Bosnia-Herzegovina 1: Mostar

As soon as we cross the border from Montenegro into Bosnia, or more accurately Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first sign greeting us is a testament to the confusing nature of this country: "Welcome to Republika Srpska," which actually means "Serbian Republic." It's not the same as Republic of Serbia (or simply Serbia) which is an independent country with Belgrade as its capital. Rather, we are entering "Bosnian Serb Republic" which is a part of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Trying to get these names straight is just scratching the surface of the complex regional history here which was marred by "the Bosnian War" including ethnic cleansing of 1992 - 1995. Suffice it to say for now that we are entering Herzegovina (the general description of the southern, smaller part of the country), of which the largest city is Mostar, one of our major stops in this country.

First town after we cross into Bosnia is Grab in the Herzegovina mountains, so I naturally grab a quick photo.

In mountainous and rural areas, the navigator in our rental car and my portable WiFi hotspot are again worthless. But fortunately, the road signs are decent and we rely on the good old AAA maps, and there is of course the body language to resort to when asking for directions.. I mean, people did travel before the age of GPS and mobile devices without getting lost all the time. So we manage to connect the dots: Trebinje, Ljubinje and Stolac before reaching our destination, Mostar. Minarets are clearly visible in Stolac, announcing we are now in a country where Islam is the dominant religion.

In Stolac, these medieval tombstones are strewn on roadside.

By far the most significant monument in Mostar is its Old Bridge. Not only is it in a picturesque setting but it has long been also a symbolic centerpiece here. Its clout has only increased as it fell victim to the war in the 90's and was rebuilt by 2004. After we check into our hotel in Old Town, I open the window and there it is - the unmistakable Old Bridge. In fact, the Old Town is quite compact and it appears as if it can be included in a single frame as a backdrop to the Old Bridge.

View of Old Bridge from our hotel room

View of Old Town from Old Bridge

We soak up the atmosphere of the compact Old Town in a short pre-dinner stroll in a windy late afternoon. At the foot of the Old Bridge is a sign "Don't forget 1993" which is the year when the bridge was bombed, perhaps the most traumatic single event of the battle that raged among all three groups of the city. 

The new section of Old Bridge, rebuilt in 2004, is essentially indistinguishable from the old section of the first few steps

Old Town at dusk

At dinner, we engage the young man serving us in a conversation about his country. Unprovoked, the first thing he states is that the Muslims here are moderate, embrace the Western ways and have nothing to do with the radical image America has. I tell him that we see a sizeable number of Bosnian immigrants and refugees in the Bay area and he responds that he was three years old when the war ended and his father could have moved to the States like his cousin in Oakland but chose to stay in his country. He is very positive about the future of Bosnia with all groups living happily and prosperously together - his girlfriend is a Croat and his best friend is Catholic. I doubt the actual picture is that rosy, especially given the depressed economy and rampant corruption I hear about, but if all young Bosnians were intelligent, inclusive and energetic like him, then indeed they have a bright future.

Bosnian fare: every item was delicious

Coppersmiths' Street is deserted in the evening in the off-season

The morning of our departure, we enter the mosque for yet another view of the Old Bridge.

View of Old Bridge from top of the minaret at Koski Mehmet Pasha Mosque

At Herzegovina Museum, across from a cemetery packed with graves of young people who died in the war, we watch a short silent movie about the history of the Bridge consisting of footage before and after its destruction and reconstruction. It is a moving experience and a final activity as we leave Mostar. A visit to the funky monument to Bruce Lee, apparently enormously popular here cutting across all ethnic lines, will have to wait till next time.

A film footage showing the destruction of Old Bridge in 1993

Mostar has been a good introduction to this country. Shall we say, one must start at Mostar? Mostar should certainly get most stars,  or even more stars?