Travel with my Art #56, Mount Prenj, Rujište (the Herzegovian Himalayas)

Hello dear readers! I'm back with another travel sketch or perhaps better to say a couple of travel sketches. With the help of my art and my (as well as my husband's) photography, I'll take you to Mountain Prenj, also known as the Herzegovian Himalayas. Have I visited this place before? Yes, I visit Prenj and Rujište periodically. I often visit Rujište in the Summer or Spring, trying to escape Mostar's heat (as it is only a short drive away). However, I also visit Prenj and Rujište during Autumn and Winter. I even made a fashion & travel illustration inspired by Rujište back in 2021. Now, I'm back trying to capture the beauty of this place with my art. All of these quick 'en plein air' sketches are kind of unfinished, but I wanted to share them anyway. Who knows? Maybe I will never finish them. However, I'll keep trying. I'll keep carrying my sketchbook everywhere. Why this morning I sketched on a bus stop!

Perhaps you have noticed that I have been blogging less frequently lately. There is not much to say there. Living with an autoimmune illness is hard. Working overtime is hard. Working overtime when you have an autoimmune illness is even harder. Still, the more hours I work, the less I have to worry about being able to pay the bills. So, there's always the silver lining. Even when things are tough, I try to remember that I have much to be grateful for. I'm constantly surrounded by so much natural beauty. It is like I move from one beautiful spot to another. I feel like I'm constantly surrounded by almost overwhelming natural beauty. Maybe it is just luck of being born in these parts of the world. Moreover, I'm surrounded by beauty in other forms: art, literature and so on. So, I don't want to complain. Like most people, I struggle in some areas of my life, and I feel blessed in others.

There is something about sketching a place that makes it stay with you!

Now, you know that every post of mine has to come with some kind of meditation. I simply have to meditate on something, it seems. Today I've caught myself thinking about how the blogging pace is such an interesting topic. It can vary a lot and for a lot of reasons. It can depend on what is going on in our life, but it doesn't have to. It can vary for all kinds of reasons that might be unrelated to both our blog and our general life. Sometimes blogs simply changes. Sometimes what we need from our blog changes. Sometimes what our readers need changes. All these changes are what makes personal blogging so interesting. It is hard to predict, and there's beauty in that, in the spontaneity of it all. It fascinates me how blog can serve different functions in our life. I remember when I had one really stressful job and I would somehow publish a post every day. I don't know how I did it, but I remember I wanted to do it and so I did. During that time of my life, blogging was my escape. I would come from work and escape into the blogging world.

Now, I come from work and I just want to crawl into bed. Sometimes I do some art in the evening, but it's mostly just sketches. Sometimes I read, but I rarely stay up with a book the way I used to when I was younger. Sometimes, I just eat and go to bed. Often, I really feel like I cannot summon an energy to put together a blog post. Of course, I could just post some cute photographs and be done with it. Publish a really quick and easy post, something that does not take much energy. However, writing has been a big part of my blogging journey and I want to keep writing a part of my blog. So, often I postpone blogging for some other day or just time when I feel ready. Sometimes there are really things that take priority. Sometimes I simply cannot concentrate. I think there's only as much creative energy as we can muster each day. Sometimes there is no time to spend an hour (or hours) writing. I love blogging, I really do, but I cannot always steal time for it. Sometimes we the best we can do is just live a day at a time.

One of the things I like about blogging these days is that I feel zero pressure to publish. I don't think anyone depends on me posting. It's not like something will happen if I don't blog or post often. I have published thousands of posts. I have shared so many places I have fallen in love to, written so many travelogues and so on. I have shared so much of my art and creative projects on this little place to call my own. I have written so many book reviews, and quite a few philosophical essays and articles. I even did some proper fiction writing, and published a short story or two. I feel like I have done enough, you know. It is not that I don't have the inspiration to blog often anymore, I just don't have the energy most days. Maybe I don't need to summon it. Afterall, if someone really likes my content, they can always explore my old posts. Maybe what I have published so far is more than enough. So, why not take it slow? No pressure. Now, that I think of it, that is what I have been doing for some time. Publishing less often. There was a time when I published every day or every week. Now, I'm happy if I publish a couple of times a month. Sometimes I blog when I'm not feeling well. Sometimes I don't blog when I'm not feeling well. There really is so no rule.

Life has its rhythm. We all have our duties and responsibilities. That is why it is important to treasure some moments of peace that we manage to get. Like the one I captured with my sketch below. A moment of peace in Snježna kuća while I sketched a mountain house that caught my eye.

I love mountains and I love spending time in the mountains. There are many health benefits that come with spending time at high altitude. What can I say for myself is that I really always feel better after a visit to a mountain. There is something about mountain air that makes me see things more clearly. Prenj in particular, is simply magical. No wonder I wanted to sketch away while I was there. I'm really starting to enjoy 'en plain air' sketching and illustrating.

