VISIT GORANCI ( BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) WITH IVANA!

Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! In this post, we shall once again explore Goranci, a small village that is around 700 meters above sea level.  Located on a nearby hill in immediate vicinity of Mostar, and surrounded by mountain ranges, it offers stunning views. I have been a regular visitor for year and I never get tired of it. I absolutely love Goranci and I plan to remain a regular visitor. What is there not to love? 

We went to Goranci for some weekend cold day hiking. You know how I feel about hiking and cold sunny days. There's nothing better! As long as the sun is shining and you dress warmly, hiking can be extremely enjoyable and comfortable even in the colder weather. It was quite cold that day. Speaking of that, this post was in my drafts for some time now (maybe even two weeks). Today I saw a documentary about this village and its surroundings on National television. Now, the documentary focused mostly on intangible cultural heritage (such as traditional Catholic masses that were held at open spaces),  but the photography was amazing as well. Plus, practically everyone who appeared in that documentary was someone I know. I felt really inspired to finish my post and add my tribute to the beauty of this place. I mean you cannot put a price on these views. Just seeing these mountains makes my heart sing. It's definitely a must stop on Herzegovina's wine route. 

GORANCI AND THE BLUE SKIES OF HERZEGOVINA

The blue skies of Herzegovina are hauntingly beautiful. The light here is as Nobel prize Andrić said- of magical quality. The blue skies of Herzegovina really have a way of getting under your skin. A dear ex-pat friend of mine is leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina for good. It is the blue skies that she's going to miss the most, she said and I believe her. We were invited to her husband's last sermon in Mostar, and we went there with special emotion in our heart.  They spoke about how they came to Herzegovina during the war because they felt God was calling them to come. Needless to say, they came in the worst of times. They have stayed for four decades and they feel it's their time to go again. I wish them all the best.

It's also my time to go, but only temporarily for now. I have gotten so attached to this land. As an expat in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I have come to really love this country and its people. It's not easy for me to leave. However, I signed a new job contract and I will be moving for a couple of months before time comes for another job change. Where will I be this time next year? Who knows? Job offers are coming from different places and after I finish my new job contract, I will have to choose one from them. At the moment, I'm just doing tutoring and freelance stuff, waiting for my new contract to start. There have been many changes in my life in the last few months. A lot of goodbyes, emotions and things I still need to process.  I don't know when I'll find the time to write about all of them but I will make an effort. 

It's alright not to always have the time to share everything or write about everything. Blogging is such a delicate balance sometimes. I've devoted a lot of time to my blog over the years. I don't regret the time as it was a learning experience. I feel like I have learned a lot writing my blog, planning my posts and doing research. I've also learned a lot from other bloggers, from visiting and reading their posts. 

The only thing that concerns me about blogging nowadays is just AI and intellectual theft. All of our images (be it art, painting or photography) are used to train AI and we never consented to this. Of course one doesn't have to have a blog to be the target of AI. Everything that is posted online stops being ours. And when companies are making profit on it, obviously there's concern.

I don't really have an answer to these questions or concerns of ours. Has the damage already been done? Is there a way for us to stop the unethical way in which AI is trained? We'll leave those questions for some other time. Today we will focus on this beautiful natural and rural oasis called Goranci. 

There are definite advantages to blogging. One of them is sharing the places I love and looking back onto those wonderful memories. I've so many fun memories from Goranci from hundreds of times I have visit it. This place also ties in with my sustainable travel philosophy- be a tourist in your own country and area and all that. Travelling locally has many advantages. Everyone should try it. Wherever you are, the chances are there is beauty around you. One way or another. Beautiful people, beautiful nature or beautiful urban locations. Perhaps all of it. Carpe diem! Seize the day!

Back to the topic of this post, that is Goranci. I'm always impressed by the views of mountains.  There're actually a lot of mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I feel like some people don't know that. You can find a lot of information about this country in this Statistical Yearly Report.  According to what I found online, there are 181 mountains higher than a thousand meters in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A significant number of those is over two thousand meters told. Did you ever think of Herzegovina as Mediterranean Himalayas? Well maybe you'll start to think that way when you look at these numbers. 

