I'm in the Corner. In Bosnia-Hercegovina

Neum is the new China.  A town on the 23 km stretch of land that enables Bosnia-Hercegovina to call itself Mediterranean, it sells burned CDs.   Several of which we picked up to ease the long driving hours, and the best one, July 2010 UK Top 40, included the Robyn song "Dancing on my own" whose chorus titles this post.  Trust me, watch the video and you'll understand the hours of mockery that ensued from the stalker-esque nature of the song.

It was a beautiful day yet again, and the heat outside the air-conditioned car was visible in hazy waves.  Our first stop was Kravice Waterfalls.  We originally took the back route, involving a rocky, pothole-filled gravel road and an Indiana Jones style stone-paved crumbling walkway.  We opted instead for the other side, with a paved path down the hill.

The Falls are stunning - 25 metres high and crystal clear.  After a sunny beer under the Falls, we dove into water so cold it almost stops the heart.  The contrast between temperatures was shocking: wonderful.  Another 1 euro beer and we hiked back up the hillside Bond-Girl style.  We were dry before we reached the top.

An hour or so later, we reached Mostar, a gorgeous riverside town.  During the Yugoslavian civil war, it was repeatedly shot at, its beautiful bridge decimated.  While the bridge and town have been carefully reconstructed, its scars are visible in the bullet holes marking the buildings.

The Muslims and Christians each have their separate side of the river, the mosques and church spires denoting the demarkation of boundaries.  But apparently the two faiths have been quietly competing for centuries, each building progressively taller houses of worship.  The Christians trumped the Muslims . . . for now.  They built a cross up on the hillside that shadows the entire town when the angle of the sun is right.

As is typically the case in Hercegovina, we had a meat dominated lunch of cevapi,  Add in cold beer and salads at a riverfront cafe, and all discussions of a lamb roast for dinner were abandoned.

It was almost sunset when we arrived at the Hercegovina house.  Restored by the family to simple yet elegant perfection, it is the house their father grew up in.  It is all stone walls, rich woods, a beautiful wine cellar and a huge rainfall shower.  Nic and I slept in the guesthouse - much hotter, but equally beautiful.

The next morning, I threw on my runners with my sundress a la Working Girl, grabbed my coffee mug and a stick to scare off the (poisonous) snakes and set off to walk around the property with Matt.  Matt is currently studying oenology and he now has the optimal forum to test out his learning: his own winery.  With huge passion, knowledge and excitement, he pointed out all the work they've done with the soil, and his ideas for each part of the vineyard: to work with local and international varietals to create first class wines.  The first planting is this upcoming Spring.  I hope I'm fortunate enough to be tasting his first vintage in the next decade.


It was a brilliant end to phase one of the trip.  Next up - the islands.