedure. Furthermore, the request was not directed to the people who can approve as it went to Tuzla. From there it routed to Sarajevo where it was approved before heading to Zagreb. Coincidentally, Dutch were responsible for approval in both Tuzla and Sarajevo, thus contributed to the negative image of Dutch during the war. Eventually air support came. There were two Dutch airplanes in the air, again another Dutch image. That gave people a reason to conclude conspiracy theories.

In your opinion, what was the main thing that went wrong?

The failure with the air support. If that had been working well, it probably would have prevented the genocide. The other factors would not have mattered.

How do you feel about the negative image of the Dutchbat?

I do not feel bad about it as I have always been able to think clearly about what I did or did not do. If people want to put it in a negative light, they can; I don’t care. I myself think that the Dutchbat did their best. I don’t think the genocide was the fault of the Dutch, the same thing would have happened if the battalion was from another country.

What happened to you after the fall of Srebrenica and everybody had been evacuated?

After all the happenings my leave started. I had to come back to receive some kind of medal and to pick up some stuff. My wages continued to be paid until September and then my military service time was over. The mandatory military service time is nine month, but I served for fifteen months.

How was the motivation of the Dutchbat?

The biggest group of the Dutchbat arrived in Bosnia in January, and I arrived in December. In March I have been visiting The Netherlands for three weeks. Motivation was hard to find after serving for such a long time. I was working at the hospital at that time, that is the place they arranged for me. The people working at the military hospital were supposed to leave in the beginning of May while I in the end of May. However, from April on, no-one was able to leave anymore. There was one convoy which had left at the beginning of July, but thepeople at the military hospital were not with it, so they were quite angry at the staff.

Furthermore, there was this tension between the staff and the soldiers in the hospital, especially with Major Franken. The tensions were common, the staff just wanted to uphold certain rules while the people thought it was a bit overdone, and they wanted to leave anyway. Surgeons, doctors and nurses thought it was time for them to go back home and that the staff did not do enough.

There were other minor incidents that worsened the tensions. For example, there was a certain walking path within the compound along the fences. Every time after dinner people in the military hospital went there to have a walk. At some point, that activity was not allowed because it seemed to hinder the guard. Then the people invented an alternative, smaller route within the compound, but the staff did not agree on this route. So the compound became some kind of a prison where one could not just leave. When the staff limited your basic freedom within the compound, you got annoyed.

I have to say though, that I don’t think the soldiers in the military hospital were real soldiers. I thought they were civilians in military clothes. They did not behave like soldiers. They did not care about military rules; they hated them I think. I, too, disliked the rules, for example the rotating of shifts. There was one shift who wanted to leave, but the staff decided it would be better to send other people on leave. They expected that the people in the hospital could go on leave a week later or something like that. The people could not understand that, they were crying: “I want to go home!”

Moreover, in the beginning there were still things to do, humanitarian help and things like that. After April, the things we could do were limited. There was no patient anymore, so the help stopped because there was few medical supplies in order to nurse people. Then the boredom started. The weather was good, so most of the time we were just laying in the sun on a green field. I also did a lot of fitnessing, played a lot of risk. I wasn’t really bored.

In my last article you can read about the cross on the Hum, the hill dominating Mostar.  Although being a topic for argument, it’s one of my favorite places.  Not because it is a cross–I think it’s ugly indeed–but because the space gives me a little bit of nature while being in a big city, and more so offers stunning view of the hills and mountains surround Mostar.

I have been at the cross four times, and each time is as memorable as the last. The walk takes about one to two hours, depending on where you start, but believe me, it’s worth the sweat! The trip to the cross first leads you to a traffic road, so watch out for cars as Balkan drivers are notorious. Every new step unveils Mostar and the mountains hidden behind the hills. In winter and spring these mountains are covered with a layer of snow, which is a really beautiful sight. Halfway to the cross, you have to change the road for a path especially made for walkers to the cross. This is obvious given all the smaller wooden crosses along your way up to the big one. At the spot where you leave the road there is a place where you can overview the valley behind the hill, south of Mostar where it’s airport is. It is really nice to see the other side as well and you can clearly see differences in the landscape north and south of you.

Once you have reached the top (you’ll know when you are close when you see a big cross looming in front of you), you’ll have this incredible view which you have already felt when climbing the hill. You can see a lot of Mostar: the smooth hills, the steep mountains, the green blue Neretva flowing through the city, smooth hills, the steep mountains, the concrete flats on the Croat side and the mosques on the Bosniak side.  I don’t dare to describe anything more and hope you can imagine the beauty of the landscape.  However, you understand it only when you hike there yourself.