Wikipedia lists 75 mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina , but the correct number from what I found is 181. Maybe the wikipedia only lists the really high ones. According to the definition, everything over 1000 meters is a mountain, so 181 seems to be the only accurate answer. I'll quote the information I found in a moment, but first tell me - how do you feel about mountains? 

Do you know that being in mountains has health benefits? However, there are also people who due to certain health conditions need to take some preventive measurement or even avoid mountains. If you're one of them, slightly elevated places or hills can prove beneficial. 

Both hiking in mountains areas and on hills has its benefits. While mountains might be less available to some, hills or just hiking on any terrain (such as hiking in the park) is available to most. You don't need a special location to enjoy or start hiking. You can also do urban hiking. 

Naturally, being in nature is beneficial for a number of reasons. If you want to know more about the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina, here's a complete list!

FROM THIS MOUNTAINEER SITE, I TOOK THIS CHART THAT SHOWS THERE ARE 181 MOUNTAINS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 

Ovo je popis planina u Bosni i Hercegovini koje imaju nadmorsku visinu preko 1000 metara:

br	Visina i naziv planine/The height and the name of the mountain	Najviši vrh- The tallest peak	Koordinate najvišeg vrha /Coordinates of the peak
1	(2386 meters) Maglić	Maglić	43.281284, 18.733191
2	(2337 meters) Volujak	Vlasulja	43.232166, 18.71697
3	(2238 meters) Ljubišnja	Dernjačišta	43.320557, 19.085827
4	(2228 meters ) Čvrsnica	Pločno	43.599537, 17.564566
5	(2110 meters  ) Vranica	Nadkrstac	43.95665, 17.716528
6	(2103 meters  ) Prenj	Zelena glava	43.549793, 17.903681
7	(2086 meters  ) Treskavica	Mala ćaba	43.596119, 18.346182
8	(2074 m ) Vran	Veliki Vran	43.668152, 17.505383
9	(2067 m ) Bjelašnica	Bjelašnica	43.703716, 18.257259
10	(2032 m) Lelija	Velika Lelija	43.422787, 18.487717
11	(2014) Zelengora	Bregoč	43.354454, 18.567581
12	(2006 m) Cincar	Cincar	43.902252, 17.062925
13	(1992 m ) Radovina	Velika Radovina	43.307724, 19.035145
14	(1967 m ) Visočica	Džamija	43.580078, 18.189754
15	(1965) Velež	Botin	43.327393, 18.01672
16	(1964) Dobruška Vranica	Ledenice	43.929768, 17.701893
17	(1962 meters ) Klekovača	Velika Klekovača	44.430164, 16.508974
18	(1956) Raduša	Idovac	43.867516, 17.449293
19	(1933) Vlašić	Paljenik	44.292679, 17.63636
20	(1920) Crvanj	Zimomor	43.381847, 18.174648
21	(1919) Vitreuša	Nema naziv	43.888985, 17.813387
22	(1912) Dinara	Troglav	43.947998, 16.592016
23	(1910) Jahorina	Sjenište	43.693195, 18.613586
