Mostar

            After a late night partying with the drunken Bosnian neighbor, Sara and I got up at the crack of dawn (before 6am!) so that we could visit Mostar.  I was so tired, as was Sara, and I was worried that the trip would be a bust, and not worth losing so much sleep over.  I was also worried about finding the correct bus station, buying the correct ticket, and getting on the correct bus.

            The night before, our Bosnian friend, Admir, called the bus station to get information for us, so we knew that a bus was leaving for Mostar from the main station at 8:15am.  Admir told us that the bus station was right behind the US embassy, which we pass every day on the tram on the way to the National Theater.  Fortunately, Sara and I had little trouble finding the bus station.  When we got there, the woman selling tickets didn’t speak English, but she was able to ask a younger guy for help, and we managed to get round trip tickets, leaving for Mostar at 8:15 and returning at 4pm.  We got on the bus, and asked “Mostar?” just to make sure. J

            The 2-hour bus ride to Mostar was incredible! I have never in my life seen such picturesque scenery!  We wound through the mountains, passing rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and small towns.  The mountains here are small, so they are covered with trees and green foliage, interspersed with unique rock formations.  Perhaps the most beautiful area of all was the town of Jablanica and the huge lake that surrounds it.  I hope I can spend a long weekend there, hiking, swimming in the lake, etc.

To top it all off, the bus was quite comfortable, and air-conditioned, which I was not expecting.  Even though I had planned to sleep, I spent the entire ride gawking at the views and attempting to take pictures.  It’s very hard to take pictures from a bus, and sadly the ones I took do not do the scenery justice.

The bus station in Mostar is about a 20 minute walk from the Old Town, which was the part of Mostar we planned to visit.  On the walk into town, we crossed a bridge (but not THE bridge) with a great view of the river that divides the city.  We also got a chance to see the massive destruction caused by the war.  It is very sad, but there is a lot of construction, growth, and rebuilding, which gives me hope that one day Mostar will be able to fully recover.

Old Town Mostar looks very similar to the old town in Sarajevo, with cobbled streets, cafes, and vendors selling silks, beautiful handmade coffee service sets, and other small items.  Sara and I were surprised to find the old town to be filled with tourists, mostly from Northern and Western Europe, but also from the US and Asia.  The old town in Sarajevo certainly has tourists, but there are also plenty of local people out for shopping, eating, or taking a stroll.  With the exception of the people working in the stores and restaurants, we saw very few Bosnians in Mostar!  Also, when we went to pay for our food, drinks, etc, we were given the price in Euros, and had to explain that, actually, we were living in Bosnia and only had Marks.  I can see why Mostar is such a popular tourist destination, though, with the combination of a charming old town, beautiful architecture, and mountainous backdrop.

Sara and I visited the Old Bridge, which the city is name after. (“Stari most” means “old bridge”.)  The old bridge is really a new reconstruction of the actual old bridge, which was destroyed in the 90s, during the war.  It offers picture-perfect views of the old town and river, surrounded by the mountains.  In some ways, the bridge symbolizes the link between East and West, and the Catholic and Muslim inhabitants of the city.  On one side of the river is the Muslim part of the city and on the other is the Catholic side of the city.  I actually found few differences between the sides, with the exception of one side having a lot of mosques, and the other side having a large church and a prominent cross decorating the mountaintop.  Maybe if I spend more time in Mostar, I would find more differences between the east and west sides of the city.

Sara and I went to a restaurant that was in my Bosnia guidebook, since it said that vegetarian main dishes were available.  We were seated in a peaceful courtyard, with a fountain flowing in the middles, and cats everywhere.  (There are so many cats here, and for some reason they love Sara and follow her around.)  The one Bosnian couple there was pretty conspicuous, because they sit for hours drinking coffee and smoking.  I think almost everyone else was a tourist, and we heard a lot of English!  I had a delicious polenta dish with a creamy sauce, and Sara had Cevapcici.  Eating at the restaurant, and later getting drinks at cafes took up much of our time in Mostar, because service is very slow in Bosnian restaurants. (People are expected to sit and talk for hours, which is a lot of fun, but it means not going to a restaurant if you’re on a strict schedule.)

            Around 3pm, Sara and I walked back to the Mostar bus station, to make sure we didn’t miss our ride back.  We both had to use the bathroom, and were happy to find a public restroom at the station.  I was worried that it would be disgusting, and felt a wave of relief when the entrance was manned by an attendant, who charged one mark to use the facility, and kept it clean.  But then…we opened the stall doors and saw that there were no toilets or toilet paper, only holes in the ground!  Fortunately, Sara and I have both learned to carry toilet paper with us, since a lot of bathrooms in Sarajevo don’t always have it in stock.  I’ve never been camping before, so I have to brag that my first squatting pee was a success.  (Not urinating on myself before a long bus ride was quite a victory!)  Not sure it was worth a mark to use a hole in the ground though, even a recently cleaned ground.

            Fortunately, Sara and I got on the right bus, and wound up back in Sarajevo by 6:30.  The bus let people off at a stop very near Ilidza, so we had an extra-short tram ride home.  I made my “Bosnian Salad” for dinner, and collapsed into bed for 9pm.  I was completely exhausted, and slept a refreshing 12-hours.  Good thing we have another day off today!