The pilgrim destination of Ostrog was an early taste of some of the incredible religious architecture we were to see on this trip. Tucked up against the cliffs, and almost seeming part of them, this monastery is still very much in use, and when we arrived had a large queue of visitors - none of whom were there to sight-see, but rather to pay their respects to the inhabitants and seek their aid in matters spiritual.
After marveling at the skill and, frankly, stubbornness of the builders, we were off to the national parks in the north-east of the country, and back into an alpine environment.
Possibly one of the most interesting adventures of the trip there was finding the border to Bosnia & Herzegovina, as our intention had been to find our way over through the quieter b-roads and work our way back to the coast.
What we didn't expect was that the road that was clearly marked on our map was little more than a logging track. Having got little more than incredulous looks from the villagers we stopped to ask, we eventually found a security guard at a logging camp who seemed to agree with our map that there was a crossing we could make. So, pointing our little fiat down the unpaved road in the direction he indicated, we eventually came to a tiny hut, from which emerged two rather surprised-looking border guards.
Given the tentative situation of much of the region still, I wasn't surprised that they gave our passports and the car a thorough going over before shaking their heads at one-another, lifting the boom gate and sending us on our way. To be welcomed on the Bosnian side by more confused guards, an even more deteriorate road (on which we had to negotiate around logging trucks on a single, muddy track with cliffs on one side and precipitous drops on the other). Next time a villager laughs when I ask directions, I may take it as a less than positive sign!
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