Topdeck: Mostar

Mostar is quite easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited on my travels. There’s not much to it really, there’s a bridge, a river and a few quaint old streets.

The bridge itself was originally built in the 16^th century by the Ottomans, but it was destroyed in 1993 by Bosnian-Croat forces. It was rebuilt and re-opened in 2004. (Although this is a terrible photo, it's the only one I got, sorry!)

The view from the bridge is even more impressive.

This is the office you have to go in if you feel the need to jump off the bridge into the river. It’s tradition for the boys of the town to do so upon becoming a man, but you can do it too as long as you can prove to the guard that you can swim. Girls aren't allowed to do it!

After a couple of hours of admiring the view and some ice-cream we headed back to the bus for a bit of a picnic. Rob didn’t want a sandwich so he ate a wheel of cheese instead.

Next Stop: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Topdeck: Sarajevo

I had expected Sarajevo to be very similar to Belgrade – war-torn and dull, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

To start with the scenery in Bosnia is absolutely amazing.

Yes, you can still see scars from the war, as this building full of bullet holes shows, but for a country that was very badly affected following the break-down of Yugoslavia it seems to be recovering well.

It’s also home to the Latin Bridge, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated, causing the outbreak of the First World War – a moment that defined the whole 20^th century.

To top it all off their national flag is brilliant and available in t-shirt form. Here I am sporting one while me and Alex mess around with what were told was food.

Next Stop: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina