Yesterday we made a small journey from Hvar in Croatia to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mostar is partly known for being one of the most attractive tourist resorts in the province of Herzegovina, and partly for the fierce fighting between Croats and Bosniaks during the Bosnian War and what came to be known as the "Battle of Mostar". This post is partly about the beautiful and interesting city of Mostar, and partly about our ongoing search for migraine medication ...
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ShareThe journey from Hvar to Mostar
If you've been following the blog, you'll know that we've been chasing migraine medication for several days (or you can read about it in the here and hereThe medication I was given in Hvar obviously didn't help and when I woke up yesterday morning it was worse than ever. Since I was just crying and vomiting, Peter quickly packed the car and said "Let's go to Bosnia" (where, according to the doctor in Hvar, you can find "my" type of migraine medication).
It was a five-hour journey on winding roads across the island of Hvar, a ferry crossing and then a journey through green and lush Bosnia. All while vomiting into a bag all the way ...
The bridge in Mostar
By the time we arrived and parked in Mostar (there's a central campervan park for 25 kr/hour), I was strangely feeling a bit better. After a cup of Semper hydration, I was ready (well) to look around the city. You can't visit Mostar without seeing the bridge!
Stari Most (Old Bridge) is a historic bridge over the Neretva River in Mostar. Originally opened in 1566, it was destroyed on 9 November 1993 during the Bosnian war. After the war, the bridge was reconstructed and reopened on 23 July 2004. The bridge is 24 metres high and - although I thought it looked very high - there is a tradition of jumping from the bridge into the cold waters of the Neretva.
Visit to the pharmacy
What about the visit to the pharmacy? Yeah, they didn't have exactly the medicine I usually take at home, but they had a similar one with the same active ingredient. I also picked up two boxes of medicine containing codeine - I didn't even need a prescription for this.
Then we simply drove back to Croatia. Not to the island of Hvar again, but to the Makarska Riviera and the resort of Podaca, where we found a small and brand new (2 months since they opened) campsite. Today I have woken up without a headache and we will look around!
Did you miss the previous post on the 2015 motorhome trip? Read the The town of Hvar on the island of Hvar in Croatia
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BP says:
God soooooo good to hear that you are finally feeling better and also got hold of medicine. But what a job! Surely you are liiiiite spoilt here at home ...
The reconstruction of the bridge in Mostar has really succeeded. Good thing they didn't build a "modern" version that wouldn't have fit in there at all.
Podaca is almost on the way to Split, and I can also recommend visiting that town.
Fingers crossed that you stay migraine-free for the rest of the trip.
23 September 2015 - 12:23
Lennart says:
In Mostar we stayed at a campsite in 2011!
Hope you are now well!
23 September 2015 - 12:48
Ama de casa says:
Nope! The previous medication clearly did not help ... I'm glad you've got hold of the right pills now. It must be awful to suffer from such a migraine ...
Let's hope the absence of head banging continues!
Hugs
23 September 2015 - 12:51
admin says:
BP, yes it is actually incredibly nice! Now I have medication too, it feels good. The bridge is super nice and it was of course the right decision to rebuild it as it looked before. We will visit Split!
Lennart, good to hear! We saw the camping sign. Peter had read that the campsite was shabby, but I don't know?
Ama de casa, it is quite difficult (for me) to find medicine that works. Thank you, I also hope that it will stay in check now!
23 September 2015 - 15:08
Anders and Birgitta says:
I'm glad you got hold of some medicine, I had migraines when I was younger. You can take comfort in the fact that it goes away with age, the small headache that I can have now, very rarely, usually goes away with a cup of coffee. I used to try all kinds of medication. Have a nice trip and enjoy the full cups.
23 September 2015 - 15:16
Ditte says:
Well done! And it's nice to get hold of medicine that helps after your hardships. You also got to experience a bit of Mostar as a "plaster on the wounds" and have been on historical ground. Yes, most things here are, but in different ways.
Wishing you now the best and that the migraine stays here and does not want to continue travelling with you.
23 September 2015 - 15:58
admin says:
Anders and Birgitta, good to hear that the migraine has passed! I hope mine does too...
Ditte, yes now we got to see Mostar too, although we hadn't planned it, so that was a bonus! 😉
23 September 2015 - 16:23
Mr Steve says:
What a relief to wake up without a headache. I hope you can now be healthy and fully enjoy the beautiful countryside you are travelling through.
23 September 2015 - 17:45
Maggan and Ingemar says:
Same as the others ... good to hear that you have found medicine. Here's another person who also had those problems, but who got rid of them in her old age.
Nice to read about Mostar, too bad we were in such a hurry to get down and bad weather, that we did not have time to stop and look at that nice village. 🙁 Now we have about 2 weeks left before we leave. Drive calmly it is crooked roads
23 September 2015 - 18:28
Veiken says:
You poor thing. Migraines must be the work of evil. Hope you feel better now!
