Monday, March 9, 2015

In the Foothills of Mountain Prenj [Part 1/2]

Even though the south is showing some first signs of spring, in most northern parts of the country nature is still in full winter sleep. To that, add some fresh snowfalls that have hit the lands, and you'll pretty much end up with the landscapes in this two part outing into the foothills of mountain Prenj.

Prenj is actually a mountain range in the Dinaric Alps located in north-east Herzegovina near Mostar, Jablanica and Konjic. The highest peak is the "Zelena glava" at 2,115 m (6,939 ft), and there are several other peaks of similar height. The name Prenj is derived from the word "Perun", which is the highest god of the pantheon, and the god of thunder and lightning in Slavic mythology.

This is a two part series:
Part One: In the Foothills of Mountain Prenj
Part Two: In the Foothills of Mountain Prenj

click on the images for a bigger view


Travel into the Countryside

Once you make the turn from the main M-17 road to the village Glogosnica, a small regional road will take you further into the mountains. There are several small villages here, like Bijela, Sanica, Glogosnica, to name a few, each consisting of 20-30 houses. Nature blooms here in spring and summer, and has glorious colors in autumn, but unfortunately the winter look is stripped and cold, and as brooding as the skies on the day we traveled here.



The Hike Begins

We parked the car near our cottage here, and started our hike on the unpaved mountain dirt road. Selma was with me, as well as my dog Beni, and our neighbors Labrador Div, who hadn't seen us in quite some time. Of course the two of them had a great time playing together, as well as fighting for attention.

Wait up you guys!


The surroundings were stripped of colors, only the blue tinted mountain tops, hovered above the bleak landscapes. Even though cold and icy, the tops of the surrounding mountains were calling out to me, so I took quite a few shots of them. I can only imagine the absolute wilderness there, stripped of any human life.


Through the Village Sanica

Our hike to the foothills of mountain Prenj, took us at first through the village Sanica. And while there are many houses here where people live in, you can also find old and abandoned ones along the way (stay tuned for part two, for a really old house that we saw).


In the distance the peaks of Prenj are calling out, and at the same time, they are veiled in snow bearing clouds. Actually on this very same day fresh snow would cover the mountains again.



The majestic peaks of Prenj were so close now, but it would take us some more hiking to get to a good spot from which we could see the whole mountain.

That meant that our journey had to continue. Beni and Div were playful, and always in front of us, so in a way it seemed that they were walking us, and not the other way around. But I guess everyone was happy with the arrangement.



In the second and final part, there will be more sights from the countryside, as well as glimpses into the wast wilderness of these regions.

End of Part One
To be continued...


43 comments:

  1. Hello Mersad, what a beautiful countryside.. Wonderful landscapes and mountain views.. And I love Beni and the Lab, cute pups! Gorgeous photos! Have a happy week ahead!

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    1. You too. Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  2. Seriously, you're one talented photographer. Please feel free to stop by & join me on Wordless Wednesday. Your work deserves attention in Blogosphere! It's nice meeting you through Ramona's Inspire Me Monday hop. I'm liked your FB page & will subscribe to your blog via email. Have a fototastic week!

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    1. Thank you so much Cathy for your wonderful words. I'm really glad you enjoy the sights and stories. Will link up on Wordless Wednesday as well!

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  3. Superb scenery but I really like the buildings. I would like to explore this area.

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    1. You will see more old buildings in part two, and of course more from the area.

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  4. Wieder ganz tolle Bilder und Landschaften. Dein fünftes und letztes Bild sind meine Lieblinge.
    Liebe Grüße

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  5. What beautiful mountains! Looks like they have lots of snow.

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  6. I like that door on the really old house and loved the visit with Beni and Div and the photos they are in. that first photo, i like the way the tiny road cuts through and points right to the little house. they look miniature because everything else is so big

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    1. The road is very interesting and has a charm of its own and it did take us to a great spot, which you will see in the second part.

