We Do Adventure

Back when Lord of the Rings was wowing audiences on the big screen I was more than once referred to as a Hobbit. It had nothing to do with hairy feet, of which I am thankfully not the possessor, proud or otherwise, but more to do with being short of stature and with a tendency to slightly generous proportions around the waist. Tolkien aficionados will know 'The Hobbit' is the widely used abbreviation for 'The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.' Today we drove there and back again through some of Bosnia and Herzegovina's fantastic countryside; mountains, rivers, valleys and forests that could easily be parts of Middle Earth. We were treated to sunshine and clear skies, heavy clouds and pouring rain and the most intense onslaught of thunder and lightening. The reason for our journey may have been relatively mundane but the weather provided everything required for an epic adventure! About halfway between here and there is a small, mountain side gas station and cafe ...

It was a strange day but not a bad one; another lesson in be ready for anything, or don't expect things to actually go to plan! We were to be taking Novi Most Mostar's uni hockey team to a tournament. The trip evolved into something slightly different. On the plus side we have the good time had by all and the sunny day with truly beautiful scenery. The downside would be some local navigational misinformation and the inability of a decent map to dig us out of the resulting hole. The unexpected bonus was to feel victimised for looking different! Our group was walking the main street of a central Bosnian town - well some where putting on roller blades but still essentially minding their own business - when the local police decided they needed to quiz us on exactly what we were up to. I might be jumping to conclusions but I'm sure the young people's dress sense had a large part to play (lay off the Ed Hardy , real or otherwise, if you want to keep a low profile!) as did ...