When beggars can't be choosers

Advantages: Only book available in English so far
Disadvantages: Lack of attention to detail, overly studious and stuffy

...and include more or less the same information but in slightly different formats. When looking for a guidebook earlier this year for a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, I was surprised to find that neither publisher has yet published a book on this country. The only guide I could find was published by Bradt in 2008. I?ve used Bradt guides before but I wouldn?t buy one if Lonely Planet or Rough Guides have a guide for that destination. I didn?t get to look at the book before buying; I had a voucher for Play.com and bought straight from the website. That said, I don?t think that a quick flick through it in a bookstore would have alerted me to the shortcoming of the Bradt guidebook. From first appearances, the Bradt guide looks more strait-laced and scholarly than the Lonely Planet (slick and modern, for backpackers and high end travelers alike...

fizzytom 25.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Tim Clancy

Banja Luka - the city I'd like to like

Advantages: Some stunning buildings
Disadvantages: Hard to get to know locals, run down with few signs of regeneration

..."How did you find the people in Banja Luka?" asked a Slovenian friend of mine when we met up recently. We had just been to Bosnia and Herzegovina and had made a point of visiting both parts of the divided country. Under the terms of the Dayton Peace Accord in 1995 Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two territorial entities - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska; the country has one government and people live under the same laws no matter which entity they live in but this symbolic division of the country more or less along ethnic lines is what keeps a fragile peace on the country. I knew Darko's family were Serbian but I didn't know they were Bosnian Serbs. Maybe I wouldn't have been so honest with my answer had I known this. I told him I found the people quite unfriendly though, admittedly, I hadn't had...

fizzytom 11.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Banja Luka (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Mostar - rebuilding bridges?

Advantages: Lots of culture and history, cheap, tasty food, kind people
Disadvantages: Those slippy footpaths!

...Town but most just serve coffee (Bosnian style) or tea (Turkish style). If you want a standard coffee you must ask for a ?Nescafe?. If you do want alcohol with your lunch or want something other than minced veal dishes, you will need to find a more up-market restaurant. Fortunately, even in tourist trap Mostar, prices are really cheap. Ice cream is hugely popular and very cheap too; you will struggle to choose only one flavour so go for a combination. As food is so cheap you will have money left for souvenirs. If you are so inclined you can buy lots of cheap rubbish, and some of it is quite pretty. However, you can buy some quality items such as the copperwares, rugs and some of the art work. Pomegranates ? the national fruit of Bosnia and Herzegovina ? are a popular subject matter but there are several talented artists painting lovely...

fizzytom 22.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Sarajevo - simply sublime

Advantages: Plenty to see; good value for money;
Disadvantages: No budget flights yet (but also a good thing!)

...the Bosnian War but has since been restored and stands in its original location once more. I dreamed of seeing it one day. Today Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under the terms of the Dayton Peace Accord, Bosnia and Herzegovina was split into two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. It was also stipulated that Sarajevo should be the capital of the whole country, but should also be split with east Sarajevo being in the Srpska Republic. The main business district and the historic old town of Sarajevo are in the Federation; the section in Republika Srpska has some business and some industry but is mainly residential from what I witnessed. Unless they make efforts to do otherwise, it?s unlikely that most tourists will see the Serbian part of the city, though we saw a small section when we took...

fizzytom 18.10.2009 (20.10.2009) · Read review
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Review of Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Mostar's bridge over troubled waters

Advantages: Idyllic setting, fascinating history, friendly people
Disadvantages: Difficult to get to - limited range of facilities

...Writing any article on Mostar is very difficult for me as every time I think of this city in Bosnia Herzegovina I feel very emotional. I have only visited twice but the whole city and people left a great heartfelt impression on me. I am not sure if it is because of what happened to the town in the Bosnian War, where families who had lived together side by side for centuries suddenly started killing each other, or whether it is the destruction of the houses and buildings, and the famous old bridge or perhaps it is just because the town overlooking the river is such a beautiful, tranquil place. I don't know, but I hope you will read my review and hopefully go along one day to see this important and interesting city in Bosnia Herzegovina. Location The city of Mostar is situated in the southern part of Bosnia Herzegovina spread over both...

