Pit-stop in Mostar

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So, I had been debating back and forth whether to make a stop in Mostar on the way to Dubrovnik, as the train ride from Sarajevo to Mostar is touted to be one of the most scenic routes in Europe. However, stopping there would cut into my already limited time in Dubrovnik, and all I could gather about what Mostar itself had to offer was .... a bridge. Bringing up this dilemma with Adnan's cousin, he INSISTED that it was worth the trip. So, that was that. Besides, no trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina is complete without actually stopping in Herzegovina.
And...am I glad I did! Even with the unexpected added connections, double bus break-downs on the subsequent leg to Dubrovnik, AND double-paying to get onto the bus to Dubrovnik.... the trip to Mostar ranks as one of the most memorable highlights of the trip.
Since this is the least planned portion of my trip, I had little in the way of navigation or background information, and so I learned as I made my way through the town. On the the way towards the bridge, the streets are lined with newly renovated buildings standing alongside the sharply contrasting remainders of shelled buildings. Somehow, these modern-day ruins, now overgrown with greenery, add a strange beauty to the character of the town.
As promised, the views of the Neretva river from Stari Most (the Old Bridge) were simply spectacular. But, it was only after marveling at this Ottoman era structure that I learned the bridge I was standing on is actually a reconstruction of the original that was destroyed during the war. The footage of seeing early images of the bridge, the senseless shelling of it and other monuments during the siege, to the eventual reconstruction and reopening six years ago, left quite an indelible impression.
Onwards to Dubrovnik!
(Interesting side-note about bus rides through Croatia.... you have to pay a luggage fee to get your bag on the bus!)

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