Balkans Day 3

Today was our hiking day. We left at 8am for Blagaj - the ancient capital of the region in the centuries before Mostar was founded. It was a pretty strenuous hike up to the castle where the king lived around the year 1000. 

After returning to the village we walked to the head of the valley where the Blagaj Pekke (Dervish House), a Sufi Islam monestery, was built in the early 1400’s at the source of the Buna river, the largest spring in Europe - a raging river that emerges from a massive cliff. 

Next we visited Pocitelj, an Ottoman town on the side of a hill that has been restored since the war. We climbed up to the castle overlooking the town then had lunch at the Stari Grad. 

We then drove to Kravice to see the spectacular waterfalls there. 

After returning to Mostar we got a tour of the Catholic Church across the street from our hotel from one of the Franciscan monks that lives there. 

We had a special treat for dinner as we took the bus to the house of a friend of our leaders where they hosted us for a Bosnian banquet. As Dino says, the best Bosnian food is served in Bosnian homes - what a treat!

Tomorrow we are off to Dubrovnik.