Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)

12/03 and 12/04
Having looked at the bus schedules, we decided to spend at least two days in Mostar, Bosnia Hercegovina. The bus ride takes three hours, including three border/passport stops. As we climb away from the Adriatic coast into the hinterlands, we follow rivers flowing from the mountains.

The countryside here reflects today's overcast dreary weather...not very inspiring nor well-kept, so far, a contrast to the neat captivating waterfront towns in Croatia.

Our Mostar greeting is less than friendly. No smiles, abrupt answers and pleas for handouts. With some help we arrive at our hotel where we are met by Teo. He is friendly and helpful, improving our impression of BiH. We have a nice room (we're the only guests) and a balcony overlooking the Neretva River. Great sleeping hearing the rushing water.

This "old town" isn't surrounded by walls and has no forts. One just starts walking on river rocks rather than sidewalks and you are in the "old town". Immediately you feel very mixed emotions that are hard to explain. Encouraged by authentic small stands and shops and then saddened by bombed out buildings. This was a town where people used to live in great harmony regardless of ethnicity or religion. It all changed in the 90's and certainly shows the horrific effects of war.

Stari Most (old bridge) is Mostar's pride and symbol. In fact, the town name means Bridge Keeper (Mostari). It was built in the 16th century and crossed the Neretva River for over 400 years. It was destroyed during the 1993 war with Croatia, rebuilt in 2004 at great expense, along with much of the surrounding Old Town. Ironically the Croats and Bosnians fought together against the Serbs before fighting each other literally on each side of their beloved bridge.

Remnants of the Bosnian wars are everywhere, bombed buildings/roofs, walls with bullet pock marks and cemeteries with 1992 or 1993 deaths (the war years). One stone is etched with "Remember 1993". These are constant reminders to locals and tourists.

Unlike towns in Croatia where there is ongoing (re)construction, here there is none, or what has been started some time ago has been disbanded. The lack of restoration has another impact...quite a bit of litter and trash in the streets, in the river, and in bombed buildings. Evidently people have lost some pride of their place even in the upper middle class neighborhoods.

Enough bad news! Sunday brings better weather and improved attitude. A young woman welcomes us to Karadjoz-bey Mosque, showing us the mosque interior and explaining about the Bosnian Muslim religion. One difference in practice here is that women are not required to wear a veil. Really enjoyed talking with this woman and she again said the people were living peacefully, but it was power hungry politicians and corrupt leaders that caused the war. She is a Muslim Bosinian and lived fine in Croatia during the war.

Ninety- five steps within a narrow, dark column brings us near the top of the mosque's minaret, giving a great view of the area. We have to climb down and out before 12:00, the second call to prayers for the day. They have five calls a day and you hear the chanting over speakers from the top of the minarets.

There is a very intense Turkish influence in Mostar. Lots of copper jewely and beautiful carpets. Also strong thick Turkish coffee.

Wandering the old town streets is harder than the streets in Croatia where they are mostly flat stone. Mostar's are made from rounded river rocks, some set on edge making them slippery and bumpy.

Most of the churches and synagogues were destroyed during the wars, too. St Peter and St Paul Franciscan catholic church was rebuilt with the highest tower/steeple. The Jewish Synagogue has not been restored. What remains is a stone shell. Why? The neighborhood is upper middle class, but that does not eliminate bombed-out homes.

We have seen another face of the former Yugoslavia. Interestingly, several people we have chatted with, including the Muslim mosque host, feel that the Balkans would be better off had Josip Brož Tito lived and held Yugoslavia together.

After walking over a bridge and climbing a minaret, both built in the 16th century, we now have our feet up in our room watching Meet the Press, which we have not been able to see since leaving mid October. Hard to grasp it all.

Tomorrow we return to Split to catch a train back to Rijeka, and on to Ljubljana, Slovenia, for a few days.

Last Day in Dubrovnik

12/2 Friday

This is our fifth day in the Dubrovnik area, including yesterday's trip to Kotor. We have done a pretty thorough tour of the museums and historic sites.

