“Freund in der DrothFreund in der TodtFreund hintern RückenDas sind drei starke Brücken,”
“Freund in der DrothFreund in der TodtFreund hintern RückenDas sind drei starke Brücken,”
“Freund in der DrothFreund in der TodtFreund hintern RückenDas sind drei starke Brücken,”
“Freund in der Droth
Freund in der Todt
Freund hintern Rücken
Das sind drei starke Brücken,”
and another
“Schweig und MeigWerk und LeidJedes Ding hat seine Zeit.”
“Schweig und MeigWerk und LeidJedes Ding hat seine Zeit.”
“Schweig und MeigWerk und LeidJedes Ding hat seine Zeit.”
“Schweig und Meig
Werk und Leid
Jedes Ding hat seine Zeit.”
and so on over each door.
I saw many prints of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and other Royalties, also several engravings of old English pictures by famous artists. The island is itself covered with small fir and cypress trees, and has many shady walks. We had some time to wait for the return launch, and amused ourselves by sketching the monk; Miss B. took a photo of him and promised him a copy. On our return the town was gay with people of all nationalities and costumes to see a great race being run down the principal street, by two men who ran for an hour anda half without stopping. I sat at the café and sketched some of the people.
After dinner there was nothing to be done or to see in the town, and as the drawing-rooms soon became very stuffy, I went off to my room after supper.
One afternoon while we were amusing ourselves by turning over, and I am afraid purchasing, some of the fascinating goods in one of the shops, we found a bridegroom making purchases for his bride elect, who was attended by her mother and aunt as chaperones. Both bride and bridegroom came from the Canali district, where the women wear a very charming costume of bright colours. On the head is a little red and gold embroidered cap, over it a white embroidered accordian pleated handkerchief, embroidered vest and bolero, with tassels of gold coloured silk on sleeves and bodice, a white apron with a deep embroidered hem, probably a bright blue accordian pleatedskirt with a border of some other colour. About the bodice and waist are many ribbons as ornament, and a sash of many colours round the waist. We saw a good many so dressed on Easter Sunday in the town.
On April 4th we left Ragusa in drenching rain, which began the day before and continued all the journey to Mostar, but was happily fine after our arrival about 7-30. This is a journey of eight hours through the mountains of rugged grey stone. The railway goes up a great height and winds in and out of the hills, the view is more grand than beautiful. The train stops at many little stations for the sole reason of allowing the travellers to have drinks, we concluded, as at many places we stayed ten minutes for apparently no reason except that we saw the travellers flocking into a bar.
The Old Bridge, Mostar.
Herzegovina, since 1878, has been under the titular dominion of the Turkish Sultan, but the administration of Austria-Hungary.It is bounded on the north and east by Bosnia, south by Montenegro, and west by Dalmatia, and only just touches the Adriatic at Sutterina. Some districts, those of Niksich and Domitor, have been placed by the Treaty of Berlin under the Government of the Prince of Montenegro.
The greater part of the population belong to the Greek Church. Then come about 70,000 Mohamedans, some Roman Catholics, Jews, and Gipsies. The Mahomedan population are those that strike the eye most, probably because of the men’s picturesque dress, and the bazaars which one makes a point of visiting.
The people live chiefly in hamlets, and there are only about five towns; the capital of Herzegovina is Mostar.
Over the river Narenta, at Mostar, is a fine old Roman bridge which connects two parts of the town.
The river Narenta is the principal river,and along its valley lies the most cultivation, olives, mulberries, figs, melons, grapes, rice, and maize are grown. In some places there are forests of beech and pine. Many of the mountains reach to a height of 8,500 feet near the Montenegrin frontier. There are many sheep and goats, out of the wool of which the long white thick coats are made that you see hanging at shop doors in the hamlets all the way to Mostar. There is a high road from Seràjevo in Bosnia, through Herzegovina to the Adriatic.
We visited these parts in April, but it was far too early for comfort, and I should not recommend anyone to attempt it before June.
