Sneaky trip to Bosnia.. why not!
Trip Start
Jun 24, 2010
1
32
40
Trip End
Oct 25, 2010
Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mostar is a city in Bosnia which has quite a bit of history, and you could see it as soon as you drive in. Bombed buildings, bullet holes completely covering the face of buildings and the restoration seems a bit non existant, perhaps they keep some of it as a reminder. The Bosnian War was only in the early 90's so to think how recent all the devastation occured was a little daunting. The city of Mostar itself was just stunning. A gorgeous green creek runs right through the centre with a uniquie peaked bridge connecting the old town to the new town. We did a little tour of the streets and I went inside a mosque and got to try their version of a pie which was really interesting! They basically have meat in tubes fried in a pan in a thin spring roll like pastry - it was tasty! We also visited a traditional Turkish house where they kept turtles, one who was 60 years old and still not fully grown, and we stood at the peak of the bridge. The bridge has men hanging off and around it trying to collect 25 euros to jump off it. Apparently these men are taught and trained from a young age how to jump into the river without injury, and they do it for entertainment and as a job over the summer season. I didn't get to see anyone jump, but I heard that an English guy jumped a few years ago and they still haven't found his body.....
I spent most of the day walking around the streets looking at jewellery and trinkets with a girl from the boat, Nadine, which was really nice. One of the highlights was trying the Turkish coffee. There is a big Turkish influence in Bosnia, so they love their coffee and turkish delight. The coffee was sold in a little bras cup with a long handle, sugar cubes and real turkish delight. You put your sugar into a small mug, pour in the coffee with the long handle and add just a dash of milk. It was REALLY nice coffee. Apparently the Bosnians (and I am guessing the Turks) drink coffee for hours and hours as part of their lifestyle and culture. Something I could get very used to!
The old cobbled roads, friendly locals, yummy food, coffee and interesting scenery left us feeling really happy and not at all concerned about the history and negative past that the place had. I was so glad I spent the extra money and visited this little place. So very pretty.
Comments
A wonderful town. The Mostar Bridge was world heritage listed, that didn't stop the Christian forces blowing it up towards the end of the war, it has only been rebuilt rather recently me thinks. xxx