Went to the Ethnographic Museum this morning. It is housed in a fortress-like building built to contain an enormous granary in the 15th century. There are nine huge storage "bins" beneath the ground floor in hollowed-out stone which kept the grain dry and at a constant temperature of 63 degrees. This took a long time to build and was in continual use through the 19th century. Also had many interesting exhibits on life during that time...cooking, farming, weaving. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted in the museum, so we can't include any photos.

Cavtat is a town we had considered staying in when we were planning our visit to Dubrovnik. It's 15km south on the coast, an old seaside town. During the busy summer season, it is popular as an alternative place to stay to avoid crowds.

Out of curiosity, we took a bus over (literally, up a steep hill/mountain) and down to the harbor. Only one restaurant is open (season is over) where we have a hearty farmers bean soup while playing gin rummy.

A walk along the promenade/peninsula around the park at the opening to the Adriatic leads us to a mausoleum designed by our new favorite Croatian artist, Ivan Meštrovič. It is another example of his artistic skill as an architect as well as an artist. We happened to be there at 16:00, perfect timing to catch the sun setting.

Then, a mad rush to catch the 16:15 bus back to Dubrovnik. Its a 45 minute ride which would have been a frustrating trip each day over and back. The 78 steps up and down are not bad in comparison! The return is very pretty driving right by the water, seeing the beautiful colors in the sky after the sun set.

Went to a small, modest home where Malin Drzic, a famous Croatian dramatist, was born in 1508. There was an exhibit, an audio headset, giving facts and playing music and his actual room. We had a difference of opinion when we left. I thought it was clever and Dick said it was the worst museum he has seen.

We happened to walk in on the concert symphony practicing in Dub, but heard about the last two minutes. Sounded good! Think we are missing our ushering a bit.

Had to have a final crepe filled with gelato at this cute little place before climbing the 78 stairs to our apartment. You really don't see any obese people here. A few days ago an old man using two crutches left his home across from us walking down the steps with some assistance. Hardy, as well as resilient.

Tomorrow it is off to Mostar, about three hours from here, making a little head way getting back north toward Istria, but away from the coast. Anxious to hear about the other side of this crazy war in the 90's. It is supposed to rain.

On Sandy's Bucket List: A Visit to Montenegro

12/1, Thursday
A new month, a new country...Montenegro! The name conjures visions of James Bond in "Casino Royale" which is set here, but was actually filmed in the Czech Republic for the most part.

Niño is our van driver and a cheerful guy. Ryo, Lena, and Shun are along, too. They're university students from Japan on their senior year trip. Five passengers is the least number that the tour company will take, so it was meant to be.

We stop several times along the way to enjoy the scenery. It does seem different than Croatia. It seems more rugged and dramatic and known as the "black mountain". Rick Steves, whose comments seem right on, says Montenegro is the encore to Dubrovik.

Our first big stop is the Bay/Town of Kotor. It is located at the end of a very long fjord. The town is surrounded by imposing walls reaching way up the mountainside. We probably made it up about one tenth just to enjoy the view. Again, how in the world did they build it?

Montenegro uses the Euro, not Kuna, and the stores won't accept kuna. We are forced to exchange at a ridiculous rate and commission.

Our second stop is just that, to see from the road the private island of St. Stephan. No visitors allowed. Photos only from a distance.

Budva, a major tourist town on the sea, is our lunch stop. A nice seaside restaurant for the five of us. The students are are all good conversationalists, in English. Shun grew up in Orange County, CA. Lena is currently studying in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. And, Ryo is taking an English-speaking course in London.

Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegevna, is our planned destination for the weekend. Now, we need to figure out how to get there and back.

What's Next? It's Wednesday. Another day to explore Dubrovnik.

11/30
There is much to see around Dubrovnik, so what's next?

St. Lawrence (Lovrijenac) Fortress seems like a good starting place. The fort sits atop a promontory (121' above sea level) jutting into the sea, protecting the town and harbor, just outside the town wall. It is sometimes called Dubrovnik's Gibraltar. Up more steps to reach it, we're impressed by the structure and design...walls are eight feet thick, solid stone, with many vantages for defense. This would be a great venue for an outdoor event (music, reception, wedding) because of the views of the sea and town, and dlarge open spaces. Met a nice German couple when leaving and they wanted to practice their English, so we had a nice visit.