Herzegovina seems to have changed hands many times within the last 400 years, at one time belonging to Hungary, and then to Bosnia, then Turkey conquered it; earlier, too, the Venetians seemed to have a look in. Of its history under the Turks there seems to be no particular records. Feudalism,under Mahomedan guise continued to survive here. The Spahis, begs, or agas, were mediæval lords who had apostatized to Islam. They kept their ancestral castles, banners and title deeds, and patents of nobility. They enacted feudal service from their serfs and retainers. One of these Mahomedan nobles, Ali, Aga of Stolac, did such good service for the Sultan in his struggle with the Bosnian magnates, that he was made Vizier of Herzegovina, which was freed for a while from Bosnian government. The reform of Sultan Mahmoud did not by any means remove the grievances of the population of Herzegovina. The serfs had now to satisfy the extortion of imperial excisement as well as from their feudal lords. The begs and agas extorted from them forced labour and a third of the produce; the central government levied a tithe, which at the date of the outbreak had become an eighth. Three kinds of cattle tax: the tax for exemptionfrom military service levied on every infant in arms, forced labour in the roads, forced loan of horses, a heavy tax on grapes and tobacco, and a variety of lesser taxes crushed the Christian peasants; but more galling still the manner in which these taxes were extorted—the iniquitous assessment of tax farmers and excisemen—and the brutal license of the Zaptiehs quartered on recalcitrant villagers. All this caused the insurrection of 1875, the villagers of Nevinsinge (which takes its name from a plateau near Mostar) who were unable to bear the extortions and outrages committed by the Zaptiehs and bashi-basouks, rose against their oppressors. The insurrection spread rapidly through Herzegovina and on to Bosnia, and for a year the Herzegovinians under their leaders held out against all the forces of Turkey, and in two struggles in the gorge of Muratovizza the Turks lost over 2,000 men. In July, 1876, principalitiesjoined in the struggle; the Russo-Turkish war followed, and by the treaty of Berlin, the government of Herzegovina and Bosnia was confided to Austria-Hungary, while Niksich and the country about Mount Dormitor were detached from Herzegovina and annexed to Montenegro.
Curiously enough, that at this present time, when all the states around are agitating, not one word comes in protest from either of these two states, Herzegovina or Bosnia.
In July, 1878, the Austrian troops crossed the Herzegovinian frontier, and this news roused the Mahomedan fanatics to a desperate effort.
On August 2nd the Mahomedans of Mostar, believing themselves betrayed by the Turkish government, roseen masse, murdered the Turkish governor and officials. The Austrians pressed forward, and crushing some ineffectual efforts at resistance, entered Mostar on the 5th August. Since the completionof the occupation, the government of the province has been under the military governor at Saràjevo, controlled by the Foreign Office at Vienna. The Sultan has, up to now, remained the sovereignde jure, so that the present declaration of Austria is not likely to involve any alteration of government from what has gone on all these last thirty years.
At Mostar there is quite a comfortable hotel called Hotel Narenta, with a Restaurant attached, where you can order what you like in the way of food, without having to sit through a weary supper—which took an hour at Ragusa,—and we found the cooking much better too. Two ladies can travel alone in these parts quite well, if they can speak Italian and German, and at the Hotels they all speak English. I have my guide, Karabaich, who carries my sketching things and keeps off the crowd—all of which is a convenience, but not a necessity so far.
Next day we wandered into the town, which was a mass of mud. It rained at intervals, but we managed to see the old town with the Turkish Bazaar, which consists of tiny shops; nothing much tempted us to buy, though it was interesting to look at them. There are many little Mosques dotted about with tiny minarets. It was too wet to sketch, so memory must suffice. I thought of taking a drive, but the downpour began after lunch. We wondered how much longer it would last!!
The stamps of Herzegovina are most fascinating with little views on them, they can be had from the value of a quarter of a farthing upwards, each stamp has a different view on it, and they are double the size of an ordinary stamp, so take up a good deal of room on an envelope.
Here we were much impressed by the women’s ungainly costume with their hideous baggy trousers, generally of some blackmaterial, the whole of the upper part of the body and head is swathed in the feridjeh, and they waddle along very similar to ducks, the back view being most laughable.
I have painted one in my view of the bridge of Mostar.
I made the excursion by carriage to the source of the Buna, about eight miles from Mostar; happily it ceased raining and I was able to sketch the source which wells up from the ground apparently, but is one of the curious rivers of these countries which in an extraordinary way find their way through a mountain. A windmill and mosque came picturesquely into my foreground, and the rich deep blue of the water added to its charm.
I was sorry we had such wretched weather at Mostar.
The Source of the Buna, near Mostar.
About seven o’clock next day the sun came out very kindly for our journey to Saràjevo, the capital of Bosnia, and beforeleaving Mostar we paid another visit to the town, into other streets; but the picturesque ones are all Turkish. The better class women wear a most curious feridjeh, with a bonnet attached to it very like an elongated Quaker’s bonnet; no one can see under it, but they see out of a chink. This domino is generally all black or dark blue. Many of the women wore trousers under their skirts, the latter they tucked up very high to keep them out of the mud.
