Experiencing History & Culture in Croatia and Bosnia

Each of these mesmerizing places has literally layers of history, sometimes dating back several thousand years. There is often visual evidence, in the form of ruins built upon ruins. Also, there is cultural evidence — dialects developed several civilizations earlier, song and dance passed from parents to children for hundreds of years or political divisions based on emigration patterns of generations past.
We made several stops in Croatia, a country of hospitality and generosity despite its continuing struggles. We experienced tiny, isolated mountain towns with fantastic local art and history (see first photo in Montona), as well as a captivating farm visit and breakfast of fresh cheeses, salami, bread and vegetables (the sunflowers and lavender pictured below were the backdrops for this plein air treat), and the major city of Dubrovnik, which now sports multiple Game of Thrones stores and tours.


 
Next, we ventured into Bosnia and Herzegovina. There was a brutal civil war in the 1990s, which was evidenced in the bombed shells of buildings, bullet holes in walls, and memorably, the bridge at Mostar which was destroyed, presumably by a Croat bomb, although no one has ever been found guilty. Below, the now-restored bridge was a truly moving sight.
 

 
The countryside, as seen in the next photo, was indeed glorious.