I shiver all over when I see the Stari Most bridge, which means Old Bridge if I remember correctly! I'll keep it short, but we walked across the bridge just after it was rebuilt and then guys dived off the bridge for a few euros. We did a great job on a course about Bosnia and read up on the bridge too and how important it was, before we travelled down. Thanks for the post and the picture of the bridge. I'll probably look in the archives and relive that trip! 🙂 Have a good time and leave Mr Migraine behind you!
23 September 2015 - 19:02
Anette says:
Make sure you keep your head down and have a nice ending to your trip! How long do you intend to stay away from Sweden? Would iofs not be able to go home after so much that you have seen and experienced, but just continue ... tell Peter that he was absolutely right to pack and go to Bosnia with you, we have made a similar trip from Italy, but my dear husband drove all the way home to Sweden!
23 September 2015 - 19:09
Matts Torebring says:
The pain in the boiler room is terrible. I myself had to stop at a rest area this summer and kneel on the toilet. I couldn't do anything, I could barely make it to bed. In addition, it was +37 degrees. Hope you get better.
23 September 2015 - 20:40
admin says:
Steve, yes it is fantastic! When you have been in pain there is nothing more amazing than being pain free! 🙂
Maggan and Ingemar, many people get rid of it with age, so I hope I will too! Wonderful that it is soon time for you to leave! 🙂
Veiken, it sounds like a very interesting trip you made to Bosnia! For us it was quite short (and I was not in top shape), but it was still interesting!
Anette, you have to be back on 1 December. We have rented out our accommodation until then, and have to take it over then! Wow, it was a long journey to drive you back to Sweden! Guess it was needed then!!!?
Matts, that doesn't sound fun. It gets even worse in that heat!
23 September 2015 - 20:48
Åsa says:
But why didn't you stop in Mostar after such a long drive? It looked nice! I'm sure you're better than that anyway! Five hours on winding roads with a migraine sounds like a nightmare!
23 September 2015 - 21:14
Anette says:
It all ended up at the infection clinic in Malmö, he couldn't drive anymore...there was an operation after they took 1000 samples it seemed, it was a benign cyst in the stomach with a lot of metastases as well...why didn't they remove some excess fat while they were at it? but then you have a long time left to enjoy everything that comes your way, get well now
23 September 2015 - 21:26
admin says:
Åsa, yes... we thought we had time to see the most important things in Mostar, and Peter definitely wanted to go down to the coast again 😉.
Anette, oh thank you for sharing! What a pain! It's good that you came home and had an operation. Things happen when they happen, you are not protected from illness because you are travelling...
23 September 2015 - 22:24
Marina says:
Great that it worked out! And it became a good "excursion" in the end. It's always nice when you manage to build new details that fit in with the surroundings, but that thing about jumping 24 metres into the water feels like something I could consider skipping....
24 September 2015 - 9:47
Henny says:
Applause for Peter's decision. It shows that he really cares and sympathises with you. Five hours of driving on winding roads and a ferry, plus more driving with a very sick woman who should be in a still, quiet, dark room. I don't think all men would have managed that.
Hopefully the rest of the trip will be a pure pleasure with no health problems or motorhome problems. Good luck to you.
24 September 2015 - 10:04
admin says:
Marina, even though it was a tough trip, it was interesting to see Mostar in the end! And I'm glad it's voluntary to jump from that bridge 😉.
Henny, but really? It was probably not a very fun drive for him (he was completely exhausted afterwards), but I got my medication so I am very happy that he managed to drive! 🙂 Thanks for your concern, we hope it will go well for the rest of the trip.
24 September 2015 - 21:52
steel city anna says:
What a nice bridge and also nice that they rebuilt it. Terribly hard with your migraine, good to stock up with some tablets. Codeine can also be bought without a prescription and a lot of other exciting things 🙂 I guess it reduces the pressure on the health centres somewhat.
25 September 2015 - 7:14
Jeanette says:
Ugh that did not sound fun at all, not feeling on top when travelling is really useless. I have never heard of Mostar before. But now I feel that I have to go there!
25 September 2015 - 13:19
admin says:
Steel city Anna, it is both good and bad that you can buy without a prescription (very practical, but many people can become addicted!), but the fact that in Croatia you could not even get codeine on prescription was surprising!
Jeanette, Mostar is a very nice and interesting city, definitely worth a visit!
25 September 2015 - 18:46
Elisabeth says:
Thankfully it worked out, but it sounded awful to have to travel so far and vomit in the meantime.
05 October 2015 - 22:33
Maria's Memoirs says:
Really too bad about the migraine, you would certainly have had time and strength to see and do a little more in the city if you both had been healthy 🙂 If you return, I can actually recommend staying overnight there, so you can also see the city as it is not invaded by tourists, walk in peace and quiet and look at all kinds of souvenirs and crafts, eat food and drink Bosnian coffee or Turkish tea, spend a few hours at the War & Genocide Museum, look for houses with bullet holes and visit cemeteries and mosques, etc.
14 September 2019 - 8:49