A SECRET LAKE IN MOSTAR CITY (HIKING OUTFIT PROPOSAL)

Did you know there is a hidden lake in Mostar city? Well, now you do know. What is a point in being an insider if not to share some insider tips, right? Surprisingly, this lovely lake is quite unknown. Calling it a secret wouldn't be going to far. However, finding it is not really that difficult, if you know what you're looking for. I would definitely recommend visiting this gorgeous lake if you ever happen to visit Mostar city. This beautiful lake isn't man made. It wasn't planned or anything like that. It's basically river Neretva coming through old mining canals. There is also some underground water in this area, but this lake is probably composed entirely of Neretva river (it's on about the same level as the river). Many bird families have found their home there. It is a very serene place. Very few people visit it. I often get to enjoy a view of this stunning lake as it happens to be a part of my typical hiking route.

HR Jeste li znali da postoji skriveno jezero u Mostaru? Eto sada znate. Koja je korist od toga što tu živim ako neću sa vama podijeliti ovo mjesto i neke savjete za posjet? Iznenađujuće, ovo divno jezero je poprilično nepoznato. Nazvati ga tajnom ne bi bilo pretjerivanje. No, nije ga teško za pronaći, ako znate što tražite. Svakako bi preporučila posjet ovom prekrasnom jezeru ako ikada posjetite Mostar. Ovo lijepo jezero nije umjetno, nije bilo planirano niti išta slično. To je u stvari rijeka Neretva koja je potekla kroz stare rudarske kanale.  U ovom području ima podzemnih voda, ali ovo jezero je vjerojatno nastalo u potpunosti od rijeke Neretva (na otprilike je istom nivou kao rijeka Neretva). Brojne obitelji ptica tu su pronašle svoj dom. To je jako mirno mjesto. Jako malo ljudi ga posjećuje. Često imam priliku uživati u pogledu na ovo prekrasno jezero jer je ono dio moje tipične šetnjice.

IT Ciao, tutti! Sapevate che c'è un lago nascosto nella città di Mostar? Bene, allora lo sapete. Qual è lo scopo di essere un locale se non per condividere alcuni suggerimenti con miei cari lettori, giusto? Sorprendentemente, questo incantevole lago è piuttosto sconosciuto. Chiamarlo segreto non  è dire troppo. Tuttavia, trovarlo non è poi così difficile, se sappette che cosa state cercando. Io consiglio di visitare questo magnifico lago se mai visitate la città di Mostar. Questo bellissimo lago non è fatto dall'uomo. Non è stato pianificato o qualcosa di simile. In realita, questo lago è fondamentalmente il fiume Neretva che attraversa vecchi canali minerari. C'è anche dell'acqua sotterranea in questa zona, ma questo lago è probabilmente composto interamente dal fiume Neretva (è  allo stesso livello del fiume). Molte famiglie di uccelli hanno trovato la loro casa lì. È un posto molto sereno. Pochissime persone lo visitano. Spesso riesco a godermi la vista di questo splendido lago perche è un parte del mio tipico percorso escursionistico.

HOW TO FIND THIS SECRET LAKE?

My photographs are possibly enough to reveal the location and enable you to find this lake so few know about, but I'll include instructions on how to get here as well. This lake is located on a spot where an old coal mine used to be (it is no longer in function but you can still see the smoke coming out of the earth in some spots). It is hard to believe but only fifty years ago there were motocross races held here. Back then, instead of the lake there was a hill.

 The lake is not hard to find. The easiest way to get to it is to drive to the church of Saint Matthew (Sveti Matej in Croatian) and then take the right turn on the next crossroads. The road leading up to the lake is not cemented (as you can see in the photographs). You'll need to hike for a minute or two to get to the lake, you can't take the car all the way, but almost. The lake is actually really close to the crossroads, you can't miss it. If you feel like it, you can also hike uphill and enjoy a really stunning view of not just the lake, but also of Mostar city itself.

KAKO PRONAĆI OVO TAJNO JEZERO?
Možda su i moje slike dovoljne da vam otkriju smještaj ovog jezera za koje rijetki znaju, ali ću za svaki slučaj uključiti i upute kako stići tu. Ovo jezero nalazi se na mjestu na kojem je bio stari rudnik (nije više u fuknciji, ali na nekim mjestima još možete vidjeti dim kako izlazi iz zemlje). Teško je vjerovati ali prije samo pedeset godina na ovom mjestu održavale su se motocross utrke. Tada je umjesto jezero ovdje bilo brdo.

Ovo jezero nije teško za pronaći. Najlakši način za doći do njega je voziti se do crkve Svetoj Mateja i onda skrenuti desno na raskrižju. Cesta koja vodi do jezera nije cementirana (kao što možete vidjeti na fotografijima). Trebat ćete malo i prošetati da biste stigli do jezera, ne možete autom doći odmah pored, ali skoro. Jezero je zapravo jako blizu raskrižja, ne možete ga promašiti. Ako vam se da, možete također malo i planinariti, popeti se uzbrdo i uživati u predivnom pogledu ne samo na jezero nego i na sami grad Mostar. 

