We were driving to Split from Dubrovnik and decided to take a detour to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The drive to Mostar added about 1.5 hours on the way to Split, plus time taken to cross the border.
The drive through Bosnia and Herzegovina was stunning. It’s a beautiful country and hopefully we can visit again when we have more time to explore. On the drive from Dubrovnik to Mostar there were lots of old monasteries and dedications to saints that looked very beautiful and interesting, but we didn’t have time to stop and look (plus the weather wasn’t very pleasant).
The rain was quite heavy during our drive, so we weren’t sure how much we would see of Mostar (or how much we would want to see walking in the cold rain). But as we arrived in Mostar, the rain started to soften, so we parked the car near the old bazaar and started to explore. We walked through the bazaar and over the old bridge. There wasn’t a whole lot open – a few stalls and a couple restaurants. Since it was still raining a little bit, we decided to find a restaurant in hopes that the rain would stop by the time we were done. We found a great restaurant (another one with a lovely, warm fire) and enjoyed a great meal.
After our lunch, we headed back outside, and the rain had stopped! We walked along the old bazaar, taking lots of pictures. Again, most things were closed and there weren’t a lot of people around, but we got some good pictures of the empty bazaar street.
We made our way towards the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque. There was an entrance fee to view and the mosque or visit the mosque and climb the minaret. It’s a small mosque, but very lovely on the inside, but the highlight was the view from the minaret. It’s a little under 100 steps to the top, which had an open viewing deck around the minaret. The views were amazing, even on a grey day – well worth the entry fee and climb to the top.
We wondered around the bazaar a little while longer and then jumped in the car. We decided to stop at the Kravica Waterfalls on our way to Split, Croatia. When we arrived to the waterfalls, there are several large parking areas to leave the car and then walk down the path to the waterfalls. The barrier was up, so we drove the car down near the waterfalls instead of walking. It was getting dark, so we didn’t have much time before it would be too late to see the waterfalls.
The Kravica Waterfalls were much more impressive than we expected. It was a bit windy, so we got soaked from the waterfalls. We enjoyed the few, took a few pictures, and then headed on our way.