24 Hours in Mostar

Mostar!

As someone who's prone to car sickness, our side trip to Mostar actually originated as a way to break up the long bus ride between Split and Dubrovnik.  Of course, when you factor in the time spent at customs, the trip from Split to Mostar may not have been that much shorter than heading straight to Dubrovnik anyway. Still, I'm incredibly glad we went, since visiting Mostar turned out to be one of the highlights of our entire trip.

Mostar is located in the southern Herzegovina part of Bosnia and Herzegovina (although most Americans just refer to the entire country as "Bosnia").  The city was under Ottoman (Turkish) rule from the 15th Century until the 1870s, and the town retains much of this flavor today.  The skyline is dotted with beautiful minarets, and these mosques call the city's practicing Muslims to prayer five times a day.  It is a very unique place and, at times, did feel very much like being in Turkey.

Building Covered with Bullet Holes (above the blue sign)

Of course, the city is also home to many Christians, and the clash of these two groups (and also with the Greek Orthodox Serbians) led to much destruction in this region during the war in the early/mid 1990s.  Sadly, the city still bears many scars from the war- both literally and figuratively.  On almost every street there are still bombed out buildings, and even the buildings that avoided major structural damage are covered with bullet holes. Even more devastating, though, was the loss of life, which is evident today from the town's many graveyards.  In one near the old town, virtually every stone (and there were over a hundred) were dated from 1993.  It was incredibly sad to see to say the least.

Still, despite this tragic recent history, it seems that the town and its residents are doing their best to heal and move forward.  There has been much rebuilding and there are now several free photo exhibitions, which chronicle the war and honor those who lost their lives as a result of it.  And, in 2004, Mostar's famed stone arched bridge, Stari Most, was re-opened with much fanfare (the original identical 16th Century bridge was bombed at the height of fighting).

The Beautiful Stari Most

Tom Cooling Off and Admiring the Bridge

I have to admit that I don't have a good sense of what pre-war Mostar was like, but today the action is centered around the lively old town and Stari Most.  Many vendors line the beautiful cobble-stoned streets and tourists flock to the bridge to photograph it and watch the crazy young men who take the 78 foot plunge to the river below.  Before they do, they solicit donations from spectators, "teasing" them by acting as if they will jump but then requesting more funds.  (We heard that they usually try to gather 30 Euros before jumping.)  It's funny, I'm sure he would have been tempted in his youth, but when I asked Tom how much he'd need to jump from the bridge now, his price was much closer to 1 billion than 30 Euros!  However, it's an incredibly fun atmosphere, and the less adventurous of us still have a great time taking in the views while wading in the (very cold) Neretva River below.  The natural scenery is quite stunning, and actually (strangely enough) reminded me a bit of Utah.      

Bridge Jumper Soliciting Donations

And He Jumps! (can you find him?) 

Mountains and Laundry

Old Town in Mostar (with some cut-off random peoples' heads)

Spiced Veggies for E and "Bosnian Cookie" (meat) for T

Although we only had one day here, Tom and I had a great day learning more about Mostar's history and experiencing a culture so different than what we've seen elsewhere on this trip.  While hanging out near the bridge, we also had the fun experience of running into the little sister of my former roommate, who is on a backpacking trip of her own (small world!).

If I ever have the chance, I'd really love to spend more time in Bosnia. I hear Sarajevo is beautiful, and I'm sure there are many other wonderful places to visit.  The locals we met were very friendly, the food and local beer was great, and everything was extremely affordable (less than half of what we're paying in Croatia).  But, alas, Dubrovnik was calling, and so the next morning we boarded yet another bus to head off for a few finals adventures there. It's funny, it somehow simultaneously feels like we've been traveling forever and for no time at all.  We'll be sad to end our trip, but also very happy and grateful to have a few more days at the Academy before heading back to the States.

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Sat. July 27:  Mostar was HOT (temps were in the mid to upper 90s), but, strangely, it didn't feel too bad. Perhaps it was a dry heat