IS THIS AREA GOOD FOR HIKING?
I hike here pretty often, so I'd have to say yes.  I featured this area on the blog a couple of times in the past (for example here). This year you already had the chance of seeing this area in this outdoorsy post, but today I'll show you how this area looks like in spring. As you might know, Mostar is surrounded by hills and mountains (that trap the hot air within, making a city one of the hottest one in the region, so spring is a better time to visit it than summer). While I was there last, the day wasn't terribly warm, so I wasn't hot. May in general has been rainy and fresh, we haven't had a lot of sunny days, and even on those days when we would get sun, there still would be some rain (and that means one thing- high humidity). Still, you can easily forget about all that, because on a sunny day, both Mostar and the surrounding area look magnificent.

JE LI OVO PODRUČJE DOBRO ZA PLANINARENJE I ŠETNJE?
Ja ovdje često šetam, tako da bi rekla da jesu. Ovo sam mjesto nekoliko puta pokazivala na blogu (možete pronaći poveznice u engleskom dijelu teksta), a danas ću vam pokazati kako ovo mjesto izgleda u proljeće. Kao što možda znate Mostar je okružen brdima i planinama (koje zapravo čine da se topli zrak zadržava unutra te je ovaj grad najtopliji u regiji tako da je proljeće bolje vrijeme za posjet nego ljeto). Kada sam bila ovdje prošli put, dan nije bio jako topao, tako da mi nije bilo vruće. Svibanj je bio kišovit i prohladan, nismo imali puno sunčani dana, a čak i kada bi sunce ugrijalo, uvijek bi bilo kiše, a to znači visoku vlažnost zraka. Svejedno, lako je zaboraviti na sve to, jer za sunčanog dana, Mostar i okolica oboje izgledaju veličanstveno.

A STORY OF AN OUTFIT

My favourite thing about clothes is their ability to tell stories. That's one thing I don't like about consumerism and fast fashion. It doesn't allow us to create memories with our clothes or to get attached to certain items. I think there is nothing wrong with being a bit sentimental about what we wear. To me personally, clothes that tell stories are always more interesting. So, let's see what the story of this hiking outfit looks like.

THE HORSE PRINT T-SHIRT
I bought this t-shirt as an adolescent with money I made picking figs (a summer job obviously). Back when I was an adolescent, fast fashion wasn't really a thing, there wasn't such a thing as cheap clothes really. Plus, there weren't that many stores. If you wanted a cotton t-shirt, you had to pay for it. So, I had to work for it, you could say. Not that I don't have to work for everything nowadays as well, but I can't help wondering did we not appreciate clothes more when they were not so easily available, when we had to save up and work hard for every clothing item? Do you know what I mean? Anyway, I fell in love with this t-shirt as soon as I saw it. I had actually made similar art (even back then I loved to paint horses) so I was really happy when I saw this gorgeous horse print with a moon in the background ( I still love the design). I made this t-shirt fresh again by applying some textile paints to it, but most of the horse design is original, I just added some quick strokes. I do love this graphic tee. It's super comfortable and I think it was a good choice with this outfit. A blue cotton t-shirt is an obvious choice with the denim skirt and the brown horse matches the brown belt nicely. This whole look was actually about the belt but I'll get to that in a second.

THE BROWN VINTAGE BELT
This belt was actually gifted to me by a family friend. She made it herself back in the eighties and she gifted it to me in the nineties. It is a thing of beauty, isn't it? I think she still works with leather, a very creative and talented lady that she is. Anyhow, when I got this belt I took an instant liking to it and I've been wearing it ever since. Trends come and go, but when you really like something, then that item is a keeper. I wore this belt regardless of whether or not it was trendy. Why not wear what you like, right? Have you ever composed a whole outfit around an accessory? Because that's what I did here. I started with the belt and added all the items to match it.

THE STRAW HAT

This straw hat isn't very old, but it isn't new either. I have a few straw hats and I wear them often. They are such a great accessory and they provide some protection against the sun as well, and you have to love that! I actually like to accessorize my straw hats. I often tie a scarf around my straw hats. As you have witnessed on my blog,  I wear them often in spring and summer.

THE DENIM SKIRT

I wrote about this Amadeus denim skirt recently here, so not to repeat myself, I'm just going to say that a denim skirt is a great item to have in one's closet. If you want to see another outfit featuring this denim skirt and this straw hat, you can do so here. 

THE SNEAKERS

I had this pair of faux leather sneakers for a long time. The reason why I don't wear them more often is because they're not well made and hence they aren't comfortable. They may look nice, but they aren't quality sneakers and that's why I don't like to wear them. That's one purchase I regret and a reminder why I should stay away from fast fashion in the future. One thing I like about them is the DIY element I added myself. I painted these sneakers with textile paints and thus made them more unique. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS HIDDEN LAKE?

 THE HIDDEN BENEFITS OF BEING A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN AREA

Now that I've said what I had about this hiking outfit, I'm curious to hear what do you think about this hidden lake. Is it a location you would be interested in visiting? Do you enjoy hiking? Have you discovered any interesting places in your vicinity? Are you an outdoorsy person? Do you like to explore the area you live in? I'm a big proponent of being a tourist in one's own city (and area). By walking more and exploring the area we live in on foot, we are helping to keep this planet a green place. Just like fast fashion and compulsive shopping, 'fast' tourism and travelling just for sake of trends are also activities that can have a negative imprint on our environment. We can all be more green in our choices, and it can start with something as simple as walking more. There are also the added health bonuses of spending time outdoors, but I spoke about that many times so I won't repeat myself. I hope you have enjoyed today's post. Let me know what you think about it in the comments. 

Thank you for reading and visiting. Have a lovely week ahead.