The Road of Hell

I have officially got the coast bug, and after having returned from Zadar 10 days previously, we were once again setting off from Sarajevo for a weekend of eating fish and swimming!

On this occasion we went to Hvar, probably the most famous Croatian islands. Known for being the sunniest of all the islands in the Adriatic, it also attracts a hedonistic crowd looking for hot days spent on their boat, followed by long equally hot nights partying in one of the several bars and clubs! We were staying in the town of Stari Grad, located on the North East of the island. Stari Grad a slightly smaller and sleeper than Hvar Town, which is where the hedonistic set hang out!

As always before we left, we spoke to a few people about the best route to take and as always we got varying opinions. However, we learnt that rather than going all the way up to Split and taking the ferry direct to Stari Grad, there is also the option to go to Drevnik (a small coastal town located about 75km south of Split). From Drevnik, it is possible to get the ferry into Sucuraj which is on the east coast of Hvar. Option two seemed preferable, we wouldn’t need to drive as far up the coast, we could avoid the cost of the motorway tolls, the ferry crossing is only 35mins (a opposed to 2hrs) and it was much cheaper. The only additional point to consider is that we would need to drive from Sucuraj to Stari Grad... not a problem... it is about 65km.

As it turns out... this 'simple' drive is the section of the journey we needed to be most concerned about as the road is more commonly known as the 'Road of Hell'. The articles written about this road, are not kind, neither are some of the stories which we subsequently heard from people in Sarajevo (locals and internationals) who had taken this route. A couple which stand out... 'Don't drive it at night, at all, it is lethal...' ...'the road is a single track, with few passing places, with shear drops on both sides....'
my favorite has to be... 'I once had to drive through a forest fire which was on both sides of the road. There was no other option as there is no other road, so i just went for it....' We were slightly skeptical of these comments as how much worse than Bosnian roads can it really be?

We made it to Sucuraj just before it got dark (already ignoring one piece of advice given), but we had about 45mins of getting used to it before it got really dark! Okay, so for the reality... it really is not that bad (we were almost slightly disappointed not to be met by a forest fire or a hungry boar). It is narrow in some sections, and when passing another car you both need to pull right in and slow right down, something the locals and Italians hadn’t quite got to grips with! Some of the drops are spectacular, and there is definitely a lack of crash barriers. Additionally, some parts are raised about 3 meters either side, which means that when met with another car there is nowhere to pull into without crashing off the road... we saw one car which had done this and need to be rescued by a tow-truck. However, having had six months practice on Bosnian roads, we took it reasonably slowly and it was fine. It takes about an hour and half from the ferry terminal to Stari Grad and there is very little on the road - no petrol station, a couple of one-horse towns which actually look almost uninhabited and no street lights. However the views are breathtaking and in my opinion a preferred route to the motorway up to Split.

How time flies!

I cannot really believe how busy the last few of weeks have been. So much so, that I have not even found time to post any updates. Lots of fun has been had, topped by the fact the weather here in Sarajevo has gone from Spring to Summer over night and we are currently enjoying temperatures of around 28 degrees!

Additionally, the busyness has been for social enjoyment, with small bursts of work which have had to be fitted in between. At Easter we enjoyed the long weekend in Dubrovnik. This was our first trip to the coast and it was very enjoyable. The weather was a little disappointing, but that is somewhat expected in mid-April. We stayed in a lovely guest house, located above the old town, so the views were fantastic.  We spent our days strolling through the old town, which is lovely, took the walk around the walls which is definitely not to be missed and ate plenty of fresh fish. We also explored some of the surrounding area – Ston and Mali Ston should be on any list, beautiful little towns located north of Dubrovnik where the Peljesac Peninsula meets the main land. Mali Ston is tipped to have the best oysters in the world, as the water is the cleanest. We also spent a day in Cavtat which is just south of Dubrovnik, another beautiful coastal town which is much sleepier than Dubrovnik itself and therefore slightly more enjoyable as you are not fighting with hordes of cruise liner tourists. There is a lovely walk all the way around the headland and plenty of lovely looking restaurants and bars overlooking the bay. This trip has definitely given us a flavour for the coast and I am looking forward to plenty of long weekends spent exploring the Croatian Islands over the summer.









We then took a fleeting trip back to the UK as we had hen/stag party commitments. Not only did we catch up with friends and family, we also had the opportunity to stock up on a few much needed items such as, cupcake cases, bacon, sausages, cheese, various herbs and fresh coffee! We also went out for a curry, which was fantastic! A curry is probably my favourite meal-out, so a quick trip into the Birmingham Balti Belt put my cravings to rest! (There is a curry house here and we have yet to try it... I will let you know when we do)!

Most recently we have spent the weekend in Ljubljana. We had a cracking weekend! Six of us embarked on the eight hour drive and it was well worth it. It is an absolutely beautiful city, quite small, but centred on a beautiful river which is lined with bars and restaurants. We also spent the day out a Lake Bled (about 65km north of the city), it totally lived up to expectations, it is beautiful. A glacial lake with a gorgeous little island in the middle, set with snow capped mountains as a back drop. We hired bikes to cycle around, stopped for a picnic half and took a rowing boat out to the island. All in all a fantastic day out and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

So, we are now back in Sarajevo for a bit of a break, but as the summer approaches, I think it is going to be anything but quiet!