24	(1906) Vitorog	Veliki Vitorog	44.119942, 17.043743
25	(1890) Velika Golija	Veliki vrh	43.958752, 16.854809
26	(1873) Šator	Veliki Šator	44.156563, 16.589355
27	(1872) Trebova	Velika Košuta	43.383701, 18.621572
28	(1871) Zec planina	Smiljeva kosa	43.900768, 17.840595
29	(1867) Bjelasnica	Velika Bjelasnica	43.144272, 18.414803
30	(1864 m ) Orjen	Velika Jastrebica	42.59816, 18.543549
31	(1859 m ) Lebršnik	Vilina pećina	43.216248, 18.636204
32	(1855) Kamešnica	Konj	43.717274, 16.914654
33	(1846m ) Kujača	Kujača	43.948578, 17.02541
34	(1826) Malovan	Nema naziv	43.915764, 17.176205
35	(1805) Sniježnica	Nema naziv	43.318722, 18.730667
36	(1804m ) Mala Golija	Nema naziv	43.995193, 16.820976
37	(1797) Ljubuša	Velika Ljubuša	43.753956, 17.386723
38	(1795) Osječenica	Velika Osječenica	44.519184, 16.255474
39	(1781) Šćit	Nema naziv	44.021027, 17.788839
40	(1776) Čabulja	Velika Vlajna	43.494308, 17.665071
41	(1765) Velika Plazenica	Demirovac	44.042809, 17.270775
42	(1758) Stožer	Vrana	43.991703, 17.321148
43	(1743m ) Slovinj	Sajkića kuk	44.004776, 16.980968
44	(1742) Bitovnja	Lisin	43.767715, 17.982981
45	(1735) Baba	Đed	43.10453, 18.415068
46	(1717) Pliješ	Pliješ	43.417557, 18.813164
47	(1707) Lunjevača	Tisov vrh	44.370762, 16.502064
48	(1703) Rujište	Orlinka	43.438515, 17.975136
49	(1697m ) Tušnica	Vitrenik	43.721458, 17.095242
50	(1696) Živanj	Nema naziv	43.254871, 18.553091
51	(1675) Zvijezda	Veliki Stolac	43.91378, 19.285782
52	(1675) Staretina	Bundina kosa	44.106262, 16.699476
53	(1673) Kruščica	Luška	44.041824, 17.779827
54	(1656) Jadovnik	Lisina	44.244938, 16.397423
55	(1654) Ujilica	Veliki vrh	44.2855, 16.22418
56	(1652) Romanija	Veliki Lupoglav	43.854645, 18.655214
57	(1651) Crna gora	Gola kosa	44.29707, 16.751642
58	(1647) Igman	Crni vrh	43.745117, 18.236528
59	(1631) Paripovac	Skale	44.18565, 16.884678
60	(1629) Trebević	Sofe	43.818428, 18.460852
61	(1627) Galica	Bukovačko brdo	44.284267, 17.535349
62	(1622) Zeljanik	Velika Zeljarica	44.485859, 16.289747
63	(1604) Grmeč	Crni vrh	44.600857, 16.526184
64	(1602m ) Vučevo	Mjedena glava	43.293186, 18.438545
65	(1590) Mužnice	Veliki vrh	43.986607, 16.789062
66	(1565) Ravašnica	Razvršće	43.844807, 17.386181
67	(1562) Plješevica	Crni vrh	44.776833, 15.762688
68	(1561) Mala Plazenica	Nema naziv	44.009041, 17.277262
69	(1554) Somina	Bobija	43.025814, 18.549469
70	(1543) Hrbina	Hamzin vrh	44.057053, 17.014711
71	(1541) Jelovača	Nema naziv	43.752464, 17.160715
72	(1539) Vijenac	Modri kuk	44.286289, 16.39715
73	(1537) Javor	Veliki Žep	44.063133, 19.029371
74	(1534m ) Ozren	Bukovik	43.93425, 18.449736
75	(1534) Ivan planina	Veliko Šljeme	43.791389, 18.007809
76	(1534) Husad planina	Vis	43.472862, 18.544056
77	(1532) Kovač planina	Stražbenica	43.516495, 19.122282
