In part two we visit the summit of mountain Velez. In part one we made the drive up to the plains above Mostar, and in this second part we drove further inland, closer to the mountain.

Velez mountain is a mountain in the south-central part of the Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The three largest communities in the Mount Velez Region are Nevesinje, which is located in a secluded mountain valley; Blagaj, which is located near the source of the Buna River (click here to see that series); and Podvelezje which is situated below the summit of Velez (which we are visiting in this series). 

The mountain overlooks, Mostar. The Velez mountain was named after one of the old Slavic gods Velse. The highest Velez peak is called Botin and it is 1,969 meters high.

This is a multi-part series. Other parts include:
Part One: The Great Plains
Part Two: Mountain Velez
Part Three: Return into the Valley

click on the images for a bigger view

These parts are mostly barren landscapes, but this pine tree forest, located just along the road, was a welcome sight. We even saw a rabbit jumping happily along.

The first houses show up, just a couple of miles after you reach the plains. The harsh living conditions, caused by wind and snow, sometimes cuts these houses off from the rest of the world.

On top of this hill we found an old, run down structure, which I believe was a army base in the second world war (judging from the looks). If I find out more I'll let you know.

After visiting the mountain slopes of Velez, we took the drive back into the valley, where I made some of the best photos from this trip. But I'll share those in the final, third part!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend.

Linking to SkyWatch Friday.

I am very excited to present to you this new series called "Above the city". Not only, will I be showing you parts of my country that I haven't photographed previously, but I will also be showing parts that I haven't visited before, which is always great. 

What's more, venturing so far up into the surrounding mountains of Mostar, wasn't really our goal on this day, but as we took a turn from the main road that goes through the city, we just couldn't stop driving. The great plains were calling us, and we kept driving. In this series I want to show you the sights along the way.

This is a multi-part series. Other parts include:
Part One: The Great Plains
Part Two: Mountain Velez
Part Three: Return into the Valley

click on the images for a bigger view

After a 15 minute drive up the hills, we reached our first stop point. From here you could see Mostar in the distance, as well as the mountains and hills on the other side of the city.

But what proved to be a more exciting view, was the one we got when we turned around. The great plains were in front of us, with the mountain Velez far in the distance. We had a drop in temperature recently, and fresh snow was to be seen on the mountain tops.

A picture of my friend Selma in front of the plains and mountain. Before you ask, we didn't take a single picture of me and there is a good reason for that. As you will undoubtedly notice in Selma's hair, the wind was strong. Actually, not only was it strong, it was furious. We had to return to the car for some time before venturing out again. So I had my hands full with holding the camera and tripod.

I found this pyramid shaped stone sculpture next to the road, but have no idea what the significance of it is.

The other side of the valley was equally exciting, with lots of clouds rolling into the landscape.

I wonder where this road will take you. We stayed on the paved road, and didn't venture into the plains, but it sure looked inviting. 

The windy atmosphere is most apparent in the clouds, which came rushing into the landscape, and leaving again soon, constantly changing shapes and sizes.

A view back into the Mostar valley, with the long and winding road, curving in the landscape.

A lonely weather station, far in the background.

Another view of the mountain Velez in the distance, taken before we returned to the car, and drove further into the plains, closer to the mountain itself.

I hope you enjoyed these landscapes, as I am very pleased with the images I took this day. I think you will definitely enjoy the other parts to come. Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to ABC Wednesday (N is for Nature) and SkyWatch Friday

It's seems like the work in a garden will never stop. I have previously shown our garden in Autumn and Winter, but there really is no point in talking about it without showing it during Spring. My dad and I have been working on a little project last Sunday, and I wanted to share with you what we have done.

We have these two grassbeds, that you can see in the first image. They are in half circular shape, and we wanted to do something with them, because the green itself was a bit monotone.

click on the images for a bigger view

The first image shows the finished result of our work. We planted some flowers along the sides of the grassbeds, to circle them in and have some color except green.

It all started early Sunday. I used a shovel to cut the shape into the ground. Then I went in again a second time to cut out the other side, almost like cutting paper. I went with the shapes that were already there.

Next up, I used a small cutting tool, to cut the pieces of ground, into smaller chunks. This took the longest :)

We brushed some of the soil off of the pieces of grass that we cut out, and then used fresh potting soil to cover the rest of the semi circle.

Beni was no help, of course, and used the time to sleep in the morning sun :)

These are the flowers we bought to replant.

We had red and pink flowers, which we distributed along the path.

We had these flowers before. They bloom almost all year, and have nice vibrant colors.

Now some impressions of the results of our labor. I took these shots during sunset, later in the day.

We had a beautiful spring day on Sunday, with almost clear sky.

A look up at the hills in the distance, with the sun slowly setting on the other side.

Beni, looking up at me on the balcony, from where I took some of these images.

I hope you liked what we did. I think I will do a follow up to this post, in the summer, when everything we planted should be in full bloom. Do you guys do any gardening?