I didn't really plan this sketch. As you can see in the video below. The house caught my eye, and I sketched it with a ballpoint pen. I captured the moment in a short video as well.

Later on, I added colours with some watercolour pencils and used a wide brush to blend it all. I kind of left it unfinished. Maybe this was just a study. Maybe it will turn into a painting. Who knows? What I do know is that I feel like I have captured a moment frozen in time.

That is what I love about drawing and illustrating. Every time I draw something , I feel like I can see it better. I start noticing more. Seeing more details. I think it applies to all art. One of the things I like about doing art is feeling like I can see more or notice more. In some ways, I feel like art has opened up my eyes. I really do.

Not just making art. But also observing art made by others. There is something about appreciating art that expands our horizons. It does not have to be just painting or illustration. We can appreciate the art in photography. Watching a nature documentary can make us appreciate nature more. Being in nature can also help us in a number of ways (many of which I have written on my blog already).

Maybe we need to start making time and space for beauty. Appreciating beauty. Trying to create it. Being grateful for it.

Funny how a little sketch can sometimes be so meaningful.

Let's talk a bit about mountain Prenj and Rujište (again)!

With the help of my art and photography, I'll be taking you with me to Rujiste (proper spelling Rujište, pronunciation Ruyshte) a nature oasis located on mountain Prenj.

As I repeated many times on my blog, this mountain is only a short drive away from Mostar city, which makes it ideal for a little weekend (or day) getaway.

Rujiste is an area located between mountains Prenj and Veles (proper spelling Veleš, pronounciation Velesh).

Interesting fact: Veles is named after a pagan Slavic god Velesh. Another interesting fact: Velesh or Veles is one of few Slavic gods who was worshipped across all Slavic nations.

Rujište is more a part of Prenj mountain, though. The altitude is around one thousand meters. The peaks of mountain Prenj are significantly higher, over two thousands meters.

In fact, the high peaks of Prenj are why this mountain is sometimes nicknamed the Herzegovian Himalaya.

This is how this sketch started....just my sketchbook and a ballpoint pen. Nothing fancy!

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, a land with hundreds of mountains!

As I have written in one of my old posts, most people probably aren't aware of how many mountains there are in Herzegovina, or in Bosnia and Herzegovina for that matter.

Did you know there are 64 mountain peaks with high altitude (over 1.500 meters) in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Unless you heard it before you'd probably be surprised to learn with the number of mountains with peaks over 1,500 meters.

Yes, there really are 64 mountains with peaks over 1,500 meters in Bosnia and Herzegovina (maybe even more, I know of 64 for sure).

This charming mountain house stole my attention. Isn't it lovely?

I have so many fun memories from this place.

I sketched this with ballpoint pen and I added more details later on!

What to see and do on mountain Prenj (or more specifically Rujište)?

1) Hug trees!

Why not hug trees? Supposedly, it is very good for us. Have you ever hugged a tree? To me, it feels like going back to my childhood.

2) Sit on a bench and chill

Alternately, you can just find a nice bench and chill. If you have long hair, maybe fix your hair. Speaking of hair, can you tie your hair with your own hair? I was always able to do it. I mean to do a hair bun using just my own hair. It is very practical not having to use a hair clip or a tie of any sort. However, usually these kind of buns are not resistant to exercise and things like that. So, in the end I did secure my bun with a scarf. You'll see how that worked out shortly.

3) Just breathe!

Why not take a moment to just breathe and focus on your beathing. By focusing on our breathing, we can actually calm it. So, why not just relax and do absolutely nothing but breathing?

4) Climb trees

Why not climb trees? If you get scared, you can hug the tree. So, you can both hug and climb a tree. I'm sure there are many benefits to that. Unless you're afraid of heights. In that case, you can just stick to hugging trees.

5) Hike the trail (known as the Health trail or Fitness trail)

Have I told you about the trail? I'm sure I did. It starts right next to hotel and restaurant Snježna kuća. I probably shared photographs from it as well. Never mind, here is more photographs of the health trail that is a bit over one kilometer long. It is an easy trail to follow, perfect for hiking beginners.

6) Use your bun to carry your bag!

If you want to have your hands free while hiking, why not carry your bag with your bun. That's what I did. First I secured the bun with a long scarf. Then I used the bun to carry my bag.

Carrying my bag with my bun!

7) Sketch en plein air

Why not get creative? Sketch, illustrate or paint while on the Health Trail or just about anywhere on this mountain. The inspiration is everywhere!

My unfinished sketch of lovely trees on Mount Prenj

8) Exercise on the Health and Fitness trail

You probably won't be surprised to learn there is fitness advice on a trail that is called Health and Fitness Trail, right? Not only fitness advice, but instructions on how to do exercises. They have the whole program worked out from you.

