Bosnia/Croatia Tour: Bound together by shared history...

“I am not the same having seen the moon rise on the other side of the world...”- Mary Ann Rademacher

(10 - 18 April 2012)

Hubby and I joined the Puspanita of Bank Negara for a trip to the war torn Bosnia and Croatia from 10 to 18 April 2012 with a stopover in Istanbul for a day.

Why did Croatia and Bosnia go to war?

Both Croatia and Bosnia faced a complex set of reasons that led to the outbreak of war between them. The dissolution of Yugoslavia, authoritarian governments, economic crises, and strong social cleavages all contributed to rising nationalistic and ethnic tensions that became too much to handle for the two neighboring countries. The conflict between Croatia and Bosnia resulted in a bloody three-sided fight for territories, with civilians of all ethnicities becoming victims of horrendous crimes.

2012: Istanbul - City of minarets...👉👉

Bosnia/Croatia/Turkey 2012: Istanbul - City of minarets...

"Don't let a bad day make you feel like you have a bad life..."

(The Blue Mosque...)

Day 01: ISTANBUL CITY TOUR
Date: 10/04/2012 (Tuesday)

Hotel: Grand Harlic Hotel, Istanbul

Hubby and I joined the Puspanita of Bank Negara for a trip to Bosnia and Croatia with a stopover in Istanbul for a day.

Our Emirates flight to Istanbul was at 02:00 via Dubai. When we arrived in Dubai around 05:00, we were just in time for subuh prayer. It was a 5-hour transit before we boarded Turkish Airlines at 11:30 for another 4-hour flight to Istanbul.

(Part of the group...)

When we arrived in Istanbul we were greeted by Miss Burju, our local guide and boarded a 40-seater bus for the city tour, which is a little too big for our group of 16.

(Beautiful leather jackets on show...)

We were brought to Kircilar Leather Store for an enlightening fashion show of leather jackets where some of us had the opportunity to model their beautiful expensive jackets. This leather shop is the same shop we visited in 1998 when I bought a leather jacket that cost me USD400.

(The Grand Bazaar...)

(Bright colorful decorative lights...)

(Masks made of leather...)

We visited the Blue Mosque and later went for a shopping spree at Grand Bazaar. Dinner was at one fish restaurant but the menu was lamb kebab instead.

It was late night when we checked-in Grand Harlic Hotel, Istanbul. Tomorrow we will be flying to Sarajevo, Bosnia and will be touring interesting places in Bosnia and Croatia, insyaAllah...

2012: Travnik/Bihac, Bosnia👉👉

Bosnia/Croatia 2012: Bihac - Breathtaking and scenic...

"Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe..."

(Restaurant Sunce on River Una...)

Day 02: ISTANBUL/TRAVNIK/BIHAC
Date: 11/04/2012 (Wednesday)

Hotel: the Ada Hotel, Bihac

We checked out of the hotel after breakfast and boarded the bus to Istanbul International Airport by 09;30. Our Turkish Airlines flight to Sarajevo took about 3 hours. When we arrived at Sarajevo Airport we were met by Amila, the local guide and immediately boarded the bus to Bihac via Travnik.

(Lunch at Restaurant Plava Moda Travnik)

(Too cold to eat by the river...)

We stopped in Travnik for a late lunch of chicken and potatoes at Restoran Konova Plava Voda. We performed the solat at a nearby Elci Ibrahim Pesina Medrasah and met a lecturer who once studied in UIA. As we were already 3 hrs behind schedule, we missed visiting Masjid Suleimania in Travnik. Travnik is situated 90 km west of Sarajevo and is the City for the Gabenor of Bosnia from 1697-1850.

(A serene surrounding...)

After Travnik, we headed towards Bihac situated in northern Bosnia along River Una. Bihac is a tourist attraction because of its breathtaking natural surroundings.

(Crystal clear water...)

In Bihac we checked-in the Ada Hotel. And for dinner, we had to walk to a nearby Restaurant Sunce by the riverside.

👈👈2012: Istanbul, Turkey 

      2012: Plitvice Lake/Vlasic Mt, Croatia👉👉

Bosnia/Croatia 2012: Plitvice and Vlasic Mt - Wonder of nature....

"Those who are hardest to love need it the most..."

(The unique cascading waterfalls)

Day 03: PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK /VLASIC MOUNTAIN
Date: 12/04/2012 (Thursday)
Hotel: Pahuljica Hotel, Vlasic Mountain

(Mode of transportation after a 4-hr walk)

(Still very far to hike)

After breakfast we boarded the bus to Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia situated on the Plitvice Plateau surrounded by 3 mountains that formed as part of Dinaric Alps: Pljeevica Mountain (1640 meter), Mala Kapela Mountain (1280 meter) dan Medvedak mountain (884 meter).

(The blue and green lakes)

(Tired but all smiles)

(At the bottom of the waterfalls)

(The wooden path along the lakes)

Plitvice Lake National Park is a wonder of nature formed from dolomite and limestone, consisting of unique lakes, cascading waterfalls and caves. We had an exhausting but fun walk through the multi hued woods along the enchanting lakes.

(The cascades change shapes almost every day)

(End of the hiking trip, waiting for the boat ride)

(A boat cruise across the lake)

It is also claimed that the cascades changed their flows and shapes daily. We later had pan-fried trout and potatoes for lunch at the Poljana Restaurant.

