Blogs from Mostar, South, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Europe

Today while many of our friends were writing an exam, we took off with our friend Mary (who's husband was writing the exam back at the house), and headed to Bosnia for the day. We left midway through the morning and thought that the drive would be two hours, but we drove along the Croatian coastal route and it took closer to four and a half (also we were behind a slow caravan part of the way). But the drive was absolutely beautiful, driving along the water and through the little towns. It was mostly a sunny day so that added to the beauty. The drive back was under 3 hours, but we took the inland route through the mountains, which was also beautiful. The border didn't give us too much trouble either, they kind of ... read more

Mostar – idän ja lännen kohtauspaikka Balkanin etnisten sotien aikana 1990 luvun alussa useimmille varmasti tulivat tutuiksi kuvat raunioituneista taloista ja kärsivistä ihmisistä. Minullakin nuo muistikuvat ovat hyvin mielessä ja aivan erityisesti mieleeni on jäänyt yksi yksityiskohta sodan järjettömyyksistä. Mostarin vanhan sillan tuho. Bosnian alueella Mostarissa on 1550 luvulla rakennettu kaunis silta joka ylittää Neretva joen. Silta on yhdistänyt jo aikojen alusta idän ja lännen, kristinuskon ja islamin sekä alueella asuneet eri kansallisuudet, bosniakit ja kroatit. Bosnian sodan aikana 1991 silta vaurioitui ensimmäisiä kertoja ja marraskuussa 1993 se tuhoutui lopullisesti kroattien tykistötulituksessa. Sota ei tietenkään tunne armoa ja mikään ei ole turvassa – jotenkin vaan tuntui jo silloin, että on niin turhaa tuhota vuosisatojen takais... read more

After having travelled from a country where begging is illegal, it was a mini shock to the system to encounter lots of gypsies begging on arrival at Mostar bus station. It was a bit stressful because I had tourist touts trying to get me to stay at their hostel etc and one of my flip flops fell apart while I was running to get my luggage off the coach which I had forgotten about, so I had to change shoes. Following that ordeal, I paid the luggage storage and set off for Stari Grad (Old Town). The route there took us (me and a girl I knew from my previous hostel in Dubrovnik) past burnt out and bombed buildings. I felt almost in awe as the recent devastation in Bosnia was now a stark reality. We ... read more

We’d had quite a good few days in Sarajevo, and leaving was hard; the stunningly beautiful drive through the mountains of Southern Bosnia made it that bit easier. The bloke on the cruiser in front of us thought the same, repeatedly risking his life to take photos while leaning through the corners one handed. We headed more or less south, towards Mostar. As we drove, the country dried out, becoming much more Mediterranean, rougher, dustier, more to my taste, less to Klaire’s. We passed through Mostar and headed for the tiny nearby town of Blagaj, about a ten minute drive. There were a number of campsites around. And half of them were shut for the winter. It was the first of the month, and that signified the end of summer for many. We started to get ... read more

26 June – got the bus to Mostar to see the Old Bridge (of course). The iconic 1566 old bridge which was rebuilt after being blown up during the “conflict”. It took 4 1/2 hrs on bus from Split to Mostar - thought it would be 3 hrs only (not). The strangely named Motel (in terms of the motel – God knows where you would park!) Kriva Cuprija (MKC), overlooks the smaller Crooked Bridge (Kriva Cuprija) which was also a victim of the conflict and has also been rebuilt. It is seen as a model for the Old Bridge. The MKC sits right above a small burbling stream which feeds into the main river and my room was right above it (as are most I think) – lovely to have no noise other than the stream ... read more