Spring has brought some wonderful presents. The past few months have been full, busy, dynamic and very, very special. Mostar has shed its winter grey and temperatures are reaching summer numbers. Our team finished a team building day at the Horse Ranch and I managed to get in some marvelous hikes - four altogether - and spend time with some special visitors. I dont take my camera everywhere, so if you do not see yourself in these pictures, know that you are captured in my memory bank in other ways.
Bogodo - a quiet valley 13 winding kilometres above Mostar...
In the spring leprachauns are everywhere - in all shapes and sizes - playing in flower beds...
This leprachaun is called Melissa and ZAMM! - she just appeared suddenly in the forest...
a trek up to the castle is very special each time.
The road is VERY narrow here the wall gives us millimetres to spare and the branches scrape the car... but we wind our way into a dry river bed and find the trail head to the mountain.
This hike gave us an altitude gain of 600 metres - not bad in 2 hours for cranky bones and sleep-challenged souls. But the lush canyon vegetation creates an amazing vibrancy that followed us all the way.
New growth emerges quickly in the mediterranean forest on Diva Grabovica on this hike in May. Bird song is sweet as we hike along this path.
... another hundred metres up the trail we cross over to the continental climate and the darkness of a heavier forest. Ancient kings hunted here - and even Tito who enjoyed riding up the steep trail after it became a national hunting reserve. There are no animals now... just the distant cuckoo at this altitude.
After a long hike,
we head for Jablonica - the best place to have roast lamb
.....above the amazing Naretva.
The above hike was Diva Grabovica this past month. Some pictures here are of the ever-wonderful climb to Herzog's ancient castle. (Other hikes to the Bjelisnica mountains were not captured on camera - but the climb was challenged by the presence of snow and a very tiresome road that required me to keep my car in first gear for a 9 kilometre stretch)
