Zdravo!!
Throughout our entire four months of traveling, most of our plans have been made last minute, and many are made after chatting with fellow backpackers about their own trips. When we first set out to tour Europe we had almost zero plans, which makes for zero expectations. We have found that this method of traveling works best for us. The element of surprise is always there, and there have been several times that we are pleasantly surprised once arriving in a new country. Bosnia is a prime example.
The bus to Mostar from Dubrovnik was a beautiful journey. The landscape changes in little ways, from driving along the coast, then through fields and rolling hills, and finally into lush forest. Bosnia is such an underrated travel point, its a shame to leave it out, especially if touring through Eastern Europe. We knew very little about the country going into it, aside from hearing little tidbits regarding the war between the Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians 20 years ago-I wont go in to a huge history lesson with everyone, but it is most definitely an interesting topic to google-but that didn't prepare us for the war-stricken city we experienced.
One of the first buildings you see as you drive in to the city of Mostar is your usual old, abandoned mess of brick and cement. The difference here, is that this building is splattered with bullet holes. Move a little further in, and there is another, and another. The next one is instead crumpled and destroyed, with barely a frame holding it up. Bombed. The most eerie feeling comes upon you as you watch people going on with everyday life, passing the destruction left behind from an awful war only twenty years before. The sad thing is, the war still goes on. There may not be bombing and shooting, but the Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosnians do not live equally even today. Mostar has a Bosnian side, where the damage still lies with every second building, and the Croatian side, where shiny and bright new buildings stick out like an awkward silence. The building that stuck out the most to us, was an old bank. The Croats used it as a sniper building during the war. You can still walk around and up to the roof today. The walls are full of graffiti, the floors covered in glass, insulation, and wires. There are still shells littering the entire building. You can't help but pick one up and wonder where it's bullet landed twenty years before.
Despite the obvious left-overs of war, the city is still full of life. Its apparent that although scarred, the people of Mostar are doing their best to grow and flourish, but still stick to the old and simple ways of life. The addition of malls and McDonalds are not what excites the locals. Its the sharing of local food, the re-building of old bridges, and telling their story of survival and redemption. We really lucked out with our hostel. Majda's was more of a home then a hostel. Family-owned and run, every guest is welcomed in with a warm smile, offered a seat and a choice of coffee or tea. Majda and Aldina fed us homemade soup and fresh bread while they went over the map of Mostar with us, pointing out the best place to get Bürek, a popular pastry in Eastern Europe, and which sights to see. We were given a bucket of markers and a piece of paper to make up name tags for our bunks. It is such a simple idea, but its the only hostel we have been to that does that. The walls of the hostel are filled with old name tags, pictures guests have drawn, maps and flags, tips and pointers. For breakfast, Majda and her Mother, Nica, cooked french toast. It was the cutest, cosiest hostel yet.
We spent the first night getting to know the other guests, chatting with Majda about her distaste for modern life flooding into Mostar, and walking around Old Town. Mostar's Old Town is particularly special, as the Old Bridge-symbolising Mostar's spirit, and connecting the two sides of the city- was the last to be destroyed in the war. The Old Bridge stood for over 400 years before it was destroyed in 1993. The Bosnians re-built the bridge in 2004 using what they could from the original.
The next day we took part in Mostar's most famous tour with Majda's eccentric and animated brother Bata. It was a 12 hour tour, and the best we have been on to date. Bata picked us up in his "girlfriend". A big, white, hunk of metal that "likes it rough". Translation: slam the doors, and once your in, get crazy. We listened to Turbofolk-a wild blend of pop, folk, and euro dance, popular in the Balkans-the entire day. Bata even had small strobe lights installed, and to top if off at the end of the day...hung a disco ball from the roof. He entertained us with his hard-hitting fist pumps and hip thrusts the whole drive. I have never met such a goofy, free-spirited, yet ultra-caring man. Aside from sharing his and his girlfriends wild side, he also shared with us his own story of survival.
He lived through the war, and had to come to terms with the fact that people he was once friends with, were now shooting down at him and his family. He described the difficulties he had with being ostracized for having a background he wasn't even aware of. Catholic and Muslim hadn't mattered when it came to who he played with in the park as a child, but suddenly it mattered enough to tear apart life-long friendships. We really felt honoured that Bata was willing to open up, and talk about the war even though some wounds are still fresh. He explained that after so many years of fighting to get through, he realized talking about it was the best remedy. I highly recommend to anyone travelling in Europe to make the trip to Mostar in order to meet this man and his family.
Aside from some lessons in history, and sharing personal accounts, Bata took the ten of us all over Mostar and the surrounding areas. We ate Bürek, a thin pastry stuffed with either minced meat(the best!!)spinach, potato, or cheese. We actually got to peek in the kitchen as well and meet the ladies responsible for baking this delicious local favourite. As Bata said "These ladies are naaassty in the kitchen!!". We toured around Medjugorje, a Catholic pilgrimage site.We climbed the towers in the 15th century medieval town, Pocitelj, and stopped in a local woman's home for a wonderful feast of fresh fruits and dates, dried figs, and apple cake. She served us Bosnian coffee, and Bata taught us the proper way to drink it-dip a sugar cube into the coffee quickly, take a small bite, then sip sip sip the coffee, and to show you enjoyed it, "Ahhhh". We also tested out 3 flavors of homemade syrups: mint, rose, and pomegranate. All delicious. We admired a beautiful cave with an endless supply of water-the origin of this water is still a mystery. The cave acts as a backdrop to the Blagaj, a Muslim Holy House.
When the sun was really beating, Bata drove us to the incredible Kravice Falls, where we took a dive into the ice-cold waters(or in Andrew's case, took several back-flips in). We said "zivjeli" (zhee-vi-lee) to a glass of Rakia, and filled up on another local dish called Cevapi at the end of the day. Cevapi is basically grilled sausages of minced meat topped with chopped onions and a big slop of kajmak(yogurt-like cheese). All of this sits in a big, freshly baked pita. Yum. We love local food.
We arrived back at the hostel sometime after 10pm, and fell into bed happy and exhausted. We were sad to leave Mostar, but would go back in a heartbeat. Bata Tour Round Two perhaps!? I'm not sure we got enough of all that Turbofolk!
We took a quick hop over to Sarajevo for a night, another lovely Bosnian city, and spent the evening walking around and getting one more taste of Bürek and Cevapi. The next day we took an 11 hour train ride to Budapest, Hungary. More on that next time!
Hvala to all for continuing to keep up with our wild and wonderful adventure!
Love from across the ocean,
A&C
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