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  7. Such glorious shots....enjoyed them all immensely♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/lunar-light/

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  8. the pups are adorable. love the fence in the last shot. but those mountains are gorgeous!

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    1. Will need to link up with your Good Fences Meme with this one! :)

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  9. :)

    Wundervolle Kontraste zwischen hellen schneebedeckten Gipfeln und dem Vordergrund. Wie eine kleine Zeitreise in einem Bild. Man kann die Weite auf Deinen Bildern fassen - es muss aber in Natura noch schöner sein.

    Liebe Grüße von Senna

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  10. It does look as though the dogs had a great day out!! And what gorgeous mountains! Superb captures as always, Mersad!! Hope your new week is off to a great start!! Enjoy!!

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  11. You've done a great job of making me want to visit someday!

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  12. So schöne Bilder hast du wieder gemacht Mersad! Ich sitz hier grad mit meinem ältesten Sohn und zeig ihm die...er ist auch ganz begeistert. Deine Landschaftsaufnahmen sind einfach super! GlG Anne

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    1. Danke Anne. Am Freitag gibt es dann aber auch ein neues Rezept! :)

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  13. You have some beautiful countryside there.

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  14. That mountain view is spectacular!!

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  15. Oh Mersad, your dogs led you on a wonderful walk ;))! What beautiful country you live in. We used to live where there were hills and mountains (in western US) but now we are in flat Florida. I like being warm in winter, but I miss mountains!

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  16. that snowy mountain is beautiful and i really, really love that last shot!

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  17. Mountains are beautiful even during the bad weather ...
    Nice captures

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  18. There is something so breathtaking about snow capped mountains.

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  19. Nature can never kill the beauty of mountains. Great photographs, as always.

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  20. Wonderful photos. I would love to be able to spend some time in the mountains. They seem quite unreal to me.

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  21. Rural scenes can be so photogenic. Yours certainly are!

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  22. Beautiful scenery, and the dogs are so cute!

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  23. Such rugged mountains!

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  24. Looks like a little bit of heaven to me. Thank you for joining in at Song-ography.

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  25. How beautiful. You find such beautiful places in the mountains, full of solitude and majesty. And now for part 2...

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  26. Beautiful and rustic Winter scenery! You seem to find the most interesting "off the beaten path" type of places to photograph.

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  27. It looks a little chilly for a hike.

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  28. The countryside there along with those mountains is so beautiful. The dogs really seem to be enjoying their walk. I liked the old fence and the old looking buildings.

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  29. Stunning photos, Mersad! That mountainous countryside is just beautiful, and I loved learning about the Slavic connection.

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  30. I love those old rustic type buildings nestled in that beautiful scenery.

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  31. Thanks for taking us along. I love the various shots showing not just the mountains but the houses and streets along the way. The shot of the stream with the mountain in the background is spectacular. I love the sense of depth in it.

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  32. I love the look of the mountains with the stark landscape. What a wonderful hike for human and canine. Thank you for linking into Nature Notes... Michelle

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  33. Interesting selection. Have never visited this place. Thank you.

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  34. Thank you for sharing your stunning photography (and the story behind the photographs) at Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy!

    I'm excited to share that you are one of our Featured Guests at this week's party (#167!)

    I also host Wordless Wednesday and Friendship Friday at Create With Joy and invite you to share your contributions with us at those parties as well for maximum exposure of your talents!

    Have a wonderful week and I look forward to this week's contribution!

    Create With Joy
    http://create-with-joy.com

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  35. Great shots. Please come share at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/03/visiting-saint-kitts.html each week - you have such talent!

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  36. one of the best place where you can enjoy your trip...
    Dan Andersson Scam

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  37. Stunning photographs! Your photography work is really adorable. Keep doing such great work. Well, I am getting married by the end of next month. I need to book a domestic Port Macquarie Photographer. I wonder if you can share any recommendations!

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