This lovely Balkan country has been written about extensively in British press for all he wrong reasons. We cross the border from Montenegro and pass a convoy belonging to EUFOR, the successors to the NATO peacekeeping force.

The border presents no issues, except a look of surprise at our presence. Obviously not well travelled by Brits, we head out to Trebinje, which we are told has a lovely old market and old city.

Walking through the secret exits in the wall we are treated to the river and some stunning beauty that makes this area as pretty as it is misunderstood.

In terms of post card views we have not found many better than we do here. We explore the city and find more than enough nooks and crannies to explore and each one reveals more.

Round the corner from the main entrance we find an artist with her stall and chat for half an hour about the work she is doing, the area and her experiences. We buy a few paintings and remark about just how pretty this place is. She has lived in Kosovo and Croatia, now Bosnia. Truly a Balkan at heart.

It is hard to imagine how this was a land ravaged by war but what I can say is the people’s resilience and determination to rebuild have paid dividends. Okay, so this is not wall to wall culture with buildings that traditionally are “old” but the history is etched in the roofs and the sides of each mountain.

The river is running crystal clear when we arrive and the view is more like being lakeside in a hot humid Italian riviera town than in the mid-Balkans. This really made us smile when we rounded the corner to see this view.

Our time is drawing to a close and we decide to take our customary “first step” shot. Sure it is after walking miles in the city, grasping the reality of the area, but it is still a first for us.

With our parking nearly expired, our senses full of all that Trebinje has to offer, and the day wearing longer we hit the car for our last leg. I wish we could stay as the beauty is just immense. Sure, we have seen other places we have written about in the same way, but this is a different kind of beauty. Like remarking on a sunset and sunrise, they are similar and yet totally different.

In just a short time we will have just one last international border to go. Thank you Bosnia for being our gracious hosts.