78	(1530) Kalin	Nema naziv	44.098637, 17.532421
79	(1530m ) Baćina planina	Trn	43.718475, 17.630747
80	(1517) Proslapska planina	Dašnik - Kik	43.795692, 17.431784
81	(1510) Komar	Kamenjaš	44.165859, 17.532972
82	(1509) Vitrinjača	Mala Vitrinjača	43.563568, 17.473497
83	(1508) Kmur	Kmur	43.475506, 18.712187
84	(1504) Stražbenica	Vučkovac	44.078884, 17.184635
85	(1498m) Crna gora	Lisac	43.449608, 18.038271
86	(1496) Sjemeč	Ivica	43.78846, 19.177134
87	(1491) Vučevica	Goleš	43.63747, 19.167412
88	(1485) Maluša	Oralac	43.40554, 18.734285
89	(1483) Dimitor	Mali Dimitor	44.408279, 16.92083
90	(1481) Lib planina	Svinjar	43.613708, 17.392551
91	(1478) Gola planina	Vitorog	44.363434, 17.406988
92	(1477) Pakline	Veliki Javorni vrh	43.855499, 17.248899
93	(1472) Perun	Karasanovina	44.128654, 18.286825
94	(1471) Štitar planina	Crno vrvo	43.571125, 17.44672
95	(1467) Lisina	Lisina	44.397755, 17.041801
96	(1465) Čemerska planina	Dernek	44.032646, 18.380875
97	(1464) Bobija	Bobijski vrh	44.416389, 16.684719
98	(1459) Lipničko brdo	Jezero	44.190632, 18.215439
99	(1456) Stakorina	Vražić	43.567848, 19.151226
100	(1454) Krug planina	Suovrh	43.838303, 17.148794
101	(1453) Radovan	Brezovača	44.02504, 17.634672
102	(1437) Pogorelica	Kozice	43.862164, 17.882828
103	(1437) Inač	Lisin	43.877602, 17.989597
104	(1436) Grbica	Nema naziv	43.903286, 16.892099
105	(1433) Ranče planina	Suvi vrh	44.382793, 17.392101
106	(1433) Cicelj	Stražica	43.540939, 19.067463
107	(1424) Devetak	Bezdanica	43.98563, 18.984144
108	(1423) Zahor	Bandera	44.009872, 17.934731
109	(1422) Ruda planina	Rujska glava	43.439983, 18.650894
110	(1422) Ravna planina	Hum	43.745304, 18.630745
111	(1419) Sitnica	Kobilja glava	42.979321, 18.220144
112	(1414) Toholjska planina	Nema naziv	43.406883, 18.844431
113	(1411) Gorčevica	Kapak	44.294285, 17.80414
114	(1398) Vučja planina	Nema naziv	44.387653, 17.720564
115	(1395) Bjelasnica	Motka	42.833405, 18.13044
116	(1388) Varda	Resića Varda	43.660095, 19.394836
117	(1388) Šiša gora	Razvršje	44.466152, 16.781475
118	(1388) Rudina	Rudina	44.076939, 17.5427
119	(1384) Očauš	Biser glava	44.503395, 17.633844
120	(1378) Srnetica	Miljakuša	44.47715, 16.59543
121	(1368) Radalj planina	Ravna gora	44.22551, 17.494459
122	(1367) Vijogor	Vijogor	43.644737, 19.115791
123	(1365) Bič planina	Goli vrh	43.576153, 19.471201
124	(1360) Čelinska planina	Nema naziv	43.788754, 17.776394
125	(1359) Mahnjača	Velika Mahnjača	44.416107, 17.887411
126	(1349) Zvijezda	Krš	44.15403, 18.39691
127	(1348) Lisac	Liskovača	44.285717, 17.829386
128	(1347) Zavelim	Kolokovac	43.556664, 17.134081
129	(1347) Dnolučka planina	Ukalj	44.282551, 17.453993
130	(1339) Čemernica	Goli vis	44.521858, 17.213078
131	(1328) Viduša	Veliki Tisac	42.908718, 18.278612