Going along in the train we saw many curious houses and scenes. The houses have all very deep roofs of wood and often the whole house is wood, there are no proper chimneys, the smoke coming out at four little windows in the roof. Ploughing was in full force, and six oxen are often yoked to a plough driven by a woman in Turkish trousers and sort of shawl over her head; sometimes the trousers were scarlet and the shawl white, and sometimes the whole costumewould be yellow. The little girls and boys, looking after the flocks of sheep with beautiful long white wool, were dressed in brown sort of riding breeches, the boy wearing a fez and the girl a kerchief on the head, the only distinction of sex.
A Street in Saràjevo.
Bosnia, the other state claimed by Austria, which is very mountainous, is bounded on the south by Albania and Montenegro, east by Servia, north and west by the Austrian dominions, and has an area of about 24,024 miles. A large proportion is forest land, and valuable as it furnishes timber and fuel. Plums are largely grown and exported as prunes; maize and wheat are the principal crops, but barley, oats, hemp, rice, are grown; cattle, sheep and goats are plentiful, and large droves of pigs are fed in the oak forests. The whole valley of the Bosnia is said to be a coal bed, and copper is worked in several places, also at Inatch is a very valuable cimmabar mine. Marble, too, is found andthere are saline springs. The principal exports are timber, fruit, cattle, wool, lamb-skins, furs of wild animals, wax and honey. Nearly all the trading is with Austria. Lately several roads have been made that connect some of the principal towns. The province is divided into seven Sandjaks. The people are Servians, but principally Mahomedans, as is seen in passing many graveyards by the side of the railway, sadly dilapidated spots, the gravestones of which for men are composed of a column, crowned by a carved turban or fez, generally toppling sideways over in a melancholy manner and leaning towards another column. A large part of the south has an Albanian population.
Mahomedanism is not only predominant, but often enforced; education is very neglected, though there are a good many schools.
The population of Bosnia is about 1,592,000. The early inhabitants were Illyrians, and for the first time they are mentioned in thehistory was 34B.C.In the Roman period, of which nothing remains, and at the end of the fourth century, Roman sway was overcome by the invasion of the Goths, then followed Croatians, then Servians. The south-west part became Christian under Justinian (527-565) and the rest of it by Servian apostles, Cyril and Methodius, aboutA.D.880. FromA.D.940 and onwards, Bosnia was governed by elective princes or “bans,” who afterwards became feudatories of the Hungarian kings.
InA.D.1377, the ruling Ban assumed the title King Stephen Tvertko I. In the reign of his eighth successor, Stephen Tomashewitch, Bosnia was conquered by Sultan Mahommed II., this was in 1463. In 1528, the banet of Jaice, and in 1592 the north-west part of Bosnia was taken by Turkey, and became the chief theatre of long wars between Austria and Turkey, which at length were ended by the peace of Sistova in 1791. Theoppressive Turk left very little peace, causing the Christians to revolt repeatedly, particularly in 1850 and 1875; and in 1878, the Treaty of Berlin handed Bosnia with Herzegovina over to the government of Austria. A great deal has been done by way of improvements, such as new roads connecting important towns, the railway, also good gendarmes keep order.
I do not think the Bosnian is at all dissatisfied, in fact I understand that at a large meeting at Saràjevo of the Servian Independent Party, which consists chiefly of peasants, they decided to send a deputation of sixty persons to thank the Emperor of Austria for the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to assure His Majesty of their loyalty. One half of the deputation would consist of peasants, and the rest of the clergy and townsmen. The propositions of Austria-Hungary being, that the complete autonomy which would be introduced into Bosnia andHerzegovina would be based on the three ruling elements of the population, which must receive their proper representation in the Diet. To ensure this free development of the country, as well as religious peace, each of the three denominations would elect a certain number of deputies, but no one would be obliged to elect a member of his own persuasion. In addition to the Diet, district councils would also be created. It is thought that these arrangements may be carried out in the Spring.
The chief town, Saràjevo, is picturesque with its numerous minarets, and there are nine bridges over its river, the Miljavka.
Turkish Shops, Saràjevo.
