We didn’t spend enough time in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to really get a sense of the whole country. However the bits we visited, we really liked and we’ve been left with a thirst to see more of the country.  Here’s our impressions of the best and worst aspects…

The good:

The ability to get off the beaten track. Tourism is not yet a big part of the BiH economy and the overwhelming majority of what exists is centred around Sarajevo and Mostar. Once you step outside of these cities it doesn’t take long to reach places that feel like they are wild and unexplored – it was the first time in Europe for us where we felt like this and it suddenly seemed like a real adventure. The real highlight for us was taking the back roads from Mostar to Sarajevo, which took us through the most astonishing undiscovered mountain country, with not a westerner to be seen (and hardly anyone else for that matter). On the occasion we did come across people or a car, it was usually accompanied by a friendly honk, wave, thumbs up, smile or handshake. These encounters left us feeling really good about the world, and made us feel welcome and safe.

The exotic. BiH is heavily influenced by the Ottoman empire and it has left an indelible mark on the place. From the morning call to prayer, to the thick turkish inspired coffee served with turkish delight, BiH has an obvious east meets west feel and it really felt like a different place from the rest of Europe we’ve seen so far.

Sarajevo. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we certainly didnt expect such a cultural and sophisticed city. It has a really good music scene (and had a jazz festival on while we where there), cool cafes and intersting restuarants. The people where also really nice. This may be something to do with the fact that they had to really pull together during the seige in the 1990’s, but we found that, in general poeple were keen to chat and share their stories. Finally, it’s also really beautiful, with the older town built up the sides of a very steep valley. It ended up being our favourite city of the trip so far, and we only wish we had longer to stay there.

The roads. They were in much better condition than we expected, and drivers seem to be used to slow moving objects like bicycles. That being said, the locals do drive like maniacs and the drink driving laws seem to be only loosely enforced.  In the main, we either found it easy to avoid the main roads, or found major roads that had sufficient shoulder room to make biking relatively safe.

The bad:

The rubbish. BiH has yet to sort out its garbage disposal and it has led to a culture where poeple dispose of trash everywhere. Looking out at an awesome view of rugged mountains, or a centuries old fortress is somewhat tarnished by the piles of trash sitting in front of you.

The war scars. The country is covered in the scars from the conflicts during the 90’s, and while the history is intersting its also a little confronting. Communities are still very obviously divided (although there’s a real sense that people want to move on), many buidlings are still damaged or have fallen into disrepair, and it has had an abvious effect on the economy (particularly for tourism). Oh and there’s also land mines. We read all sorts of warnings about the prevalence of land mines before coming to BiH (one guide actually recommended you don’t even walk off the road to pee). In reality, the situation is no where near that bad, and any areas with mines are signposted. It is however, a really awful reminder of the war and just how stupid and awful we can be to each other.

The government. No one has a good word to say about the government and you really get the feeling that they are holding the country back. It’s not helped by the very odd ethnic divide that makes up the different arms of the central government (the country is divided into three principalities, divided amongst ethnic/religious lines).

Smoking. The Bosnian’s have perfected the art of smoking inside, and we had forgotten how horrible the smell of stale cigarette smoke on clothing is.

The surprising:

Absolutely everything. Bosnia i Hertzogovina was a place we knew so little about before visiting, so pretty much everything came as a surprise.

However, one thing that really stuck out for us was the DIY culture. Outside of the major cities it seems everyone has a still for making Rakija, grows veggies and has a smoking house for their meat and/or cheese. Even in Sarajevo we talked to people who still smoke their own meat and refuse to eat the commercial stuff.