goinguntendrunter_2.1 Balkanedition
goinguntendrunter_2.1 Balkanedition
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South Dalmatia and Herzegovina

ޝާއިޢުކޮށްފައިވެއެވެ: 15.06.2022

We had already been in the flight path of Split in Trogir. Split is the largest city in Dalmatia and the second largest city in Croatia. The old town of Split is definitely worth seeing. Okay, Split is the x-th old town along our journey, but Split is the only city that was built into a Roman imperial palace. The Roman Emperor Diocletian had a huge palace built here for himself and after Diocletian voluntarily stepped down from office, the palace was transformed into an inhabited fortress. Thus, large parts of the palace have been preserved to this day and can be seen at every turn in the old town. Of course, the old town of Split is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. What was noticeable: here the number of Americans and party-goers increased dramatically. It seemed like we were approaching the peak season.

The promenade of Split with the outer walls of the palace.
The promenade of Split with the outer walls of the palace during the day...
...and at night.
...and at night.
The old Peristyle. The old columns were simply bricked up and have survived to this day.
The old Peristyle. The old columns were simply bricked up and have survived over time.
The Peristyle
The Peristyle, the second
In the old town of Split
In the old town of Split
On the eternal long promenade, which turns into a party mile in the evening
On the eternal long promenade, which turns into a party mile in the evening
Some old palace walls are just facades
Some old palace walls are now just facades

From Split we then went straight back to Bosnia and Herzegovina for a detour. With small stops at the Kravica waterfalls, Počitelj and Blagaj, we drove to Mostar.

The Kravica waterfalls in the morning
The Kravica waterfalls in the morning
Karl didn
Karl didn't find them so exciting
The Turkish town of Počitelj
The Ottoman town of Počitelj
Počitelj  from above
Počitelj from above
The monastery at Blagaj
The Dervish monastery of Blagaj and the Buna spring in the rock
Two guys at the monastery of Blagaj
Two guys at the monastery of Blagaj

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a federal republic, which, contrary to its name, consists of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the primarily Serbian inhabited Republika Srpska, roughly Republic of Serbia. Both parts have their own judiciary, executive and legislative branches, and to make matters worse, Bosnia and Herzegovina has three presidents, one Bosniak, one Serb, and one Croat, of whom one is always the rotating president of the presidents. In addition, there is the High Representative of the UN, currently a German, who can dismiss elected officials and enact laws. So all together, it is an extremely complex political entity which is certainly not conducive to the formation of a Bosnian-Herzegovinian state feeling. This entity is owed to the Dayton Agreement, which attempted to secure and maintain peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina after three and a half years of cruel war. Since the war, the city of Mostar has been a symbol of the division and disunity of this state. Serbs fought Bosniaks against Croats here in the Bosnian War and destroyed a large part of the city. Both Croats and Serbs carried out ethnic cleansing in their occupied districts, as there was a plan to divide Bosnia and Herzegovina between the two countries. The new border was supposed to run right through Mostar. Thus, Mostar became a focal point of the Bosnian War, which culminated in the destruction of the historical and symbolic old Ottoman bridge of Mostar. Well, the bridge was rebuilt with a lot of international help, but even today Mostar is politically divided into a Croatian and a Bosniak city with the Neretva River as a clear border. This can be clearly seen from the churches in the west and the mosques in the east of the city. We learned all of this on a free tour from our guide Sheva, who was trapped in the city as a Bosniak soldier by the Croats and Serbs.

The bridge of Mostar
The bridge of Mostar, you can also jump 20 m into the depths for a tip.
Eating with a view of the bridge, in high season it is probably full here
Eating with a view of the bridge, it's probably crowded here in high season
And again from the minaret, Karl was taken care of by the nice ticket seller below. He didn
And again the bridge from the minaret, Karl was taken care of by the nice ticket seller below. He didn't want to give Karl back.
Juliane on the minaret
Juliane on the minaret
Rather a curiosity. A Bruce Lee monument with the justification that Bruce Lee apparently respects all ethnicities.
Rather a curiosity or rather the highlight in Mostar, a Bruce Lee monument for international understanding.
And again the bridge
And again the bridge for farewell
And of course the bridge at night
And of course the bridge at night
And this is how it looks on the bridge.
And this is how it looks on the bridge.