(Warming up before dinner)

(A lively ambience of the dining room)

We drove back to Bosnia and stopped for solat at a Blue Dome Mosque. We proceeded climbing the mountain route to the Vlasic Mountain and checked-in Pahuljica Hotel situated at a ski resort 3000 meter above sea level.

(Live wolves could be seen roaming outside too) 

(The cozy hotel room)

The resort offers stunning views of the country side, with cold weather all year round. During winter the slopes are perfect for skiing. Dinner of trout, veal and chicken was served in the cozy dining area in the hotel. An authentic fire place kept us warm throughout dinner.

(The many chalets and resort hotels)

(Trying out the snow mobil)

Vlasic Mountain was one of the sites in Bosnia for the Winter Olympic in 1984.

👈👈 2012: Travnik/Bihac, Bosnia

                 2012: Visoco, Bosnia 👉👉

Bosnia/Croatia 2012: Visoco - The European pyramids...

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced..." - Lucille Ball

(Turquoise green river...)

Day 04: VLASIC MOUNTAIN/VISOCO PYRAMID/SARAJEVO
Date: 13/04/2012 (Friday)
Hotel:  The Astra Garni Hotel, Sarajevo

After breakfast, we drove back towards Sarajevo via Visoco. The journey took an hour of winding mountainous road, made slippery with ice and sleet at certain parts.

(Mr Harris, our geologist guide...)

(Equipped with hard hats and torchlights...)

(Exploring the complex labyrinth...)

In Visoco we explored the underground labyrinth of the KTK tunnels, one entrance leading towards the Pyramid of the Sun and another towards the Pyramid of the Moon with many more site tunnels undiscovered.

(Pyramid of the sun from far...)

(A long walk to the conical pyramid...)

The Bosnian Pyramid in Visoco Mountain is the first pyramid discovered in Europe and even higher than that of the grand pyramid of Giza. The pyramid is situated in Central Europe and has the characteristics of a pyramid with 4 corners pointing to the cardinal points. There is a main entrance accessing the pyramid complex. Medieval ruins were also discovered on top of the pyramid, and claimed to be the administrative centre of the Bosnian King Tvrtko of Kotromanic (1338-1391).

(A panoramic view from the top...)

(A photo for the magazine...)

Because of the similarities to Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan in Mexico, this pyramid is also called “Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun” ('Bosanska Piramida Sunca'). There are another 4 ancient historical structures at the site, Bosnian Pyramid of the Moon ('Bosanska Piramida Mjeseca'), Bosnian Pyramid of the Dragon ( 'Bosanska Piramida Zmaja'), Bosnian Pyramid of the Love ('Bosanska Piramida Ljubavi') and Temple of the Earth ('Hram Zemlje'). Another 5 km from the pyramid complex, we visited and climbed the conical pyramid and took photos of the panoramic views from the hill top.

(Vibrant colors of flowers...)

(Fat furry sheeps grazing on the hill slope...)

Back in Sarajevo, we had a very late lunch at Inat Kuca Restaurant. The rest of the afternoon we had free time to walk through the open and closed bazaars. The Gazi Husrev Beg Bazaar is a closed bazaar similar but very much smaller than the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It is situated at Bascarsija the heart of Sarajevo.

We spent the night in the Astra Garni Hotel, Sarajevo.

👈👈 2012: Plitvice Lake/Vlasic Mt, Croatia 

             2012: Sarajevo, Bosnia 👉👉

Bosnia/Croatia 2012: Sarajevo - Tunnel of hope...

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?..."

(An oil painting of Sarajevo)

Day 05; SARAJEVO CITY TOUR
Date: 14/04/2012 (Saturday)

Hotel: The Astra Garni Hotel, Sarajevo

After breakfast we started our tour of Sarajevo with a visit to the Tunnel of Hope, a tunnel dug by the people of Sarajevo when the city was under the 4-year siege by the Serbian army.

(Our local tour guide)

(The tunnel starts from a garage)

(A house, totally destroyed)

(Waiting in line to enter the narrow tunnel)

(A safe walkway to cross the bombarded town)

(Taking a peek of the tunnel of hope)

(Careful!.. Danger ahead)

Later we had a walking tour of Sarajevo in the drizzling rain and visited historical mosques including Masjid Gazi Husrevby, Masjid Ali Pasha, Masjid Czar’s, Masjid Bascarsija, Old Orthodox Church, Museum Icons, Town Hall, Bazaar and Copper Smith road.

(A typical street crowded with tourists)

(The grand clock tower)

(A fountain of cool spring water) 

(Inside the compound of Masjid Ghazi)

Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city in Bosnia. It is located in Sarajevo valley and surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along Miljacka river. The city is famous for its various religious beliefs including Islam, Orthodox Christian, Catholic and Jews, co-existing for decades. Thus Sarajevo is also known as “Jerusalem of Europe” or “Jerusalem of Balkans”

(Taking a rest after the walking tour)

(The old camel stop, outside the covered bazaar)

(Colorful tram criss-crossing the city)

(The writing on the wall of the Synagogue)

After the city tour we broke off from the group and went for a little souvenir shopping then rested in the room until it was time for dinner. It was raining dogs and cats when we walked quite a distance away from our hotel to Restaurant Lovac situated behind the Cathedral. It was a 3-course dinner accompanied by live local and western music.

(Raw cabbage and tomato dish)

(Sweet pomegranate, a popular fruit in Bosnia)

(Ready for the road @ Astra Garni Hotel)

👈👈2012: Visoco, Bosnia 

           2012: Pocitelj/Dubrovnik, Croatia👉👉