I recently finished a literary novel set in Bosnia and Croatia, inspired partly by my husband’s family and their experiences during and after the 1990s war. The region is gorgeous, tragic, diverse and unforgettable. Here are just a few scenes that inspired me as I was writing.

Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Burek
Cemetery for War Victims in Prijedor, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Dalmatian Coast, Croatia
Cevapi
Olives
Bombed building
Pocitelj, Bosnia & Herzegovina
View of the Kornati Islands
Bombed building
Vodice, Croatia
Cevapi
Road to Split, Croatia
Olives
Metalware Vendor, Old Town, Sarajevo