Mum. I’m going to Bosnia.

A mother suffers. Suffers with mental ideas involving the fact that the plane will take off, will land or that we will get lost in the streets and alleys of unfamiliar cities. But this is me. Definitely me. Who imagines, who impulsively does and tends not to think too much on the choices that I made. If there was a camera to film my mind, movies worthy of Oscar would rise. There is not enough pen for that. I will work on the moments that take place and are worth of being shared. Maybe it will be found by someone in the other part of the world that likes what the keys with letters and numbers of my keyboard left in the white of the imaginary sheets of my computer.

Nothing like a destination outside the usual and expected to escape the inner demons and absolute truths. I leave with determination and with the feeling that everything will change from the time the plane lands and we hit the road. The idea was a road trip in which we could stop at each peculiar architectural corner, every green hill or desirable dam. From Lisbon, after a lot of research we thought it would make sense to go towards Dubrovnik because the price of the plane was better.

When you arrive in Dubrovnik there is a huge desire to walk in the wall instantly. Resist this impulse was the goal. I landed at 4pm and had to take the car previously rented from Sixt and move on. We chose this agency because after an intense search, was the best price for the dates. In this case were 280€ for 10 days of hire.

#Lesson1 – When you want a road trip through different countries with rental car, you should confirm if you need a full insurance to go to all countries. In this case to go to Kosovo and Albania with the car, we had to pay extra insurance which cost 275€. Only with this we could guarantee that if something happened in these countries we would not have to pay extra. In this case it was optional but most rent-a-car companies don’t rent if you don’t get the insurance.

Pit Stop #1 – Kravice Waterfalls

Lígia Gomes and her huge tantrum. “I want to go to the waterfalls! Come on! Only a quick dip!”. We went. Needless to say we arrived when the sun went down almost glued to the land and the will to go for a swim was like drinking a shot of olive oil. Still, it was worth discovering this little gem in middle of nowhere. It was not easy to get there because our GPS did not have this place, or this road. We used the old technique of looking at the map, believe that we were in the right direction and ask each person with whom we were crossing in the street. Although the english language level was not very good here because we were in the interior of Bosnia was at this moment that I felt in love with the sympathy of Bosnians.

I did not know how to pronounce correctly what I needed. They could not answer in a language that I understand but the willingness to help was bigger. I remember tenderly a man who was following the road, a man blind of an eye, well-old who helped us by gestures and gave us the directions that led us to reach our destination.

Pit Stop #2 – Mostar

When I studied a few years ago in Split, I was eager to visit Mostar because of some conversations I heard about it. Six years after I fulfill this goal. I could not have had a first view of Stari Most more mysterious and engaging. At night. I felt in a little village of princesses and princes where magic was in the air. It was amazing because it was late and there were very few people on the street. I breathed deeply as I was keeping the moment. I have the habit to imagine the several people who have stepped this place in other times and what they would think. To find out what to see in Mostar, read more here.

Pit Stop #3 – Sarajevo

There is a Portuguese music of UHF about this city that marked me since childhood. It says:

“Jugoslávia bonita

Filha da Europa

Fronteiras malditas

Que o ódio devora

Sarajevo, Sarajevo.”

The war in Yugoslavia was during my teenage years and is something still very recent, so maybe that’s why my curiosity to know Sarajevo was so big. In broad terms, I liked the vibe of the city, the meeting of cultures that feel and simplicity. The detail on what to see, where to be and what to eat in Sarajevo will be soon on the blog.