211. The traveler wanders on to Sarajevo

OK - so it's on the road again for my next destination after a three week stay in Dubrovnik - and I hop on the bus with half-a-dozen fellow travelers and we settle in for a six hour ride - destination Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...

First we travel  up the stunningly beautiful Dalmation Coast of Croatia for a couple of hours, then we head inland through the farming river flats and then once across the BiH boarder the road starts to slowly climb up into the limestone alps ...  

For a good deal of the way we follow the Neretva River - and the further we travel inland, the whiter those alps become ... past cute alpine villages ...

 

 ... and finally we reach our destination - a snow blanketed Sarajevo - 

known as the Balkan City where the East Meets the West ...

... then a quick taxi ride up into the hills surrounding the city

to my Airbnb apartment and my waiting host ...

 ... my attic apartment is in the second house down 

hidden in this photo by the pine tree ...

 ... view from the kitchen window ...

... view of the city at 8am from my bedroom window ...

Although very cold outside ( temperature dropped to minus 13 last night ... brrrr ) my apartment is nice and snug with essential central heating and carpeted floors ... !!! ... It hasn't snowed for a few days now and the sun is slowly melting the exposed snow, making walking along the icy footpaths fraught with danger - but with my rubber-soled boots on my feet and my talisman of a tiny shard of marble from the Olympiad of Zeus in Athens in my pocket protecting me, so far I haven't had any slip-ups  ...

I am told that the best spot to get a good view of the city is the Avaz Twist Tower in the city centre - so that's where I head on day one ...

First up it's a zip up to the 35th floor cafe for a shot of caffeine with a twist - cafe latte served with a straw and a blue tinted view of the world below ...

 ... then after that good strong shot of Bosnian coffee, it's up to the next floor observation deck for a few very quick photos before my nose and ears froze off ... and in spite of the sub-zero cold, what a magnificent view of the world ...

 

 

 ... the Tower casts its shadow over the suburbs ...

Built in 2006 / 2008 the Twist Tower at 36 levels plus communication stuff on the top 

is the tallest structure in Sarajevo at 176 metres ... and I think, quite a stunning building ...

... and so the Sarajevo adventure begins ...

 

210. Farewell to Dubrovnik

Here we go again - my three week jaunt to Dubrovnik is up and it's time to bid Croatia a farewell and head off to my next exciting destination ... but before I close this chapter, here are a few final scenes from this special city ...

My little Airbnb cottage set in its private garden was a winter delight - 

and very handy to everything I needed and more ...

down the steps to the King Zvominir Promenade for my morning coffee ...

 and the base for many interesting winter walks ...

Lapad Bay ten minutes from home ... 

... another view of "my" bay ...

looking North up the stunning Dalmatian Coast ...

... then over the hill to Gruz Bay ...

Gruz Bay ... this is where the giant tourist ships dock 

and unload their hundreds of day-trippers - fortunately for me it is off-season ...

Franjo Tudjiman Bridge and the road North ...

all these delightful bays have even-more-delightful pebble beaches gently washed by the azure ripples of the Adriatic ...

... deserted now - but teaming with sun-worshippers in a few months ...

... resort pools also empty now in the chilly winter sunshine ...

... and it took all his courage for this brave-not wanderer

 just to put his hand in the water ...

- so now at least he can say that he has been in the Adriatic ...

There was much to see and experience in the Old Walled City -

just ten minutes in the bus from home ...  

Across the bridge and through the Pile Gate

into an ancient walled kingdom of Ragusa ( as it was known in 17th C ) ...

Onofrio's Fountain at the start of the Stradun ...

the 16th C St Saviour Church and Fransiscan Monastery 

... a peak inside the Fransiscan church of the Friars Minor ...

... then a quick walk around the cloisters ...

... and back out into the Stradun ...

... for a caffeine stop in the warm sun ...

... before exploring more chilly laneways ...

... and climbing more steps to unknown destinations ...

The Grand Baroque Dubrovnik Cathedral

interior ...

more tiny churches ...

... along more tiny laneways ...

... just one of the hundreds of stray cats 

that share Dubrovnik with its 50,000 humans -

plus several thousands of tourists during the summer ..

... three images of the Old Port - with a storm brewing out to sea ...

I didn't know this but The Old Walled City has been the scene for much movie making in the past - including scenes from the Game of Thrones, Star Wars: the Last Jedi, and Emerald City - and now the carpenters are turning the Stradun into Sherwood for the filming of a new movie - Robin Hood - pity I missed the shoot  ...

Not a lot of art on show in Dubrovnik - but I did get to the Gallery of Modern Art to see a Francis Bacon Exhibition and an exhibition of beautiful 19th Century portraits and landscapes by Croatian artists ( sorry, photography not permitted ) ... 

... one last climb up the hill behind my cottage ...

then it's off to the local do-dah for a quick make-over ...

... and a couple of hails at the grotto nearby ..

... pack my bags, clean the cottage, call the cab 

and head off to the bus station to see what's on offer ...

... this looks like a pretty comfy and speedy machine ...

think I'll climb aboard and take my chances ...

Good-bye Dubrovnik ...

... stay tuned ...