Today we travel inland into the mountains, crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina. This region's history extends to medieval times, with layers of Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian influence shaping the landscape.
We stop at Pocitelj, a hillside town where Ottoman architecture climbs toward the Sahat Kula, a watchtower that once guarded the Neretva Valley below. UNESCO protects this settlement for its oriental character—the same heritage we first encountered in Belgrade and traced through Kosovo, Macedonia, and Albania.
We visit Domano Winery on the Dubrava Plateau for Bosnia's sparkling wine, then see Kravica Waterfall cascade 25 metres down a limestone cliff—the Neretva's power made visible.
That same river made Mostar possible. The town's name means "bridge keeper," and for over four centuries, a stone arch connected the two banks—Muslim east and Christian west, the Adriatic coast and Herzegovinian interior, the two halves of a city that needed each other. The bridge we saw in Skopje connected a bazaar to a modern town. Prizren's bridge crossed a creek. But Mostar's bridge, built in 1566, connected worlds.
When artillery destroyed it in November 1993, residents on both banks wept for more than stone. The bridge had survived 427 years but it fell in a day. Its 2004 reconstruction used traditional methods and stones recovered from the riverbed—some still bearing chisel marks from 16th-century masons. In a region where division often feels inevitable, Mostar chose connection.
Overnight in Mostar.
 
Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner