retiredmartin

October 2023. Ilidža. Bosnia & Herzegovina

Mrs RM had ambitions to get us round the whole of Bosnia in 4 days, but our Friday trip south to Mostar was cancelled due to the driver being tired; you could have been on Northern Rail again.

So I spent Thursday evening scrambling around for something authentically Bosnian, and came up with a day trip out west to the actual source of the actual River Bosna.

41 minutes on the rattling old No. 3 tram (70p),

which looks like a 1920s London tube but at least ran on time and without that “Mind the Gap” soundtrack.

Ilidža is both the end of the line and one of Sarajevo’s top days out.

The modern town and central square is a bit dull, with one huge school lining one side, but head towards the Great Lane and it’s like Matlock Bath,

with a spa, smart hotels, and 9D virtual reality coaster.

Actually that 9D virtual reality coaster looked a little like a work in progress. What is 9D, anyway ? 1D is plenty, sometimes more than enough.

The main money generator were the horse drawn carriages up that Great Lane to Vrelo Bosne,

and a series of charming trattoria.

Some looked more functioning than others.

I made Mrs RM walk those 3.2km, she’d thank me for it later,

and we marvelled at some pristine lakes under the gaze of Mount Igman.

The park restaurant had terrible reviews, so we had lunch back down the lane at Restoran Fijaker,

where the Becks was served in Staropramen glasses,

and the filling goulash made a change from kebabs.

You can eat very well very cheaply in Bosnia,

as long as you take cash everywhere.

NB I think that code that starts f8 may be the code for the Gents.