Wednesday, December 24, 2014

The Forgotten Valley [Part 2/3]: The Village Zijemlje

The village Zijemlje is so small, and consists of so few houses, that you can almost drive by, without even noticing that you are inside a populated place. And the phrase "populated place" is stretched very thinly. There are about 30 houses in the village. Some of them are lived in, while only the outer structure remains from the others.

In 1991 Zijemlje counted 153 inhabitants, but I don't think that more then 70 people live here now, at least by the look of it all. But there is a political background to this place as well. It is also known as Serbian Mostar, and was created from a part of the pre-war municipality of Mostar (the other part of the pre-war municipality is now in the city Mostar, where I live today).

What the village lacks in people, it certainly makes up by it's rugged and rustic charm, and the surrounding fields of the valley are more then inviting for any visitor.

This is a multi-part travel series. Other parts include:

click on the images for a bigger view




Inside the Village

We came to the end of the road that leads to the village. There is a turning point here to go back, and a small side road that leads up another mountain (we went of course up the other mountain, which you will see at the end of this post). Some agricultural fields were in front of us, loosely divided by brown picket fences. I stopped my car at the side of the road, and we took a walk.


The vast valley was spread in front of us, seemingly nothing between us and the foothills of the surrounding mountains. Snow was to be seen on the mountain Velez, on the left side of this next image. But those are only the mountain tops that are covered in the white of snow. The rest of the slopes are enjoying the sunny times.

On the Lookout

Taking in the sights inside the valley was the highlight of the trip. There is just so much to see and take in. Maybe having all of these images in front of you right now is overwhelming, but I do encourage you to enlarge the photos and slowly go through them. There are many details that would otherwise go unnoticed.




The next image is a black and white shot of the valley. I think it works well, since there were some clouds in the sky and because of the angle. Through it I can imagine what this place must have looked like many years ago.




Nothing but Calm on my Mind

The calming effects of nature can be quite striking. Here, on these open roads, the feeling of freedom is very strong. You can go for miles and not encounter a living soul. I can only imagine how beautiful the valley must be when snow falls.



The Journey Goes On

As we left the village, the sight of the valley started to fade, and soon we were back in the mountain slopes on the other side. This stretch of unpaved road leads to Nevesinje, a small city, just 29 kilometers (18 miles) away. Of course we didn't go to Nevesinje, but we drove up the mountain to a nice look out spot, from which I got a great view of the valley looking north.

At this far away point it seemed like our journey was coming to an end, but as we soon found out that was not the case. During our return we got some great sunset images in these mountains and also managed to capture a few hidden sights from the years past.


End of Part Two
To be continued...


Where I'm linking to

42 comments:

  1. I could live in a place like this. It's incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's so beautiful there, Mersad!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a lovely area Mersad, I long for beautiful blue skies. We are a gray period now. Merry Christmas wishes to you. Tom The Backroads Traveller

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a gorgeous place to visit!

    ReplyDelete
  5. really like this little village in the mountains! beautiful! like the neat fences with 2 planks on bottom and barbed wire on top. :) thanks, mersad!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Theresa. So glad to have some fences in my photos to share with your meme today.

      Delete
  6. Beautiful! Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amazing and spectacular views of this valley. I am wondering if all that land is owned by the 153 residents or just small parcels... i like both photos with that beautiful fence in them.. for 3 years of my teen life, i lived in a valley like this, but about half the size and there were only about 25 houses with maybe 60 people including children. i loved it. that was in Kentucky, USA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that most of the land is owned by the residents of the village, since it's all agricultural soil.

      Delete
  8. Such beautiful scenery. I especially like that top photo. I think I'd enjoy exploring the roads in this area very much. I do love a good road trip. Happy Holidays!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dein erstes Bild mag ich sehr! LG

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful landscapes with or without the fences.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a beautiful haven! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. You really can't go wrong with mountains in the background! Gorgeous photos, wish I was there!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Merry Christmas to you, Selma, and your entire family. The valley and mountains in your photos have a stark beauty. If this agricultural land can support a larger population, I suspect it will grow in the future. Looking forward to part 3.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. These regions are actually known for growing very good potatoes. I think the people do sell them on farmers markets.

      Delete
  14. Interesting the valley is so flat and the mountains go straight up from it, must look magical in the snow.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I almost never found where to put my comment! These mountains are so pretty- I can only imagine how peaceful it was to tour there. Merry Christmas to you and yours. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Terri. The comment box is always at the end of the page. So you can always scroll down completely and you will find it. Glad you enjoyed the images.

      Delete
  16. Hello Mersad, you do live in a beautiful country! Lovely scenic views and photos.. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beautiful fence scenes. The views of the valley and mountains are gorgeous.
      Enjoy your day!

      Delete
  17. Lovely photos, Mersad.
    Thank you for sharing at http://www.image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2014/12/may-blessings-of-season-be-yours-today.html.
    Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  18. It is such a beautiful area. Have a lovely Christmas Day tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  19. xmas in the mountains!

    ROG, ABCW

    ReplyDelete
  20. Truly a gem of a valley, looks like a peaceful and serene location, you've certainly done the area justice with your photos!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beautiful views! Merry Christmas, to you and yours!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Spectacular mountains and an appealing little village. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  23. This is a stunningly beautiful area. So peaceful. It must be very hard to live there when the snow falls however the beauty would be outstanding.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Unlike Adrian I couldn't live there much as I can imagine staying there for a short holiday. I live on a remote island (over 20 miles across open seas from the remote west coast of the Scottish Highlands). However on the island I am only 7 miles from a small town and access to an airport etc.

    ReplyDelete
  25. What a charming spot! Thanks for taking us to visit...

    ReplyDelete
  26. it is a very peaceful place. Probably because there are not a lot of people {:-Deb

    ReplyDelete
  27. Beautiful photos. I was struck by that blue, blue sky. That's what a lack of pollution will do!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Gorgeous! That wooden fence is wonderful, and the rocky hillside behind the houses. It looks like you have taken a trip back in time...it's almost a surprise to see the jet contrail in the one shot (or your car).

    ReplyDelete
  29. Beaautiful scenery and I love the little village behind the weathered fence.

    ReplyDelete
  30. AnonymousJune 04, 2015

    Very lovely place. Your fences are nice also.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Truly beautiful countryside. I loved the photos.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Awesome- beautiful- I love the brilliant blue sky and the mountains..so pretty.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe

Image Credits

All Rights are Reserved. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of the author.