I spend some minutes hanging from things. I hanged from a bar and also from these gymnastic rings. I did not look as cool as Albert Azaryan. Then again, nobody ever looked as cool as Albert Azaryan and nobody will. They didn't name it Azaryan cross for nothing. Anyhow, I have scoliosis, so hanging from stuff is a great idea in my case. It helps with the pain management.

9) Take photographs!

When you're in a place this beautiful, it can make sense to take as many photographs as you feel are enough to capture its beauty.

So, now you can see some things you can do there and some thing I have done. I hope I have given you some fun ideas. Two of the ideas are limited to those with long hair, but most can be adapted by anyone.

MY PREVIOUS VISITS TO RUJIŠTE MOUNTAIN

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, YOU'RE MORE CAN VISIT ONE OF MY SIX POSTS ABOUT RUJISTE

1. RUJIŠTE (TRAVEL POST) 2013

2. VISIT RUJIŠTE, A MOUNTAIN OASIS NEAR MOSTAR (A SUMMER VISIT 2019)

3. WINTER DESTINATIONS HERZEGOVINA: MOUNTAIN PRENJ RUJIŠTE 2019

4. TRYING OUT A NEW HIKING TRACK, RUJIŠTE, HERZEGOVINA 2019

5. WINTER FAIRY TALE AT HOTEL SNJEZNA KUCA , RUJIŠTE, PRENJ MOUNTAIN 2020

6. SUMMER AT RUJIŠTE, THE HERZEGOVIAN HIMALAYA 2020

7. RUJIŠTE TRAVEL AND FASHION ILLUSTRATION 2021

Now, let us take a trip down to memory lane and explore more of my art!

#1 PALERMO ISLAND SICILY #2 BAY MALA STINIVA #3 IRKUTSK #4 MATEJUŠKA #5 HVAR CITY #6 ZENTA MARINE #7 ZAVALA #8 SUCURAJ #9 MALA STINIVA #10 HVAR TOWN #11 JELSA TOWN, DANCE OF THE SAILS #12 ZAVALA #13: SUCURAJ LIGHTING HOUSE #14: BAY BRIZENICA #15 BAY LOZNA #16 BAY VEPRINOVA #17 BOL #18 PLANINICA #19 SUCURAJ, BOATS AT PORT, #20 BEACH SOLINE #21 STARI GRAD, VIEW FROM HOTEL ARKADA #22 MAKARSKA BOATS #23 ZAVALA BEACH PANORAMA #24 ŽNJAN BEACH WITH A MOUNTAIN BACKGROUND #25 JELSA #26 ZAVALA BEACH BAY #27 MALA STINIVA IN SUMMER #28 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BASINA BAY #29 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BAY TORAC AT SUNSET #30 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, VALETTA, ISLAND MALTA #31 CAPE PLANKA #32 QUICK ZAVALA SKETCH #33: LOZNA COMISSIONED #34 BOTA SURF CENTRE #35 BEACH KAMENJARA #36 A COMISSIONED CHAPEL PAINTING MOSTAR

a sketch I started but have yet to finish.....

#38 BUNA CANALS #39- STJEPAN FORTRESS BLAGAJ # 40 A VIEW FROM MARINE LUČICA

#41 SUĆURAJ LIGHT HOUSE #42 DRVENIK #43, GJAN TUFFIHA BAY, MALTA

#44 ZAVALA BEACH 404 (CROATIA)

#45 BUNA (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

#46 KAMENJARA BEACH, VRBOSKA (CROATIA)

#47 GORANCI (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

#48 TORAC, BADIĆ(CROATIA)

#49 HUTOVO BLATO (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

#50, #51, #52 SEASCAPES INSPIRED BY ISLAND HVAR

#53 STARI GRAD 2026, ISLAND HVAR

#54 MASLINICA 2026, ISLAND HVAR

#55 GREEN SPOT IN MERTOJAK SPLIT (CROATIA)

Once upon a time, this was also a fashion blog. Now, the content is more varied but that is how it started. With time, I started focusing more on sustainable fashion. In a nutshell, I hate consumerism and I love telling stories with clothes. My approach to sustainable fashion is mostly based on maximizing my closet i.e. shopping my closet. You better believe I shopped my closet for this Summer visit to Rujište!

So, shall we do Sustainable Fashion Files?

Sustainable fashion files or How I wore it before:

The polka dot dress: second hand

(worn in multiple outfits here)

The black shorts: old

(worn under many dresses and tunics this summer here and here)

The boromira sandals: Borovo (bought and reviewed in 2016!)

The blue beach bag: old (see it worn with multiple outfits here)

The oversized blue beach scarf: second hand (see it worn with a yellow dress here)

Sunglasses: DM ( I buy most of my sunglasses there) (worn with multiple outfits here)