Praski 23.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

The forgotten corner of Europe

Advantages: Beautiful, interesting, very little tourism, very cheap
Disadvantages: Ethnic divisions, poverty, disturbing past

..., and Civapi, meatballs inside a bread wrap. You can get Burek containing spinach and cheese at some bakeries. In big cities there are lots of restaurants, although most sell the same food as the next. Banja Luka has a good Mexican restaurant, but international cuisine is a rarity in Bosnia. Fresh fruit and vegetables are widely available cheaply at stalls along every road, so cooking for yourself is a good idea if you have the facilities. Toilets are mostly of the Turkish variety. For the uninitiated, this means a hole in the floor which you squat over. Requires some practice to avoid splashing. There are no public toilets other than in bus/train stations, but every cafe/restaurant will allow you to use their toilet, free of charge. Language: People in Bosnia and Hercegovina speak essentially the same language, although it is called...

MissDirect 07.09.2004 (30.10.2007) · Read review
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Review of General: Bosnia-Herzegovina

Sarajevo, Famous for the wrong reasons!

Advantages: Smart and quaint city. Peaceful now
Disadvantages: Still being fixed after the war

...and Herzegovina entity, and the de jure capital of the Republika Srpska entity, as well as the center of the Sarajevo Canton. Sarajevo is located in the Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated around the Miljacka river. The city is famous for its traditional religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Judaism peacefully coexisting there for centuries. The Miljacka river is one of the city\'s chief geographic features. It flows through the city from east through the center of Sarajevo to west part of city where eventually meets up with the Bosna river. Miljacka river is \"The Sarajevo River\", with its source in the town of Pale, several kilometers to the east of Sarajevo. The Bosna\'s source, Vrelo Bosne near Ilid?a (west Sarajevo), is another notable natural landmark and a popular...

gt5952 20.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Blown Away in Bosnia

Advantages: A genuine eye-opener. Stunning views, friendly people.
Disadvantages: Watch out for the landmines. Hygiene and health and safety are a long way from what we're used to.

...I wanted that title to be as crass and tasteless as possible, for reasons I hope will become apparent later. It's taken me two months to get down to writing this piece, because no matter how I re-wrote it, the original article just ended up sounding like Beer Tears. Mostar lies three hours inland by coach from the seductive tourist trap of Dubrovnik, across the border into mountainous Bosnia-Herzegovina. Both cities suffered devastating sieges a decade ago, but since then, their fates have been so different. Dubrovnik basks on the Adriatic coast, smug as only a chic, cosmopolitan tourist haven can be. After the war, the world fell over itself restoring the city to it's former glory. Croatia also got a lucky break, acquiring 80% of former Yugoslavia's coastline. This, combined with the city's stunning beauty and wonderful...

Plissken 17.12.2004 · Read review
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Review of Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

  Harvester Restaurants

Advantages: Always one close by, quick turn out, children are welcome and catered for.
Disadvantages: Toilets can be quite disturbing, not all dishes taste as good they are described.

...Harvester Restaurants Restaurant Reviewed: Stag and Hounds Winchester Road Basingstoke Hampshire (next to Comet and Home Base) The Harvester chain of Restaurants have over 2000 outlets across the United Kingdom and owned and operated by Mitchells and Butlers, who claim to be the UK's leading operator of managed pubs, bars and restaurants. Harvester claim to offer healthy eating, drinking and entertainment in one reasonably priced outlet. **** Parking and Getting a Table ***** As with most of the Harvester's I have visited, there is usually ample free parking at the rear of the establishment. However on Saturday evenings and Sunday lunch times these places are heaving with customers, so avoid the crowds, go early and if possible ring and reserve a table. The Stag and Hounds is no exception but fortunately...

mrsmopples 27.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Harvester Restaurants

Ze Restaurant!

Advantages: Good show, interesting
Disadvantages: Slightly worse than last year`s

...The Restaurant is a TV programme shown on BBC 2 on Thursday nights! The show is a reality TV show and is similar to something like the Apprentice but a food version. This show is obviously based on the concept and success of many other TV shows like the Apprentice, food shows like Masterchef and all the other shows like Dragon`s Den, X Factor e.t.c The idea of the show is for world famous chef Raymond Blanc to find a couple to help him run a restaurant and the couples are gradually knocked out week by week until they have the winning couple. It is in its third season and seems to have got a bit worse. I still enjoy it but felt it used to be more exciting and interesting. There used to be two shows with one of them being a challenge but they seem to have got rid of this which is a shame! Raymond has help from his two assistants e...

mariofan123 23.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of BBC2 - The Restaurant