Sad to say we found ourselves very near the snow at Saràjevo, and from the incessant rain the streets were ankle-deep in mud in the Bazaars. We wandered out in the afternoon with our skirts not quite so high as the trousered ladies, but still we were determined they should be out of the mud.Of course sketching and photography were not to be thought of, the only thing we could do was to patter along and see as much of interest as possible. In the little shops copper was being beaten into trays, jugs, ash-trays, coffee pots and cup holders, also there were silver and enamel things for sale; I bought a couple of silver hat-pins. I saw buckles, brooches, studs, earrings, &c., all made of silver in patterns or designs carried out on the article for sale. There were quantities of shoemakers and saddlers all hard at work. Stalls of sweet sellers who have a round table on which to display their wares laid out in sections. The lemonade sellers and coffee sellers carried their jugs and glasses, calling as they walked, very like Cairo. People wore goloshes or pattens of wood, some of the latter of which Miss B. was very anxious to purchase, but I rather frightened her, saying she might fall on her nose as she was not used to them, and nodoubt they would be awkward to walk with at first, so she refrained from buying a pair. We plodded along for some time, then returned to a warm café, where we had delicious coffee with beaten up cream, so grateful and warming!
The cold at Saràjevo was so great that I felt very tempted to go straight to Budapest and give up my tour to Plitvice after all.
It is no pleasure to be even out of doors in this damp depressing weather, but unfortunately the morning that was to decide me broke forth into sunshine once more, and I decided to go on. No green was to be seen on any bushes, and the rivers were all in flood; however, as I had a guide on purpose for this trip, I wanted to go if possible.
My bedroom had such a depressing outlook that I asked to change it. A tumbledown Turkish hotel was not elevating to spirits I found, and beside that there seemed to be a general rubbish heap; in fact, I had mydoubts as to whether it was healthy, overlooking such a place. Though it is always an effort to change rooms, I made up my mind it must be done, and changed very much for the better, moving into quite a new part of the hotel, which was very sweet and clean after what I had just left.
The next day was a glorious warm one and my spirits rose again, so I decided to go the original excursion to Jajce, and on. Miss B., who did not like driving and roughing it, decided she would go direct to Budapest, and home by Vienna, leaving me on Tuesday evening. The journeys in these mountainous regions are very long and the trains creep very slowly; each little journey in distance since we left Ragusa has taken seven or eight hours, but the whole way is interesting.
Early, Karabaich and I wandered forth with my camera, and in hopes of finding a place to sketch, which seemed hopeless in the Bazaars, as the streets are very narrow,with crowds of people and ponies laden with wood passing along; those laden with hay require the width of the street to themselves, and woe betide the passer-by if he does not step back into a doorway. After lunch we went out to sketch, and found a quiet street which was also picturesque. Karabaich was busy keeping off the crowd who had “spotted” me. The boys soon discovered something out of the ordinary was going on, and the little girls were made to stand back by the boys, I fancy, but I was too busy to pay much attention, and finally got a most successful sketch with some Turkish ladies flitting by in the picture; these I had to draw in very hurriedly, as they, like all Easterns, consider it bad luck to have a portrait taken, and many of the groups in the market rapidly dispersed when they detected my camera.
The Market Place, Saràjevo.
The people one sees in these parts are remarkably plain, though many of the men are tall and well made, and of fine physique.The Bosnian costume is very ugly, the women wear enormously wide black trousers down to their feet, these being so voluminous must be much in the way in wet weather, and become very muddy and damp about the ankles. The material used has every appearance of black sateen.
After a journey of seven hours from Saràjevo, Karabaich and I arrived at Jajce. The railway winds in and out, and in and out of the mountains. It was fine all day until I went out to paint the wonderful waterfall. This is a charming old town, full of quaint wood roofed houses and mosques, the minarets are even made of wood. There seem to be many Turks living here, and in these parts I passed many dilapidated graveyards on my way, and every village has a mosque or two. Many of the women are veiled; it must be a horrid bore to have to go about so muffled up, and what must it be in summer!
