Bosnia

We have just spent three days in Bosnia and its a fascinating place, beautiful but rather sad in equal measure. if you like mountains, forests, wild flowers and streams than this could be the country for you but the guide books instruct you not to leave the footpaths because of the dangers of landmines and unexploded bombs. 

Sarajevo is a really unusual European city. Christian, Muslim and Orthodox, it has a souk to rival any Turkish city but also the faded grandeur of the last days of the Austro-Hungarian empire all around too. Traditionally the city was the meeting point of the Ottoman empire and the west and that's still very evident today. Outside of the centre the city looks poor and war damage is very evident from the two year Serbian siege that almost destroyed the place. The tunnel museum near the airport is an essential part of any visit- you get a real sense of the desperate struggle for survival that the inhabitants had to endure. Today of course the World has turned it's back on Bosnia and unemployment is very high and we have left them with a complex peace settlement that means three different governments and complete political paralysis. 

Mostar is more of a tourist destination with the World's attention drawn to the wanton destruction of its 16th century bridge (by the Croats this time) resulting in European loans to rebuild the bridge and a steady stream of western tourists to this more affluent and fertile part of the country. Bosnia is definitely worth a visit and very welcoming.