The only thing you cannot see is the old bridge hidden behind the edge of the hill.  To see it, continue walking past the cross.  The path will branches off at some point, and you’ll a few scattered huts where snipers operated during the war.  Take the road turning left, and eventually you will see the old bridge.  If you have time, take a minute or two to stop and look at the huts surrounded by graves of Croat soldiers.  However, please be extra careful as there might be mines near the huts.  Though the war has finished more than a decade ago, clearing mines still needs time.

How to get to the cross
First take the road leading to Citluk, Medugorje and Ljubuski. You can get there in different ways, just ask a random Croat from Mostar for the direction to the cross, and they will definitely help you get started. The most interesting way for me is passing Zrinsjki fan club bar (Zrinsjki is the Croat football team of Mostar) and over a graveyard.

I recommend hiking shoes, or at least good shoe, water especially in summer as it’s hot in Mostar.  Sun block is necessary because there is not much shadow along the way up.

You cannot miss it when you are in or around Mostar: the huge cross (33 m tall) on the Hum Hill which dominating the city.  You can see the cross from most spots in Mostar because it is illuminated even at night.  It seems to stand there quietly and peacefully, but nothing could be less true. This cross has been a topic for discussion ever since it was first erected in 2000.

The cross is of course a religious symbol for the Catholic Croats in Mostar; it’s a part of their religion. Its present there is “to spread the fruit of peace to all sides of the world,” according to Mostar Bishop who spoke at the openings ceremony.  The Muslims on the other side of the town, however, do not identify with it and are not happy about the cross being where it is.  They see it as a symbol for hatred and intolerance and that its present worsens the division in the city.  The Catholics counter-argue that the Muslims are actually no Muslims at all, but atheists.  They also claim that the Old Bridge in Mostar–build by Ottoman Turks–is a Muslim symbol, therefore the Catholics should be allowed to have their own city symbol as well.  Furthermore, most of the war damage in Mostar was inflicted from the Hum hill, implicating that who controlled the hill, virtually controlled the city.  The powerful present of the cross signals the Croats’ subtle claiming authority over the hill where many atrocities were committed, a painful page in the history book of Mostar.

For an outsider it is difficult to understand the deep feeling in this case, but I think everybody can predict the kinds of arguments arising from erecting a giant cross above Mostar, a city with a recent history of ethnic war which physically divided the Catholics and the Muslims.  The argument goes even further than words.  In 2006 a man was arrested for his alleged plot to blow up the cross. This shows how deep the feeling over this cross. Fortunately, there are people who believe in more ‘peaceful’ ways on how to handle the situation.  “Of course the cross is offensive to us, but we just say that the crescent moon and the star are higher still.” (The Guardian, 29 July 2004). I support freedom of religion, but I think you should keep your religion to yourself and don’t bother others too much with it.

[image: flickr/25063579@N08]

Herzegovina is a region of incredible natural beauty with shaggy mountains, beautiful lakes and blue rivers. One of its gems are the Kravice waterfalls near the town of Ljubuški, close to the border with Croatia. It is here that the river Trebižat pours itself 28 meters down to a pool of brightest blue water where you can fish and swim in summer. The waterfalls are situated in a half circle of 120 meter wide and run through green trees offering an immensely beautiful sight.

When I am there, the weather is unfortunately not good for swimming, but upon seeing this natural phenomenon I am already stunned, and swimming would probably not be important. I haven’t seen many waterfalls in my life thus can’t compare but it will be a long while before I run into another as impressive. Standing near the waterfalls makes you vulnerable like a puppet in the hands of nature. There are spots where you can only look down from above to glance at the waterfalls, but at some other spots you can get very close, so close that you feel the water that has just fallen down 28 meters splashing in your face. It’s a wonderful feeling to be here and stare at those beautiful waterfalls, perhaps the most beautiful in Bosnia-Herzegovina. You should be careful saying such thing though because Bosnia has a lot in store when it comes to natural phenomena. Behind every mountain lay hidden a new paradise waiting to be discovered.

Do I need to say more? There is not much needed to convince you to pay a visit to these waterfalls. If you happen to be close by, do wander there and experience the beauty yourself as words are not sufficient.

Tip: There is no public transport to the waterfalls, so you should go by car. It’s about an hour away from Mostar. Bring a map because there are not a lot of signs leading you there.