As we set off for Bosnia we decide to hit up the local lidl supermarket for supplies but find out its closed due to a public holiday, turns out it's also a holiday in Bosnia as well so we're hoping it doesn't scupper our plans.

We're at the border in no time and there are only a couple of cars in front. For once the Bosnian side actually want to see all the paperwork and evidence we are legally allowed to drive in the country (although they still don't check the children in the back).

The road starts out as normal tarmac then out of nowhere just turns into 6km of gravel and rocks. Given we came to Bosnia last year this didn't surprise us but there was an Italian bike pulled in checking his sat nav so he was clearly shocked at where the road had disappeared to.

Once we were on the main road again it didn't take long until we saw the police up ahead and we were being waved down to pull in. They started giving the van a good look over and made us open the door to see the children. He told us he'd pulled us over for not having our lights on, even though the side lights were on he claimed it was the main lights that needed to be on and asked Al to get out of the car. I have heard about the corruption from the police and using any excuse to get money from you and seems we'd encountered this. It was a €30 fine if we paid now in cash. We managed to scrape together enough to pay them off and they sent us on our way. It did sour the drive somewhat as I had wanted to return to Bosnia after doing a quick 24hr trip last year and the place and people being so friendly. At least the drive to Mostar was now all on major roads and Al ensured he was on his best driving behaviour, much to the annoyance of the locals who kept overtaking us. We finally got a parking spot no thanks to Google maps who kept getting to take us down pedestrian only roads and we headed for the bridge.

It was lunchtime by now and not bothering to make a picnic we found a fast food café selling slatko, a Bosnian kind of pancake which they filled with Nutella. We all had half each and they were really tasty and filling.

As we carried on down the road I saw a sign for the war and genocide museum. Not exactly a fun day out but I was interested to learn more about what had happened. As we walked in the first thing Al saw was a video showing people being lined up and shot which we decided was too much for the children to see at that age so gave it a miss. We did tell them a little bit about the fighting and why there were still buildings that were in the streets and had been destroyed.

Just before the turn for the famous mostar bridge we did see another museum about the history of Bosnia so opted for this instead. They did have a short video but this mainly focused on the destruction and rebuilding of the bridge. It also had costumes from the various local people during the ages along with coins, stamps and other items. Robert was fascinated by seeing a 1 billon old currency note.

On the way to the bridge the streets narrow with shops selling goods on either side and it has more of a feel like Morocco rather than its European neighbours. The kids each buy a magnet from a local artist depicting the bridge.

As we cross over the bridge there are people in swim shorts stood on the other side as if they are going to jump, we wait around for a while but no one does.

At the bottom of the bridge people are cooling off in the river, some even having a swim and jumping from a nearby diving platform. It seems by now the man is ready to jump from the bridge so we are able to get a much better view. Pretty scary stuff!

Boat rides on the river are being sold so we decide to have a go, it's like in a dinghy with a motor attached and the kids love the 10 minutes of zooming back and forth.

After this we spot a sign for local craft beer so Al of course needs to try one and we will get to have a welcomed relax in the shade.

Afterwards the kids are so hot we agree they can take off their shoes and have a quick paddle in the water.

We get to see another couple of people jump from the bridge then the heavens open and we're caught in a thunder storm. The fork lightening behind the bridge is quite a sight but we try to take cover as best we can until the worst has passed. We get pretty soaked but it's still so hot that it doesn't take long to dry out.

As we drive away we get to see another couple of bombed out buildings, not sure what the first originally was but nature has really started to take over.

The next was famous for being used by snipers, nowadays even though its bordered up people use it as a place to take drugs or sleep rough, some tour guides will also take you inside and it's supposed to give you a good alternative view of the city.

Our next stop was to see the dervish monastery I had read about which was built into the side of a cave. I had seen a few pictures but didn't kicks what to expect. It was a short detour so we figured we'd give it a view. When we arrive it's packed and you're ushered into a paid car park charging €4 for what will end up being around 15 minutes. Yes it was interesting enough but the internet photos look much better than reality. It's now a total tourist trap with restaurants all boardering the surrounding area. We got the photo and headed back.

It's an hour until we get to our camp for the night near the Kravica waterfalls. We weren't sure how near they would be but we couldn't be much closer! It's a stunning location and as we choose our spot the owner comes along with a cool box to take payment and offer either a raki or schnapps as a welcome drink (he of course takes a shot with you as well and there are a lot of people here 😂).

I squeeze in a quick run as best I can without running up the practically vertical road we'd travelled down whilst Al cooked up a yummy dish of ham, potatoes, onions and cream. We washed it down with a cold drink then walked over to see the waterfalls by moonlight and without and crowds around.

You can actually swim here so that might be our morning activity before we head back to Croatia. Despite the police incident the day has turned out well and I'm really glad I added Bosnia into our route.