At Jajce in the old days, the Kings ofBosnia had their castle, and the town was fortified and surrounded by walls; the ruins of walls and castles still remain. Next morning was again wet and I did not go out, finally we had a short shower, but after lunch it cleared. The landlord asked me if I would like to visit a Turkish lady. Of course I was delighted, and he accompanied me with Karabaich on the box, to a village about seven miles off, where a friend of his would take me into a Turkish house. We drove up to a “Theehütte” and were much refreshed and warmed by some delicious coffee, then I sallied forth with the landlady’s servant girl as interpreter, to call, as of course the landlord from Jajce could not even approach the doorstep! I could only speak German and the Turkish lady Bosnian, so without an interpreter our conversation would have been very limited. It was the proper thing to take presents with you, for the mother and children. I was at a loss toknow where the presents were to be got in that tiny village, but the little maid took me to a shop, where we bought sweets for the children and a piece of soap, scented strongly with pachouli, for the lady. Armed with these we arrived on the doorstep. Into the house we walked without knocking—no doubt we were expected—and climbed some very steep stairs, went along a landing and entered a very comfortable sitting-room, with a divan all round it. There were one or two chairs, but the grandmother who came in to show some of her crotchet work, squatted on her heels on the floor. One little girl with hair of a most curious red came into the room. I heard afterwards it was dyed, and certainly the colour was most unnatural and never seen in genuine red hair. The grandmother wore a wig of this colour, and a tiny baby of one year also had it. I asked about this of the tea house landlady, and she told me they will dye ababy’s hair of even a month old. Several little boys peeped at me through a crack in the door, but they would not come in, so I gave the sweets to the girl, which she secreted inside the cupboard bed in the room, and the mother tucked her soap hurriedly away somewhere about her person. The room was very clean and neat, with rugs on the floor, and a quantity of coloured stuffs piled in one corner. A stove pipe came through the floor to warm it, but also I saw a curious stove in the corner, which looked as though it was ornamented with bottle ends in cement of some kind. The mother had been very good-looking; she remarked on my teeth with envious eyes as they were all there, and she had lost a good many of hers. The windows of the house were latticed, except those looking on to the river, where no one could see into the room. Mrs. Turk was very interested in my wedding ring, which she proposed to keep as a souvenir,but I expressed much regret that I could not part with it, as it was the English custom to wear our wedding rings for the rest of our lives, and my husband might be angry if I gave it away. No doubt she wondered what I was doing travelling alone, but she did not ask me. After a cup of Turkish coffee I left. I was really highly entertained by my visit.
Jaice.
The road runs along by the river which has cataracts and falls, and little mills built of wood, standing over the water, these are reached by a plank, and are used for grinding corn. We passed an inland lake on the way, the Lake of Jesero.
In this part, it is the custom to kiss your hand—a performance I particularly dislike, and I now carefully retain my gloves when I think it may take place. It can’t be helped, and to draw it hurriedly away would cause great offence.
Next morning was not very fine, but we started in a carriage about 7-30 to drive toBajnaluka, a nine hours’ drive. On the way, where we lunched and the horses rested, the landlord told me that this year the wolves had come down as low as his house, but as he had no gun, he had to wait till they chose to go away.
At Bajnaluka there is not much to see. Karabaich and I wandered about and found a few Turkish shops and stalls. The people are hideously ugly, clothed in quantities of rags, so they may be warm.
A train at 7 a.m. brought us to Novi (the end of the world we called it). Here we were to find a carriage to take us to Plitvice, but the only decent one refused to go, and the others were so falling to bits I was sure we should never reach our destination, so I had reluctantly to give up the expedition and go on to Vienna. Had we known what a desolate spot Novi was, we should not have attempted to alight; but unfortunately we could not get on till evening, as there wasno train. To anyone wishing to travel in these parts, I recommend them to wait till June. At Agram I dismissed my guide, and so ends my trip through these unfrequented parts.
One or two little remarks I must make before I close, one is on the honesty of the people. My umbrella, which is a valuable one, not only in keeping off the constant rain, but because it has a gold duck on the stick, which I value very much, I suddenly missed one day at Saràjevo while sketching; getting a sudden shock as to what had become of my umbrella when I had been deep in my paint box, I appealed to Karabaich, who had been keeping off a crowd of urchins. “It is all right, lady,” he explained, in Italian, “I put it by that fence behind,” and sure enough it was still there, though the fence was twenty yards behind me and a large crowd in between. My luggage, too, was often left for ages on a table in the waiting-room quite unguarded, itwas all there on our return. I am afraid I should not have such confidence in my native land!
A word in praise, too, I must add of my guide Karabaich. Should any of my readers want a guide, I can certainly recommend him as being most attentive, of very nice appearance and manners, and thoroughly honest. He is a native of Pola and is a pilot by trade, he also has a boat trading in wine; his name and the town will always find him, as he is well known there. He speaks German, Italian, and Slav, and possibly other languages, but I did not require them.