132	(1326) Konjuh	Konjuh	44.301888, 18.545979
133	(1323) Studenska planina	Studenska planina	43.788136, 17.750387
134	(1323) Kovač planina	Orlo kuk	43.766544, 17.178896
135	(1321) Crni vrh	Debelo brdo	43.840256, 17.617472
136	(1317) Kopito	Velika Čiluša	43.97673, 18.87887
137	(1315) Tmor planina	Tmor	43.815414, 18.053041
138	(1315) Bokševica	Jabuka	43.724964, 17.76922
139	(1312) Sijerča	Božur	43.567852, 18.550249
140	(1307) Sljemenska planina	Nema naziv	44.089069, 18.776182
141	(1305) Ravan planina	Tvrtkovac	44.290047, 18.075686
142	(1304) Oštrc	Nema naziv	43.554966, 17.333155
143	(1297) Tajan	Nema naziv	44.28867, 18.190891
144	(1290) Greben	Radovan Jelika	44.293076, 18.351444
145	(1280) Hum	Nema naziv	44.097668, 17.983479
146	(1280) Gajeva planina	Veliki Tmor	43.590454, 19.332357
147	(1277) Djedovo brdo	Pradjedov vis	44.312588, 18.314844
148	(1275) Bokšanica	Klanac	43.914223, 19.148851
149	(1274) Smolin	Zečji rat	44.191525, 18.597647
150	(1273) Ruda planina	Zaruđe	42.888573, 18.264214
151	(1267m) Bobara	Velika Metla	44.351608, 16.295637
152	(1263) Sniježnica	Komolj	43.164951, 18.085602
153	(1254) Vrletije	Tičja glava	43.95018, 17.414907
154	(1254) Budoželjska planina	Nema naziv	44.078007, 18.314802
155	(1253) Citonja	Jasikovica	43.945816, 17.988489
156	(1244) Leotar	Nema naziv	42.744953, 18.344023
157	(1238) Sušica	Ljutica	44.008404, 19.281031
158	(1236) Manjača	Velika Manjača	44.567635, 17.056761
159	(1235) Vilenica	Kicelj	44.200539, 17.625639
160	(1224) Midena	Sinjal	43.59074, 17.240522
161	(1223) Bujak	Nema naziv	43.72493, 19.23888
162	(1213) Revanje	Nema naziv	43.690495, 19.288515
163	(1210) Meoršje	Čiburov brijeg	43.850815, 18.058037
164	(1207) Gostun	Veliki Gostun	43.670639, 19.09144
165	(1199) Jadovik	Kotlarski vrh	44.736431, 16.050175
166	(1193) Ćava	Lakin vrh	44.578758, 16.140289
167	(1180) Djedinska planina	Šuplji javor	44.342518, 18.616974
168	(1173) Tisovac	Nema naziv	44.577007, 17.230946
169	(1144 m ) Ormanj	Doljanske stijene	43.807423, 18.158686
170	(1133 m) Radovanj	Gradina	43.486919, 17.339979
171	(1127 m ) Suha gora	Nema naziv	43.741909, 19.339052
172	(1112 m ) Hrgud	Veliki Parić	43.099213, 18.027641
173	(1107 m ) Vučjak	Vrh	44.402744, 16.232916
174	(1098 meters ) Javorak	Javorak	44.04216, 19.474148
175	(1097 m ) Čubren	Vis	43.889584, 18.117899
176	(1077 meters ) Borja	Runjavica	44.583206, 17.605778
177	(1066 meters  ) Misije	Veliki Cicibor	44.319527, 16.37114
178	(1060 meters ) Javornik	Bandijerka	44.285, 18.768602
179	(1054 meters ) Otomalj	Otomalj	44.337879, 17.176447
180	(1053 meters ) Vepar	Kica	44.274803, 17.895773
181	(1013 meters  ) Mulež	Veliki Divič	44.644897, 16.814028
182	(1002 meters ) Uzlomac	Prdeljica i Jelovka	44.590351, 17.549829