From Mostar we went back to the coast of Croatia via a short stop in Stolac. After Stolac, we left the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and entered the Republika Srpska. It didn't take long before we were stopped at a police checkpoint. Driving with a child seat on the passenger seat is forbidden in many countries and apparently results in a €200 fine in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But the police officers were quite 'cooperative', since we unfortunately didn't have €200 in cash with us, we ended up paying only €35, allegedly for driving without a seatbelt. They didn't find any other offenses on our part, although they were definitely looking for them. There was no receipt, but Karl has been sitting in the back seat ever since and Juliane can now see what is happening in the landscape in front of her. Later, our Airbnb host from Mostar confirmed that it really does cost €200 in Bosnia and Herzegovina to have the child seat in the front (which locals also do).

To be precise, we were supposed to pay 400 Marks. During the Bosnian War, the Yugoslav currency was heavily devalued and since many war refugees fled to Germany, the German Mark established itself as a means of payment. Therefore, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the convertible Mark with a fixed 1:1 exchange rate to the German Mark was introduced after the war and still exists today.

Bogomil graves in Stolac. UNESCO World Heritage site
Bogomil graves in Stolac, the so-called Stecci, UNESCO World Heritage site

Bosnia and Herzegovina has only 22 km of coastline, which means it has only a little more coastline than the small country of Monaco. The short Bosnian access to the sea makes southern Dalmatia in Croatia an enclave that is soon to be connected to the mainland by a long bridge, paid for by EU funds and built by the Chinese. But South Dalmatia is also home to Dubrovnik, which has been a highlight of a visit to Croatia, especially since Game of Thrones. Accordingly, the city is crowded, with the sheer number of Americans standing out. What can be said about Dubrovnik is that it is truly very beautiful. You won't find such an intact large old town with a continuous city wall and majestic bastions very often. However, it also resembles Disneyland, because locals are hardly found there anymore, prices are overpriced, the price per square meter is €7000, and everywhere there are attempts to make a lot of money with tourists. We went on a free old town tour, which is really recommended. However, Game of Thrones tours are much more common there. Terence, as a fan from the beginning, was also very enthusiastic, but for Juliane's sake we stuck to the old town tour. Karlchen was able to bomb some tours. For example, the guide of a GoT tour squealed in the Blackwater Bay (no one remembers what the bay is really called): 'Oh my God, he's so cute' as Karlchen walked along the pier. Many Americans and other tourists were also fascinated by Karl in his child carrier, and on our tour through the city, we were always accompanied by laughter and 'so cute,' 'sweet,' and 'sympatico'. Karl is undoubtedly stealing the show from the Game of Thrones.

Dubrovnik from above on the way from our wild parking spot in the mountains to the city
Dubrovnik from above on the way from our wild parking spot in the mountains to the city
On a free tour through the city
On a free tour through the city
The old Rector
The old Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is so special because it was able to assert itself as an independent trading power in the Adriatic against Venice for a long time.
Inside the Rector
Inside the Rector's Palace or in the House of the Spice King in Qarth
The Iron Throne can be found in every other souvenir shop here
The Iron Throne can be found in every other souvenir shop here
It
It's a bit quieter off the main routes
Blackwater Bay
Blackwater Bay
Blackwater Bay with a view of the Red Keep. Unfortunately, it was closed for an American wedding.
Blackwater Bay with a view of the Red Keep. Unfortunately, it was closed for an American wedding.
We were swept out by the wall guards in the last meters of the wall because we took too much time. Then we briefly crashed into a British wall wedding."<br /><figcaption>We were swept out by the wall guards in the last meters of the wall because we took too much time. Then we briefly crashed into a British wall wedding.<br /></fiction></figure><figure><img src=
Farewell to Dubrovnik at night.
The south of Croatia is becoming greener and reminds a little of Cape York.
The south of Croatia is becoming greener and reminds a little of Cape York in Australia
or?
or?
In Molunat, there was finally a kind of sandy beach for Karl.
In Molunat, there was finally a kind of sandy beach for Karl.
And a beautiful little bay where luckily not many tourists got lost yet.
And a beautiful little bay where luckily not many tourists got lost yet.


 

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