Day 47 - 6/9/11 - Tuesday- Mostar - Sarajevo

Mostar means 'gate keeper', where the bridge was the 'gate' across the river Neretva. Given the bridge is 450 years old it is rather famous, and bridges of today are certainly not made like this one. The bridge defines Mostar, it is its heart, its hub, and its main reason for tourism.

Mostar is small, and hence Cinthia and I should cover it all within a day, mainly spending time around the bridge and old town area. It is a sunny day, the old town is full of small shops, and we have all day to wander around at a slow gait.

In the centre of Mostar, the bridge sits 25 metres above river, and the river flows relatively swiftly, with the beautiful water encountering some rocky bends which create small rapids. The river is however pleasant enough to swim.

A 10 metre diving platform is frequently used by teenage boys, and we enjoyed a beer watching as they dived and their dog jumped into the water and swum with them, fighting strongly against the medium current.

Of more interest was the big boys, who must have some big kahunas, as they jumped off the old bridge.......25 metres. They would do this if tourists paid them..... the asking price.... 25 Euros. We saw one guy land in the water, the crowd cheered, and I guess he got his 25 Euros. My physics is rusty, so I don't know the formula for speed (mass * acceleration * height) however he hit the water fast. Luckily, no belly whacker! I don't think I would jump for $5,000, lot alone 25 Euro.

The old town was small compared to those we visited recently, and its main feature was perhaps the cobble stone streets. Given many of these streets were steep, this was surely a recipe for a few broken hips a year for older tourists. cinthia and I looked on incredulously when one lady was wearing high heels!

Bosnia and Herzegovina represents a fair contrast to Croatia. Whilst the Croatia of today only has pockets of war damage readily apparent to the eye of a tourist, in Bosnia and Herzigovina it is more obvious. The people appear a fair amount poorer than in Croatia, and their mannerisms still seem a little sad and downtrodden.

A major difference between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia is the magnitude of tourism, however another is the different religion. Croatia is primarily a Roman Catholic country, whilst Bosnia and Herzigovina is mainly Muslim, with some Christianity. The 1pm Call to Prayer sang out from the minarets, and this was the first time and place Cinthia had heard 'Call to Prayer'.

The fact that it is primarily Muslim makes it surprising that Bosnia and Herzigovina fought together with Croatia (Roman Catholic) during the war. Serbia and Montenegro is Orthodox. When combined with different races and languages it shows what an eclectric mix the country known as Yugoslavia actually was. I'd like to think not, however perhaps war was almost inevitable.

There were four prime examples of war evidence that Cinthia and I noticed in our single day in Mostar. They were:

1. Cemeteries existed adjacent the main road, sometimes on both sides simultaneously, creating an eerie first impression. Most of the deaths occurred in 1993, however some in 1994/1995 during the 3 year seige. The location of these cemeteries seem a delebrite attempt to never forget the atrocities and sacrificies this city experienced.

2. Like in Vietnam, it is apparent that there are more handicapped people than in a normal city. On the streets this meant men with crutches to assist their walking, and sometimes to support the single remaining leg.
3. Many buildings were destroyed, and of the older buildings left standing many were pot marked with bullet marks. After the war, many compared Sarajevo with Dresden, and I suspect Mostar was not far behind.

4. The major tourist attraction, the Old Bridge, was actually rebuilt, as it was bombed. Luckily UNESCO funding was made available, however rebuilding it the same way as the 16th century engineering techniques proved a challenge.

If you are reading this and wonder when Cinthia and Craig are going to slow down, well the answer isn't for a while. Perhaps when we reach the beach resort in Brazil, or, at a minimum, a Casbar in Morroco. For now, there is plenty more to explore in the region, so onward to Sarajevo we go. Pleased to report we are back on a train rather than the bus, thus far it runs scenically adjacent the river, and of course, much more smoothly than a bus.

Next stop Sarajevo, which recall may trigger memories of news reports of the war with Serbia, the external blockade, and secret pictures and films of the atrocities that occured in the city. Perhaps sadly ironic, it was also the location where Duke Franz Ferdinand was assasinated, starting World War I. As such, Sarajevo with be interwoven with 20th century European military history.