ON OUR WALK WE CAME ACROSS SOME HORSES AND THIS IS NOTHING USUAL

I don't know if you know this about me, but I've always been kind of obsessed with horses. Even as a little girl I used to draw them. All my toys were horses or ponies. Whenever I would get to choose a toy for me, I'd choose a horse toy of some sort. I also had this thing about unicorns. So, I've definitely been a horse lover all my life.

Where I grew up we had donkeys, not so much horses. However, my parents did take me to see horses at Sinjska alka and I would see them whenever we went to visit family in Slavonia (a region of Croatia). I remember every encounter I had with a horse as a little girl. Once I even rose a horse in circus for a couple of minutes. I remember it vividly.

Nevertheless, the first time I actually took a horse riding lesson was in Goranci village a couple of years ago. Yes, it was in my mid thirties that I actually sat on a horse and rode for the first time. It was a great experience and I hope to do it again.

There's a lot of horses to be found in Goranci, as many people keep them. There are also wild horses in vicinity. These wild horses don't live in the village but rather a bit further away. I've encountered them numerous times and they are very friendly. The horses you'll see on these photographs from this post are all domestic ones. 

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IS ONE OF FEW PLACES IN THE EUROPE WHERE YOU CAN STILL FIND WILD HORSES

Many people don't know that there are many wild horses in Bosnia and Herzegovina. When I say wild horses, I mean just that- horses that live in the wild. I don't mean they are genetically the original European breed of wild horses because that breed is extinct (but there are some conservation efforts to bring it back to life so who knows maybe it will roam Europe again some day).

SUSTAINABLE OUTFIT POST- HOW I WORE THESE ITEMS BEFORE?

I shopped my closet for this look, you know being sustainable and all that. This was a functional outfit bit I think it was kind of cute as well. 

COLD WEATHER ACCESSORIES -THE TARTAN SCARF AND THE BEANIE- both worn last in this recent post as was this burgundy bag . You can see 8 ways to style this burgundy bag in this 53 ways to style a pair of brown sandals post.

THE BROWN LEATHER COAT WITH A FAUX FUR HOODIE - See multiple ways to style it in this post, A FEMININE WAY TO STYLE IT HERE , A CASUAL WAY TO STYLE IT and see how I wore illustrated it in this post.


THE GREY DRESS- I've had this grey body hugging dress for years. Not that you can see it well in these photographs. There are however previously published post. In this post you can see how I wore this grey dress for a visit to Stari grad plus 12 more ways to style this dress.  In this shopping my closet summer post you can see two additional ways to style this grey dress.  In this sustainable fashion winter post you can see two more ways to style this grey dress!  So, I have worn this dress 20 times on this blog.

THE RUFFLED PARSLEY PRINT SKIRT- In this post you can see 8 different ways to style this skirt.

THE HIGH BROWN RIDING BOOTS - See how I wore them with this colourful winter outfit for sightseeing Mostar fairly recently. 

This is also a pair of boots I have illustrated before! 

In fact, I HAVE ILLUSTRATED THIS PAIR OF BROWN BOOTS THREE TIMES! That means they are one of the most illustrated pairs of shoes in my closet, doesn't it? Do you want to see how I did it? Here are the links- 

ILLUSTRATED-  A LEATHER PAIR OF 

 HIGH BROWN BOOTS - HERE & HERE &HERE 

See how I wore these boots 35 times:

1)  here with a leather jacket and a midi skirt.

2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9) Here in this post, you can see me wearing them with eight different outfits. 

10/11/12/13) Here in this post you can see me wearing these high boots with four different outfits.

14/15) Here in this travel post you can see me wearing them with two stylings.

ALSO 

 16)  here, 17) here, 18) here and 19) here.

20) see how I styled them here WITH A GREEN TARTAN JACKET

21) Here I styled them for a hiking look with a shirt dress and sweatshirt cardi ( Malta). 

22- 32) You can see these brown boots featured in ten different outfits in this post.

33) With a Stanka Zovko set and camel coat here.

34) with a magenta coat and cropped jeans for a visit to Međugorje here.

35) with a blue Amadeus dress and ski pro red tartan jacket for a visit to Mostar here.

....AND NOW SOME LINKS WITH MY PREVIOUS VISITS TO GORANCI.

Just like I have links to prove my sustainable fashion wardrobe and how I wore these items before, I also have links to prove my sustainable travel philosophy. 

MY PREVIOUS VISITS TO GORANCI VILLAGE (NEAR MOSTAR)

You can read more about Goranci village by visiting these links.



1)  HERE MY 2019 VISIT TO GORANCI 

( HOW TO STYLE BLACK CORD FLARES FOR AUTUMN? OUTFIT PROPOSAL)

In this post, you can see more images of horses plus a cute outfit with a vintage blazer and cord jeans. Country chic and all that. 

a gif made of our photographs to Goranci village

2) HERE..... In this post from 2019 (FRIDAY FASHION ILLUSTRATION: RED PUFFER) , I took you to Goranci village and  I shared an acrylic fashion illustration with you. Revisit this post if you want to see more of my art. Now, that I think of it, I illustrated a number of outfits I wore to Goranci village. So, you could say that this village is an inspiration of mine. 

