Mostar in the summer 5.6 (photography/ fotografija)

It was in Split, that I've felt that the summer was here. Sitting on my balcony I suddenly felt a familiar sensation. It took me a moment to analyze the effect on my senses...the smell in the air and the warmness that seemed to gently surround me... filling me with a sense of calmness...a sensation very much resembling happiness. Summer. By the time I got in Mostar I was pretty sure of its arrival...The heat left me with no doubts. Without the calming and cooling effect of the sea, the heat of the sun and the warmth of Mediterranean climate seemed almost too much. When I first arrived in Mostar, they told me that the weather forecast in the summer is never true. Everything above 40 C would require them to call for an emergency...so they always report that the temperature is 40. It was not an exaggeration. During the summer the temperature is often higher...how much higher I'm not sure. Fortunately, the city is full of green areas and parks...many trees and shadowy places provide the welcome escape from the sun. There are five rivers that flow trough this city, the largest and the most mighty looking one (as some of you noticed) being Neretva. It is rather remarkable how when you came at its bank you have a feeling you're in another world...you can be in a center of the city but by the riverside is so rich in plant life you might feel like you're somewhere in a tropical forest. I swam in it once but I wouldn't recommend it. Besides being horribly cold, it is quite dangerous. If you want to have a swim, choose another river or go down stream where you might find calmer waters and secluded bays.

Sjedeći na svome balkonu u Splitu, shvatila sam da je ljeto konačno tu...osjetivši poznati osjećaj, onakav kakav budi uspomene, analizirajući svoja osjetila, nije ga bilo teško imenovati....Ljeto...miris u zraku i toplina koja me nježno okružuje...Ljeto...puni me osjećajem mira...nešto što veoma nalikuje sreći...Ljeto. Kad sam stigla u Mostar bila sam sigurna da je stiglo... vrućina nije ostavljala prostora sumnji. Bez mora koje hladi i umiruje, vrućina sunca i mediteranske klime činila se gotovo nemogućnom. Kada sam prvi put stigla u Mostar, rekli su mi da ljeti prognoza nikad nije točna. Sve iznad 40 stupnjeva zahtjevalo bi izvaredno stanje, pa uvijek javljaju da je 40. Nije to bilo pretjerivanje. Svatko tko je osjetio ono što se u Mostaru naziva ćelopek ( dok sam večeras mami objašnjavala taj izraz po prvi put mi je palo na pamet kako je doista nastao- peče čelu- čelopek, usput to bi bio primjer složeno sufiksalne tvorbe, ako ima netko tko sprema maturu pa bi mu takav podatak mogao pomoći zapamtiti gradivo eto ga...tvorba riječi u slavenskim jezicima baš je zanimljiva) Srećom, Mostar je pun parkova i zelenih površina, a puno drveća i sjenovitih predjela pruža više nego dobrodošao odmor od sunca. Tu je i pet rijeka od kojih je najpoznatija, najveća, a svakako i najimpresivnija Neretva. Kad se spustite uz Neretvu to je kao da ste ušli u drugi svijet, uz svo to zelenilo gotovo se čini kao da ste u nekom tropskom predjelu, teško je povjerovati da ste u centru grada. Jednom sam plivala u njoj i ne bih baš preporučila, osim što je ledeno hladna, dosta je i opasna...tako da za to ili produžite nizvodno i nađite neki njen mirniji dio i obale ili najbolje probajte neku drugu rijeku.

hotel Bristol

Neretva

Mostar

one of the caves (there are many caves and under caves, that's one of the reasons why it is not a good idea to swim in this river)

crystal clear water

Mostar ( the city is full of bridges, for obvious reasons)

sunny day