After the fort we went on a 12 person tour boat (yes, we were the only two) and saw the city from the water. Very impressive! Now we've seen the town from above (the fort), on the ground, and from the water. Went around a large very dense island called Lokrum. Had fun talking to the driver and he was fishing while steering and caught a nice fish for dinner. He too talked about the war in the 90's and the earthquake in1979 that caused considerable damage. He pointed out hotels on the shore built by Russian investors (mafia) which are not only ugly, but may never be used. These are resilient people.

We then went to the city museum located in the rector's palace. Aptly named ! Beautiful building with equally beautiful paintings starting from the 4th century. The rooms upstairs are down right opulent and members of the nobility lived there a month at a time. Gave everyone a chance. Describing the prison in the lower part they said one punishment was "mandatory rowing on government vessels".

We are trying to decide whether to take a bus tour into Montenegro to see the city and Bay of Kotor. It's a 2.5 hour ride. Another option is to bus into Bosnia-Herzegovina (2.5 hrs) to the town of Mostar. Both destinations have been recommended to us. Maybe we'll do both on separate days.

Is it Tuesday or Wednesday? If it's Tuesday, we're in Dubrovnik.

11/29
As we were walking the wall that surrounds Dubrovnik, Sandy asked "Is this Wednesday?" I wasn't sure myself. As it turns out, it's Tuesday.

Today's main event was to walk the wall. It's about two miles around, but that doesn't count the steps up and down...there are so many we lost count. It provides a picturesque view of stone buildings, orange tile roofs, churches, and the sea. It took several hours. Again, the view of the water was magical.

You could easily see the thousands of roof tiles that have been replaced since the war in the 90's. Many places have plagues stating where mortar fire had landed and the damage incurred.

Went to two monasteries, one, Franciscan and the other, Dominican, and their adjacent churches. We saw a hand written copy of the New Testament from the 11 th century, lots of wonderfully restored paintings, many more than 1000 years old, and peaceful garden courtyards. Both monasteries still have a few monks and nuns.

Its 18:00. We are presently sitting in a plaza waiting for a political rally to begin, doing our political penance. They have elections the first part of December in Croatia. Good music, Croatian dancers and fun people watching. I'm sure we won't understand a thing, but then it won't be that different than at home.

Jadranka Kosor, current Prime Minister, member of HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union party), former President of Croatia, and the first female President was the primary speaker. She is credited with inspiring other women to run for office. We've seen her face allover Croatia on posters, and wondered who she is.

There were a few policemen around and lots of other local politicians, no secret service types. The crowd (maybe 300) was mostly older people who are well behaved and seemed to like what she was saying.

Lidija explained to us that the HDZ party is actually democratic (right of center), while the opposition (the current administration) is technically communist (left). Unfortunately, the former NDZ president was corrupt, stealing lots of money from the government, sent to jail. Voters are afraid to vote for the HDZ candidates.

Korčula Island

November 25 and 26 and 27

11/25
Our departure from Split by ferry is at 10:30, arriving at Vela Luka (Big Harbor) on the northern end of Korčula Island, a 2 and 3/4 hour trip. A big ferry and very smooth ride. Then, we travel by bus for an hour to old Korčula town at the southern tip. We thought this would be a good way to see most of the island, and it is.

We passed through several small towns (Blato, Smokiva, Prvo, and Zrkovo), dropping off high school students. They have quite a daily commute. The island is wooded with scrub bushes, vineyards, and lots of white rock. The roads curve through medium-sized mountains to reach Korčula town. At times we are up very high and the views are great. It is dense with dark pines and was called the black island when first discovered. It has one of the best preserved medieval centers in Dalmatia. Sometimes it is called a mini Dubrovnik. Several locals help us find "Accommodations Nena" where we are staying for three nights since many streets are not named. Have a great view of the harbor and of course the place to ourselves. Cute little terrace upstairs where we plan to have breakfast tomorrow.