MORE POSTS FROM GORANCI (2022):

3) ALL BLACK WINTER CHIC

4) FASHION ILLUSTRATION RED PUFFER 

I ALSO VISITED GORANCI IN 2021

5) VISIT GORANCI WITH ME- MY POST FROM SUMMER 2021

My art inspired by Herzegovina (an acrylic painting of a white horse)

Interested in learning more about Goranci? Why, you're welcomed to check out these posts as well and revisit my memories with me!

 6)  Nature Park Goranci- In this post from 2013, I practically captured the birth of Natural Park Goranci. This park was practically in the making then. A dozen years later, this park is a commercial and professional success. I'm pretty sure I was the first to blog about it first. Of course neither that nor any of the other posts wasn't sponsored in any way. I blog about these places just because I like them. 

 7) Sights to see, places to visit (Goranci ) - In this 2015 post, I took you to the park again and I also showed you the inside of the restaurant. You can also see me reading a book in the restaurant- a book about mountains written by Stipe Božić, a famous Croatian mountaineer. 

I don't know what it is about horses, but seeing them makes me so happy!

 8) Goranci (photography post) - In this 2015 photography post, you can see some high quality photographs capturing nature of Goranci. I still enjoy these photographs. Most of them were taken by my husband, but I'm pretty sure I took some of them as well. 

9)  A day in the country (Goranci) - In this post from 2018, you can see me wearing a pastel outfit. Plus, you can see what summer looks like in Goranci village. 

10)  Cropped chic outfit in Goranci- In this outfit post, you can also read a book review from one of my favourite contemporary Croatian female authors. 

I also illustrated this coat with watercolour pencils!

11) Here you can read ANOTHER BOOK REVIEW OUTFIT  SHOT IN GORANCI 2024!

12) A BOOK REVIEW IN GORANCI (2023) - Here is another post where I shared a book review (from Amoz Oz) accompanied with photographs taken in this beautiful village.

It seems I often choose Goranci for my book review locations. Well, I like nature in general. I love hiking and posting images from my hikes. There's something to hiking that reminds me of reading. When you're reading a book, you sort of escape from the daily grind and all that. The same perhaps applies to hiking. 

My posts about Goranci don't stop there. 

13) FASHION ILLUSTRATION LIGHT BEIGE PUFFER COAT- This post from 2021 is one of my all time favourite posts. Here I shared a fashion illustration I did of a long light beige puffer coat. I think it's one of the best fashion illustrations of my outfits that I have done. It wasn't even that hard to make, sometimes I struggle a lot with my art, and sometimes the making of some painting is almost effortless. Well, this was the case in this case! Visit the link above to see more.

14) DIY NECKLACE AND VISIT TO GORANCI- In this 2014 post, I shared a DIY creation of mine. This was a necklace I made for my prom (to go with a designer dress that was made for me by  a local Split designer). This time I wore this necklace as a head crown and it looked lovely. This whole outfit post has a lovely fantasy feel. I used photographs from this post for my Shadow & Bone book series review because they seemed to match the theme so well. 

15) DIY HAND PAINTED JACKET AND A VISIT TO GORANCI- In April 2019, I visited Goranci for a nice walk and some doggie love. The dogs belonging to our friend recognized and greeted us. Even though our friend wasn't there (he moved abroad but we went to his house just in case he might be there). The dogs remembered us and they came to us demanding patting. It was a cute experience. I also shared a white vintage jacket I hand painted. For this occasion, I styled it in an entirely casual way.

I was really happy to come across so many horses!

16) WHAT TO WEAR FOR HIKING IN GORANCI in summer - In this 2019 summer post, I tried to answer the question what to wear for hiking in summer. In this post, you can also see some horses. Actually, in a lot of my Goranci posts you can see photographs of Goranci horses. The guys are just there and they are not shy!

17) YELLOW IN SUMMER, THE ENGLISH PATIENT PLUS A VISIT TO GORANCI- In this 2018 post, I showed you an outfit similar to the one above. So, I wore this yellow cropped top at least twice to visit Goranci. In this post I also shared a review for a famous book (The English Patient) and a few photographs from Goranci restaurant. 

