Balkan Surprises: Why Split Stole Our Hearts and Mostar Didn’t
This week’s blog post is more about the places we visited and vivid photos to make our journey your journey. This blog post is less of a deeper message, and more a kind of documentation. Sometimes my thoughts are deeper, and sometimes they are light and full of pictures. This week it is the latter.
The last days were a whirlwind of experiences, starting with our late-afternoon arrival in Sarajevo. We found an promissing spot just below the abandoned ski jump. A friendly night guard even opened the gates for us — a lovely surprise. The location was magical, surrounded by a natural amphitheater formed by glacial erosion.
As the sun set, I noticed a group of young climbers at the ski jump. Curiosity took over, and I sent up the drone to see what they do. To my delight, I discovered a small plateau right below the ski jump that we could reach with the truck. Within minutes, we packed up and moved to this scenic new spot, spending the night in serene silence, broken only by birdsong at dawn.
Breakfast the next morning was unforgettable — muesli on the takeoff table, overlooking the mountains.
We loved the area so much that we decided to explore further, stumbling upon the old biathlon shooting range during a hike. We stayed another night before heading downtown.
Sarajevo’s charm caught us by surprise. The city is distinctly divided into three areas: the Ottoman-influenced old town, the Austro-Hungarian quarter with its art nouveau facades, and the brutalist architecture from the socialist era. The contrasting styles blend history and modernity in a way we didn’t expect.
Our urban exploration continued the next day at the abandoned Olympic bobsled track. As I was setting up the drone, a couple on motorcycles rode down the track — turns out they had traveled all the way from Singapore! We invited them for tea and baklava, sharing travel tips and maps.
They recommended visiting Šćit, a lakeside village, so we made a unplanned detour the next day. When we arrived, the reflections on the water were stunning — a true hidden gem.
Next, we headed to Mostar. Expectations were high, but the reality fell short. The area around the famous bridge, destroyed during the Bosnian War and later rebuilt, felt like a tourist trap. We left after a couple of hours, feeling more like prey than visitors.
Our final stop this week was Split, and it blew us away.
The old town, built within a Roman palace, is a vibrant maze of narrow alleys, historic stonework, and bustling eateries. The atmosphere was buzzing, especially in a square that felt untouched since Roman times. A guitarist played, and the sound filled the ancient space — it was pure magic. Split wasn’t on our list of must-sees, but it turned out to be one of the best surprises of our Balkan journey.
Looking back, the week was full of highs and a few lows, but that’s the beauty of travel. Sometimes, the best moments come when you least expect them.
Split, you’ve won our hearts!
Stay tuned for more adventures as we head towards Germany, with plenty of miles to cover in the two coming weeks!