11/26
We had hoped to rent bikes since it is a nice sunny day, but all the places closed for the season. So, we have walked throughout town several times. It's pretty small and contained with lots of twisting and turning and of course stairs.

Lots of shops and restaurants, many are closed now. Some very nice villas and beautiful, aqua colored water all around ! The surrounding hills almost look fake since above the tree line they are covered with white rock.

The streets (walkways really) all lead up to the top of the old town (stari grad in Croatian) to, what else?, THE CHURCH, St. Marks, in this case. Actually, the other big item next to the church is (you won't guess this one!) Marco Polo's home...well, maybe, maybe not. There is controversy because the house is actually newer than when he lived, and other towns claim him, too. We did walk around yelling MARCO....POLO.

At lunch we met a nice Japanese family with a 5-year old boy. The father works in the embassy in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the country next to Croatia. They have bought a home on this island which is easy for them to get to by boat. Saw this restaurant in one of the books and it is always fun and a good way to see the town while searching.

For days now I've been saying I need to go to a Frizerski to get my hair cut. Both Dick and I ended up getting one. The owner of the shop is named Sandra, so we had our picture taken together. The girl that did mine didn't speak English, but we did fine with gestures and she liked my curly hair. There are NO gray/white haired women in Croatia, so I think she thought it was fun. Great place to have a hair coloring concession, but oh what terrible colors.

11/27
We ate breakfast on the outdoor patio and walked the streets again. Nena, the apartment owner, is picking us up at 13:00 to take us to Lumbarda, a town about 3 miles away. While we explored the town and walked the seaside path, Nena went mushroom hunting with a friend nearby. She drove us back because there are no buses on Sunday. Sat and had a coffee with her at a local cafe and learned more about the area and her family. She teaches 2nd grade and only has 8 students. Fun person and very nice.

We have to be up early tomorrow to catch the 6:45 bus to Dubrovnik. Just finalized a three night stay there.

Catch the 10:45 bus to Split

November 22 & 23

Our young hostess at the Vila Marija sent us off his morning with a small bottle of her grandmother's homemade grappa made from green walnuts. We will enjoy that tonight in Split.

We found the Palace Suites in Split with no problem. We upgraded to a room on the third floor with a view of the Narodni Trg plaza, and walked to the Croatian National Theater to purchase tickets for an operetta on Thursday, Nov 24, Thanksgiving Day. It's not too likely we'll find turkey on any tables, so we're treating ourselves to an evening of live entertainment.

Our host at the Palace Suites, Dajana, suggested a nearby "locals" place for dinner called Fife. Sandy had a wonderful local dish called pašticada, marinated beef cooked slowly with red wine and served with homemade gnocchi. Dick had a grilled fish platter with houndfish. Paradižot (swimming islands) for desert. It was just a small local place and enjoyed some people watching.

A movie scene was being shot at a plaza on our way back to our room and we stood around and watched. Seemed like lots of people involved, but not much happening.

11/23:
It's overcast this morning after raining all night. Sandy opened the windows onto the square to watch people passing through and the cafes setting up tables and chairs for the day's business. We are hoping for a bit of sun, but lots of museums if it starts to rain.

The Split City Museum provides a "dry" hour for us to learn more about the history of the town and of the Dalmatian region and of Croatia. This area was fought over and governed by many empires...Venetian, Hungarian, Austrian, Slavs, French...covering many centuries.

Still raining lightly. Next museum...Ethnographic. It traces the styles...clothing, furniture, war paraphernalia...of Dalmatians from the hinterlands to the coast over a period of centuries. The clothing is traditional folk apparel with lots of decoration he and color.

Still raining...Cellars of the Palace, not actually a museum, but indoors, beneath the original palace. It was constructed to support the weight of the palace interior walls which were heavy stone. So, it reflects the actual layout of the rooms above, many of which have been destroyed as the palace was altered over centuries.

Dinner time, again. In our wanderings earlier, we spied a cute place called Sperum. Good ambience, good food, good value, and a friendly waiter, Vice (Vee-Shay), who is an ardent Hajduk soccer team fan.