18) A PAIR OF FLARE BLUE JEANS FOR A WINTER VISIT TO GORANCI VILLAGE- In this post I shared multiple ways to wear a pair of washed blue flared jeans, and one of the locations war Goranci village. There was even some snow! 

19) GORANCI, HERZEGOVINA (PHOTOGRAPHY) In this 2013 post, I shared a photography and outfit post. I think these images were actually a bit older than 2013 but since I opened my blog around that time, that is when I posted them. I'm not sure how old they really are, but the images in this post definitely predate 2013. I wore a red tone hiking outfit and of course there were also photographs of horses featured there. There were also some lovely zoomed in images of mountain peaks.  I miss having a proper camera to take pictures with. Well, some day I'll get one again. 

20) GORANCI COUNTRYSIDE IN THE SUMMER- In this 2013 post, I shared some photographs from our summer hiking with our puppy. Our German Sheppard dog was tragically poisoned a few months later, so seeing these images makes me both happy and sad. Happy to see these lovely memories and remember how happy she was with us (and we with her) but also sad for obvious reasons. She was only 6 months old when she was poisoned. She was very big at that time, but definitely still a big puppy at time. 

Is that enough posts? I wonder how many times I have actually posted images shot at this village or vicinity. I'm a veteran blogger, so probably it's more than 20 times. I also found this outfit post where I posted images shot in vicinity of Goranci, just a bit away from the village and there are actually some wild horses there.

The horses didn't seem to mind us. Some of them even came closer to have a better look at us!

Aren't they gorgeous? They make me pick up my brushes immediately. I'm working hard on one painting at the moment, so these beauties will have to wait, though. Still, it's a joy to look at them. Which one is your favourite? 

The horses enjoyed this lovely cold but sunny day as well. While I was preparing this post, I looked for some horse paintings of mine and I realized there's a commissioned painting of horses I didn't share. I also remembered the reason why I didn't share it. I wanted it to be the decision of the person who commissioned it- to share it or not. I don't even know has she got social media or not.

This lady (a friend of ours) comissioned an acrylic painting of two horses in Goranci. One was black, the other white. Making that painting was hard but also enjoyable. I made a lot of sketches while I was preparing for that photograph. Horses are not the easiest thing to paint. Maybe I'll share some of my sketches in the future. 

MORE TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

WHAT TO SEE IN HERZEGOVINA? TWO FORTRESSES AND NATIONAL PARKS! 

I often recommend visiting Mostar, the largest town in Herzegovina region.  Moreover, I regularly write about other cities and places worth visiting in Herzegovina.  However, there's more to this region that its lovely cities and villages. However, I also like to recommend places that aren't that well know and that might not be on the tourist radar yet. 

1) FORTRESS IN BLAGAJ- AKA KING STJEPAN'S TOWN!

2) VISIT STOLAC FORTRESS - Back in 2019, I visited Stolac city in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the second time. What was the reason for my visit? A medieval fair called Tarča. This was my second visit to this lovely historical city located in Herzegovina. If you remember, I visited it and  blogged about it last year ( feel free to check these two posts to find out more: MEDIEVAL FAIR IN STOLAC, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA & STOLAC MEDIEVAL FAIR PART TWO)

3) IF YOU ARE A LOVER OF NATURE, CHECK OUT MY POST ABOUT NATIONAL PARKS IN HERZEGOVINA. 

4) NATURE PARK HUTOVO BLATO-  A WETLAND WORTH A VISIT

5) AND LET US NOT FORGET.....THE NATURE PARK BLIDINJE 

1. PROTECTED AREAS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: NATURE PARKS
2. HOW TO GET TO BLIDINJE?
3. A FEW REASONS TO VISIT BLIDINJE
4. WHERE TO STAY IN BLIDINJE?
5. NATURE PARK BLIDINJE, BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA
6. VISIT THE MAGNIFICENT LAKE BLIDINJE
7. SIGHTS TO SEE, PLACES TO VISIT: LAKE BLIDINJE
8. BLIDNJE: A MOUNTAIN CHURCH OF SAINT ELIAS

Well, that would be all for today. I might add up to this post if I think of anything else that would be important  to share. 

 Thank you for visiting my blog!